Saturday, February 15, was a memorable day for Dominica, as it welcomed the inaugural non-stop flight of United Airlines, from Newark New Jersey.
Tourism Minister Denise Charles-Pemberton who was addressing a special ceremony held at the Douglas-Charles Airport said this significant milestone will enhance air access to the country.
“Today with the launch of the historic United Airlines flight from New Jersey to Dominica that opportunity grows even bigger for every [Dominican],” she said. “This flight is not just about adding another route, it is about transformation, it’s about breaking barriers, opening doors and unlocking new possibilities for tourism, business and personal travel.”
She believes that with this new direct flight from Newark, New Jersey, Dominica is more connected to the world than ever before.
“This means more visitors filling our hotels, eating in our restaurants, exploring our rain forests, diving into our waters and experiencing the warm hospitality that makes Dominica unique,” Charles- Pemberton noted.
She said the Dominica Labour Party (DLP) government is looking forward to the completion of the International Airport.
“This is only the beginning,” she indicated. “The Dominica Labour Party government is not stopping here. We are building something even bigger: Dominica’s first international airport.”
Charles-Pemberton added, “Imagine what that will mean for our country. Direct flights from even more destinations, easier access to trade, more investments and more jobs.”
Furthermore, she revealed that the United Airlines flight alone has created an additional 25 jobs in Dominica..
“Let us embrace this opportunity. Prepare to welcome the world and show every visitor why Dominica is not just a place to visit, but a place to love, to return to and to call home,” she noted.
She urged stakeholders to continue to promote the destination.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit expressed gratitude for the confidence that United Airlines has placed in Dominica.
“We are truly grateful for the confidence which United has placed in our country Dominica and it is no doubt a source of encouragement for us to do even more as we seek to achieve our development goals and aspiration,” he said. “This is a day that all of us in Dominica should celebrate and welcome.”
He indicated that, “Every positive thing [that] happens in our country we should give God thanks for this and pray that it multiplies and brings greater benefits to our citizens.”
The Prime Minister reminded the citizenry that development is a journey and at every point in time one may confront challenges, “or you have moments of celebrations as we do today.”
“Today is indeed a moment of celebration, an opportunity for us to create more jobs in the economy, the opportunity for us to have more foreign exchange coming into our country and for us to be able to better take care of ourselves as a country,” Skerrit stated.
He gave his commitment to work with United Airlines closely as was done in the negotiation to ensure that the flight is successful, “and it can grow from leaps to bounds.”
“And we have no doubt that the Lord will bless us with the completion of the International Airport,” he noted.
Skerrit encourages Dominicans to be positive and to recognize that the country is on the right track and is going places to the benefit of the citizens and residents.
The airline’s first flight from New Jersey was also a special occasion for Dominican-born pilot Peter Codrington who had the honour of piloting this historic flight.
Codrington expressed ” excitement, a sense of pride, a sense of joy” in piloting the first non-stop UA flight to Dominica. He characterized as “big” not just for the country, but for himself and the airline.
While speaking on DBS Radio Codington spoke candidly of the surreal feeling “knowing that I grew up watching airplanes come in and out of that airport.”
As reported on DNO, the Portsmouth native graduated from the Dominica State College in 2016, and was chosen as the International Student Scholar at the prestigious Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University in 2017.
He made headlines again in 2019 when he was the first known Dominican given the opportunity to audition for The Voice in 2019, while enrolled as an aviation student.
This is the first time that Codrington has landed an aircraft in Dominica.
I will conclude by saying, the moment was much more than a plane landing. It was about folks welcoming the relationship between Dominica and one of America’s biggest airlines. Do you know the significance of what this new service means to Dominicans in that part of the world? You see, this was what the hype was all about. Think Francisco, think. You have to look beyond the tip of your nose.
Mark, I am satisfied you agreed with me to certain extent without admitting. I agree that weather conditions sometimes have an effect on flights all over Europe, and North America where snow and blizzards prevent flights from talking off and landing.
We are not talking about any mountain covered in low dark clouds in a flight path in those countries you see, and that’s the difference.
By the way how come you have not commented on the agreement for government Roosevelt Skerrit to subsidize the flights in order to get them to fly to Dominica.
Hahahahahaha, allyou people like big mouth liar like fake Lin clown or labor feces thought we would not know about it, but we know eh!
Francisco, I was not aware of the subsidies but that’s nothing new. This is done more often than we’re aware of in an effort to guarantee service and profitability. The hospitality business in the US subsidizes airlines. How else can you explain those cheap flights from city to city. I have flown many times from cities within the US into Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa for instance for under one hundred dollars round trip. Those flights had to have cost a whole lot more but the tourism sector was picking up the slack.
