AIR JAMAICA

'Air Jamaica' is the national airline of Jamaica based in Kingston, Jamaica, operating scheduled services from Kingston and Montego Bay to 23 destinations in the Caribbean, Canada, the USA and the United Kingdom. Its main base is Norman Manley International Airport, Kingston with a hub at Sangster International Airport, Montego Bay^[1].

Contents

History

Destinations

Jamaica

United States

Canada

Caribbean

Europe

Code Share

Fleet

Previously operated

Air Jamaica cargo

References

External links

History

Air Jamaica was established in October 1968 and started operations on 1 April 1969, connecting Kingston and Montego Bay, with New York and Miami. At that time the Jamaican government owned a substantial part of the airline, with Air Canada owning a minor share and providing technical, maintenance and logistical help.
During the 1970s, Air Jamaica expanded rapidly. Flights were added to Toronto and Montreal in Canada, to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Puerto Rico, to Philadelphia and many other destinations, especially across the Caribbean. Long-haul services to Europe were started on 1 April 1974. Air Jamaica used Douglas DC-8s for a large part of the 1970s, but the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar and Boeing 727 jets became a part of the fleet towards the end of the decade when the government bought over Air Canada's small share. During the 1980s, growth slowed. Nevertheless, new routes were still opened, to Baltimore and Atlanta.

Air Jamaica Airbus A340

During the 1990s Air Jamaica continued to expand: the airline took over the Kingston-Nassau, Bahamas route, which had been left by British Airways, began a code sharing agreement with Delta Air Lines and opened routes to Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix (which was later dropped), and to Frankfurt, London, Manchester, Santo Domingo and Ft. Lauderdale. The route to Phoenix was opened because Air Jamaica was looking for expansion in the American West, beyond its route to Los Angeles. In 1994 the company was partially privatized, with the government retaining 25% of the company and giving 5% of it to the airline's employees. It began buying Airbus equipment, including the Airbus A340, and began a feeder service, a frequent flyer program (''7th Heaven''), and an inflight magazine, named ''SkyWritings''. The airline also underwent a livery change during that decade. Air Jamaica has now opened a large operations base in Saint Lucia.
In December 2004, after massive financial losses, the Government of Jamaica took back full ownership of Air Jamaica. It employs 2,522 staff (at March 2007).

Destinations

Air Jamaica Airbus A340

Air Jamaica operates the following services (at May 2006):

Jamaica

★ Kingston (Norman Manley International Airport)

★ Montego Bay (Donald Sangster International Airport)

United States

★ Atlanta, Georgia

★ Baltimore (Baltimore/Washington), Maryland

★ Chicago, Illinois (O'Hare International Airport)

★ Fort Lauderdale (Hollywood), Florida

★ Los Angeles, California

★ Miami, Florida

★ Newark (Liberty), New Jersey

★ New York City, New York (John F. Kennedy International Airport)

★ Orlando, Florida

★ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Canada

★ Toronto, Ontario (Lester B. Pearson International Airport)

Caribbean

★ Bridgetown, Barbados

★ Bonaire (Netherland Antilles)

★ Willemstad-Hato, Curaçao (Netherland Antilles)

★ Georgetown, Grand Cayman

★ Grenada

★ Havana Cuba

★ Nassau, Bahamas

★ St. Lucia

Europe

★ London-Heathrow (service ends Oct 28, 2007)

Code Share

★ Anguilla, Antigua, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Vincent, Tortola, Trinidad and Tobago (operated by Caribbean Star Airlines).

★ London Gatwick (operated by Virgin Atlantic Airways effective Oct 29, 2007) )^[2][3]

★ Toronto (operated by Air Canada).

Fleet

The Air Jamaica fleet consists of the following aircraft (as at May 2007) :

★ 9 Airbus A320-200 with an average fleet age of 8.6 years

★ 6 Airbus A321-200 with an average fleet age of 5.3 years

★ 2 Airbus A340-300 with an average fleet age of 7.8 years
As of November 2006, Air Jamaica is considering replacing their Airbus fleet with Boeing 737s and Boeing 757s for economic reasons. Pilots have objected to this move.^[4][5][6]
Air Jamaica will be replacing their six A321s with six Boeing 757-200s before the end of 2007.^[7]

Previously operated

Air Jamaica has operated the Airbus A300, Airbus A310, Boeing 727-200, Boeing 747-100, Douglas DC-8, Douglas DC-9, McDonnell Douglas MD-83, and McDonnell Douglas MD-88.^[8]

Air Jamaica cargo

Air Jamaica Cargo's Head Office is located at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, Jamaica. Air Jamaica Cargo has 70% of the airfreight market between Jamaica and the rest of the world.

References

1. Flight International 27 March 2007
2. [[1]]
3. [[2]]
4. Jamaica Observer
5. Jamaica Observer
6. Jamaica Gleaner
7. Jamaica Gleaner
8. PlaneSpotters.net

External links

★ Air Jamaica

★ Fleet Detail