Caribbean Travel

Trinidad News, : "An increase in airfares on regional carrier Liat by US$20 for return trips in most islands has recently crossed over into the airline's service to Barbados. Airline chief executive Mark Darby said: 'Both Liat and Caribbean Star Airlines were losing millions of dollars in a competitive environment where fare levels were unsustainable.' "

Antigua Sun : "“My instructions are to run LIAT as a commercial enterprise. That means making not super profits but keeping our heads above water. We’re aiming to break even or a little bit better while we’re going through this integration process so we’ve set the fare levels to achieve that and that’s about where we are. The company today is just about breaking even, which is a major improvement from where we were last year,” Darby said. "

Antigua Sun : "Regional carrier LIAT has appealed to Caricom leaders to put in place a regulatory framework which will govern the fair operation of intra-regional flights. LIAT CEO Mark Darby said he raised this issue at a meeting of regional transportation ministers, held in St. Vincent in May and hopes to see it come to fruition."

The Nation Newspaper Arrivals 'should go up' : "The merger of Caribbean Star and LIAT and the withdrawal of Caribbean Airlines services from major gateways to Barbados have impacted negatively on the performance. 'It meant that the connecting point between Barbados and Trinidad, we lost that and that's why we were down. We lost a lot of the capacity that we had and the cheap fares that we had with Caribbean Star and LIAT in that price war,' he said. "

Leisure : "Somewhere out there exists the real Caribbean—a hidden land pleasantly lacking foreign-owned, all-inclusive resorts that gate guests in and keep the island out. On this island, expats, sailors, guests and locals merge into a unique camaraderie shared over cold beers while being serenaded by the rhythms of reggae and steel drums. One falls asleep to the cry of the neighbor's pet goat and wakes up to the alarm of the resident rooster. This secret land, although hard to get to, is well worth a visit. To meet the real Caribbean face to face, one must get to Bequia (pronounced bekway'), the crown jewel of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. "

The Nation Newspaper FARE PLAY : "ISLAND-HOPPERS are being promised the much-needed reduction in fares they have been asking for over the last couple of months. Minister of Tourism Noel Lynch said yesterday travellers could expect ticket prices to drop over the next four to six weeks, though he was unable to say by how much. He cautioned that if the decrease was not beneficial to the island's commerce and tourism, then the debate on high airfares would have to focus on subsidisation of airline seats over a period. "

The Nation Newspaper New airline 'should get first call' : "A rationalised Caribbean Star/LIAT alliance should have the first option on the lucrative St Lucia/Barbados route and not American Eagle. That's the word from Minister of Tourism Noel Lynch, who described as 'unreasonable' the proposed introduction of the service scheduled to start from September 4. He termed it 'cherry picking' the best routes. "

: "Cash-strapped regional carrier LIAT, will not have to pay over cash to acquire the assets of its former rival, Caribbean Star. LIAT's Chief Executive Officer, Mark Darby, says the Stanford Financial Group of Texan billionaire Sir Allen Stanford, which owns Caribbean Star, would be given 35 per cent of the stake in the new airline in exchange for the assets. "

The Nation Newspaper Holder: Airline not getting full support : "CHAIRMAN OF LIAT Jean Holder has blasted some regional countries that refuse to pump money into the regional carrier but support other carriers instead. Speaking during the International Air Transport Association Caribbean Aviation Day at Hilton Barbados yesterday, he said in recent times, most of the Caribbean countries that LIAT serviced were unwilling to take risks in investing in its operations."

The Nation Newspaper LIAT'S NEW ROUTE : "LIAT IS BUYING OUT the assets of Caribbean Star Airlines. This was confirmed last night by LIAT's chief executive officer Mark Darby who noted that 'the deal bringing the two airlines together is still happening'. His comments came after reports out of Antigua had indicated that the merger between the two intra-regional airlines was off. "

Business: News in the Caribbean - Caribbean360.com : "BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, June 20, 2007 - With jet fuel being one of the most expensive operational costs that is constantly increasing, two of the region's airlines are in negotiations to purchase oil futures as a way to stabilise the price and offer lower fares. Chief Executive Officer of LIAT, Mark Darby, and CEO of Caribbean Airlines, Peter Davies, confirmed to Caribbean360.com Tuesday that they were in separate discussions with a number of companies. Neither revealed the names of the companies."

bmi 50% off flights to the Caribbean with bmi : "Airline bmi is offering passengers the chance to jet off to the Caribbean islands of Antigua and Barbados, with its lowest ever fares. For one week only bmi has, for the very first time, slashed its fares on its Caribbean routes by over 50% in all three cabins – economy, premium economy and the business. (Please note that travel periods apply). Flying direct from Manchester to Antigua once a week and Barbados twice a week, holiday makers looking to escape the UK rain can take off for the Caribbean in economy for a guaranteed price of £299 return including taxes."

