American Airlines will be re-introducing a fourth flight to Grenada beginning next week, the government announced this week.
The move comes after American had announced a reduction in its schedule in September, citing a decrease in demand for seats.
Tourism Minister, Senator George Vincent, welcomed the move.
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Lucky, they got their int’s airport for free…we may have to pay for ours. Only if we had out proirities straight.
For instance, rather than do like Robert Mogabe of Zimbabwe building a monument to ourselves, we could cover the ugly gutters in the middle of Roseau. Rather than pour >$100 mil on Melvinhall we could have put that towards a down payment on an int’l airport. But, research is very critical to find out how others are doing with theirs, whether they are merely subsidizing airlines to add flights. Think about it, research/fact finding important!
AP Ishmael ever heard the term to “remain silent and be though a fool, than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt”.
You obviously haven’t lived here in ages or know any of the infrastural development over the past 10 years. But next time it’s comedy hour, let us know in advance as we all like a good laugh
1. roads island wide are beign repaved, imperial road is still ongoing.
2. Yes a cruise village would have been nice, however at the time the wall was built who would have thought that a government would sell us back to slavery via cruise ship with so little forward planning
3.night flights every night, the first was a plane full of voters, my mother landed at 1130pm one night because LIAT decided Ross students are more important than regular passengers with disabilities and a dietary reuirement.
4. Yes, it is still one lane, and the speeds the drivers come along a NEWLY paved stretch from Marigot, they need slowing down.
5. There is a million dollar EC hyperbaric chamber at the hospital, it has been inspected by DAN the Global Divers Alert Network and once the intensive care unit is complete will be the first A rated chamber in the region, capable of taking medivacs from other islands.
6.Yes the Soufriere Road is deplorable however as 99% of the divers to the south, (there are 22 of your so called “dive spots” in the SSMR) arrive by boat, this makes the road rather a moot point. Apparently the govt is seeing fit to let roads get to such a miserable state so that when they do deign to repair the people will be so thankful they vote them back. Personally the road crews should work shift and do the repairs at night, but you try telling them that.
did you mention the Bath Road wall…. that too has been moved.
So, as much as i have enjoyed our chat, I am neither pro govt nor anti, i prefer to see efficiency being done at minimal cost to the tax payer which is why they will never employ me.. I do suggest however that you come visit next time before making …such stupid comment. SMH
so sorry, forgot to also mention that we are in negotiation wiht the other international hubs to act on our behalf especially SXM where flights are tailored to our passenger arrivals. we don’t need an international airport, we have 5 around us, what we do need is less whining by people living abroad and more people telling others why they should visit, The dive community knows this already. The regional international airports are all willing to work with the Govt of Dominica to ensure our requirements for airlift are met. AA pulling out will not be a hindrance so long as govt holds up to their part of ongoing negotiations. After all, it’s purely business.
Hope that all works out. It sounds like somebody is actually thinking at Dominica HQ.
That is the most sensible plan that DA can have … use the others airports. Why buy one? We got 5 for free wi?
I like this thinking. Personally speaking I think we should use Guadeloupe and Martinique as our hubs. Each one can also be reached by boat in case of cancellation or no seats.
we don’t need a jet to arrive here though. We are not ready.
We just need a small plane from Miami or New York or Dallas or some other hub. Direct flights.
Just pay the airline tom arrive. Forget a HUGE bill for an international airport. NO investor will give us that. Not until we show we can do a little on our own.
A small jet or a prop plane from Miami … start with that.
Here is another point some of you forget.
Dominica largest hotel (Fort Young) only has 75 rooms.
That is ONE ATR visit per week.
Fort Young is also not very disable person friendly.
Yes, it has a lift.
But there are steps everywhere.
We have been vision-less for decades now. That will not change without new blood. Talk to anyone who has attained some level of success and they will tell you that, success is an attitude.
In Dominica we are content with the statu-quo.
Petitions had to be signed and a court battle ensued to expand the Roseau Valley Road because of 100 year old stone wall.
Cross reference that type of staid attitude with our lack of interantional airport and you will understand why we are not moving forward at all.
Reading and understand seems to be in short supply, with some those responding here.
