Air Antilles has partnered with Windward Islands Airways (WINAIR) to provide direct routes between Dominica and Martinique.
President and Director of the Dominica Hotel and Tourism Association (DHTA), Arienne Perryman stated at the launch of Tourism Awareness Month on Tuesday that the initiative will take effect in summer this year.
She said visitors from the French island make up 20 percent of Dominica’s stay-over arrivals.
“Summer 2016 is the start of this new route, which will provide a direct connection for a new market of travellers—something that Dominica hasn’t seen in many a year,” she explained.
She remarked that the initiative will expand in the coming year, to allow more connections to Dominica.
“This partnership envisions further connecting Dominica in 2017, with over seven flights weekly, allowing convenient connections to the French West Indies, Metropolitan France, and North America,” she said.
Perryman noted that the announcement was initially made by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Antilles, Serge Tsygalnitzky, at a National Tourism Trade Show and Cocktail (NTTC) on Saturday, April 30, in his keynote address.
Additionally, in keeping with Tourism Awareness Month, Perryman encouraged participation in the eighth annual Hike Fest, to held under the theme “Hike Fest Origins: Exploring History and Culture.”
The hikes will take place on Saturdays throughout the month of May, as follows: May 7, Castle Bruce to Kalinago Barana Aute; May 14, Capuchin to Cabrits; May 21, Jacko Steps; and May 28, Soufriere Estate to Green Estate.
Hikers will be accompanied by knowledgeable certified guides and health and safety professionals. The activity caters to both visiting and local enthusiasts as well as novices.
Registration costs $50 per person.
Interested persons are asked to register at the DHTA office in Roseau.
That’s whats up!!!
now I can fly from other places in the world non stop to Martinique and simply connect from there to DA (29 miles)… no problem! Thank you for finally doing this I have said it a thousand times. I’m very happy people are finally starting to see the light.
At some point LIAT will go bankrupt, the governments do not have the money to keep subsidizing its operation and the more 3rd part airlines fly in and out of the EC, the better. What each island should be looking at is setting up its own small airline, an essential air service (EAS), that will serve the top 2-3 destinations each island nation needs, with just 2 aircraft.
This can be done for as little as $2.0 million to start with 2 small 19 passenger aircraft to $4.5 million to start with 48 passenger ATR-42\’s.
Hope for the best but prepare for the worst, and LIAT will collapse at some point and then ?
The country that has a small EAS will be ready, but also will today offer convenient and lower cost air travel to and from its island for its people and inbound business and tourist traffic.
Time to prepare is now and regain control over your own island\’s destiny.
Great news to hear. Maybe with proper scheduling one will be able to reach DA in one day.
I am ready to fly this month is this program ready to go as we ready 5-5 -16?
Some of you need to simply to shut up when you have nothing significant to talk about!
“Air Antilles has partnered with Windward Islands Airways (WINAIR) to provide direct routes between Dominica and Martinique.”
How important or significant is that when LIAT been doing that for more than sixty years, what about direct flights from Dominica to Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other parts of Europe?
What happen; cat bite your tongue on that?
Who cares about such trivial nonsence?
Did you not read the part about how one fifth of overnight stays in Dominica come from Martinique? Besides, anyone who understands that connecting flights are one way to get to North America and Europe would also care about this. So good!
Steve, believe you me, I read it all: it is okay to talk about one fifth, but one (1/5) of what amount of people 1/5 = .200: to those who don’t know how to divide 1 by 5, the process is simply placing two zeros to the right of one and divide by five which gives a ratio of 20.000; hence you move the point to the left of the 2, and drop one zero.
Anyway Steve, we could only be talking about 2% of a total amount of people, assuming 100 people arrived; one fifth (1/5) means out of a hundred people approximately twenty sleep over!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
Steve that is nonsense, total nonsense eh!
Not very impressive at all.
She didn’t say that one fifth of the people who come from Martinique stay overnight, she said that one fifth of all the people who stay overnight come from Martinique.
