Southwest Airlines say their flights into Montego Bay will soon be close to 2019 pre-pandemic record levels, a sign of US travellers’ increased demand for destination Jamaica.
Airline executives gave the welcome news to a visiting team, led by Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett, on September 22. Talks took place at the airline’s Texas headquarters. Bartlett and his team are on a mission to drum up support in the US and Canada, Jamaica’s two largest source markets for the tourism sector.
Southwest is one of the largest airlines in the United States and is the world’s largest low-cost carrier airline. It operates non-stop flights between seven major US international airports and Montego Bay.
Southwest’s, Senior Director for Strategic Planning & Airline Partnerships, Steven Swan, noted that Jamaica has been “thoughtful,” “clear,” “easy to communicate with,” and boasts “good load factors.” The airline’s executives also noted that while the Delta variant of COVID-19 has caused a “dip” in domestic and international travel demand, they continue to perform well and are very confident about future growth.