Another example of subsidies to guarantee service/profitability, many large companies with cafeteria service on premises subsidizes the meals and also guarantees the service company a profit to ensure that they commit to providing that service. For instance, if the food service’s monthly fee is $100,000.00 but their sales only amounted to $85,000.00, the company pays the extra $15,000.00.
My friend, subsidies are nothing new.
Mark, I am not sure; as matter of fact I don’t know of any State or city government in America, which subsidize any airline to offer “cheap ticket” in the Continental United States, in order to encourage people to travel.
However, I can introduce you to the United States Department of Transportation which subsidizes airlines to serve communities across the United States, and Puerto Rico that would not under normal circumstances have schedule air travel service. I don’t think that means cheap ticket; I can emphatically say that does not constitute anything known as cheap ticket!
Now as far as I know when I traveled internationally, I pay for my food in the price of the ticket, I doh know about anybody else eh; if memory serves me correctly, if I needed some special kind of drink which is not normally paid for in the ticket; I paid for that when I ordered oui! In any event, Roosevelt did not let people know without subsidizing the return flights, it would not have happened!
I applaud greater connectivity but would really like to see the same effort put into our connectivity by sea, starting with a proper (dare I say it, state of the art) Roseau ferry terminal. There are a million people on each side of us and it seems to me that we should be making far more of this opportune geographic location in the context of both tourism and agriculture/agroproduction.
As a former investigator and having regards to all the circumstances I am convinced Lin Clown has trapped In France,me,and Brain Damage in a cocoon of stupidity.Lin Clown mean LINTON is a CLOWN.The name Linton has been changed to linclown.
I worked at an international airport .Amoung the best pilots in the world are those who use to fly BWIA and they could not land when it is raining.So go get some sense in your rotten brain.The runway at DC is too short to accommodate mega aircrafts like the British Airways double decker jumbo jets,American Airlines 747 and Air Canada.DC Airport cannot even hold 25 people in transit.First of all at an international airport there is refueling,and the aircraft has to take onboard food (catering)and water.DC airport was not built for that,international airport mean any size aircraft from any nation can land,including Ibo France and Brain Damage Venezuelan fighter jets and bombers.All you UWP puppets just wicked and lying,but all you cannot fool the majority of Dominicans not even if DNO is campaigning for UWP.
This guy is the most barefaced liar to ever walk the planet where humans occupy!
Now he claims that he worked at an airport among pilots.
So let me ask Clown, doing what: what was your assignment?
By the token he made the claim that he served in both the Canadian and American military, let us not forget he stated weeks ago that he served in the Dominica police force at the same time with Blackmoor.
How can one man work in so many places at one time. I remember said he had done so many Ireland, Canada, Lydia, is the Late Roosevelt Douglas, who I first met at SMA in 1964. When I calculated all the things he told people he had done and then places he been, calculated his age, one had to conclude he did more than half claimed long prior to being born!
Well this liar Lin Clown, or labor power fart, surpasses both the late Rosie Douglas and Roosevelt Skerrit pertaining to lying!
I am certain he knows how to fly too, I mean like a bird, not airplane.
I don’t understand why there are so many missing words, in my submission in reference to clown lies, regarding how he worked among pilots. Because it doesn’t make any sense as posted, I might take another shot at rewriting it simply because I want to prove to that liar that it is easy to isolate a lie and expose it.
OMG, he’s a black man. how ever did they make it that far. Was he DEI’d
DUH, I’m sure he isn’t qualified and it was a fluke!!
I’m being facetious as I am a black 77 yr old female who was one of the AA back in 70’s, currently retired from AT &T, for 20 yrs.a Foundation as Senior Program Director for another 10 yrs. my own consulting for 11 yrs. and as a Single HOH, put 3 children through college without WELFARE! I was actually married, husband died of Cancer not gunshots, left me nothing, but I guess I’m one of the good ones!! God help the USA!!
more DEI from United. more like divided airlines
ComeOnMan,international airport mean any size aircraft from anywhere in the world can land refuel and take on food and water.British Airways double decker jumbo jet,and Lufthansa 747,Canadian Airlines,American Airlines 747 to name a few, cannot land at DC Airport,the runway is too short.That is why the airlines ask the government to extend the runway.The runway at the international airport will be much longer and will be able to accommodate mega aircrafts.Did you a 6ft man can walk under a major aircraft with ease?so stop behaving like and idiotic blue do nothing puppet.The media whore was asked if you are sell mangoes at $1,how many mangoes would you have to sell to make $50?The media whore said 49 mangoes,he also said broadcasting was one of the 4 branches of government. Typical UWP.
