Tourism Minister Denise Charles has announced that effective February 4, American Airlines will operate four flights into Dominica weekly.
The minister made the statement during an interview with State-Owned Radio DBS.
“On February 4, we will have four flights weekly,” she said. “Right now we have three flights on American Airlines, [and] from February 4, four flights and then there will be another review up till May and then we have an opportunity as I said in June to go back to daily [flights].”
Charles continued, “So far we are seeing that the bookings for June in discussions with them is about 60 percent, so if we get to about 80 percent we definitely will have a strong case for daily.”
Furthermore, Charles stated that one of the reasons American Airlines reduced their flights is because of internal challenges.
“One thing I must say is that one of the other reasons that American Airlines reduced their flights is also because they have internal challenges,” she revealed. “We may not be aware but globally all airlines have difficulties in terms of staff retention.”
Charles went on to state that there was a major change in policies which caused many pilots to retire.
“So most airlines are challenged with human resource capacity–even those services in the region,” she remarked. “It’s very challenging for them to retain staff.”
She said as much as most airlines would like to offer Dominica many more services they are restricted because of their staff component.
“In that regard, we have to make much greater effort to market the destination,” Charles stated.
She explained that every three to six months American Airlines and other regional airlines will review their schedules to see what is the demand for the destination.
“Therefore, what we have to do together with the private sector, the stakeholders, the accommodation sector, tour operators, taxi, and the media is to promote our destination daily,” Charles advised.
She added, “Imagine all of us flood social media with posts of the attractive sites we have, people enjoying themselves in nature, what a great difference it will make.”
Well…Denise sure look beautiful without that mop on her head. I hope her other half encourages her to stay simple.
even when she telling half truths.
You all not posting all comments.
For days…… then flooding the page with new stories and the earlier stories get hidden…….lost…. ..out of view
Clever?
ADMIN: Comments are usually moderated within 24 hours with the likely exception of weekends and holidays – note that we just came off a weekend.
Not 24 hrs
Days!!!!!!!!!
Hello and good evening my people. Well Ms Charles this type of foolish talk can only work with people in Dominica who never travel and don’t know how the real world works. I just spent a month in Dominica, I took Jet Blue from New York JFK Airport to San Juan with the intention of taking Silver Airways to Dominica at 4:15 pm but Silver Airways cancelled the flight. I spent two days in Puerto Rico but finally on Friday morning I made it to Dominica on Silver Airways but that flight still wasn’t full with passengers. They cancelled the flights because they didn’t have enough passengers for the flight to be profitable. That is the same issue with American Airlines and we will continue to have that same problem. We just don’t have enough people traveling to Dominica to justify such daily flights.
“Imagine all of us flood social media with posts of the attractive sites we have, people enjoying themselves in nature, what a great difference it will make.” You can’t flood social media with such a blatant “uneven” playing field.
So you read the Tourism Minister’s statement and some of the comments by the Labor faithful and you understand why Dominica is behind the times. The E175 aircraft seats 76 passengers. To maintain profitability the airline needs to fill 80% of its seating capacity or 60 seats. According to Ms. Charles, thus far the bookings for June are at 60% or 45 seats per flight. This information by the Tourism Minister tells us that travelers are not flying to Dominica in the numbers that will make the route profitable for the airline. While we’re still five months away from June, the numbers do not look good. And this is why we hold Labor accountable, because our overall tourism product is wholly wanting. This cold fact has nothing to do with UWP. Add to that, the pilot and staff shortages and routes like Dominica’s fail to take precedence over more profitable ones. We must learn to distinguish fact from fiction sometimes.
“— will operate four flights into Dominica weekly.” Which days?
If that is the case, I hope the people get paid. Look I hear so long some election workers and merchants cannot get paid
But doh quote me eh, pis Labour is still the best choice
With today’s Information Technology, we have now added “Miss Information Technolgy”. The reasons the minister have given for American Airline reduction from a weekly schedule to 4 flights per week is “miss information”. We are also in an age where your representatives just cannot speak the truth. American Airline operate an airline business and their schedules flights into Dominica are based on the anticipated and expected number of passengers traveling to and from Dominica. The airline requires a certain number of passages per flight to recover its fixed and variable cost, and if that number can be accommodated in 4 flights a week, that the schedule the airline will provide.
