Ian Fleming began writing the book that would become Casino Royale at his seaside villa in the town of Oracabessa, Jamaica in February 1952.
It was here on the outskirts of Ocho Rios that Fleming would forge the story of the British spy that would forever change the world of literature and cinema.
This week, 71 years after he began typing at his desk (which still exists at what is now Chris Blackwell’s Goldeneye resort), American Airlines officially began scheduled flights to the airport that now bears Fleming’s name.
The first American Airlines flight between Miami and Ocho Rios touched down Saturday at Ian Fleming International Airport, the first-ever international scheduled service to the small airport on the north coast of Jamaica — bearing, aptly, the flight number 4007 (the last three digits should be familiar).
The flight is a boon for the area and for travelers looking to shorten their travel time to many of the popular hotels and resorts in the area known colloquially as Ochi, which is a nearly two-hour drive from Jamaica’s major air hub in Montego Bay.
Ocho Rios has a broad portfolio of places to stay, from the legendary Jamaica Inn beach hotel to some of Sandals’ top hotels, including the Sandals Ochi resort.
Miami-Ocho Rios will be operating twice weekly, with flights on Wednesdays and Saturdays and flight time taking about two hours.
It’s yet another expansion for American Airlines to a smaller Caribbean airport, which has been a trend for the world’s largest airline in the last few years.
The carrier has been steadily adding service to smaller, less-trafficked airports using its Embraer aircraft, creating new connections for destinations that have long lacked international flights — most notably Anguilla, Dominica and the British Virgin Islands.
Now there’s another one, in the birthplace of James Bond.