Lovebird to restart service to Chicago

Air Jamaica is to resume service to Chicago from Montego Bay in November.

The Lovebird will also be flying to Orlando, Florida, via Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, and Kingston, Jamaica.

Robert Corbie, acting CEO of Caribbean Airlines, (CAL) owners of Air Jamaica, said new carriers are being added to the fleet to service the routes.

Air Jamaica is beefing up its fleet with three Boeing 737 and four ATR. The first two aircraft are currently being painted in the Lovebird colours and should be in the system by mid-August, reducing the bottleneck passengers have been experiencing over the last two weeks, Corbie said.

Corbie, in his first interview since assuming duties as acting CEO in January, said Air Jamaica, which has retained its national carrier status legally, is also eyeing Havana and Grand Cayman routes.

Both routes were flown in the past, but the news of a possible return to Chicago is extremely significant, particularly to the tourism sector.

“Chicago is the gateway to the Midwest, which is traditionally a strong market for Jamaica, a return to that region by Air Jamaica would be very important and should allow for convenient direct service desired by the consumer,” Evelyn Smith, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), told reporters.

She is, however, cautioning that such a move must be executed sensibly taking into consideration flight times.

“The time the flight departs the Midwest gateway is critical to the feeder markets that are dependent on convenient connections,” she said, adding that while the CAL acting CEO outlines his plans, the once-popular Los Angeles market would be welcomed.

“We would love to see the western US route revived, in particular, the Los Angeles area,” she stated, adding that up to recently she was approached by a member whose business had dwindled owing to the lack of direct connections from the Hollywood renowned gateway.

But Corbie is far more concerned about rectifying the impact the recent delays have had on his passengers.

Admitting that he expected teething pains this summer, he says the magnitude of the challenges far outweighs those expectations.

“The delay in getting the three 737 is a result of the situation in Yemen,” he said.

In the meantime, the airline, which up to May had maintained an 85 per cent on-time performance, equal to international standards, is having its reputation tarnished by the delays.

“By mid-August there will be a significant difference. We will improve reliability by any means necessary to bring back the trust,” Corbie promises.

Currently, Air Jamaica operates between Kingston and John F. Kennedy, New York; Kingston to Ft Lauderdale, Florida; Montego Bay to New York and Fort Lauderdale; and Kingston to Toronto, Canada.

“Legally, we operate the minimum Jamaica routes and have the right to be recognised by the Government of Jamaica as the national carrier,” explained Laura Asbjornsen, CAL’s corporate communications manager.

Along with the status of national carrier, more than 500 Jamaicans remain employed to Air Jamaica. “Once we take on more aircraft, we will need more people,” said Corbie, adding that revenue too is coming back, while passenger numbers are increasing.

He boasted that May’s numbers were unprecedented. However, he wouldn’t delve into that area, suggesting that by the end of the year the airline should break even.

Trimming and staying lean has not left the airline’s sight as it continues to soar with the merger, and the changes in the organisation are reflected in consolidation of the offices in the Norman Manley International Airport.

“Everyone now has to share offices. Having our reservation offices in Montego Bay has been very costly, in terms of the building in which they are housed, so we will build a call centre and part of reservations will be in Jamaica and part in Trinidad,” he said.

Not willing to make any commitments regarding the tourism capital, Corbie said it was still early days.

One of the things the acting CEO was certain of was the importance of having his merged team working as one, “two airlines, one brand”.

He was also confident that Air Jamaica would return to London, although he had no timeline.

Source: The Gleaner