New Caribbean low-budget airline sells tickets tomorrow

Airfares from as low as US$9.99

The Caribbean's newest airline, REDjet, which has branded itself as the region's first low-cost carrier, has announced plans to begin selling tickets from tomorrow.

In a statement, the airline said that "our first flights will launch from the 8th May and will feature frequent trips to our first destinations - Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad".

"We know that so many of you have all been eagerly awaiting our launch and the feedback has been massive," the airline said. "We promised not to disappoint and not only are we launching with fares from US$9.99 one-way excluding government taxes and charges, but we are also launching 250,000 seats for US$49.99 or under," the airline said.

It insists that its fares will be a revolution since it aims "to lower fares even further and open more routes across the region".

Earlier this year REDjet told prospective customers it was ready to fly but blamed the Barbadian government for the delay in commencement of its operations.

REDjet was founded in 2006 by Ian Burns, the airline's chief executive officer who was working in the Caribbean at the time and who expressed amazement at the cost of flights within the region and on routes to the United States and Latin America.

Working with his son Robbie, the father and son team built REDjet in conjunction with investors, developing the Caribbean's first low- fares airline which promised to bring the substantial economic and social benefits of low-cost travel.

REDjet is a privately owned airline with a mixture of international and local backers who share a common vision of lower fares to make travel more affordable in the Caribbean.

- CMC