Last Updated on December 8, 2019, 10:48 PM AST by Anthony Morris
A stakeholder in the hospitality industry is “tired and fed up of the deception and lies that now seem to come from every government ministry and department.”
“We just have to take everything, I mean everything that comes from the mouth of the prime minister, his office, each and every minister, each and every statement from ministries with a grain of salt,” said the individual, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being victimised.
The uninvited comment was prompted by a statement from the St Kitts Tourism Authority confirming a FaceBook posting with regard to the suspension of American Airlines night arrival/early morning departure flights from St Kitts and Miami between December 3 and 18.
“The St. Kitts Tourism Authority would like to advise stakeholders in the tourism industry, that due to ongoing issues with the Boeing 737 MAX, which was grounded by the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration, American Airlines had to cut 30 planes from service in the Caribbean and Mexico. The 737 MAX was not in service to St. Kitts, however due the shortage of the other 737 aircrafts, the following flights to the RLB International Airport have been reduced for December. ” the Tourism Authority said.
“The excuse about the Max responsible for the suspension is ludicrous. I believe it has to do with poor passenger loads,” said the individual, who also called out the Tourism Authority for not being honest with the reason for the sudden suspension of flights to St Kitts’ Bradshaw Airport by the Minneapolis-based Sun Country.
Sun Country began flying from Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport, Minnesota into St Kitts’ Robert L Bradshaw International Airport from December 22, 2018 and operated weekly flights each Saturday until April 20, 2019.
In January 2019, Sun Country announced that as part of a wider expansion plan, it will introduce new routes including one from Dallas-Forth Worth, Texas to St Kitts’ Robert L Bradshaw International Airport in the summer.However on July 9, 2019, thecentreforaviation.com announced that Sun Country suspended its two seasonal services to St Kitts.
“It (suspension) had nothing to do with Sun Country’s use of the Max 737 as we were informed. I believe it was all about poor decisions and the sustainability of the operation. It was really a Nevis operation,” said the individual, who pointed out that Sun Country does not have the Max in its fleet.
“Is Boeing 737 800 the same as 737 MAX? No, a Boeing 737 Max 8 is not the same thing as a Boeing 737-800,” according to Wikipedia.
The individual also made reference to American Airlines launching a major new Caribbean flight expansion this month.
The world’s largest airline will be launching a series of flights across the region beginning Dec. 18 with the launch of new flights from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Guyana.
The same day, American is expanding flights with a second daily frequency from Dallas to San Jose, Costa Rica.
On Dec. 21, American will be launching several new Saturday-only routes, most notably a new route to the USVI.
Those will include a new weekly flight from both Dallas and Chicago O’Hare to the island of St Thomas, a major boost for the United States Virgin Islands and neighboring British Virgin Islands, which relies on both San Juan and St Thomas as its primary gateways.
American will also be launching seasonal Saturday service from Chicago O’Hare and Saint Lucia.
Finally, American Airlines is launching two more Saturday routes: from New York’s LaGuardia airport to Bermuda, and a new route from Charlotte, North Carolina to the island of Grenada.
Both the Bermuda and Grenada flights will operate year-round, the company said.
American will be operating the Grenada and St Thomas flights on Airbus A319 aircraft; the other flights will run on Boeing 737 aircraft.
It’s a noteworthy expansion for American Airlines long the leading carrier to the wider Caribbean region, but one that has faced continued competition in the region from fast-growing carriers like JetBlue.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
