Spirit Airlines will launch nonstop daily Airbus service from New York City´s LaGuardia Airport to Nassau, in the Bahamas, beginning November 10 this same year. The low-cost carrier already serves Nassau with daily nonstop flights from Fort Lauderdale, in South Florida.

Houston-based Continental Airline netted a 7.6 percent increase in profits all through the month of June, while its load factor edged up 0.3 points to 82.2 percent, compared with June 2004. The carrier flew 7.2 billion revenue passenger miles and 8.8 billion available seat miles in June. Revenue per available seat mile, a common measure of profitability for the airline industry, rose between 6 and 7 percent, compared to year-ago levels, but was down from a 9 percent increase seen in May.

Less than one month following the commencement of negotiations, an agreement between Continental Airlines and the island of Bonaire was inked on June 23rd. Beginning December 16, 2005, Continental Airlines will launch a weekly nonstop roundtrip flight from its Houston hub to and from Bonaire. Flights will depart from Houston on Fridays at 11:30 p.m., arriving in Bonaire on Saturdays at 6:15 a.m. The return flight will take off from Bonaire on Saturdays at 8:00 a.m., landing in Houston at 10:50 a.m. Continental Airlines will use a Boeing 737 airplane with 124 seats including 12 first class seats.

Virgin Atlantic, the British carrier, launched direct services between London and Havana, plus direct services between London and Nassau as part of the airline´s expansion in the Caribbean. The services will operate twice a week between London´s Gatwick Airport and Havana from 7 July on, and weekly operations between London´s Gatwick and Nassau from 4 July onward, using a Boeing 747-400 aircraft.

Air Jamaica has announced that its Saturday flights from Montego Bay, Jamaica, to and from Bonaire will be reinstated beginning September 3, 2005. This means there will be no disruption of service to the island on Saturdays. The Air Jamaica weekend flight will continue to depart from Montego Bay on Saturdays at 11:30 a.m., arriving into Bonaire at 2:30 p.m. The return flight will take off from Bonaire on Saturdays at 3:10 p.m., landing into Montego Bay at 4:05 p.m.

Varig, Brazil´s largest airline and the largest air carrier in Latin America, filed for bankruptcy protection in Brazil and the U.S. last June 17, but said its operations will not be affected. Varig faced the possible repossession of 11 of its 87 aircraft, but with the bankruptcy filing it will now have 60 days to present its creditors and the court with a restructuring plan.