CAL adds Barbados to connect to region and Europe
(CNS): Cayman Airways Ltd is set to add two midweek flights from Grand Cayman to Barbados from 18 October. In what Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan said was an unusual move for the government-owned airline, the goal is to expand connections across the Caribbean for both countries, as well as offer Barbados a connection to the West Coast of the United States and connect Grand Cayman to several European countries.
While this will be the only direct flight from the Western Caribbean to the Eastern Caribbean, which will open up new markets for both islands regionally, the main goal appears to be the access it will provide to the broader worldwide connections, given that a new LAX flight is also being squeezed between the Barbados flights
Speaking at the press conference Monday to announce the new route, CAL CEO Fabian Whorms said the schedule is still to be worked out, but the plan is for an early morning flight on Wednesdays from Owen Roberts International Airport to Barbados. The return flight from Barbados will arrive in Cayman in the afternoon in order to connect with the extra flight to Los Angeles, which will land there in the evening before the aircraft turns around for an overnight flight back to Grand Cayman.
Then on Thursday morning, the aircraft will go back to the Grantley Adams International Airport in Barbados, where the flight will be on the ground for several hours. Whorms explained that during this time, a number of European flights arrive in Barbados, and the hope is that people will choose to fly on to Grand Cayman.
As he outlined the new route, Bryan said that CAL was partnering with the Government of Barbados on this “game changer” for the region, though he was unable to share any details of the deal. CNS asked if Barbados was paying towards this route, but the minister said he was not allowed to discuss details of the contract or the financial arrangements that might be contained in it, even though Cayman Airways is owned by the government and subsidised by the public purse.
Bryan said the flights were part of an overall “strategy to expand the airline’s connectivity to the north, south-east and west”. As well as being welcome news for the Bajan community in Cayman, the flight will open up access from this side of the Caribbean to the islands in the east without them having to fly through Miami.
But Bryan said the appeal of Barbados was also the potential connection for Cayman with under-served European destinations, such as Finland and Germany, and more flight options for British travellers.
“By embracing this opportunity, we are not only investing in our prosperity — of both countries — but also the unity and the progress of the entire Caribbean region,” he said, adding that the service would pave the way for a more connected future.
Ian Gooding-Edghill, the tourism minister for Barbados, said that his country would be investing in a marketing campaign to promote the new route and the connections.
CAL Chairman John-Paul Clarke said that the airline has the capacity to add these midweek flights and does not need to drop any flights on the existing schedule. The additional midweek flight to and from LAX will also help the airline maintain the passengers travelling there, as at present many fly in or out of Los Angeles on Cayman Airways but use another airline on one of the legs.
While travelling from Europe to the Cayman Islands via Barbados will be a longer journey than going through Miami, Bryan noted that one of the reasons why this destination was chosen was because it will be attractive to people who are not able to get a US visa to fly through the US.
The new gateway is expected to open in October, subject to regulatory approval. Tickets are due to go on sale in August, by which time the schedule and ticket price will have been confirmed.
See the press briefing in full on CIGTV below:
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
Category: Local News, Travel
No one is going to fly from London via Barbados rather than take the existing BA flight from the UK.
Landing in Barbados and transferring to Cayman Airways is not a trivial matter: you have to deplane in Barbados, wait and collect your bags, re-check them, line up and go through security again, go to your gate and wait to board another plane.
Given that Cayman Airways doesnt codeshare with other airlines (eg BA, Virgin), you will have to go to the CAL counter in the terminal and line up to get your non-carry-on bags retagged.
Why would anyone want to do this?
Also, when you miss your connection on a none codeshare flight you are on your own since the airline that delivered you to your destination late has ZERO responsibility for your connection.
Maybe they will code share in the future
Barbados is a high end destination for stayover tourists
Cayman will benefit from 2 center vacations if it all works out
Nobody wants cruise ships
But we all know stayover tourism is the best for the island
So anything that increases that the better
Barbados brilliant destination and another Caribbean country to visit with out going through Miami
That why I never fly with Cayman airways due possibly miss the connection plane. BA or AA are the best! Cayman airways need get their a$$ out and sign up sharecode flights.
a flight to Vancouver makes more sense.
Just the latest step on Kenny’s path, leading us to independence.
Kenneth is the Dunning-Kruger effect in full flow.
