Partnership gets credit
for daily JetBlue flight
PHILIPSBURG--Partnership was the key to attracting low-cost carrier JetBlue Airways to St. Maarten and the partners plan to continue along this line in their bid to sustain the daily New York-St. Maarten flights scheduled to start January 17.
With this in mind, the public- and private-sector partners of Anguilla, St. Barths, St. Maarten and St. Martin will be pooling their resources to contribute to a joint marketing venture with JetBlue.
Tourism Commissioner Roy Marlin told the press Thursday that a budget for the marketing contribution was being drafted. Pooling resources are the governments of the Dutch side, the French side, St. Barths, and Anguilla. Private sector contributors are St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA), Association des Hôteliers de St. Martin, Sonesta Maho Resort, and The Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort and Spa.
Saro Spadaro of Sonesta Maho said this was the first time ever that cooperation between public and private sectors had gone “so far and so deep. It’s definitely a sign of more things to come.”
SHTA President Emil Lee had high praise for the partnership, an approach he has stressed intensely over the years.
Marlin said the flight would benefit New York travellers seeking a vacation in the sun and residents who would now find it cheaper to fly to New York than to go to Puerto Rico. He added that strengthening traditional markets such as New York was important in a time of limited marketing funds.
As business picks up and more funds become available, exploring new non-traditional markets will be put on the agenda, Marlin said.
All partners agreed that the JetBlue flights will encourage more people, especially families, to travel, as a round-trip ticket will cost US $318 (excluding taxes).
Quelling fears that a low-cost flight might bring budget travellers rather than the high end ones, the partners said the profile of US travellers, taking into consideration the new passport regulations, was middle class.
As an incentive to travellers to choose St. Maarten, SHTA, The Westin and Sonesta Maho are working with JetBlue Vacations to create vacation packages that are affordable and hassle-free for travellers.
The press conference hosted by Marlin was attended by Maurice Perrinmarechal and Philippe Thevenet of AHSM, Edward Dest of St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, Lee and Keith Graham of SHTA, and Spadaro.
Tickets for the year-round daily flights went on sale online at jetblue.com Thursday. As of January 17, the flights will depart New York for St. Maarten at 9:35am and arrive at 2:40pm. The return flights will leave the island at 3:35pm and arrive in New York at 7:05pm. An additional US $10 is charged for tickets booked over the phone, at the airport or at ticket offices.
