Tourism Minister Denise Charles has announced that effective Wednesday, based on demand from American Airlines, direct service to Dominica from Miami will be reduced to three flights during the month of January.
She made the announcement during a live interview on State-Owned radio DBS on Wednesday.
According to Charles, flights will be increased to four flights weekly from February 4, 2023.
Dominica welcomed its first direct continental flight from Miami, Florida on Wednesday, December 8, 202.1
A test or proving run was done on June 22, 2021. That test was not a revenue-seeking run as the flight was the first offering of this service.
This new service connects over 40 US cities to Dominica and makes Miami, Florida a connecting hub for travelers from Canada, Asia, and Europe.
The aircraft is said to have a capacity for 76 passengers, 12 first-class seats, and 64 premium seats with extra legroom and main cabin seats.
“We have decided that to keep travelers up-to-date that we will start doing quarterly travel updates and the first issue came out yesterday,” Charles revealed. “The American Airline flight is a dynamic situation and is driven by demand.”
Charles explained that her ministry held discussions with a delegation from the American Airline in November to discuss concerns about availability and airfare.
“They indicated that current demand in Dominica isn’t consistent…,” she stated. “And so in review of their schedule, they decided that the month of January based on the demand for flights they will reduce the flights to three flights.”
She continued, “We are hoping that there is a possibility that we will return to daily flights during the summer, but as I said it will be driven by consistent and sustained demand for the destination.”
She encouraged visitors to the island to book their flights early.
“The key to maintaining consistent demand is to book early,” Charles encouraged. “Normally the schedule changes probably three to six months. The airline will review their schedule and demand for a particular destination, so it’s important that we learn as a people to book early…”
Meanwhile, Charles indicated that Discover Dominica Authority (DDA) in collaboration with its stakeholders is aggressively marketing the destination and inviting visitors to come to Dominica.
“It is important for us to continue the marketing of the destination so we can have sustained demand, not just for American, but for all airlines coming to Dominica,” she said
Charles made it clear to travelers that there are seats available on Caribbean Airlines, InterCaribbean, Silver Airways, and LIAT to come to Dominica for Carnival 2023.