Transportation

Air Travel: Air Italy’s Big Expansion, New Flights in the Caribbean

By Adam Leposa Dec 23, 2018 8:00am

It’s been another busy week for new flight announcements in air travel news.

Air Italy announced an ambitious expansion plan this week. The airline announced plans to launch its first flights to Canada with a new, nonstop Milan - Toronto flight starting May 6, 2019. Airbus A330-200 aircraft will service the route, which will run four times weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

In the United States, this week Air Italy announced plans to add a new flight between Milan and Chicago O’Hare starting May 14, 2019. The direct, nonstop flight will run three times weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, also on A330-200s.

KLM announced a new Italian flight of its own this week: a new route to Naples on Boeing 737-700/800 aircraft, offering seasonal summer service starting April 21, 2019. The new flight will run daily in July and August, and on weekends during the rest of the season.

In Mexico, this week Delta, in conjunction with its partner Aeromexico, announced plans for a new flight from Minneapolis / St. Paul to Mexico City, subject to government approval. Service will be aboard Airbus A319 aircraft, with a projected launch date for the daily flight on June 8, 2019.

In the Caribbean, on December 20 Jamaica officially welcomed its first flight from Spirit Airlines flight from Detroit into Montego Bay. The flight will operate three times weekly, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Also on December 20, Seaborne Airlines increased its service on the route between San Juan, Puerto Rico, and St. Croix, USVI, from two to three daily flights, rising to six daily flights on January 8, 2019. That month, Cape Air will start ramping up its operations to an average of six daily flights on the same route, increasing the number of seats by about 50 percent. The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism says it has embarked on a marketing initiative with the two airlines to promote the new flights, which will run during the destination’s peak winter season and will aim to compensate for the 100 seats lost with the discontinuation of daily JetBlue service on January 8, 2019. JetBlue has a codeshare relationship with both Seaborne and Cape Air.

Finally, in airport news, officials announced that the Parliament of Saint Lucia has voted to borrow $100 million to finance a major expansion of the Hewanorra International Airport. With construction set to kick off early next year and end by the end of 2020, the redevelopment plan calls for a new terminal building with modern facilities, restaurants, shops and executive lounges. The old terminal will be converted to house the airport’s support services.

Air Travel: Air Italy’s Big Expansion, New Flights in the Caribbean

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