By the Caribbean Journal staff

Fresh off an expansion to Guadeloupe, JetBlue has announced plans to launch new nonstop flights to Guyana on the southern edge of the Caribbean.

The new flights will be operating daily from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Guyana’s Cheddi Jagan International Airport beginning April 2, 2020.

JetBlue will be running the flights on its new Airbus A321 neo aircraft.

“Guyana service introduces a diverse and underserved destination to the JetBlue route map which will benefit both leisure travelers, as well as those visiting friends and relatives,” said Andrea Lusso, director route planning. “Just as we’ve done in our South American markets in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, we’re introducing a new, low fare high-quality choice to travelers in Guyana.”

The Marriott hotel in Georgetown, the country’s leading place to stay.

Guyana has quietly developed a growing niche as an eco-tourism destination, adding to its important regional position as the seat of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

“The Government of Guyana is delighted to welcome the services of JetBlue to Guyana,” said, Guyana’s Minister of Public Infrastructure, the Honourable David Patterson. “The introduction of this immensely popular low cost carrier will see lower ticket prices to Georgetown and provide travelers with an opportunity to fly on an airline of choice to their favorite destination.”

Guyana is about a five-hour flight from New York.

Guyana’s raw landscape has become a magnet for travelers in search of adventure and beauty.

The new JetBlue service is the latest airlift boost for Guyana, which saw the launch of new American Airlines flights to Georgetown at the end of 2018. 

“We are extremely excited to welcome JetBlue’s new non-stop services from New York-JFK to Georgetown, Guyana,” said Brian Mullis, Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority. “2019 has been quite a year – increased route options to Europe, new community-led and owned tourism product development, increased stakeholder collaboration, growing demand in our target markets and now JetBlue improving connectivity with one of our core markets – North America.”

Guyana has become arguably the Caribbean’s leading center for community-focused tourism, with a surfeit of popular eco-lodges like Surama, above.

The new A321 neo has an additional 500 nautical miles of range than JetBlue’s traditional planes — meaning the Guyana route would not be possible without it, the company said.

JetBlue also said the new aircraft had the widest seat available for single-aisle Airbus planes, the “Collins Meridian” seat.

— CJ