DOMINICAN REP: Seaborne Airlines Commences Flights Between San Juan And Dominican Republic

Seaborne Airlines, which is owned and cooperatively operated by Silver Airways, launched flights between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic on 15 February, with it launching a three times weekly service between San Juan (SJU) and Santiago de los Caballero (STI).

We are thrilled that Seaborne Airlines has returned to the Dominican market, said Jesus Medina, COO, Seaborne Airlines. Santiago shares important historical, cultural and economic ties with Puerto Rico and we are delighted to be providing safe, reliable and customer-friendly service for travellers in the region.

The carrier will operate the 494-kilometre sector three times weekly using its fleet of Saab 340s, with departures on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

No other carrier currently operates between the two airports.

Seaborne Airlines is a FAR Part 121 airline headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was established in 1992 and operates domestic seaplane and land plane services.

In late 2008, Seaborne Airlines began land based flight service between St. Thomas, St. Croix, and San Juan TJIG Isla Grande Airport under the brand name Seaborne Airshuttle.

In January 2011, Seaborne Airlines began service to San Juan TJSJ Luis Munoz Marin International Airport. On December 18, 2013, Seaborne announced a headquarters change from Christiansted, St. Croix to San Juan, Puerto Rico, completed by March 2014.

Seaborne Airlines is owned and cooperatively operated by Silver Airways.

Seaborne has started codesharing flights with American Airlines, on routes which correspond in both timetables. This includes service from San Juan to all of Seaborne's destinations, excluding St. Croix and St. Thomas.

Miles from Seaborne (SeaMiles) are not currently convertible to AAdvantage miles, and cannot be used for travel on American. All passenger services, including baggage and assistance, are provided by American on codeshared flights.

Seaborne previously started codesharing flights with Air Europa between Las Americas International Airport at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and Luis Munoz Marin International Airport at San Juan, Puerto Rico for passengers from their route Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport - Las Americas International Airport. This codeshare has ended.

As of September 30, 2014, Seaborne has an interline agreement with United Airlines.

As of March 30, 2015, Seaborne Airlines expanded American Airlines' codeshare agreement to include St. Thomas and St. Croix, and adding Anguilla Services April 30, 2015. Starting December 15, 2015, Seaborne will be flying to Antigua.

As of October 21, 2015, Seaborne Airlines begins codesharing with Jetblue Airways.

As of July 18, 2016, Seaborne Airlines launches codesharing with Delta Air Lines.

As of March 8, 2017, Seaborne Airlines launches codesharing with Vieques Air Link

On January 8, 2018, Seaborne Airlines announced its restructuring plan under the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Code following the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, specifically Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria.

The airline announced the acquirement of a $4.2 Million credit facility and has entered a purchase agreement with Silver Airways, which is subject to the Court's approval and potential overbids.

On March 28th, 2018 it was announced that Seaborne was bought by Silver Airways. As of April 24, 2018, Silver Airways completed the acquisition of Seaborne Airlines.

As of February 2019, the Seaborne Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft:

- De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 2

- Saab 340B 8

- Total 10


Tourism Observer

CUBA: Number Of Americans Interested In Visiting Cuba Declining

Americans are less interested in travel to Cuba this year than they were in 2016, a survey from insurance provider Allianz Global Assistance found. Some 76% of the 1,514 respondents said they were not likely to plan a trip to Cuba in 2017 compared to 70% in 2016.

2% of those surveyed planned to visit Cuba in the next six months or by the end of 2017, the same as 2016 despite a projected increase in travelers from the country’s ministry of tourism. It also found that 60% of Americans said they did not like to travel to Cuba compared to just 58% in 2016.

Although some of these shifts may be expected after the initial flurry of interest, flight trends also suggest demand is lower than initially expected. When the country opened up, just about every U.S. airline was obsessed with getting as many routes into Havana as it possibly could. Now a lot of the flights are empty.

Indeed, the initial excitement about the formerly closed off country gave way to moral dilemmas over food shortages and other problems caused by tourism, as well as disappointment over limited working internet, lower hotel standards, and lack of running water there. Lack of travel infrastructure was a major cause of anxiety about traveling to Cuba for 13% of Americans.

The slide in demand has led a number of airlines to reduce or completely eliminate flights to the country, including Silver Airways, a Florida-headquartered domestic airline that dropped all nine of its planned routes to Cuba. Frontier is dropping its Miami-Havana route by June 4, after costs in Havana significantly exceeded initial assumptions.

Spirit Airlines will drop its last flight to Cuba by June 1: The costs of serving Havana continue to outweigh the demand for service, Spirit Airlines SAVE, -0.77% president and chief executive officer of Bob Fornaro said in April.

Sumers suggested confusion over the approved reasons to go to Cuba is keeping the average American visitor away still. As of May 2017, visitors to the country have to select one of 12 categories for their visit, which include religious activities, humanitarian projects, support for the Cuban people,and journalistic activities.