American EAGLE out of San Juan will stop flying to Dominica.
AA has never flown to Dominica.
Discussion is ONGOING regards other operators, that could/want to fill the space, that EAGLE’s departure will create.
AA out of MIAMI (Mainland USA) will be flying to Grenada.
Grenada is PAYING AA to add these flights, which are DEPENDENT on seats being filled.
Yah you right.
We need to start paying for those as well. Small flight 100 ppl a day from MIami. Sound like a fantasy ATM.
In season an extra 7000 a week would be a HUGE boost to this island.
PLEASE see that ppl.
woops .. I mean 700
When will we wake up from this protracted slumber? When Lord Jesus? Build an international airport!! Build now!!
This is a little story which I think will shed some light on this situation.I travel on a regular basis and just last week I traveled to london and when I sat down at melvinhall waiting for my liat flight to antigua this place was like a ghost town sitting in departure just a few other persons with me waiting on this flight I thought to myself I can’t believe that this is what my country has to offer.anyway the flight came and in about 30 mins I was in antigua.what a difference 30mins made in antigua one could see flights coming and going like no bodies business AA,air canada,liat,british airways and so many other airline were coming and going what a vass differnce from dominica airport the ghost town I just left.finally after 5 hours my flight to london landed virgin atlantic and as I stand and watched I could see hundreds of passengers coming from the aircraft and hundreds more boarding.I am saying all this to say while we in dominica sit and wait for 5 liat flights to land per day and mabe 1 american eagle flight all our caribbean friends just next door are wayyyyy ahead of us and we just not seem to be getting it I cry for my country one day things most get better I just hope that day won’t take an eternity to come.
international flights to Dominica ha ha big up grenada they have international airport, any plain can go there, they had to have the airport first, not like Dominica soon there will be no air accsee. eagle pull out just now its liat, if they doh get another $50 million
AA cant come to dca eagle can for now. longer it takes dominicannns to realise the further behind we stay. but our neighbors realise it. Stayover tourist spend more than cruise ship tourist. no one wanna fly in propella plane. they want direct connection ppl.
DNO keeps blocking my comments. Build the airport already. Developed countries become developed because they take bold initiatives and make decisions that few would otherwise make. For some strange reason, we in Dominica believe that we can maintain a staid state, and move forward. It has and continues to baffle me to insanity.
1.It took some 60 years before we developed our roads after they were initially done in the 50s.
2.Some genius believed that the Bayfront in Roseau was the idea place for a cruise ship birth, when other islands have a cruise village.
3. After more than $100,000,000.00 in upgrades at Melville Hall,we have no night flights, and one still has to step outside to check in.
3. There’s a one lane bridge leading in and out of the airport area.
4. We’re heavily promoting diving with no plans for a hyperbaric/decompression chamber.
5.Soufriere has one of our best dive spot but the road leading to that area has not been reparied since the 1980s.
This man does not live in DA…There are regular night flights in an out of Dominica…please check out www. LIAT.COM
A few months ago, we heard that American Airlines would be terminating its hub operations to and from Puerto Rico.
We then heard that American Airlines would be adding 4 more flights a week to St Kitts and Nevis. Now, we hear of additional flights to Grenada.
We hear of improvements being made to the Grantley Adams International Airport in Barbados. We hear of the construction of a Taiwanese funded international airport in St Vincent.
In Dominica, we hear of improvements to an outdated Melville Hall airport to facilitate night landing. We hear of contributions to LIAT in the tune of $8 million. We have held conferences on air access to Dominica.
Yet, we have abandoned all plans of investing in an international airport, while we still have no clue what plans will be in place when AA stop coming to Dominica.
Are we now convinced that we need an airport that can accommodate jet landing of international flights?
Please, let’s not fight among ourselves over this issue simply because we are Labour loyalists. We need to take responsibility and accept that we have failed Dominica over the last 12 years in this regard and the status quo cannot be allowed to continue.
Respectfully
Roseau Valley
Dominica didn’t failed 12 years ago….please review your stats.