Soh shouldn’t that be an indication that people are not trying to flock to Dominica any time soon!!!
Only time people seem to want to come Dominica is for Creole Fest wi and mote people coming from regional ports than anyone else,,,
So if such is the case where this minimal amount of flights coming with minimal amount of people wanting to come international ports what allyou plan on doing with an International airport again???
So allyou believe that when allyou build an International Airport, magically those numbers going to increase???
Ok well if that’s the case RasrtarMarn have a Bridge to sell allyou to link Dominica with Guadeloupe and another one to link Dominica with Martinique,,,
So mamxelle say local vendors Taximandem, Hoteliers and the likes should promote Dominica, but she nor giving them no tools and resources to do so nuh,,,
She must be talking about this :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9vFveWmMtI&ab_channel=Davidsbeenhere
The tickets to expensive for a flight less than four hours I will fly jetblue and air antilles or inter Caribbean
Who give her permission to say that American airlines have staffing challenges!!!!
I thought it was de master negotiator skerrit who pitched that whole idea for de daily flights? Even pilots retiring?
Look story boy!!!!!!!!
So how were they meeting the challenges at the beginning?
Basically she saying American airlines doh have enough capacity to give us daily flights………they would need to much extra pilots, attendants, ground staff etc.
Dat international Airport………do you anticipate de same challenges tourism minister?
Ministers in name and looks?
Trust me we at a loss!!!!!!!
I mean if you all are struggling to fill a small plane like the E170 jet you call think you can fill those 747s…
The Boeing 747 is no longer being produced and those airlines still operating them are using them for cargo or replacing the passenger version with more modern and efficient aircraft, notably Lufthansa (switching to 777’s).
True, but still in operation and not totally phased out as yet for passengers.
Tourism staff must have been a bit worried about their shopping trips. Sorry, obviously I meant to say business trips.
“…most airlines would like to offer Dominica many more services…”
I think these government minister are being trained in Russia where the government blatantly lies to the people.
Is she suggesting, barring personnel constraints, United Airlines, Jet Blue, BA, Delta and other airlines would be beating a path to Dominica despite the fact that AA, using a 76 seater aircraft from the most lucrative market in the world, 3.5 hours from Dominica is only able to fill to 60% capacity. Does that make any sense?
…review their schedules to see what is the demand for the destination…
Miss Charles, whom do you really think you can fool with this nonsense?
Airlines will go where it’s profitable for them to go, plain and simple. Maybe you all need to give the persons that came to vote tickets to come here too lay jou, then Americal Airlines will bring them.
Until then best you just shut up
🙄so in the US where the cut off major profitable hubs and international is because of profit too ?? 😂😂😂 you people just love to talk jeez
That news will never go down well for supporters of UWP.They want American Airlines to stop flying into Dominica all together.Wait for the comments.
No we don’t! We want our tourism product to improve and be more competitive so that there will be more flights into Dominica daily with reduced ticket prices. If American stops flying into Dominica it’s a major headache and setback for the island and ticket prices will revert back to over one thousand dollars like before, pricing the average family of four away from Dominica.
I suspect this arrangement is subject to a minimum income guarantee from the Dominica Government to the airline, not unusual in a case like this.
If that is the case, I hope the people get paid. Look I hear so long election some election workers and merchants cannot get paid
But doh quote me eh, pis Labour is still the best choice
I love to see you without the hair I buy..I see your beauty better.. keep it so ok..
You does tell that to your mom?
Who is payingcthe landing fees.
Is it a company from BIMSHIRE still paying. Thats what we need to know.
Why would they Johnjay. The airport belongs to the government of Dominica. They could simply wave the fees for American Airlines. That would be much simpler not so.
As though those Landing charges are always paid by the customers/ passengers it shows up as the taxes on the price of the ticket, but RastarMarn stand corrected,,,