Caribbean Airlines Discusses Fleet Expansion

[NorStar2K]

By Darren Shannon

Jan 19, 2011 - Caribbean Airlines’ ongoing expansion includes long-haul aircraft for its Trinidad & Tobago operation as well as its newly relaunched Air Jamaica division, and could place some of the recently ordered ATR 72-600s in Montego Bay as well as its Port of Spain hub.

Details of this expansion are still being developed, and are contingent on talks with manufacturers and lessors, according to a company official. The intention, however, is to solidify Caribbean Airlines as the region’s dominant operator on short-, medium- and long-haul services.

Profitability will be boosted with this expansion, Caribbean Airlines’ Chairman George Nicholas told Jamaican media during a four-day visit to the island nation last week, although the full benefit of the Air Jamaica purchase will not be realized for about three years. His government-owned Trinidad carrier currently operates at a profit and has healthy reserves, Nicholas added, while Air Jamaica has trimmed monthly losses to about $2.4 million on a load factor of about 40%.

Nicholas told local media Air Jamaica is expected to post a profit in the first quarter, and Caribbean Airlines’ chief spokeswoman tells Aviation Week the load factor is expected to increase now that Caribbean Airlines has decided to retain the Air Jamaica brand, rather that fold the operation into the parent company. Specific details, however, are not being disclosed.

This same amount of disclosure applies to most of Caribbean Airlines’ expansion plan, although the company says more concrete information will be announced throughout the year. For now, the carrier confirms it will replace the four leased Airbus A320s operated by Air Jamaica with leased Boeing 737-800s in new livery by the end of the year and will use these to serve New York John F. Kennedy International Airport; Fort Lauderdale and Miami, Fla.; Philadelphia; Toronto; and Nassau, The Bahamas, from bases in Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica.

Caribbean Airlines also plans to operate these North American routes from Port of Spain in what the airline’s spokeswoman says is a “synergized” network that steers Air Jamaica toward the Jamaican diaspora and tourists, while Caribbean Airlines will focus on business traffic.

Between six and 15 more routes have been identified for Air Jamaica, although these are contingent on several factors, notably additional fleet. Caribbean Airlines’ spokeswoman confirms that a nonstop 777 service from Jamaica to London Heathrow International Airport is under discussion, but a launch date cannot be determined until an aircraft is sourced. She also confirms Caribbean Airlines intends to send its own tail into Heathrow, but again final details are still being discussed.

The same applies to a recent board approval to source four Boeing 787s, which the spokeswoman says is the first step in the process to add new aircraft.

Other fleet plans are more concrete, and deliveries from a firm order for nine ATR 72-600s are scheduled to begin later this year. Under the current fleet plan, at least some of these turboprops will wear the Air Jamaica tail to facilitate the carrier’s “conscientious growth,” although as the spokeswoman notes, the majority will still be concentrated within Caribbean Airlines’ fleet.

Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner



Fleet (As of October 2010):





The black outline is the Boeing 787-8

[hot blue]

ohhhhhhh myyyyyyyyyyy

[RapToR]

excellent

[Smeed]

787? niceeeee

flew on one with emirates - very comfortable

[M_2NR]

nice. straight into heathrow sounds good.

[Stay Tuned]

How long ago did you have this info?

[Chill_Factor]

That 787 scheme there is not the official scheme obviously but looks nice. I think they will be doing a new one for the 787s. I am so happy for CAL and Air Jamaica right now but I just hope they can sustain those routes because leasing those planes are definitely not cheap.

I believe a 772ER will initially run the POS-LHR route from August this year until the 787s are in production (because of the recent test delays).

[pablo_tt]

"Speed Bird" might have a run for their money.

TTPP-MKJP-EGLL ?

[Jack the Ripper]

sweetttttttttttt

[kurpal_v2]

787? niceeeee

flew on one with emirates - very comfortable

pwns all

[Smeed]

kurpal_v2 u right. singapore airlines also good. but even tho carribean airlines right now might not have de most fancy or luxurious cabin, and dey onboard catering sucks....just hearing de triniaccents and being greeted by de friendly onboard staff makes u all warm and fuzzy inside after a long trip away from home.

[kurpal_v2]

kurpal_v2 u right. singapore airlines also good. but even tho carribean airlines right now might not have de most fancy or luxurious cabin, and dey onboard catering sucks....just hearing de triniaccents and being greeted by de friendly onboard staff makes u all warm and fuzzy inside after a long trip away from home.

So true bro so true, had a buddy from arima fly out to singapore and we were out having some beers, rly missed home at that point. Regret not telling him bring some golden ray and some pepper..



Singapore airlines nice eh but the a380's still not "settled" IMO, quantus is a airline to look out for once they get hold of their dreamliners. I flew with them recently and swore BWIA was in the dance.