Talk about trash they are going to dump on us.
What a farce “not going to cost us anything”!! – no one, one has ever done anything for Cayman – tighten your seat belts – what a ride this is going be!
BS,BS…we had better be very careful. I wonder if Caymanians will be traveling to Barbados to look for jobs the same way Caymanians are clogging up Jamacia vying for work permits/ jobs????🤣🤣🤣
I hope we keep statistics on the work permits etc!!! I feel we are again making a big mistake. Trinidad next door – what a exodus this going to be. We should be cutting of the jamacia flight!!
The Bajan Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism must me flabbergasted that Kenny G implied to the entire WWWeb that so many people in Barbados were denied US Visa that they need CAL to fly them around Finland , Germany and our 2X4 Rock to shop and frolic.
I have no idea if Barbados flights make sense, but i’m fairly certain that if CAL brought in 7 days a week very early GCM-MIA and very late MIA-GCM flights they’d be a huge success, not only for people who’d use it for day trip shopping and business, but also for connecting on other airlines all over the Americas and beyond.
Surely this logic is not beyond the imagination of the CAL exec’s? If you can get us into MIA before 7/8am and leave 9/10pm you’re getting big bonuses end of year
This is a great suggestion. We fly through Miami regularly but CAL is an overpriced afterthought and last resort. Not having actual connections to any other airline doesn’t help.
Great idea for who? Not for Cayman!
“Bryan noted that one of the reasons why this destination was chosen was because it will be attractive to people who are not able to get a US visa to fly through the US.”
Is he really that ignorant that he doesn’t realise that there are multiple flights from Cayman to UK now and one doesn’t need a US visa to go through Nassau!
Thanks Honourable Minister for solving a problem that doesn’t exist:).
If they can’t get a U.S. visa then there must be a reason. Is he having a flash back to when he was in the same situation?. Is he planning on spending our dollars to assist persons to sneak into the U.S. ? Won’t they still have to go through U.S. customs and immigration? Not so smart!
Are there any people “who can’t get a US visa” other than drug dealers and some commies? Do any of them really want to come to Cayman? Asking for a friend.
Think the Minister was thinking more of people living in Cayman who want to be able to travel to Europe than people coming to Cayman. Other than drug dealers and commies, you can add anyone with a criminal record – like some politicians.
Flights through Jamaica too to many European destinations. More like Cayman Airways doubling down on their LAX investment, desperately hoping that they will pick up West Coast traffic destined for Barbados given how few seats are taken by people coming here. Of course, adding that in is not just an additional LAX flight, but now we have to absorb the cost of 2 flights a day to Barbados.
HAHAHAHA, loved how the Press Secretary stole his thunder on the Barbados announcement by acknowledging the Bajan reps on the call before Kenny could say where the new destination was
“it will be attractive to people who are not able to get a US visa“ yikes
Poor decisions as reliable as the sunrise
When there is no redeeming feature in a decision made by an uneducated unemployable, using public funds, then it has to be subjected to low speculation.
UDP at work again.
At least it’ll use less fuel, as planes carrying nobody are significantly lighter.
It’s good to see that follies are still employed the world over.
Why not look into that turtle shaped ice rink again???
It behooves me to recommend that Kenny consider KFC be served complimentary for this enduring journey. Nothing brings joy to the massasses than big buckets of the Colonial’s finest rolled out mid flight. Shabba!
Can you go Behoove somewhere else now..?
Yeah! Finally somebody said it You can stick your behoove where the sun don’t shine!
It should have been Vegas!
Bryan, Whorms and anyone who supports this move needs to be relegated to being irrelevant. If I want to go to Europe, BA flies to Cayman 4-5 times a week. Why would I chose to go through Barbados. This route will be about as useful as 2 teats on a boar hog. Will they produce load factors, fuel cost and other operational costs after the first 90 days.
May I suggest some destinations that would make sense: Orlando, Houston, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago or even Fort Lauderdale. Pick one stooge Bryan and stooge Whorms.
Costa Rica!
Hell, I bet even Nicaragua or Venezuela would have more passengers.
nonsense at every level and goes to show that lax route is a disaster already.
the people were crying out for Vegas….the world’s #1 tourist destination.
Seriously, this is like turning an idiot loose in an explosives factory. We need to demand a new election and right now!
