Mon | Sep 25, 2023

Nonstop flights by American Airlines between Miami and Ian Fleming Airport to start November

Published:Thursday | March 31, 2022 | 4:21 PM
From left: Donovan White, Director of Tourism; Jason Reisinger, Managing Director of Global Network Planning, American Airlines; Delano Seiveright, Senior Advisor and Strategist, Ministry of Tourism; Christine Valls, Vice President of Latin America, Caribbean and Florida Sales, American Airlines; Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism; Adam Stewart, Chairman, Sandals Resorts International; Audley Shaw, Transport Minister; and Gebhard Rainer, CEO, Sandals Resorts International take a quick photo moment following a dinner meeting at Sandals Montego Bay to discuss new services between Miami and Ocho Rios by American Airlines. – Contributed photo

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett today welcomed American Airlines' game changing move to operate two weekly nonstop flights between the Miami International Airport and the Ian Fleming International Airport, outside of Ocho Rios, starting November this year.

The announcement comes following a recent meeting between senior executives of American Airlines and several Government and private sector officials in Montego Bay.

The meeting involved Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett; Transport Minister, Audley Shaw; Chairman of Sandals Resorts International, Adam Stewart; Director of Tourism, Donovan White; Senior Advisor and Strategist, Delano Seiveright; and Sandals Resorts International Senior Executive, Gary Sadler.

The flights will be operated by an Envoy E-175 aircraft, which can seat between 76 and 88 passengers in business and economy class, and will operate nonstop between Miami and Ocho Rios on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

"This is a very valuable addition to the aviation needs of Jamaica, with nonstop service between the United States and our country's third international airport. It is a great start and will encourage other airlines to fly into the Oracabessa/Ocho Rios area,” Bartlett noted.

“It will also be a huge plus to the region and also assist greatly in boosting tourism development potential for St. Mary and Portland and connecting many members of our Diaspora closer to home.”

American Airlines is the world's largest airline when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and revenue passenger mile, and is the largest mover of people in and out of Jamaica.

The airline operates multiple daily nonstop flights between several US cities – including Miami, Philadelphia, New York, Dallas, Charlotte, Chicago and Boston – and Jamaica.

The airline also recently announced new weekly nonstop flights between Austin, Texas and Montego Bay starting June. 

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