SXMElections.com

AIRPORT--A delegation of tourism stakeholders including Princess Juliana International Airport SXM Managing Director Regina LaBega held talks with a variety of airline representatives during the World Routes Conference held in Chicago, late September. An SXM Airport press release last night quoted LaBega in describing the talks as "quite encouraging in terms of airlift."

British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic are notably amongst airlines still considering service to SXM Airport for a double stop with another destination as they prepare schedules for 2015.

The St. Maarten delegation included Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Chef de Cabinet Ludwig Ouenniche who represented TEATT Minister Ted Richardson; SXM Airport Managing Director Regina LaBega; St. Maarten Civil Aviation Authority head Louis Halley and SXM Airport Acting Manager of Marketing and Customer Services Suzy Kartokromo.

An "emphasis on joint-marketing efforts by practically all the airlines means that as a destination we must find a way to make the necessary financial allocations for this, if we want to continue to be competitive," LaBega concluded after the discussions.

BA representatives William Parker and Tony Buss indicated that there is still great interest in a London Gatwick to St. Maarten service as part of a double-stop with another destination. Following earlier discussions, BA is exploring the opportunity for the winter 2015 schedule. Given the high frequency of service to Antigua, service to St. Maarten would most probably be tagged to one of BA's existing flights, they explained.

Virgin Atlantic is also considering St. Maarten for a double stop in its 2015-2016 schedule. The airline currently flies to Barbados, Grenada, Tobago and Antigua with the Airbus 330, offering premium cabins.

The pledged support of the Air Service Development Committee (ASDC) members – SXM Airport's hub partners – "was definitely seen as a strong factor in SXM Airport's presentation to the airline," an SXM Airport press release stated.

The airlines, however, explained that route decisions are solely based on profitability and not on political or historical ties with markets they serve. Moreover, they indicated that there is a need to stimulate market awareness.

Yachting in St. Maarten was identified as offering great potential for United Kingdom (UK) visitors, especially given the presence of Windjammer and Star Clipper on the island.

Southwest Airlines said that its focus is on the development and growth of its Houston IAH, Fort Lauderdale FLL and Baltimore BWI hubs following the merger with AirTran Airways. However, it said it was still very much interested in starting service to SXM, which is likely to happen for BWI in 2016 and FLL in 2017, once the latter's international terminal is up and running.

Delta Airlines was said to have expressed satisfaction with the performance of its Atlanta ATL and New York JFK services, and is set to file for a Minneapolis MSP service, for the period February through March, using a B757 aircraft. MSP serves as one of the carrier's hubs, thus the interest in pursuing new route opportunities.

The carrier is looking at the possibility for joint promotions in an effort to push low season and fall travel. DL Vacations is handling and coordinating these efforts. It was agreed that filling seats in March and December was not a problem, but that other months definitely needed a push.

Travellers in the North Mid-West of the United States normally look for sun destinations when travelling, so this was said to present good possibilities for markets such as St. Maarten.

COPA Airlines is also planning to expand service to St. Maarten. Considering its current performance, the airline is studying the possibilities of daily service. A fifth frequency is set to commence in December and the airline will closely monitor how the market responds.

In talks with the carrier, it was agreed that retiming of the flight is not recommended, as the current schedule offers connectivity to South America, including Colombia; retiming would result in misconnections. The carrier also stressed the need for joint marketing efforts to stretch the season.

The St. Maarten delegation also held talks with United Airlines, WestJet and Air Canada, all of which currently service SXM Airport. However, the most promising discussions were with Sunwing, which will start an Ottawa-St. Maarten service from December 14 through April 2015, using a B737-800 aircraft.

While Sunwing offers charter flights/packages to Montego Bay, Kingston, Punta Cana and the Bahamas, St. Maarten offers a balance for summer travel, the press release stated. However, a Sunwing representative emphasised the need for joint marketing efforts.

Finally, Finnair is exploring a charter service from Helsinki, given its high interest in the St. Maarten market. Currently operating in and out of Miami on Airbus A330 and A340, the carrier has a partnership with Thomas Cook.