CAL takes off for Panama, with Vegas in the works
(CNS): Cayman Airways Ltd celebrated the relaunch of a direct flight to Panama on Monday, and the twice-weekly route is expected to bring in new travellers from Latin America as well as offer Cayman residents a new weekend getaway destination. But all eyes are now on the next route in the national flag carrier’s growing destination list. CAL officials have previously said that they intend to introduce at least two new routes, and speculation is mounting that the first one will be Las Vegas.
However, despite growing excitement on local social media posts about a possible Vegas flight, officials from both the airline and the Department of Tourism are keeping a tight lid on the next destination announcement.
Meanwhile, as the first CAL flight for eight years departed from Owen Roberts International Airport late Monday morning bound for Panama City, Cayman Airways CEO Fabian Whorms said the route was the perfect mix of options for leisure and business travel for Caymanians as well as Latin American visitors.
Celebrations took place at ORIA and at Tocumen International Airport, where the delegation, led by Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan, held meetings with tourism stakeholders in Panama to promote the route.
“This new, direct service will provide greater access to our beautiful islands for tourists from the Latin American market and will open up new opportunities for trade and investment,” he said. “It will also enhance our economic ties with Panama and further solidify our reputation as a leading destination for business and leisure travel in the Caribbean.”
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Category: Local News, Travel
It would be good if the public could see the business case for Panama, Denver and Los Angeles. We cannot keep paying for an airline that is losing money and for these egotistical politicians to get a free ride to places they wish to visit while they are in term. Get a grip KB you need to pull the reins in and slow it down. The natives are priced out of their homes, grocery stores, fuel stations, CUC and even down to jobs.
Agree on all counts!
I’ve heard of instances where the LA flights only have 20-30 passengers. How can anyone justify this. Stick to the main routes with better connection times. Add back Chicago
Funny to read all those potential destinations being thrown out without any research or business case to back them up! Is this how we expect our airline to be run ? Based on reader feedback from a bunch of people who know nothing about running an airline ? Boston, Orlando, Tokyo …. Omg get a grip
Orlando and Tokyo don’t make much sense, but Boston may actually be a good option. Boston is a major hub where people from Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and even possibly Connecticut could drive to to get a flight. People from these states want to go to warm weather destinations!
On the flip side, Caymanians can fly to Boston for colleges, shopping, gambling, skiing, the ocean or sporting events. New York and Maine also close by.
how about bi-monthly or weekly charters to Vegas (thurs-sun) schedule?
these would sell out in a flash
How much does CAL cost the public to keep it running per year now. It used to be 20 million a few years ago. All the other airlines actually make money so what does that tell you???
Depends if you add in the CIAA landing fees they historically fail to pass on to the airport. CIG routinely does an exceptional budget-reshuffle to pay down these accounts payables directly, gifting CAL an additional off-balance sheet $10mln a year. We don’t even know how much the 4x brand new (and for a time, majorly defective) Max-8’s cost us.
Wish they would reinstate Chicago (ORD). Not sure why it was terminated.
Hartsfield-Jackson makes more sense than most of the routes.
These guys have it all wrong. Panama will fail again as it always does.
The best way to make everyone’s lives easier would be to increase the frequency of Miami flights. Have a late and early flight every day which will increase the number of connections people can make without having to overnight in Miami.
YES!!!! I live in Vegas and want a direct flight!
Please make this happen, CAL! Red-eye flights for the last 20+ years have been hell!
Tokyo please!
Guessing Orlando. CAL has existing connections and partnerships there. The choice taps into the cruise market there, hedging against cruise port tourism here. Its family friendly shopping and its a more attractive destination given the rise in Tampa and Miami prices. Gambling is so-so as Seminole is still a car rides journey. Proximity is more favourable and less prone to seasonality than say Canada would be.
Vegas!!
Spreading themselves to thin with four airplanes. Flying routes once a week forces people that only want a four or five day trip to use other airlines so they can come and go as they like.
You can’t fill airplanes if they are not positioned at the right times or the right days..You cn fly anywhere but if the times aren’t convenient for passengers they find the option that is better. Instead of getting another Twin Otter get another Max, that makes ten times more commercial and financial sense. Spending millions of dollars on an old junker to fly to Little is complete insanity..Take that 4 or 5 million dollars and put down some good tarmac on Little and just use the SAABS..If fact get rid of the SAABS and get something that is more economical and with less maintenance like an ATR 42 or similar that could be used to fly other short haul routes or used for charters.
Totally agree on getting rid of the Twin Otters. When I heard they had come to Finance committee to ask for millions of dollars to purchase a 40 year old airplane for a route that produces nothing is insanity..Three aircraft to fly to an island where less than 100 people actually live is nothing short of stupidity and insanity.. Who decided this?
They would be better off taking that money and putting it towards leasing another Max or even an 800 that has range and can give them more redundancy and opportunity to operate flights to destinations at good times for connections and on the right days and with the right amount of frequencies that people want to travel. $ airplanes for all of these routes leaves very little redundancy and does not give the airline any chance of operating at opportune times and frequencies..flying to a destination just to say you are flying there but not able to produce any passengers is again..insanity.
