Following a period of intense negotiations, The Ministry of Tourism in conjunction with the Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Authority is pleased to announce the commencement of direct air service from JFK International Airport, New York into Antigua & Barbuda. The four times per week service will commence on November 17^th and will be in addition to the daily service from Miami and the daily service from San Juan which is operated by American Eagle. The new route will mean an additional 160 seats into the destination in time for the upcoming winter tourist season.

 

Minister of Tourism Hon. John Maginley commented, “The destination's focus on increasing airlift from the USA at this time has proven to be right on target. The new flight is not only convenient for connections from the North Eastern United States  where the majority of our visitors originate but it also gives us access to AA’s vast New York area network with nonstop service to nearly 60 destinations in the USA and 31 destinations internationally”

 

According to Mr. Colin James, CEO of the ABTA “The new service will be a welcome boost for the island’s hotels ensuring that adequate airlift is available to support marketing efforts ahead of the busy Thanksgiving holiday travel period which marks the start of the winter season. The new flights will be supported by an aggressive joint destination marketing campaign with American Airlines in the New York area.”

 

The new air service which will operate on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday will allow Antigua and Barbuda to maintain its competitive edge in the valuable Wedding and Honeymoon market.  

 

Provisional stay over arrivals from the USA at the end of June stood at 8,418 up 22.% on last year’s June figures, while total overall visitor air arrivals at the half year mark was at  134,903 an increase of 8.4% over the same period last year. All indicators point to at least a double digit growth in Antigua and Barbuda’s stay over air arrivals by year end.

 

This increased partnership with American Airlines shows significant confidence in the destination by a major travel partner and will help to position Antigua and Barbuda for additional growth in tourism arrivals ahead of an expected increase in international travel.