BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Wednesday October 20, 2010 – More details are emerging about the plan by a new airline, REDjet, to offer intra-regional fares starting at US$9.99 before tax.
REDjet, which will be operated by the Barbados-based Airone Ventures Limited, says the “no frills” airline will have non-stop flights and all economy seating on two 149-seat planes. Customers will only pay for the services they want, such as seat selection through priority boarding and food and beverage.
“We are creating consistent, reliable air transport that is important to the Caribbean, where tourism is the largest source of income,” said Chief Executive Officer, Ian Burns.
“By introducing the Caribbean’s first low-cost airline, we are creating additional options for people in the Caribbean. We will be able to bring people together from the Caribbean.”
He was speaking at the recent launch of the airline which already has a staff of 64 – two thirds of whom are from Barbados. Flights are scheduled to begin on December 1st.
It was during the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) Leadership Strategy Conference a week and a half ago that Burns first announced the plan.
He says REDjet is hoping to establish bases throughout the Caribbean and Latin America in the coming years.
At the unveiling of the new airline, Barbados’ Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy congratulated Burns and co-founder Robbie Burns, for their entrepreneurial spirit. He added that choosing this island as a base "represents a tremendous vote of confidence in the Barbadian economy and the buoyancy in the economy."
"Travel within the region is especially important for Barbados [as it represents] the fastest growing source market,” Sealy said.
He noted that with intraregional travel experiencing a decline in recent times, the arrival of a low-cost airline was opportune and he looked forward to seeing growth within the Caribbean market again.
REDjet’s final step before taking to the air will be acquiring a licence from the Barbados Civil Aviation Department.
Initially the airline sought to startup operations from the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, but shifted its hub to Barbados after being denied permission to set up in Jamaica by that country’s government. The denial was mainly due to issues regarding the island’s national carrier at the time, Air Jamaica.
http://www.caribbean360.com/index.php/news/45437.html
in Barbados...the article is old, they've already started up