You can’t go to Cuba to sit on the beach and have fun and that’s what Americans like to do on vacation. Cuba is difficult, it is not easy to visit and for a lot of people it’s still a pain. You have to really want to go there.

While flights to Cuba continue to fluctuate, interest in trips to the country remains high, according to separate data from travel search website Kayak, indicating that there is initial interest in flying there, even if that interest doesn’t last.

It found a 173% increase in Cuba searches in April 2017 compared to April 2016, and listed Cuba as the number one trending destination heading into 2017.

Kayak’s data reflects searches, not actual bookings. Plus, this jump in interest is likely to be expected after former President Obama relaxed travel restrictions in March 2016.

It’s possible that people are searching for Cuba travel to explore their options, but decide not to go once they learn of the travel restrictions or conduct their research on lodging options, which are still limited at this point, let alone very expensive.

Hotels are expensive in Cuba, since there are so few of them that meet U.S. standards, and while accommodation is cheap compared to the U.S., many of the Airbnb listings may fall short of expectations in other countries.

Nevertheless, Airbnb says Cuba is its fastest growing market.

The uncertainty about Cuba travel comes after a record year for tourism in the country: 4 million tourists visited in 2016, a 13% increase from 2015, and the Cuban ministry of tourism previously projected a further increase to 4.1 million visitors in 2017.

Engage Cuba, a coalition of private companies and local leaders in favor of lifting the trade embargo on Cuba, said they expect the influx of tourists to continue to increase, citing cruise lines increasing routes to Cuba and several airlines expanding their service there.

Cuba has a long way to go before it’s suitable for many high-maintenance American tourists.

American tourists expect that cell phones will work, credit cards will work, and that access to internet won’t be limited. These expectations with the monetary support American travelers provide for Cuban entrepreneurs in the tourism sector, will help foster the kind of change that will not only further increase American interest in traveling to Cuba, but also benefit the Cuban people.

BAHAMAS: American Airlines Non-stop Flights Commencing June 3rd From North Carolina To George Town, Exuma.

Bahamas Ministry of Tourism is pleased to announce American Airlines new non-stop flight service from Charlotte, North Carolina to George Town, Exuma.

American will offer the service starting June 3rd with flight times of approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes. The new route, which will be a weekly flight, will expose The Bahamas to new visitors allowing for greater market penetration.

"The Ministry of Tourism welcomes this new flight by AA to George Town, Exuma from its Charlotte hub. This opens up market access to Exuma by attracting customers from markets like Pittsburgh and Buffalo which have great connections on AA to Exuma via Charlotte," stated Tyrone Sawyer, senior director of Airlift Development in the Ministry of Tourism.

Visitors will have much to do on Exuma. The island, made up small cays, has some of the most gorgeous turquoise waters in the Caribbean and is home to the world-famous swimming pigs.

"We are thrilled to launch our new flight between Charlotte and George Town this coming June, further expanding our already extensive presence in The Bahamas," said Caroline Hollingsworth, American's general manager for The Bahamas. "We currently offer up to 25 daily flights to six destinations in The Bahamas, and this new route will enable us to offer even more options to our local customers and tourists alike."

The Bahamas continues to attract new airlines and nonstop flights from carriers across the globe. In 2016, Southwest Airlines, Silver Airways, Delta, Air Caraibes, among others, added new airlift to the country.

The Islands Of The Bahamas have a place in the sun for everyone. Each island has its own personality and attractions for a variety of vacation styles with some of the world's best golfing, scuba diving, fishing, sailing, boating, as well as, shopping and dining. The destination offers an easily accessible tropical getaway and provides convenience for travelers with preclearance through U.S. customs and immigration, and the Bahamian dollar is on par with the U.S. dollar. Do everything or do nothing, just remember It's Better in The Bahamas.

An expected explosion in U.S. tourism to Cuba will likely take years to materialize even after U.S. airlines resume commercial flights to the Caribbean island this week for the first time since 1961, industry officials said.

JetBlue Airways Corp will pilot its historic flight from Florida to the Cuban city of Santa Clara on Wednesday, the latest step in normalizing relations that earlier this year included a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama and the first U.S. cruise to the island in decades.

The planes may some day be filled with U.S. beach-goers, looking for an economical Caribbean break at resorts favored by Canadians and Europeans on the sandy keys north of Santa Clara.

But for now, U.S. law and constraints on Cuba's tourism infrastructure will act as brakes on increasing demand, experts said.

Congress has yet to lift a trade embargo that prohibits U.S. citizens from visiting Cuba as tourists. The Obama administration has approved 12 categories of exceptions to the ban ranging from cultural, religious and educational travel to business and visiting family.

That means JetBlue's initial flights will mainly carry Cuban-Americans visiting relatives or other U.S. citizens interested in seeing the Che Guevara Mausoleum and other cultural sites.

Eventually, up to 25 flights a day by various carriers will connect the United States and the Cuban provinces, with another 20 to Havana, under an agreement reached by the two Cold War foes as part of a gradual détente begun in December 2014.

Services on Silver Airways and American Airlines Group Inc from the Miami area to other outlying provinces are the next to start, in September.

