By the Caribbean Journal staff
Earlier this year, Canadian carrier WestJet launched its new low-cost airline, Swoop.
And it seemed like it was only a matter of time before the new carrier launched its first Caribbean flights.
Well, its happened.
Swoop has announced plans to launch its first Caribbean route, with nonstop flights from Hamilton International Airport to Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Round Hill, one of the top places to stay in greater Montego Bay.
“The addition of Montego Bay to our network is another important milestone,” said Steven Greenway, President of Swoop. “Many Canadians of Jamaican origin live in the Toronto area, which makes this new route ideal for connecting friends, family and loved ones, as does the vacation appeal of replacing ten feet of snow with ten miles of white sand beaches this winter.”
The new service to Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport will begin Dec. 16, operating twice weekly on Wednesday and Sundays, running through April 24, 2019.
A secluded beach in Montego Bay.
“MBJ welcomes Swoop from Hamilton, Canada,” said Rafael Echevarne, CEO of MBJ Airports Limited. “We congratulate Swoop in the commencement of this service to Montego Bay which will provide passengers in Hamilton and the surrounding area a great additional option to visit Montego Bay and Jamaica. We look forward to this service and the additional passengers from this service. Welcome to Montego Bay and Jamaica.”
With the launch, Swoop, which operates a fleet of four Boeing 737-800 aircraft, will become the first Canadian low-cost carrier to run service from Canada to the Caribbean. The move also helps strengthen WestJet’s continually expanding presence in the Caribbean market.
Sandals Montego Bay.
So what will pricing be like?
Swoop just launched bookings for the Hamilton-Montego Bay flights, with fares totaling around $149 CAD each way.
By comparison, a sample Sunday-Wednesday itinerary from Toronto to Montego Bay on WestJet in mid-December cost almost $740 CAD, a rather significant difference.
— CJ