We heard on arrival in Dominica, the flight had to head to Puerto Rico, due to a mountain covered by low clouds; later when the darkness was lifted, the flight return. If that is correct how come nobody mentioned that.
If that is true, we are discovering how dumb is Roosevelt Skerrt for on one occasion on the advise of Ralph Gonzalez spend more than $500,000,000.00( half of a billion) dollars installing landing lights, and lengthening the Run Way, and less than two years ago he Roosevelt the clown spend perhaps the same amount paying his Bajan colleagues to lengthen that same airport where small aircrafts can’t land when it rains never mind commercial jets.
If he is building an International Airport in Wesley less than two miles away, only an idiot would waste money on Melville Hall Airport which we know has long become obsolete?
“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread”(Alexander Pope).
Francisco, are you aware that this was a daytime flight? Why are you talking about darkness? Yes, the flight was temporarily diverted to Puerto Rico as a result of weather conditions but it had nothing to do with lights.
By now, every Dominican who’s still connected to the island is fully aware of what took place on Saturday so I’m kind of surprised that you’re still in the dark. You would not have posted those comments if you had taken the time to find out what really happened and by the way, stop living in the past with Gonzalez and company.
Well Mark, I am sure that you are very much aware that Dominica is one of if not the most mountainous island in the Caribbean! You know fully well that weather conditions has prevented many LIAT flights over years from landing even in torrential rain. Now, you know fully well, that there are times when the mountains on approach from the west are completely covered under heavy dark clouds. That was the situation why on the first attempt to land, it was diverted to Purto Rico, and returned when the dark clouds were lifted.
And even then Mark, the pilot chose to touch down (land) from the East (sea).
You know what am talking about where darkness is mentioned!
Don’t tell me you don’t remember a plane captain by an African operated in Dominica hit a mountain on approach between Wesley and Marigot!
It was the same weather condition which caused that crash killing everyone aboard. There are landing lights, do planes land at 1:00 AM? Let’s about that later!
Francisco, weather conditions even in the US affects aviation. I saw on the news just this past weekend the number of flights that were cancelled in the US as a result of bad weather. Now returning to Dominica’s situation, there was heavy rain and low clouds which hampered visibility. Visibility plays a key role when landing in Dominica because of our topography and the location of the airstrip. I was on an American Eagle flight a couple years ago that was diverted to San Juan and after monitoring the weather conditions in Dominica, the pilot flew back to Miami. I had never seen anything like the conditions that existed that day for as long as I can remember. It was very cloudy, not dark clouds. You see dark clouds when looking up at the sky, you don’t see dark clouds in an aircraft when looking down or traveling through the clouds. Maybe your experience was while traveling through a hurricane.😎
We have moved on from Gonzalez so stop mentioning his name.
Mark, I am neither living in the dark nor in the past! The Ralph Gonzalez manipulation and making a fool out of Roosevelt Skerrit should become part of Dominica’s history.
Had Roosevelt not subjected himself to the brainwashing of Ralph, our nation would have long have an International Airport at lesser cost than the now claimed over a billion dollars. At the same time Roosevelt decided to take Ralph advice and spend more than half of a billion dollars digging up the river bed and install landing lights, Gonzalez planned and built Argyle International Airport in his country, for a cost of just over seven hundred million dollars, but less than eight hundred million dollars. If you don’t believe the figures I quote regarding the cost of Argyle International, do some research then assess Roosevelt stupidity, tell me if that is the kind of person who should be prime minister of a country!
UWP was building one for under $400,000,000.00 labor party shut it down.
Remember that?
So Mark, let me conclude this by saying if there is any body living in darkness, behind the times, it is Dominica, it is our people.
Just look at the hype: As if Dominica is the first place on the planet a 737 commercial passenger aircraft landed. Don’t you all know that with the exception of Montserrat, all of the islands of the Caribbean have International Airports,
My friend I have traveled to places in the world on Aircraft’s accommodating over two hundred passengers.
I can I can tell you where I reside in California I just counted six (6) International Airports that is in Southern California, I left out those in the North, San Francisco, and places like Oakland; I didn’t even think of Palm Springs a few miles from Los Angeles. So, I simply laughed at the smiling face of the wig head, and crooked corrupted Roosevelt garbage about opportunity!
I will conclude by saying, the moment was much more than a plane landing. It was about folks welcoming the relationship between Dominica and one of America’s biggest airlines. Do you know the significance of what this new service means to Dominicans in that part of the world? You see, this was what the hype was all about. Think Francisco, think. You have to look beyond the tip of your nose.
I wonder whether Controller will get the same treatment.