You are mistaken, there have not been any direct scheduled airline services between Dominica and Martinique for some years now. If you want to use LIAT you can do so but this would entail a flight from Dominica to Antigua, Antigua to Barbados, Barbados to St. Lucia and from St. Lucia to Martinique with aircraft changes. One can fly from Martinique to Paris direct, several times a day, with less hassle and for less money and in less time..
How long ago was that?
I flew from St. Lucia, on LIAT which made a stop in Martinique prior to flying to Dominica, I don’t know that was more than ten years ago anyway!
I over flew Dominica from Puerto Rico to St. Lucia, then St. Lucia, to Martinique and then to Dominica.
I am a full blown Dominican now; so I have to say alas poor Dominica oui!
You see those six thumbs down; the six of you so sot, you do not know how to read or write anything, all you do is look for my name and give me thumbs down.
I know one is from Elizabeth, and one is from old mother hen the The Facts:
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!
The other four comes from dunce, dotish, sot, inebriated, dope head marijuana breath people. I am going to buy you four some tooth brushes , and tooth past. If that do not work, I will send you four to the dentist to get some deep clean done to you teeth, below the gum line to get rid of your nasty breath!
Hhahahahahahahahahahahahah!
Francisco, if you want to be taken serious you should realise that you are not that important for people to automatically judge you. There are some of us, who actually read your pieces and judge your comments according to their own their own sentiments. I think you are too sensitive and should give your critics, as well as admirers more credit. If you can not live with that, don’t blog.
My Grand father used to pour a bucket of clean water on the ground and tell me ”watch that en, watch how dem pigs going to make mud dere”
Did you get the message Francisco?
Yes I can explain just to you , the only fing a pig know to do with clean water is mud ;
you still dow get it man?
ok I not calling you a pig, but you displaying mannerisms of one of those which used to roam de Island 40years ago , not the high class ones kept in pens .
your ignorance will consume you, you only see behind you. You’re the one who does not understand. Martinique has an international airport, people will now be able to fly from anywhere in the world non stop with a connecting flight from Martinique which is only 29 miles away by air to DA. LIAT could not do this, yes they offer flights but they did not offer connecting flights from international destinations plus they would take you from Martinique to Trinidad then Barbados then to Dominica… sotness.
What are you talking about Martinique had an International Airport long before I was born, Guadeloupe also! Who do you think you are talking to?
Yourself or Skerrit?
If you are traveling to Europe, you will fly south then fly north to Antigua to connect: in fact; I am not even going to show you an argument, which may dignify your nonsense!
You do not even know what I am talking about!
Francisco boy LIAT does not provide direct flight to Martinique from Dominica, like this new service would.
LIAT can take you to Martinique but you have to probably go to Antigua, then St. Lucia first.
Dorival boy, blame that on that Mountain Chicken carpaud (Crapo) Mentality Indian doctor of nothing Roosevelt Skerrit, because prior to Skerrit there were flights going South from Dominica which stopped in Martinique.
It is that crapo fault oui!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
I must commend Mr. Tonge, the Ministry of Tourism and the DDA for the strides they have been making in improving air access to Dominica.
Bull it was not about them, it was about Air Antilles marketing to make more money..
That is very good news but it is frustrating that:
– no start date is given (people want to make their bookings now)
– what is the flight schedule (i.e. departure/arrival times)
– will there be interlining arrangements with Air France & Air Caraibe to enable passengers to purchase one through-ticket and check their baggage, say from Dominica direct to Paris and vice versa?
– which airport will these flights operate from in Dominica (I presume Melville Hall but a confirmation would be welcome).
You’re asking all the right questions. While I’m very happy to see smaller regional airlines offer better connections, they tend not to have schedules integrated with those carriers that offer long haul flights into the region, and it’s not possible to buy tickets on their flights using popular online systems like Expedia, Travelocity, etc. Hopefully these sorts of things are on their radar screen, as it were.