AIRPORT--St. Maarten as a destination received more positive news on Monday when WestJet announced it would be expanding its seasonal service to St. Maarten to year-round.
WestJet's inaugural flight touched down at Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) in November 2009 with 116 passengers on board. The airline currently flies non-stop between Toronto and St. Maarten three times a week and will continue at this rate until April 29. Flying time on each leg is about 4½ hours.
With the expansion of the service to year-round, WestJet will service St. Maarten once a week, on Sundays, with additional calls during the high season.
"We are pleased with the number of guests using the South-bound service and the North-bound service. It is a mixture of leisure and business travellers, as well as guests visiting friends and family in Canada and on the island. There is a large Caribbean population in the Greater Toronto area, and we know they appreciate the opportunity to return home from time to time via WestJet," said WestJet Manager of Public Relations Robert Palmer.
He added that WestJet was happy with the service at PJIA, and "everything is coming together nicely. On a personal note, I was fortunate enough to be on our inaugural flight to St. Maarten in November and without a doubt it is truly one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. It's definitely on my list of places to return to," Palmer said.
"This is a strategic expansion of new routes within our network, and an extension of flight offerings to some of our key winter routes that remain popular destinations through the summer season," said Executive Vice-President of Strategy and Planning Hugh Dunleavy.
"This schedule also demonstrates our strong commitment to take Canadians where they want to go, when they want to go. Now our guests will have the opportunity to visit more of their favourite destinations on a year-round basis."
WestJet Vacations has become a trusted and preferred travel provider for Canadian vacationers since its launch in 2006. Canada is St. Maarten's second-largest source market.
Commissioner in charge of Aviation Frans Richardson lauded in November the economic spin-off the new service would have for St. Maarten in all tourism-related sectors. He said preliminary figures indicated that the WestJet service could account for US $5.5 million for the island coffers from November 2009 to April 2010.
He also assured WestJet executives that the airline could count on commitment from his office and the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau in making the business relationship between the airline and the destination a resounding success.