Air Jamaica Soaring Barbados Way Again

 From July 2 to August 30, 2009, Air Jamaica will operate twice weekly service between New York and Barbados which the airline says is in response to the expected demand by Barbadian nationals in the tri-state area travelling home for the summer.

“We are of course very happy that Air Jamaica has made the commitment of these flights,” Barbadian Minister of Tourism, Richard Sealy, told JIS News.

“Barbadians who live outside of the island look forward to vacationing at home. We are thrilled at Air Jamaica’s move in making it easy for them and all visitors to our island to travel during this period,” he added.

The flights will depart John F Kennedy Airport (JFK) on Thursday and Sunday at 12:50 am and arrive in Barbados at 5:00 am. The return flight will depart Barbados at 6:30 am and arrive at JFK at 11:30 am.

Source: www.jamaicaobserver.com

• Debt Ridden Air Jamaica To Cut Barbados Route Next Month

Debt Ridden Air Jamaica To Cut Barbados Route Next Month

The head of Air Jamaica says the ailing carrier must eliminate six unprofitable routes and slash staff next month.

Bruce Noble is the chief executive of the debt-ridden airline. He says Air Jamaica’s flights to Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles, Barbados, Grenada and the island of Grand Cayman will be cut in late February.

Noble said Tuesday that Jamaica’s national carrier had to “cut routes where we are losing money.”

He says an undetermined number of workers will be dismissed around the same time. Air Jamaica has eliminated other routes and trimmed its workforce in recent years.

Jamaica expects to divest itself from the airline by April. Prime Minister Bruce Golding has said the carrier was losing US$141 million a year.

Source: forbes.com

AirOne Ventures & Digicel Team Up For Low Cost Carrier

A private commercial airline by the name of AirOne Ventures Limited may ruffled the wings of regionals carriers when its takes to the skies next year.

Simply because the Irish backed proposed low cost airline company have as one of their 4 shareholders and a director of the said company, Digicel Group Vice-President Leslie Buckley. AirOne Ventures Limited is registered in Jamaica but currently based in Barbados due to Jamaica’s government refusal to grant them a license. A search led to a site advertising vacancies for AirOne Ventures. So does Digicel owned, managed or controlled AirOne Ventures? According to the Jamaica Gleaner, the answer from both sides was a quick no.   

………… Airone and Digicel are forming an alliance but last night the latter company moved swiftly to dispel any suggestion that it was an investor in the airline.

“It is an entirely separate legal entity to Digicel Limited,” said group head of communications Maureen Rabbitt.

“Airone Ventures Limited is not owned, controlled or managed by Digicel Limited.”

Pressed on whether the company’s chairman Denis O’Brien was involved with Airone, both Rabbitt and later ProComm, the agency handling media relations for Airone, said ‘no’. – 11/12/07                     

AirOne Ventures is to begin commercial flights from Barbados to some regional and US destinations between March to April come next year [2009] with fares as low as US$10!!! Now that’s a lot uh money to sustained $10.00 fares. But hey, Digicel have never been known to be weak in the sales & marketing department peoples.

Airone has tapped Digicel for assistance, saying that it would be relying on the savvy mobile phone company for sales support.

Tickets? No problem. They can be purchased and collected lock, stock and barrel at Digicel stores. Or what about receiving them via SMS text message? The barcodes will be scanned at the airport and a boarding pass issued.

 Digicel Group is founded by Irish billionaire Dennis O’Brien. The Irish telecom company services 6m subscribers in 23 markets in the Caribbean and Central America with expected revenues to grow to US1.47b at its financial year end March 2008.

• Low-Cost Carrier Set To Begin Service By Next April
• Private Commericial Airline Hunts Jamaican Licence – AirOne Ventures Names Digicel As Sales Partner
• Digicel Projects US$433m Profit On Regional Operations – Revenues Of US$1.47b
• Smurfit jnr An Investor In AirOne

Coke And Dope Found On Air Jamaica Flight

A crew member aboard an Air Jamaica flight bound for Philadelphia discovered nine pounds of cocaine and marijuana hidden in the aircraft’s galley, officials said.

The stash was found Sunday on a flight that originated in Kingston before landing about 9:30 p.m. at Philadelphia International Airport.

Five pounds of cocaine and four-and-a-half pounds of marijuana, wrapped tightly in brown tape and divided into eight packages, were concealed inside a catering cart, said Steve Sapp, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The drugs, worth about $44,000, were seized by federal agents and will be destroyed, Sapp said. Agents have made no arrests.

Source – Phildalphia Daily News

• Air Jamaica On The Auction Blocks

 

Air Jamaica On The Auction Block

Continual financial losses, rescue plans and packages over recent years have led the Jamaica government to decided enough is enough. Air Jamaica has come full circle with the Golding administration placing it on the auction block ultimately into private hands after accumulated losses of $1 billion dollars, losing $100m yearly. The question is would the Jamaica government still have a stake in the airlines?. It would be a serious matter to be place at the mercy of foreign airlines who have slashed air seats to the region by 50%, rising oil prices and a volatile American economy which is one of the region largest markets.

The Jamaican Government has confirmed that it will have to absorb one billion US dollars in losses accumulated by the national airline.

The latest round of losses for Air Jamaica was disclosed Monday night by Prime Minister Bruce Golding.

The airline’s string of losses has resulted in the government now placing it on the auction block.

The airline has been a source of irritation for Jamaican tax payers at the end of each financial year.

Prime Minister Golding says Cabinet has approved plans to sell the cash strapped airline by March 31st next year.

He confirmed that after Air Jamaica is placed in private hands the country will be left with the huge task of clearing off its debts.

Source – BBCCaribbean.com

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