With respect to the IA, we need to do it and need to do it now. We can use the St Lucia model…build it and slowly increase flights…use it as a white elephant for a few years and flights will come..build it and use the samller flights and use the IA as a chattered IA.
Within 5 years we will have enuff visitors in and out to make it full grade IA.
Roseau Valley…you are way to political…you are not able to see the forest for the trees.
You write alot without saying much…too much ramblings
D/a guy in antigua, I believe the reason everyone is against an International Airport in Dominica is because they will loose the benefits from passengers overnighting on their Island. I agree with you.
Do you all understand this Dummy-in-a-cans? The annoucement of AA adding a fourth flight to Grenada by next week and a potential fifth one by spring 2013, came at a time when AA is planning on pulling out its only flight from Dominica, come spring 2013. We need to understand that AA is not talking about four flights from PR to Grenada but rather nonstop flights. Why? (1) Because AA is really keen on the load factors at this time of year 2.The announced entry of Sandals.
Notice a big difference between Grenada and DA. PM Tilman Thomas was not the one that broke the news but instead Tourism Minister Senator George Vincent. In Dominica, if the government clears a landslide, Skerrit has to boast and the rest of ministers must say “Thank God for Skerrit.” Can you imagine the celebration if that news was from DA!
I hope this news confirms to ALL of us that the $millions Skerrit dumpbed at Melville-hall and the $27 Million on the State Palace would have gone a long way in helping us get an international airport, which no doubt would help create employment for our young people. No wonder when you visit the US, Guada, Antigua, Anguilla, SM and the list goes on, you will not find too many Grenadians. However, it is a different story with Dominica because clearly, we have a useless and incompetent government who has no vision fot its people, while they and only them get fat pockets.
Congratulations! Yes, the PRIORITIES in Dominica are shifted. Every improvement count; however, the IMPROVEMENTS that would bring the Island FORWARD, for example, an INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, better (WIDER) ROADS, CLEAN sidewalks, PROPER DRAINAGE, etc, are set aside for big buildings that can wait, unnecessary trips, and the like, Dominica would be moving into the direction for PROGRESS. FYI, Grenadians are everywhere. Your post is exactly how most of us, Dominicans feel.
last line should read..”stop feeding us your BS”
see what i’m saying..these knuckle heads keep saying,oh we can’t afford an int’t airport..no flights will come,my logic is,if you build it they will come,eventually,and now grenada is reaping the rewards..so skerro,blackmore et al,just build the darn AIRPORT an trust me,the flights will come sooner than later!!stop feeding your BS.
Those of us that are in far away lands may not be able to go home soon. LIAT DO NOT fly to where we are. From the time we had been asking for an INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT it would have been completed, it will take a number of years now. Some of us will be either too old and too sick to travel or probably dead. However, for Dominica to survive we do need that airport. After hurricane David huge planes landed at Melville Hall, they can still land. We do not even have to find another location, Melville Hall just need to be enlarged, resurfaced, restructure, better lighting (not what is there now), WE CAN DO IT. Unless the Island should remain STAGNANT, those that are still there are STUCK and those of us that are out should stay out. It is a SHAME that we are the laughing stock of the other Islands.
d americans are punishing skerrit for his big mouth
I do not think so, if he is punished it is because his PRIORITIES are not in ORDER.
think before you comment… ralph is the PM of st.vincent. not grenada..
Only if Dominica had an international airport. Grenada is worst off than Dominica to me. But the international airport makes the difference. Dominica, Dominica…. talk talk talk…. its time we need an international airport. instead growth decline it will increase…
Unless an International airport is built in Dominica in the interim; we will all wake up one day and find that LIAT have become obsolete!
That is inevitable!
The day is fast approaching; we can count the days left for Gonzales to declare St. Vincent international airport open for business, shortly after that day he will demand that LIAT be scraped, that is not a premonition, it is inevitable; simply a matter of delayed reality.
Dominicans prefer to exist in a state of backwardness, that is why our country is the way it is. Most of our people are contented to wallow in poverty, struggle, and grovel for survival while wrapped in the colors of Blue, Red, and Green, unable to recognized that there is more to life, than been puppets to the politicians who are not doing anything to improve the country so that life in the country can become a little bit more tolerable.
