American Airlines has kicked off its relaunch in the Caribbean, with the return of service to Antigua.
The airline’s first international Caribbean flight touched down last week at Antigua’s VC Bird International Airport.
It marked what the carrier called a “significant milestone,” since it resumed operations to the Caribbean since COVID-19 travel restrictions began being lifted.
American Airlines had continued to serve Caribbean destinations within the United States, including San Juan, St Thomas and St Croix, over the last few months.
“As the premier carrier in the Caribbean we are thrilled to resume our service to Antigua,” said Alfredo Gonzalez, American Airlines’ managing director of operations for the Caribbean.
American is now operating daily nonstop flights from Miami to Antigua, with service on a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with 16 seats in first class and 156 in the main cabin.
American Airlines is also “looking forward to our resumption of service to Jamaica,” a spokesperson for the airline told Caribbean Journal.
And the Ministry of Tourism in The Bahamas has confirmed that American will be relaunching service to both Nassau and Exuma on July 7 (The Bahamas is targeting a July 1 reopening).
That resumption is slated for June 15, timed with Jamaica’s reopening for international travel.
The airline will likely be relaunching service as more destinations reopen their borders in the Caribbean region.
It comes as other major carriers continue to resume service to regional destinations, including Southwest Airlines and Spirit.
“American’s top priority continues to be the safety and well-being of our customers and team members, and we are focused on following the latest guidance from health experts and government authorities,” Gonzalez said. “We want our customers to feel confident when traveling with us and we are looking forward to welcoming them at our airports and onboard our aircraft in the near
future.”
— CJ