The Caribbean tourism industry has been grappling with the issue of expensive, insufficient, and occasionally unreliable regional air travel, which, according to industry stakeholders, hinders both intra-island tourism and the ability of travelers to move between islands.
In the interim, several Caribbean nations have undertaken the ambitious task of introducing new airlines or expanding the services offered by their existing ones.
Regional carriers have recently introduced new routes, one of which is interCaribbean Airways, headquartered in Turks and Caicos.
The airline is scheduled to commence non-stop flights between Bridgetown, Barbados, and Kingston, Jamaica on February 6.
InterCaribbean's CEO, Trevor Sadler, described the new service as "a direct response to the increasing demand for enhanced travel connectivity in the Caribbean.
InterCaribbean was among the "local carriers whose recent expansion initiatives Madden-Greig lauded" in her statement.
Sadler stated that travelers departing from southern Caribbean nations such as Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Dominica can make "convenient one-stop connections" via the airline's new routes.
Tradewind Aviation operates a service between Antigua and Anguilla until the beginning of April. Tradewind will also operate flights between St. Barts and Anguilla and San Juan and Anguilla through April 8, in accordance with a codeshare agreement with British Airways.
Cape Air, an additional regional carrier, will commence operations of a daily flight on March 8 between Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport in Anguilla and Cyril E. King International Airport in St. Thomas.
United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and JetBlue Airways websites provide information regarding connecting itineraries, as stated by representatives from each airline.