KUDOS to all stake holders involved in achieving this monumental milestone. What a welcome sight to witness this United Airlines aircraft touching down at Douglas Charles airport in Dominica. The air was filled with excitement as one would imagine and it was apparent by the behavior of the folks in attendance, all the clapping, hand shaking, smiles and the like, that they felt proud to be Dominican at that moment in time. WOW. This new route, direct flight from the continental US to Dominica is no longer a thought but a reality. It can now be used as proof to other service providers such as Jet Blue, Delta.Hopefully, Dominica can now be considered by potential investors as a viable option when seeking to expand their business. It is now left to all of us to play our part in selling Dominica (not passports) with hopes of improving life on island.
Well done team and keep on working for the betterment of Dominica.
Why do these people keep saying “Dominica’s FIRST international airport?”.
The designation of an airport as “international” has nothing to do with the size of the aircrafts that it can handle nor how far they fly from.
An international airport is simply an airport that allows passengers to travel between countries; and has customs and border control facilities. Thats it! As opposed to a “domestic” airport which only handles flights within a country, with no need for customs border control.
International airports are “often” larger airports due to the fact that they may be handling larger aircrafts coming from longer distances. A la the now under construction “Dominica International Airport.”
So the Douglas-Charles airport IS an international airport. And believe it or not, so is DCF.
Please stop making us sound so backward to the rest of the world.
No backwardness here. The rest of the world would never consider the Douglas Charles airport as an international airport and you know it. You’re just trying to be smart, a sly move in an attempt to downgrade the moment that Dominicans were celebrating with your definition of an international airport. By the way, is this all you found worthy of writing about in the article?
Never a moment to not offer criticism for what happens on island. VERY SAD.
“This is a day that all of us in Dominica should celebrate and welcome.”
I am indeed very excited as a Dominican and hope for better things in the future.
DNO as a leading online news on island I have a few questions for you please:
1. Can you please tell us how many passengers arrived and left the country on this historic day?
2. DNO can you please tell us if PM Skerrit was there in person, or a video address or came as a passenger? I’m asking because earlier in the process Mr Laville was mentioned as the acting Prime Minister which had me to wonder why PM was absent for such a historical event
3. DNO you had this quote from the Dominican born pilot Peter Codrington :” excitement, a sense of pride, a sense of joy” in piloting the first non-stop UA flight to Dominica. He characterized as “big” not just for the country, but for himself and the airline
DNO I saw the photo of a lady and her two children asking questions about the pilot and her son. Did you interview her?
That is the very same DC Airport,Ibo France,Bwa-Banday,MEME,me, and other blue negative a holes agreed with Angello Alleyne when he said the airport was being extended for Venezuelan fighter jet and military bombers.They went as far as saying the airport was going to be used as a military base.Even when the aircraft circled because of bad weather,the blue DON KEYS said the aircraft was too big to land.As if the people in aviation are more stupid than the blue negative,no nothing,enemies of the state.They went to St.Joseph on Thursday,instead of encouraging the people to go back to the most fertile agricultural land in Dominica,the Layou valley,UWP say the poorest people in Dominica are in St.Joseph.They doe even know Morne Pican,they doe know Hillsborough gardens,they doe know Sias estate,and they doe know there is another BOUGEOIS city being built close Castaways.Grace Tung was building a 5 Star Hotel in the Layou valley,UWP closed it down in 1997,just to sell passports.WICKED people
Lin Clown why are you so overly excited? This small aircraft is nothing compared to others (in size and frequency) that grace the tarmacs of airports in Antgua, St. !ucia, St. Kitts, Grenada and St. Vincent.
In the rest of the independent members of the OECS countries this is so common that it goes mostly unnoticed by the citizenry.
By the way, why is the serial Liar and most despotic ruler (Roosevelt) in recent times being so blasphemous? He is incoming God’s name in every public event. Does he think God is mocked? Does he think that he can fool God as he does so often to his brainless, parasitic sycophants like Point, Putin, Lin Clown, Gary …..?
Your comment says it all. It’s much more than just Labour Power’s excitement. It’s all patriotic Dominicans who witnessed the milestone of this BIG United Airlines aircraft landing at Douglas Charles airport in Dominica. Of course for persons such as yourself, you’re incapable of appreciating progress on island. I am sure you were happy and besides yourself when you learnt that the aircraft could not land on the first go around but thank God for what’s destined to be will be and the aircraft made it in safely.
PADNA, the Almighty is always worthy of all praises and that’s the reason we should also praise him day in, day out for affording us his grace and mercy. Mr Skerrit is no exception and that’s the reason he acknowledges God in all that he does. You can call it whatever you want but it sure isn’t blasphemy.
This is another straight flight for Clown Lin when captured and deported by Trump…