Barbados is not remotely en route to anywhere in Europe, and there’s not much traffic towards Africa… let’s be real. where is the market?
And tbh people that have an issue with us visas still have the option of Canada or even Jamaica to come to Cayman from across the Atlantic.
Moreover it will be quite difficult to compete on price with the low-cost operators that fly to Barbados already from South Florida.
hmm.
Just wait till this fool is Premier… oh wait, he pretty much is. Wayne, where the hell are you? Did the turncoat PACT lock you away?
Dear Lord, I hope not. That would be more scary than having Weenie.
Heard that Kenny was very friendly with the Prime minister of Barbados and this was done to impress her. Please don ‘t tell me that Wayne knew about this new route and gave his approval. I guess this was negotiated without telling Wayne, wonder if they told him yet.
God, if there is one please help us. Reading the article it appears that Barbados’s contribution is that they will ‘advertise’ this service, Cayman Islands Government will pick up the real cost.
Vegas would have made sense. Vancouver would have made sense. Atlanta, Amsterdam…. Anything but this stupidity.
Why is Panton so desperate to be premier that he keeps KB around and allows him to burn money?
These guys have it all wrong. The best thing they could do is run an early morning and late evening flight every day to allow maximum connectivity through Miami without needing to overnight. I.e. restore the pre COVID situation. Instead we get a completely useless destination that, as many others have pointed out, will last 6 months. What a shambles.
That would mean they would need to find staff that would actually show up early and/or work late…
I would encourage them not to show up for this lunacy.
Stupidest thing I’ve heard since, well, since Kenny’s last announcement.
Attention Ministers
No more side chicks on boards please !!!!!
Wifey
Or “business trips” with adjoining room demands.
But that is the #2 reason they want to get elected.
I blame the Cayman Airways pilots, they let Kenneth ride up front and now he think is it’s his personal airline!
Can someone explain to Kenny that countries as shown on his map are different on the globe. Never mind, having to explain to him that the world is round might take a while.
Barbados might make a good stopover location for flights to Nigeria. The widow Ms. Babadinga who keeps trying to wire $10 million dollars to my bank account could just fly here with the cash instead.
BWIA failed, Air Jamaica failed, can’t remember the name of the Bajan national carrier that also failed. Is that not enough proof to show that this route is not viable and the idea should be scrapped before it commences.
Bryan noted that one of the reasons why this destination was chosen was because it will be attractive to people who are not able to get a US visa to fly through the US.
Yep Kenny, that’s the people you want to target to ensure this venture will be successful.
AND do we want people who can’t get a US visa to fly here?????????????????????????????????????????
Remember when he couldn’t get a VISA. Birds of a feather.
You do know that is what this whole debacle is about, right?
well stated
It remains something of a mystery how Kenny himself is able to fly to the US given his previous record…
Want got him a restricted us visa only to do government business. Once he is out of power re reverts back to no entry USA.
I was hoping for Boston. Got the “B” right.
Dear Kenneth
1. It is pronounced “Cayman Airways” not “Cayman-e-weez”.
2. Did you get elected in Barbados? Why are you working so hard to help a competitor ? I see ZERO benefit in this for Cayman, ZERO!
3. How dare you say that the cost to this country is a contract secret and you cannot share it with us. That is not your money bub!
4. According to Dr. Clark we relied on superficial analysis (not detail) provided by Barbados but did none of our own! Is this how we now run the national airline? Taking unverified research from a competitor as “GOLD”?
5. Convince me that we won’t lose money on this deal!
6. Why are we using our LA route to boost Barbados numbers?
7. What are the numbers we anticipate to come here via Barbados from the UK and Europe?
8. Did you say you are not “allowed” to talk about the contract between Cayman and Barbados? Who do you need to seek permission from if its not the people of the Cayman Islands?
Ill give you some time to answer before I send my FOI!
Sincerely,
Future GTC Candidate
As the Grand Poobah of the Caribbean Tourism Association, he will be able to visit his office in Bridgetown once per week until his term expires.
This won’t see 6 months. More stupidity from KB. Does he just make this up on the spot?
Yes.
PACT is not a party. No platform, no plan. Just a collection of individuals doing whatever they want with a Leader who flaps his gums about climate and panders to every special interest.
