The Bahamas welcomes new airlift services from several airline carriers

Airlift to The Bahamas continuous to increase due to the tireless efforts of the Ministry of Tourism and its industry partners.

Tyrone Sawyer, director, Airlift Development, at the Ministry of Tourism explained that in its push to ensure that increased airlift is experienced throughout the Bahamian archipelago, the Ministry is happy to announce that Air Canada in May introduced a once a week charter flight on a A-320 jet with a seating capacity of 148 to San Salvador from Montreal on behalf of Club Med.

He said Grand Bahama is also experiencing an increase in airlift via the nation’s national flag carrier.

“Bahamasair is operating scheduled services from May 2014 – October 2014 into Grand Bahama Island with two flights per week from six U.S. cities: Newark, New Jersey; Baltimore, Maryland; Richmond, Virginia; Raleigh, North Carolina; Birmingham Alabama; Memphis, Tennessee; Columbus Ohio and Cincinnati, Ohio.”

Nassau/Paradise Island is also getting additional airlift to coincide with the increased room capacity that will result when the Baha Mar Resort opens in December 2014.

Mr Sawyer said, “As those rooms come on stream, the Ministry of Tourism and our industry partners are negotiating to ensure that we increase our airlift or the amount of seats coming in to fill those rooms.”

He explained that Southwest Airlines is going to be starting a daily flight from Baltimore, Maryland to Nassau using a 737 jet effective July 1 and that flight essentially replaces for what for Southwest is a rebranding effort away from the AirTran livery (livery being the painting on the side of the aircraft) to the Southwest livery. 

Southwest, which acquired AirTran in 2011, has also taken over the AirTran service from Atlanta to Nassau.

Mr. Sawyer said that Delta Airlines in May from the La Guardia airport its daily service that comes to Nassau to JFK.  This move means that Nassau has the ability to attract passengers connecting from other cities

Delta will also introduce seasonal daily services to Nassau from Detroit and from Boston to Nassau once a week starting December 2014 to April 2015.

United Airlines introduced this month, two flights per week seasonal service from Dulles, Washington to Nassau. 

Sun Country will also introduce a four flight per week seasonal service from Minneapolis to Nassau in December 2014 and Jet Blue will fly daily from Washington D.C. to Nassau starting this month.

Reflecting on all of the upcoming additions, Mr. Sawyer said, “So you have dynamic airlift options and there are more to come.”