Spirit Airlines closure to have minimal effect on Jamaica, says Bartlett

The cessation of flights by United States budget carrier, Spirit Airlines, is not expected to have a major impact on Jamaica, according to Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett.

“Spirit represents just under three per cent of passenger load, a projected about 30,to 40,000 seats for the summer, but Spirit flies out of... Fort Lauderdale which is very well served by other airlines, so we anticipate that they will pick up the passenger load that Spirit was projected to move,” he said.

Bartlett said that the next Spirt Airlines flight out of Jamaica was scheduled for Tuesday and he has been in touch with hoteliers to find out how they may accommodate passengers while they make alternative arrangements to get home.

Spirit began winding down operations early Saturday after negotiations for a US$500-million bailout by the Trump administration fell apart.

Some 1,500 Spirit Airlines employees have been impacted by the closure, while thousands of passengers booked on the low-budget carrier were left scrambling to find flights home from various destinations.

Bartlett said Jamaica is watching keenly the aviation industry given the ongoing global geo-political situation.

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