We have four 3rd world flights, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, and Barbados. Barbados is a bankrupt country that cannot pay its bills.
CAL is in danger. The tax payer is being stolen from.
Panton is no where to been seen and will not do What is best for the country and that is to call an election.
It appears as if this Minister is hell-bent on using our assets on the behalf of these Islands. KENNETH they are sweet-talking you because they can smell your incompetence a mile off. They know this dumb move will benefit them because they will provide the staff on their end to accommodate the few passengers for a few months and not us. While you are at it please bear in mind that it is not about pleasing your friends but about benefiting CAL’s bottom line. We won’t make a red cent off this route. Mr. Whorms you are a smart man, can’t you talk some sense into his knumbskull?
Anon, you are so correct. Barbados is laughing all the way to the bank. Who in the world would sign a horrible deal like that?
Lol. You think an election will help?
I would like to wave a wand and let everyone of them disappear to never neverlanf.
What absolute rubbish.
BA doesn’t arrive into Barbados until 3pm and Virgin until 5pm. Therefore no direct connecting passengers possible.
Whorms states that KX flight will arrive back in Cayman from Barbados early afternoon to link up with the LA flight. For gods sake man look at a map. No one will fly UK-Barbados-Cayman to then go to LA.
This will be another epic failure of CIG and waste of a lot of money.
BTW how does this sit with our Czar of climate resiliency. Long haul empty flights. Wayne we can’t hear you.
If you are taking BA, you will use the existing Nassau Cayman route. Why would someone flying from London want to deplane in Barbados, go through security again, and get bags transferred to another airline?
I would have been more excited about American bringing back the morning and evening flights to Miami
I am wondering how many Caymanians/residents (except a few Bajans ) are longing to vacation or go shopping in Barbados?
I would have gone (non-Bajan), except that a Bdos trip is a long weekend (4 days max) with this crazy schedule you have to go for the whole week.
Everything he does is disappointing. How long will we put up with him?
Yes it is!
As long as we continue with the one man one vote system his GT constituents will vote him back in again. Can all voters please have a choice in who runs s this country not just a small carve of people in a district.
Finair and SAS fly nonstop to Miami…which has Scandinavia covered. Lufthansa has 2 day flights from Miami.
The issue Hon Minister is that other than on a Sunday there are no flights from Miami to Grand Cayman that allow passengers arriving on European flights into Miami to travel to Grand Cayman the same day. Bring back the evening Miami flights please.
This is beyond absurd.
Minister Bryan is launching this route to be his personal non-stop flight for Caribbean Tourism Organization business. CTO is headquartered in…Barbados.
Minister Bryan also said Cayman needs to add nearly 2,000 feet to the runway so transatlantic flights can land in Cayman. This $27M pledge was made without a single airline commitment or any credible projections in the outline business case. He mentioned “interest from Eurowings” which is Lufthansa’s low cost airline that hawks cheap flights from 69 quid. Not exactly strategically aligned with an island with the highest hotel rates in the region. He also mentioned Virgin, which would duplicate the British Airways service. And now a route is being added from a competitive island so that European passengers can transit through? Can he seriously believe this will generate a single visitor? Is he consuming the drugs he was once convicted for selling? Or is he just rationalizing his new 737 Max private plane to Barbados?
I get that this guy is popular in his district and the PACT needs to keep him corraled. Tourism is succeeding despite this clown’s efforts to dismantle what the industry has worked so hard to rebuild after the pandemic.
He’s merely trying to impress other CTO board members. Couldn’t care less about Cayman.
Yes, and they are squeezing it for whatever they can get out of it. They are stroking his ego and he is purring like a Tom cat.
When you have low educated people in positions power this is what you get.
All you got to say is Kenneth Bryan – that sums it up.
Mo$e$ or Kenneth – either way they are both looking out for their financial interests.
Duh, of course, Cayman Islands are footing the bill – why in the heck would Barbados foot the bill???
Expect buffonerry, absurdity, and trickery and you will never be surprised here.
This will last a few months. Remember Jim Bodden getting CAL to fly to the Turks. It also never made it and closed after a few months .I was on the first flight with 20 others.
Has anyone done a feasibility study. Does Bryan know what they are.
What a deflating announcement. Residents here want more than Tampa or Miami or a useless LA flight.