While the direct flights could carry more than a million U.S. residents to Cuba annually, according to John Kavulich, head of the New York-based U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council Inc, he and other experts believe that mark will not be reached for several years.

In the beginning, the new routes are expected to absorb customers from the average of 17 charter flights that Cuba's government says have arrived from the United States daily for several years.

"The fares that have come out so far, announced by American and JetBlue, have been super competitive," said Bob Guild, vice president at Marazul Charters Inc. "I don't have any question that it's going to shrink," he said of the charter services. Marazul, one of the largest charter companies operating to Cuba, plans to scale back services to provinces this fall but continue with its Havana flights while commercial airlines await approval, Guild said.

There is already a boom in visits to Cuba from the United States. Some 300,000 Cubans living in the United States now travel home annually. In 2015, the Cuban government reported 161,233 Americans visited, compared to 91,254 in 2014, and arrivals through June nearly doubled over the same period last year, a trend that the dawn of commercial flights can only further.

"The fact that travelers can book flights directly online not only streamlines that process and makes it more affordable, it adds a feeling of legality," said Collin Laverty of Cuban Educational Travel.

But another barrier to increased U.S. travel is that Cuba's hotels, bed and breakfasts, transportation services and amenities are already stretched to the limit, with a record 3.5 million foreign arrivals last year. Higher hotel prices, pegged to the U.S. dollar, might push out some travelers from Europe and Canada, creating more space for Americans, said Emilio Morales, CEO of Miami-based Havana Consulting Group. Private bed and breakfasts would absorb what they could of increased demand, he said.

Over time, airlines are betting travel restrictions will be further relaxed and want to get their foot in the door before Obama leaves office next year.

"While all of the flights are unlikely to operate at capacity, the airlines want to plant their respective flags," Kavulich said.

JetBlue Airways Corp To Begin Flights From Florida To Cuba

An expected explosion in U.S. tourism to Cuba will likely take years to materialize even after U.S. airlines resume commercial flights to the Caribbean island this week for the first time since 1961, industry officials said.

JetBlue Airways Corp will pilot its historic flight from Florida to the Cuban city of Santa Clara on Wednesday, the latest step in normalizing relations that earlier this year included a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama and the first U.S. cruise to the island in decades.

The planes may some day be filled with U.S. beach-goers, looking for an economical Caribbean break at resorts favored by Canadians and Europeans on the sandy keys north of Santa Clara.

But for now, U.S. law and constraints on Cuba's tourism infrastructure will act as brakes on increasing demand, experts said.

Congress has yet to lift a trade embargo that prohibits U.S. citizens from visiting Cuba as tourists. The Obama administration has approved 12 categories of exceptions to the ban ranging from cultural, religious and educational travel to business and visiting family.

That means JetBlue's initial flights will mainly carry Cuban-Americans visiting relatives or other U.S. citizens interested in seeing the Che Guevara Mausoleum and other cultural sites.

Eventually, up to 25 flights a day by various carriers will connect the United States and the Cuban provinces, with another 20 to Havana, under an agreement reached by the two Cold War foes as part of a gradual détente begun in December 2014.

Services on Silver Airways and American Airlines Group Inc from the Miami area to other outlying provinces are the next to start, in September.

While the direct flights could carry more than a million U.S. residents to Cuba annually, according to John Kavulich, head of the New York-based U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council Inc, he and other experts believe that mark will not be reached for several years.

In the beginning, the new routes are expected to absorb customers from the average of 17 charter flights that Cuba's government says have arrived from the United States daily for several years.

"The fares that have come out so far, announced by American and JetBlue, have been super competitive," said Bob Guild, vice president at Marazul Charters Inc. "I don't have any question that it's going to shrink," he said of the charter services. Marazul, one of the largest charter companies operating to Cuba, plans to scale back services to provinces this fall but continue with its Havana flights while commercial airlines await approval, Guild said.

There is already a boom in visits to Cuba from the United States. Some 300,000 Cubans living in the United States now travel home annually. In 2015, the Cuban government reported 161,233 Americans visited, compared to 91,254 in 2014, and arrivals through June nearly doubled over the same period last year, a trend that the dawn of commercial flights can only further.

"The fact that travelers can book flights directly online not only streamlines that process and makes it more affordable, it adds a feeling of legality," said Collin Laverty of Cuban Educational Travel.

But another barrier to increased U.S. travel is that Cuba's hotels, bed and breakfasts, transportation services and amenities are already stretched to the limit, with a record 3.5 million foreign arrivals last year. Higher hotel prices, pegged to the U.S. dollar, might push out some travelers from Europe and Canada, creating more space for Americans, said Emilio Morales, CEO of Miami-based Havana Consulting Group. Private bed and breakfasts would absorb what they could of increased demand, he said.

Over time, airlines are betting travel restrictions will be further relaxed and want to get their foot in the door before Obama leaves office next year.

"While all of the flights are unlikely to operate at capacity, the airlines want to plant their respective flags," Kavulich said.