CAL hopes to make return to Panama profitable
(CNS): Cayman Airways will be relaunching a twice weekly year-round service from Grand Cayman to Panama City in June, the airline has announced. Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan said the resumption of service is aimed at attracting new tourists to Cayman and transiting passengers and cargo. He said there was significant justification for relaunching the service based on passengers alone from this emerging market but also a case for the goods it could bring in from the Colon Free Trade Zone to make it viable.
The airline cancelled the seasonal route back in 2015, but at a press conference held on Monday, Cayman Airways President and CEO Fabian Whorms said he was confident that the route would be a success and he was not expecting it to run at a loss. He said the route had covered its costs the last time it ran, but had been dropped to pave the way for the Dallas flight at the time when CAL had a more limited fleet, and that strategic route had taken priority for the government.
But now, the new fleet of 737 Max 8 aircraft would manage the Monday and Thursday flights. The airline boss said this new route would bring in new passengers from across Central and Latin America, including medical tourists.
The flights to Tocumen International Airport begin mid-morning on Monday, 26 June, and tickets are expected to be less than $400. The flight takes around one hour and 50 minutes, with the return leg arriving back in Cayman before 5pm. Whorms said the flight times were designed to take advantage of connecting flights all over South America.
“This route will provide the perfect mix of options for leisure and business travel for our customers in Cayman as well as in Latin America,” he said. “With a flying time of only about one hour and fifty minutes with our new B737-8 jet fleet, the flight schedule has been designed to provide convenient same-day dual-direction connectivity between Grand Cayman and dozens of cities in Central and Latin America. The schedule also connects with some of our existing international routes, including Havana, Kingston, and Miami.”
The route is expected to do much better this time around, and the minister said that it would be monitored to ensure it lives up to expectations. It is understood that while there will be some minor changes made to the rest of the CAL flight schedule in the coming weeks, this new route is not expected to make an impact on other flights.
The Panama route was first launched in 2012, but within a few months, the year-round route was cut down to a seasonal flight, which was axed completely by 2015.
See the press conference in full on CIGTV below:
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Category: Business, Local News, Tourism, Travel
There is nothing profitable about an Airline that looses Millions a month just to keep running so the headlines should read “CAL hopes to make return to Panama less costly for the Caymanian tax payers”.
Was just looking at booking a trip to CI. I can fly to Jamaica and stay at an all inclusive for 5 days ( air, hotel and food) for the price of an air ticket to CI. Guess where I booked?
I am a repeat tourist to your island for the last two decades, but it has become ridiculously expensive and hard to get flights.
When is Kenny going to announce direct flights to Africa?
Does the person in the front row of the Africa-Caribbean tourism conference in Jamaica look familiar to anyone?
https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/caribbean-eyes-africa-for-tourism-growth/
More chance of making the Turtle Farm profitable.
Need new everything down there.
Cancun is less than hour away by plane and has terrific connections to Europe and the Americas.
CAL should run the Saab to CUN for Christmas, Easter and other holiday long weekends. San Jose CR would be nice too.
Tocumen is a great hub, it will facilitate connections for many travelers that do not have US visas! I think a Panama flight can work for KX the danger is that if it is successful Copa may enter the market.
Agree, great addition. Ridiculous we have to fly Miami and on to meet Central America for 1000 plus. Especially when most of South America drive roundabouts better than caymanians
Why not flights to Cost Rica, one of Cayman Airways early partners in the business. Such a beautiful country and lovely people.
I second Costa Rica, we’d be on that plane in a heart beat
Colon Free Trade Zone (CFTZ), a dangerous 2.5 sq km narco and gangster hub, is the second largest sea cargo port in the world. It’s nowhere near Tocumen airport. Shipping containers do not fit in commercial aircraft cargo holds, but they do go on big freighters which is why, suddenly (again) the conversation is about a deeper CI port.
sell cal…governments should not run airlines…
Another direct link to the 3rd world. Just what we need to keep the downward spiral going. At least our Politicians will get some fun times out of it.
You so damn stupid
I’ve been to panama. I’m a British status holder in Cayman. I can assure you a lot of Cayman is more third world than Panama on a Friday night
I look forward to this opening up the routes to Central and South America. Don’t get greedy though. Or it will flop.
Panama used to be a viable route where people could travel to for merchandise. Merchandise which was more affordable and the C.I. dollar went further. At least back many years ago. This may prove so again. I believe many locals may make good use of the route for this purpose.
Panamanians are also hard workers. The route may prove beneficial for labourers/employees which we have heard will be so necessary to balance the employee/labour fields. Who knows?!
Problem I found with merchandise in Panama is all the counterfeits. So if all people are concerned about is the price, we will get what we pay for.
True. I remember the Eastern Ave business man sell a lot of crap and things. They also made him a trade ambassador for Cayman!
I often like you posts, but not sure you know what you’re talking about, with respect to global economics. Watch Bloomberg and read some books.
Finally
This time please don’t listen to the merchant class who were scared of losing some of their captive audience.
As can be seen now post pandemic etc and current commodity pricing, we need to build relationships other than with MURICA.
You don’t really have a “relationship” with America. They barely know you exist.
Cayman Airways President and CEO Fabian Whorms said he was confident that the route would be a success and he was not expecting it to run at a loss.
It not what Mr Whorms says, it’s what he doesn’t 🤦🏽♀️
Trumanomics: Cayman Airways makes a profit AFTER SUBSIDY!!
How will we ever know? CAL refuses to release any data on profitability and load factors on the various routes for “competitive” reasons.
Just know the more they fly, the more they lose.
10:42, that’s Trumanomics too.
More BS! How’s the LA flights going?
are you suggesting LA flight is not doing well?
Yes
We haven’t heard a word about the LA flight other than they were offering a $380 RT ticket price. If you’re giving away the flight it can’t be making money. If CAL wants to make some money (oxymoron) start some non stop flights from the Midwest, Chicago, Minneapolis or Detroit.it’s almost impossible to make it to Cayman during the week without an overnight stay and another TSA check.
who cares? the Cayman glitterati got their free trip to LA that is all that matters, this route will be shut down by summer