New Orleans, Nashville, and even Atlanta offer great shopping, entertainment and fun for all ages, and Atlanta’s hub can get us anywhere in the world.
Wake me up when common sense & reason land.
Daily Delta flights to ATL so that is covered.
Yes Delta offers daily routes to ATL for $700 upward round trip. Perhaps they need to have some CAL competition
It would make more sense than any of this bs. Plus we could all go visit Jeff!
Thank you for reminding us of this, Mr Johnson. As a pleb I was not on that flight but I and many others thought it was a typical idiotic idea from Jim Bodden for….who knows….what reason, possibly nefarious. But as long as Cayman Airways is subsidized by the tax payer we will always have these fantasy flight projects. Remember Truman’s absolutely classic statement about CAL’s financial affairs one day in the House? “Mr Speaker, Cayman Airways made a profit after subsidy”. That is still the thinking behind our national airline.
Kenneth Bryan proving his worth to the country again ::eye roll::
Additional connection to Europe? There are already 5 Cayman-London flights a week on British Airways, and London Heathrow connects to every European country.
If you are in Finland or Germany, you have never heard of Cayman Airways. Why would anyone want to route through Barbados?
I dont get it. (Bermuda would have been better if wanted to go East. There is a lot of inter-island commerce in the financial industry. And BA flies from Bermuda to London Gatwick, if wanted to fly onwards to other destinations from Gatwick).
Good grief, even a 5 year old could see this is doomed to failure from the start. What absolute stupidity.
But just think of all the Europeans and Bajans that can’t qualify for USA entry that can now fly seamlessly to LA…oh wait.
Oh god that is a good point!
They still not a visa
Its about Caymanians that cant get a visa that want to fly to Europe, apparently. Even though they could fly there through Jamaica r Bahamas (or come to think of it Canada). Sure its a huge number of people flying regularly. And of course the huge number of people wanting to visit the Caribbean Tourism Organisation without having to fly through Miami.
The tourism minister has been longing to hobknob with Prime Minister Mottley for a long time! He doesn’t realise that they are miles apart. (pun intended) . I wonder exactly how many persons from Barbados or Cayman are longing to go to Germany and Finland? I guess each summer there will be 6 persons going and froing on these flights. If he isn’t boasting about how much of the cost will be shared by Barbados that means its nothing but he will do it anyway. He will add to the wear and tear on our planes and get pittance through tickets sale in return. The silver lining is it won’t last more than a month or two. With him in charge we will soon have to sell the planes to pay for landing fees! A real jackass!
I presume that Bryan is aware that persons travelling from/to Europe can already do so via the London-Nassau existing route without the need for a US visa. In less time and likely less cost.
I trust details of the success of this route will be made available to the tax payers.
please do not presume where Kenny G is concerned.
The flight should go onto Trinidad and Tobago pick up people return directly to Barbados then come to Cayman that would be full every time it went.
Don’t give Kenneth any more stupid ideas..
thank you
Something is fishy about this
More like something stinks to high Heaven.. follow the money! It always the money..
Well, flying fish is the national dish of Barbados.
Horse Shit!
This is just more uneducated and inflated MLA egos trying to make another stupid mark with OUR money not Governments Money!
This will fail too.
“CNS asked if Barbados was paying towards this route, but the minister said he was not allowed to discuss details of the contract or the financial arrangements that might be contained in it, even though Cayman Airways is owned by the government and subsidised by the public purse.“
There it is again. The tax payers money and opportunity being spent by the government and in this case this minister and his group.
No transparency on spending.
The tax people is footing the bill.
How are these decisions made? Does Kenneth decide these things by himself! Does does the Premier have any contribution to Kenneth’s hare-brained ideas? Does the Premier even know about all of this nonsense going on in Kenneth Ministry?
Wayne should be embarrassed, people had hopes for him, but this Gov’t continues to disappoint.
He lets them get away with crap like this to keep them happy. The only thing that moves his meter is the title “Premier). This entire PACK in not fit for purpose.
People had hopes of getting a handout from him – I suppose he fulfilled that hope! Wayne how it is working for you now. You outspent and now you are pouting in your corner. Dawayoget.
Blame the CAL board of directors they are his hand picked collection of yes men including his former political nemesis Marco Archer. Funny how Moses K used to do the same as Tourism Minister and no one seemed to to care or complain.
disappointed