British Airways has today announced that it is expanding its routes from Gatwick to the Caribbean. Flights will soon be or have already resumed to Antigua, Barbados, Kingston, and St Lucia. Also, the airline will start a new route to Montego Bay in October.
British Airways resumes its Caribbean routes
In a press release issued today, British Airways said that, in a demonstration of its commitment to the Caribbean, it had resumed flights to Barbados on July 18, and Jamaica on July 20. Services to St Lucia will return from July 25 and to Antigua on August 1.
BA also announced that it is starting a new route from London Gatwick Airport to Montego Bay from October 13. The new flights will be operated by a Boeing 777 with World Traveller, World Traveller Plus, and Club World class cabins.
The outgoing flight is BA2265, departing Gatwick on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 12:20, arriving at 17:30. Return flight BA2264 will depart Montego Bay at 19:30 Tuesday and Saturday, arriving at Gatwick at 07:30 the next day. Tickets are already on sale, and the airline says that prices will start from as low as £427 ($542) for a return ticket.
British Airways’ commercial manager for the Caribbean, Diane Corrie said,
“We’re excited to be extending our network once again between London Gatwick and the Caribbean with the start of this new flight to Montego Bay in October, as well as resuming our services to Antigua, Barbados, Kingston and St Lucia. We know people are keen to travel and the sunshine and beaches across the Caribbean combined with great resorts and entertainment makes it a winning destination. And with flights to our new Montego Bay route starting from under £500 return, what’s not to love?!”
BA’s route expansion is met with enthusiasm
The chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation Chapter UK & Europe, Colin Pegler, said that BA’s return to the Caribbean is vital to the region’s tour operators, hotels, and destination partners as tourists are welcomed back again.
The Jamaica Tourist Board’s Director of Tourism, Donovan White, said that they are delighted with the new twice-weekly service to Montego Bay that bolsters the number of passengers traveling from the UK to Jamaica. He stated,
“As an incredibly popular Caribbean destination, with over 225,000 Brits visiting each year, we look forward to welcoming even more British visitors. Now more than ever, we are thrilled to have British Airways’ continued support to drive visitation from the UK market.”
A welcome return for BA’s Gatwick operations
After BA suspended its Gatwick operations on March 31, there was some speculation that the airline would not return to its second London hub. That scenario could have cost up to 12,000 jobs.
Fortunately, that was not the case, and BA announced earlier this month that it would be resuming its flights out of Gatwick. However, British Airways may emerge from the coronavirus pandemic as a significantly smaller airline. Last week, BA confirmed the early retirement of its Boeing 747 fleet.
Will you be taking advantage of BA’s Caribbean flights for under £500? Let us know in the comments.