Everyday one read some pile of garbage about Dominica was mentioned in some magazine, or receive some award. Yes, true or false, all of these awards, even about some stupid house built in the bush was awarded best hotel in the world, to me is laughable!
Something is wrong with our people, and country, hence, our people go about their business as if they are blind demanding nothing essential from those who are elected to work to benefit the people who elected them.
Our backward mentality has caused Dominica to be the most underdeveloped island in the Caribbean, and the Western Hemisphere for that matter.
I know that many will be angry at me for my comments here, but I could care less, I am not one of those to burry my head in the sand seeking to be like. Our people need to wake up and see Dominica as it, which to me is a very backward, place where most people are contented let the island remain as backward, and underdeveloped.
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
Sir,
I respectfully concur with your sentiments.
ROSEAU VALLEY
“The country’s tourism sector recently got a significant boost with the announced entry of Sandals to the former LaSource resort.”…. Not a Garaway or a Fort Young! Need I say more?
Dominica do not need a SANDALS Resort, Dominica need more BEACH Resorts with ROADS leading to the Beaches. CABANA is a GREAT location, to begin with.
Unfortulately we are chained and shackled to LIAT without many other options.
but y is that our business if they not even coming to dominica.and they already treatening to take the eagle from us
They have an international airport there, and it can certainly accomodate aircrafts much bigger than the ATRs. think about that. While Ralph sits and talks about LIAT in the same breath he is makingpositives moves for his country in the tourism and aviation sector. I see
Ralph is the PM for St. Vincent. The story says Grenada.
Sweetie the article is about Grenada and not St. Vincent (Ralph is the PM for SVG and not Grenada)
..
Oh yes Ralph is building an International Airport in St.Vincent but he says to us that we cant afford one and we have to put more money into LAIT. So we can seat around the table and discuse a way to get more flights into DA by The worst Airline Company in the Region…
We need a LEADER not a FOLLOWER. If Skerritt sits back and LISTEN to the other PMs telling him how he should or should not run his business they will be LAUGHING at him, not us, while they move FORWARD and we fall BEHIND.
that is telling you that this man is not the PM of Dominican so he would not look out for Dominica cant Dominicans see no one wants us to have are good airport that will be bad for them come on Dominicans
you really don’t know what people talkin about
I wish they can come to DA as well
Tell Dominica’s most backward thing government ie the DLP to build an international airport and then American Airlines will think about sending their jumbo jets our way. In the meantime, thanks to the “wisdom” of this reverse thinking government, Dominica is stuck with an airport that will soon only see passenger air traffic from LIAT’s Dash 8 aircraft and “toy” planes ie dem little seater planes that haven’t got toilet. In dis day and age eh…….
Oh well – That is the kind of backwardness Dominicans adore. So Laboouuuuuuuuurrrrr……………………
Every single Caribbean Island – soon to include St Vincent – has an international airport.
Folks just ponder on this:
With the impending pull out of American Eagle next year from the region, which Caribbean Island will bear the full brunt of that decision? Dominica of course as most other Caribbean Islands are able to facilitate direct air access from the United States thanks to their international airports.
Dominicans, you all know in of all you hearts that an international airport is urgently needed yet some of all you continue to push & support high grade backwardness from this most reverse-thinking government. Why? Just to oppose the progressive developments of the UWP because somebody demonize Edison James in all you mind.
Well take what all you get; is dat kind of nonsense & foolishness a large percentage of all you seem to like.
Laboouuuuuuuurrrrrrr………………
Come to Dominica for what?.We were spinning top in mud at MelvilleHall. We are the poorest island in the OECS, and just about the only one without an international airport…ONE DAY WE MUST GET UP FROM OUR DREAMS. It’s a total mess in this country.
Well CC in your dreams anything is possible..
where u going to land the plane in your back yard?
where will they land at canefield?
Yea. They will come to Dominica. Hold a Red Day rally Pottersville Savannah, and put a red carpet in the centre and let the plane land there.
Canefield is a DISTRACTION, not an AIRPORT. Roseau is CONGESTED there is not more space for IMPROVEMENT.