Another major United States airline has launched direct weekly flights to Jamaica.
Over the weekend, United Airlines had its first direct from Denver, Colorado in the United States to the Sangster International Airport (SIA) in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
The flight will now arrive at SIA every Saturday.
Commercial Business Development and Marketing Manager at MBJ Airports Limited, Operators of SIA, Sharon Hislop-Holt, told the media that the addition of the new flight is “huge” for the facility.
“The ease of connection for passengers means a lot to us, so it is always great when we have a direct flight, a new route, a new airline. It is really a momentous occasion here for us,” she said.
For his part, Station Manager for United Airlines in Jamaica, Andrew Chambers, noted that the airline has embarked on one of the largest aircraft orders in the world, which made it possible for the direct flight from Denver to Montego Bay.
“We call it United Next, and this will make United Airlines the largest carrier across the world. We now fly a total of five routes [to Jamaica], Newark, New Jersey; Chicago, Illinois; Houston, Texas; Washington DC and now Denver. We have a total of 102 flights on a monthly basis into Montego Bay,” Mr. Chambers informed.
Noting that no other direct United Airlines flights are planned for the island, Mr. Chambers is hoping that with the high demand for the destination, especially Montego Bay, the number of flights from the carrier will increase.
More new flights for Jamaica
Several other airlines will be laucnhing new direct flights to the island in short order.
Beginning on December 1, Norse Atlantic Airlines from United Kingdom will have flights to Montego Bay and on December 9, the island will see direct flights from Jetlines Airline in Toronto, Canada.
As for United States carriers, American Airlines has announced plans to launch direct flights from Miami to Ocho Rios, Jamaica, come February 2024.
It was also announced that low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines will be offering a weekly flight from Kansas City, Missouri, to Jamaica. The flight will arrive in Montego Bay on Saturdays throughout the winter season.
Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Ed Bartlett said the new developments make Jamaica the most connected Caribbean island to the U.S.
“We cover 18 gateways that connect us to over 100 cities across the U.S. That makes Jamaica the most connected Caribbean destination to the United States,” he noted.
Bartlett said that the island is on track to close out the year with some 2.9 million stopover visitors and expressed optimism of surpassing the three-million mark in stopover arrivals next year, with earnings of more than $4.5 billion.
