CAL gets OK for US to Jamaica route; denied 2 other Caribbean to US routes

The United States Department of Transportation has approved an application by Caribbean Airlines (CAL) to operate direct flights between Jamaica and the United States.

However it denied Trinidad and Tobago’s national carrier permission for two other routes from the Caribbean to the U.S - Barbados/Ft. Lauderdale and St. Lucia/New York.

The approval for the Jamaica route means that it would be able to used the BW code for its flight numbering from New York to Jamaica.

The Transportation Department said, “The move is a natural progression for the airline following its acquisition of Air Jamaica operations in May 2010."

It added, “The major hubs of the Caribbean are now open both in the north via Jamaica, and in the south from Trinidad.”

The department said it denied the airline the two other routes that CAL said would form part of its secondary medium to long term strategy.

“Air Jamaica is not currently serving either point and CAL has not demonstrated that there is an immediate public need for these services in the circumstances presented,” the Deparment said in its judgment.

CAL is increasing the frequency of its domestic, regional and international flights to accommodate the high number of visitors coming to Trinidad and Tobago in the coming weeks for Carnival.