Tourism - Dominican Today : "Las Américas International Airport.- The United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has described Santo Domingo's Las Américas airport as the leader as far as airport security in the Caribbean region is concerned, during a meeting of Dominican airport authority (Aerodom) and the Special Airport Security Corps (CESA)."

Jamaica Gleaner News - Air Jamaica boosting capacity - Adding 28,000 more seats to US route for summer - Monday June 18, 2007 : "Air Jamaica will add 28,000 seats to meet the predicted vibrant and busy summer traffic from New York, says the airline's senior vice-president of sales and marketing, Paul Pennicook. In an interview with The Gleaner at the Caribbean Tourism Organisation's (CTO) Caribbean Week in Manhattan, New York, last Thursday, Pennicook said that the extra section will run from June 29 to September 3."

Air Jamaica adds nonstop service from Fort Lauderdale to Barbados - 06/15/2007 - MiamiHerald.com : "Air Jamaica is adding nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale and Barbados three days a week on an Airbus A-320 starting July 22, the airline announced Friday. To celebrate the new service, Air Jamaica is holding a fare sale -- $378 round trip ($189 each way) for travel booked by June 28 and taken between July 22 and Dec. 15."

Radiojamaica : "Regional carriers LIAT and Caribbean Star will not meet Friday's expected target for them to merge operations. LIAT's Chief Executive Officer, Mark Darby, says some aspects of the merger between the two former fierce competitors were taking longer than had been anticipated."

Antigua Sun : "Caribbean Star has taken steps to implement a separation programme for its staff in preparation for the finalisation of plans for the airline to be bought out by former rival LIAT. According to Laura Cotton, Caribbean Airlines Services Inc. manager of corporate communications and a spokesperson for Caribbean Star, the airline announced the details of its severance offer to its employees on Tuesday. "

Caribbean adds more Tobago flights : "Caribbean Airlines will increase its weekend services from June 18. The carrier says it has responded to customer demands by adding the new flights, which will run on Friday nights, Saturday mornings, Sunday nights, and Monday mornings."

The Nation Newspaper LIAT FARE 'TO FALL' : "THERE'S good news for travellers who have been groaning about the high cost of airline tickets in the Caribbean. At last, airfares should be coming down. However, they will have to wait until the merger of LIAT (1974) Limited and Caribbean Star is finalised. "

Caribbean Airlines GM says high taxes cause high fares - CBC.bb : "A senior airline executive agrees that while airfares in the region are high all the blame does not lie with the carriers. The comment from Gatesworth James, general manager for Caribbean Airlines Barbados and Antigua came as the airline today introduced a new one way fare of US $55 dollars to Port of Spai

Jamaica Gleaner News - Air Jaica made 5.1 million pounds sterling on Virgin deal - Saturday June 2, 2007 : "Brushing aside suggestions that the deal was undervalued, Air Jamaica yesterday revealed that it earned about 5.1 million ($688 million) from the recent sale of its London route to Virgin Atlantic. The airline said it also stands to earn additional revenue from the transaction, based on tickets already sold. .........................................Two weeks ago, The Gleaner broke the news that the airline was in negotiations with British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic to divest its London route. Yesterday, Dr. Davies said the nod was given to the Richard Branson-owned airline purely as a business decision."

Caribbean Net News: Travellers from BVI to Jamaica now need visas : "Chief Minister Dr Orlando Smith received a letter from Prime Minister of Jamaica Portia Simpson Miller stating that “Jamaica, in keeping with the principle of reciprocity, has decided to introduce visa requirements for nationals of the British Virgin Islands as of June 1, 2007.” "