American Airlines will continue offering direct flights between here and Miami throughout the summer before ramping up to as many as five per day by the end of the year, the BVI Airports Authority announced Saturday.
The news marks the latest boost to a schedule the airline has expanded steadily since its launch nearly a year ago.
The direct service kicked off last June with one roundtrip flight most days, and it paused as planned from August through October before restarting last November. After that, AA soon expanded to twice-daily roundtrips — and then to three over the busy Christmas and New Year holiday season.
Though the airline had initially planned another hiatus this summer, it has now decided to continue the direct service throughout the slow season, according to the BVIAA.
In July, three daily roundtrips will be offered. The schedule will be cut back to two in August and one in September before expanding again to two in October. In November, two daily roundtrips will still be offered most days, with a third added on Saturdays. And the schedule will be bumped up in December to a record four daily roundtrips, with a fifth on Saturdays, the BVIAA stated.
The additions are part of an ongoing expansion by AA across the region.Last year, the company touted its “largest-ever” winter schedule to the Caribbean and Latin America in an announcement aimed at travellers looking to escape cold weather.
Eight new routes this year
The airline stated at the time that it hoped to “solidify its position as the leading carrier flying non-stop between the United States and Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America” with new routes and expanded frequencies on 21 routes.
This winter, the airline said it plans to go further by adding eight new Caribbean routes.
‘Ambitious goal’
BVIAA Managing Director Kurt Menal attributed the new VI flights to his agency’s hard work.
“As part of our strategic objectives for 2024, the authority set the ambitious goal of being a catalyst for ensuring that the BVI’s main economic pillar of tourism has no ‘off seasons’ by enhancing air connectivity primarily in the slowest periods of the year,” he said, adding, “Our team diligently sought partnerships with airlines to ensure service continuity during the off-peak periods which historically witnessed a significant decrease in aircraft and passenger movements to the territory, significantly affecting our operations.”
Communications and Works Minister Kye Rymer also praised the airline.
“I am pleased with the performance of American Airlines in the territory thus far, which comes at no cost to the government or the authority, even during this initiative,” he said.
He added that the airline initially planned to suspend flights every year from August to October.
“However, due to increasing demand for the BVI as a destination and the visionary leadership of the authority, the airline will now provide uninterrupted service to the territory,” he said.
BVIAA Chairman Theodore Burke said the initiative shows the authority’s “commitment to enhancing airlift to the territory and ensuring seamless travel experiences” for residents and visitors.
Airport expansion
Despite the expanded schedule, Mr. Rymer said during his brief speech at the government’s “territorial address” ceremony last Thursday that it is still “urgent” to extend the runway at the Beef Island airport to accommodate larger planes.
To that end, the government recently carried out a tender process and contracted the consultant KPMG to conduct a business case for the long-delayed airport project.
“These actions demonstrate our firm commitment to improving our airport facilities,” Mr. Rymer said last Thursday. “So, yes, we embrace the challenges, but we will acknowledge our accomplishments.”
The Miami flights aboard 76-passenger Embraer E175 aircrafts came after more than 10 years of failed attempts by successive governments to secure direct flights to the US mainland, as well as vigorous debate about whether such flights were even possible without a major airport expansion.
Previous attempts
British Caribbean Airways launched a VI-Miami service in 1986, but it closed the same year after American Airlines began operating in the region.
The transportation challenge grew when American Eagle, anAmerican Airlines affiliate that linked the VI to Puerto Rico, ended 27 years of service in the Caribbean in 2013.
Since then, VI leaders have been trying to improve local airlift as ticket prices skyrocketed and passengers increasingly opted to fly to St. Thomas and take a ferry to this territory.