Paul Pennicook, vice-president for marketing at Air Jamaica, says the airline will fly an Airbus A-320 from Fort Lauderdale to Barbados, as well as from Los Angeles to Montego Bay over the summer, offering 150 seats.- File

Jamaica's national carrier Air Jamaica will add non-stop direct flights from Fort Lauderdale to Barbados to its schedule, starting July 22, the airline's publicists have said.

Paul Pennicook, senior vice-president of sales and marketing for Air Jamaica, said the new service would make it "easier for vacationers, business people and Caribbean nationals to get to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean from South Florida."

The airline will fly return trips on weekends only, Friday to Sunday, from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL) into Grantley Adams International.

The new service will also offer hops from Barbados to nine other Eastern Caribbean destinations, via small regional carrier LIAT.

Back-to-school schedules

Additionally, Air Jamaica has announced that starting June 28, it will fly Los Angeles to Montego Bay daily for the summer, expanding its current five-days-per-week schedule.

The flights will depart 10:40 p.m. daily local time and arrive in Jamaica the following morning at 6:25.

The service will be offered up to September 4, ending with the back-to-school schedules.

"The increase from five days per week to daily service connecting Los Angeles and Jamaica is in response to the increased passenger traffic from this market," said Pennicook in a company release.

"Now it's even easier for passengers to experience Air Jamaica's unparalleled Lovebird hospitality to Jamaica, as well as connections to our other destinations in the Eastern Caribbean."

Air Jamaica will operate an Airbus A-320 service on the new non-stops with 150 seats - 138 in economy and 12 in business class - on both the FLL-Barbados and Los Angeles-Montego Bay runs

Additionally, the FLL-Barbados service is being offered at an introductory US$378 fare round trip, plus taxes, applicable to travel up to December 15.

Air Jamaica operates some 300 flights per week to destinations in North America and the Caribbean.

It currently services London, but will give up the route at the end of October to Virgin Atlantic, having sold it for US$10 million.

business@gleanerjm.com