Why doesn’t the Government simply extend and pave the runway at Little Cayman instead of just buying another old delipidated airplane. I agree as well that thought should be put into getting rid of the SAABs as they appear to be broken down more than flying. I went to Cayman Brac twice this year and the first time, we had to wait for a MAX to come from Grand Cayman to pick up 3 flights of people because The SAAB was broken down. The second time we boarded and the engines wouldn’t start and again had to wait for the other SAAB to come get us. This cannot be financially responsible.
Sorry, no overdevelopment and further environmental damage in Little Cayman, so no new runway needed. Saabs are junk and will be replaced eventually. Twin Otters here to stay. Deal with it.
The Saabs are junk and should be replaced. The Otters do work well however and are dependable.
I’d like to do a little poll just out of curiosity. If you think Kenneth Bryan is a competent and trustworthy MLA, hit thumbs up. If not, hit thumbs down.
I am hoping they we aldo hire more custom officers. Somehow I believe that department will be really busy!
How is Vegas going to enhance our tourism product?
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll happily go to Vegas for a long weekend etc, but who is coming from Vegas to visit us? So confused…
You are using logic. Kenneth lacks this trait.
about 3 Million people live in greater las vegas area, many would gladly head to the Caribbean on a direct flight
Purely speculative.
ME! That’s who! I live in Vegas and have been doing red-eye flights to Cayman for decades. This is a godsend!
Boo hoo, I have been doing red eyes back from vegas to Cayman for years. Las Vegas area is to small by population to make it a viable rate.
There is a saying:
If you want to become a millionaire, start with a billion then own an airline…
Unless your name is Butch Stuart.
Las Vegas – guess that one was arranged before a certain person had to hand in his passport
But more freebies for Kenny …such a big important man..!
CAL will find a way to screw this up – probably make it a once weekly flight at some weird arrival time.
or combine it with the LAX flight which would make no sense..
Get more frequencies into LAX other than once a week. One flight a week is useless.
It’s all fine until there is a mechanical problem at it takes 12 hours for the replacement plane and they make you wait at the airport the whole time.
I’ll take the stop in Miami or Houston, thanks.
Toronto should be the next destination
Already disproportionately served with airlift, and doesn’t meet the ministerial hooker criteria. Keeping Cayman classy…
Less Canadians on this Island the better in most peoples opinions.
Two airlines already fly there. How about Calgary or Vancouver?
Or Montreal?
Montreal sucks and French Canadians are rude and annoying.
They do. They are the worst kind.
Nah no thanks. We know what you all are up to too.
Kenneth and his rabble should stay in Panama and don’t come back!
Isn’t Panama a major drug trans-shipment location..?
We’re sending our planes there..why..?
What product do our Tourism Ministers have in common? Same reason we fly to Kingston and La Ceiba, and now LAX and LAS…let’s build the general aviation terminal right next to the sound and put in a loading dock to move cargo to boats! We need to expand the port so we can get on the route to move product from Colombia! Don’t mind the FAA, this is Cayman!
Hire more custom officers! This must be the 3rd or 4th time this ‘ Panama flight thing’ has been implemented. It never really seem to work. They used to bring back a load of low grade clothing, shoes. They also talked about the ” rich fancy side and the poor dilapidated side” ! Will it be worth the startup side. I wish these politicians would stop fiddling away out money in their stupid dead end dreams. After 6 weeks everyone interested in going would have gone- then what? What will they do in Panama, what will the 1/4 plane load coming back do?
If the Vegas flights occur I think that’ll lower the grossly overpriced 45 minute flights to Miami.
Las Vegas is far superior to Miami for shopping, nightlife, luxurious hotels at cheap rates and obviously fun gambling. Not to mention the great shows, concerts and sporting events. VEGAS BABY!!!
It takes a day to get back from the west assuming you are willing to fly overnight or at 6am. Not entirely the same proposition as a quick shopping trip to Miami. And the reason Miami has traffic is because it’s a hub so I wouldn’t count on ticket prices changing.
Who cares! With Vegas flights it makes Miami trips boring unattractive destination
The Owen Roberts landing fees are the same. That’s the pricey part, and it’s about to get more so. 45 mins doesn’t get you to Miami, son. Somewhere else maybe.
Canada is the next logical destination, specifically Western Canada as there is already flights to Toronto.
Vancouver or Calgary.
After that, Mexico? Perhaps Cancun?
Methinks it should be Rio, Monaco and Casablanca next on the list!
Rio would be good.
How about a direct flight to Boston? From Boston you can go to just about anywhere…the oceans, museums, shopping, hospitals, colleges, and many other states up and down the coast or international travel. People in the Northeast love to get out of the cold and head to the islands.
Can now fly Air Canada MIA-YVR so not sure this is really needed.
Why do people care if an airline flies from Miami?
It has nothing to do with Cayman. Miami is in a different country, 500+ miles way from Cayman!?!
It is on the way and cheaper to connect.
Cal can’t fly everywhere on earth. It needs to run like a business: flying to airport hubs that carry passengers and then providing a better shorter way to connect them here instead of somewhere else. Financial services is the engine of our economy and it requires travel.
Atlanta, bobo
I vote for Mexico too. So much to do and see there. A great vacation destination
Honeymooned there, which was cool, but this is not a steady route, unless the wealthy Mexicans start vacationing in the Cayman Islands.
With 3rd Twin Otter, there should be capacity for Saab to extend holiday charter service to Cancun and Mexican Riviera. We are so close. Make it happen CAL.