[Smeed]

he mighta get brace wid de pepper.....pepper sauce is ok once it seal up good. never actually flew with singapore airline....just heard dey comparable to emirates from some co-workers.

i flew with virgin once from washington dulles to heathrow....was pretty decent - dey had some funky lighting in the cabin...kept changing colours. i fly regularly with turkish 777 from jfk to istanbul.....its pretty good imo. comfy enuff, good entertainment - catering kinda crappy tho

[kurpal_v2]

Subject: Caribbean Airlines Discusses Fleet Expansion

he mighta get brace wid de pepper.....pepper sauce is ok once it seal up good. never actually flew with singapore airline....just heard dey comparable to emirates from some co-workers.

i flew with virgin once from washington dulles to heathrow....was pretty decent - dey had some funky lighting in the cabin...kept changing colours. i fly regularly with turkish 777 from jfk to istanbul.....its pretty good imo. comfy enuff, good entertainment - catering kinda crappy tho

I never had virgin, my sis did but it was domestic iirc. Pepper is pepper yes, too much chilli eh good lol.


Honestly there is one airline Asiana Airlines Ive heard about that I wanna try soon, i think they copped some titles last year beating out singapore, emrites and qatar iirc (that's epic top honours right there).


But not to take away from the topic at hand, it is good to see the carribean airline's getting a boost in their fleet and now with CA flying into LH Im defiantly gonna be making a switch from BA.

[Smeed]

correct is rite!! if carribean can manage to expand its fleet including the heathrow run from piarco that will be really good. ba isn't all that great imo, planes old, entertainment ain't the best

[Mudboy]

an option...bess timing

Hope they have a free bar like BA.....long flight natives need to keep hydrated...

[Stay Tuned]

^^^ to keep competitive prices, I highly doubt it.

[MISHI]

You know I had to do it...

[ek4ever]

I'm not sure of the viability of the POS-LHR route. BA has reduced it's flights from POS-LGW because of low demand....I think this will continue or even be worse for CAL....Trinis just don't go to the UK as much. What they should've done was expand their capacity on the:

POS-JFK
POS-MIA
GEO-JFK
POS-BGI-MIA
POS-BGI-JFK
POS-KIN-MIA or KIN-MIA
POS-KIN-JFK or KIN-JFK

Then 1 flight per week from POS-LHR, KIN-LHR and MBJ-LHR using 2xB777 or 2xB787 (1 stationed in POS and 1 alternating between KIN and MBJ). Otherwise the planned POS-LHR flights had better stop in either Antigua or Barbados on the way up and down if they're ever going to make any money.

Forget Toronto....Air Canada dropped the route with an A319 because it was unprofitable

[Chill_Factor]

^^ Rel bad


Also, tru talk @ the trini accent on board. I swear I in Canada and wen you enter, you feel like you already in Trinidad.

[RapToR]

^^ Rel bad


Also, tru talk @ the trini accent on board. I swear I in Canada and wen you enter, you feel like you already in Trinidad.

x2

[NorStar2K]

On a side note I hope the Air Guard takes at least two of the De Havilland Canada DHC-8s. Those birds are excellent for maritime surveillance and SAR, primarily due to their high wing configuration allowing of better 'look down/eye-balling ' the surface target(s).

There's one from the Netherland Antilles that regularly visits TT. The Dash-8 is very popular choice by Coast Guard units around the world.

[Chill_Factor]

The -300s would be too big for that job. Might do better with a modified -100.

[NorStar2K]

The -300s would be too big for that job. Might do better with a modified -100.

^^^Did you mean too big for TT, or did you mean not used at all, because the Coast Guard units of Australia (07), Sweden (03), Japan (03) and Iceland (01) all use 300s.

Larger bird, more crew, more fuel, larger/longer patrol area/loiter at scene, more equipment, etc.

And, TT lends support to the Regional Security System (RSS), so the requirement for regional support (range) and response would be achieved.

[NorStar2K]

These two ATR-72-500 birds arrived yesterday on wet lease until the new 600 series aircraft arrive. They’re here for familiarization training for the flight crews.

[MISHI]

revamping

[NorStar2K]

CAL is wasting money on new birds such as the 787 which hasn't even been flying for more than two years yet, so an in service safety record isn't yet available.

Leasing B757-200s (full economy seating) for the inter-Caribbean and US routes would have been more feasible. B767-300 series birds would have work perfectly for the Canadian and UK routes.
No need to buy, lease instead and if/when no longer practical, up/down-grade as required.

The B777s and B787s are overkill for our needs. Operational costs would be very high, especially if CAL continued with their predecessor's plan of daily flight to the UK, instead of 4 times a week to ensure full loads.

Even now on the UK route (via BA), the heavier outbound loads are ex BGI, ANU and SLU not POS.

[Stay Tuned]

Brand spanking new 737 coming in month end straight from seattle, look out for it! 9Y-SXM
And two more to follow, not new thought

[Habit7]

Gov't is looking at a POS-LOS route, it will open up business with Africa. Plus we can be the gateway to Africa for the region MIA-POS-LOS or CCS-POS-LOS. This could fill up the down time for the B777 or B787 from the LHR routes

[Stay Tuned]

UA goes to Washington, and Delta goes to Atlanta