Competition for Virgin on Caribbean Routes...

I might be a little late pointing this one out, but Caribbean Airlines will be flying London Gatwick-Port of Spain and Bridgetown non-stop from the 15th June 2012 onwards with two B767-300ERs. The planes will be from LanChile (I don't know whether they are bought or leased), which means that their great Business class seat (lie-flat) and their economy seat (similar to Air Canada's new offering) will cause stiff competition to BA and even Virgin. I don't think that Caribbean are going to keep the Premium Economy seats (but it will be welcomed if they did!).

This is good! Hopefully competition will bring some fares down (especially BA v( ). Whilst there is lots of money in the leisure market from LGW-BGI, there is also money in the POS route not only because of the new oil etc in Trinidad, but also because it is a major hub for people with family/property in the Caribbean. Caribbean Airlines/Air Jamaica have a well established dominance over the entire Caribbean (good for routing, bad for pricing), and Caribbean-USA-YYZ routes.

Virgin should make up its mind and get either Caribbean Airlines or their competitors Liat on the Flying Club Partner Airlines list ASAP!

http://www.caribbean-airlines.com/index.php/media/news-releases/most-popular/2012/02/06/178-caribbean-airlines-sets-plans-in-motion-for-new-service-to-gatwick-london-

How interesting - would probably not have known if you hadn't posted.

Did you mean BGI would also be direct? I don't see that in the press release?

Anyone flown with them and can provide a view on service etc?

How interesting - would probably not have known if you hadn't posted.

Did you mean BGI would also be direct? I don't see that in the press release?

Anyone flown with them and can provide a view on service etc?

Some friends at the Trinidadian embassy who were instrumental in the deal to get Caribbean Airlines into LGW seemed uncertain about that at the moment. The old routing of CA's predecessor BWIA was Heathrow-Antigua/Barbados-Trinidad. CA seem determined to get clearance for similar routing from LGW (as the LGW-BGI segment is where profit lies). For people going to BGI then, it would effectively be a direct service. All of this is yet to be confirmed, but it *should* go through if I am right. It is vital that they get their BGI stop in, because although the majority of economy pax are paying customers, only passengers for BGI would be paying in business, whereas the vast majority going on to POS and between POS/BGI will be Ministers of CARICOM and other governmental agencies who all have heavily subsidised (even free) travel on CA. I am sure there will be a few pax in Business who will be paying, but not enough to sustain a direct LGW-POS route.