Caribbean News Now
MIAMI, — American Airlines will add two more non-stop flights to St Kitts from Miami and change the schedule for its non-stop flights to St. Kitts from New York JFK beginning November 21, 2013, ideally timed for the peak winter travel season. Also effective November 21, 2013, through March 31, 2014, American Airlines will increase its New York, JFK service into Antigua and Barbuda to operate daily.
The two additional American flights from Miami to St Kitts will operate on Thursdays and Saturdays and will complement the Friday and Sunday flights from Miami that were added in November 2012. This expands American’s Miami service to St Kitts to 11 flights weekly, including twice daily service for four days per week from Thursday through Sunday.
From JFK, the flights are now scheduled to depart on Wednesdays and Saturdays and overnight on St Kitts to return the following days (Thursdays and Sundays). The timing of the JFK flight southbound also changes to an afternoon departure from JFK with a morning departure northbound the next day, allowing for a greater number of connections in New York.
These two additional daily flights continue a series of service increases to St Kitts by American Airlines over the past eight years. American first started its Miami service to St Kitts in December 2004 with three flights weekly, which grew to five flights weekly in 2006 and to daily flights in 2008. The Miami service increased to nine flights per week last year and just one year later, with these two additional Miami flights, to 11 flights per week. American has operated twice weekly service from JFK to St. Kitts since November 2007.
Minister John Maginley
Meanwhile, with the increase in American Airlines’ New York, JFK service into Antigua and Barbuda, minister of tourism and civil aviation, John Maginley noted, “As a major tourism destination, Antigua and Barbuda continues to work tirelessly at increasing its airlift out of North America to ensure that the destination is easily accessible to all travelers. This daily service out of New York’s JFK, during what is anticipated to be a busy Winter Season is significant. With Antigua and Barbuda’s recent participation in ABC’s hit reality series The Bachelorette, we expect to see growth in our overall arrival figures out of the US market by year end and this daily non-stop service into Antigua complements all of our efforts.”
Senator Ricky Skerritt
“I am pleased that American Airlines continues to demonstrate confidence in the strength of the St Kitts and Nevis tourism industry,” said Senator Ricky Skerritt, minister of tourism and international transport. “The addition of two more flights from Miami is indicative of increasing demand for our tourism product. Further, the schedule shift for the JFK flight to a later departure time creates a significant increase in the number of available connections to our destination from the U.S. and other international gateways.”
“Whether it’s for world-class beaches or breathtaking landscapes, we are pleased to give visitors from around the world greater access to St Kitts with American’s increased service,” said Art Torno, American’s vice president for Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America. “With this new schedule, customers can enjoy even more convenient connections to the island from either New York JFK or Miami.”
“The increase of a daily non-stop flight out of New York’s JFK shows continued confidence in the destination by American Airlines and comes on the heels of good performance of the JFK route to date. For the upcoming Winter Season we will also see increased airlift out of the UK market from Virgin Airlines, which will now provide five flights into V.C Bird International; British Airways will also be returning to a daily service, and we recently added a new once-weekly service from Manchester, UK, with Thomas Cook,” explained CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, Colin James.
