Caribbean Airlines continues its expansion into the Eastern Caribbean, commencing service to two new French destinations.
Service between Trinidad and Martinique
On December 3, Caribbean Airlines made their first foray into the French market, beginning commercial service to Martinique with its ATR 72-600. The airline will fly between the two destinations four times weekly, with some flights being non-stop, and others being one-stop via Barbados.
At the inaugural flight event, Garvin Medera, Chief Executive Officer of Caribbean Airlines said:
“We are thrilled to welcome Martinique to our expanding network and to say “welcome home” as we reconnect the Caribbean to Martinique. Our entry into the French Caribbean is pivotal to achieving our vision of connecting the region seamlessly and sustainably. Caribbean Airlines will be the nexus for tourism, culture, and trade, fostering greater collaboration and unity among the Caribbean islands. These flights are more than a route; they are a bridge and will add close to 300 seats per week to each market. And we look forward to the positive ripple effects they will create, for our people to experience the incredible diversity of cultures across our islands.”
The airline operates the following flights:
| Flight Number | Route | Days |
|---|---|---|
| BW274 | Trinidad (POS) – Martinique (FDF) | Fridays and Sundays |
| BW275 | Martinique – Trinidad | Fridays and Sundays |
| BW276 | Trinidad – Martinique | Tuesdays |
| BW277 | Martinique – Barbados (BGI) – Trinidad | Tuesdays |
| BW278 | Trinidad – Barbados – Martinique | Saturdays |
| BW279 | Martinique – Trinidad | Saturdays |
The Trinidad/Barbados segment is dominated by Caribbean Airlines flights, but they go up against Winair on the Barbados/Martinique segment. Winair flies once weekly between the two islands on Mondays with their smaller ATR 42-500.
Service between Trinidad and Guadeloupe
Just a few days later, Caribbean Airlines commenced service to Guadeloupe on December 7, also operating four times weekly to and from Trinidad with the ATR 72-600.
Unlike the Martinique runs, there are no non-stop options available as the island hopper either makes one stop in Barbados or two stops in St. Lucia (SLU) and Dominica (DOM) as follows:
| Flight Number | Route | Days |
|---|---|---|
| BW282 | Trinidad – St. Lucia – Dominica – Guadeloupe | Thursdays and Saturdays |
| BW283 | Guadeloupe – Dominica – St. Lucia – Trinidad | Thursdays and Saturdays |
| BW284 | Trinidad – Barbados – Guadeloupe | Sundays |
| BW285 | Guadeloupe – Barbados – Trinidad | Sundays |
| BW286 | Trinidad – Barbados – Guadeloupe | Wednesdays |
| BW287 | Guadeloupe – Barbados – Trinidad | Wednesdays |
Caribbean is the sole carrier operating between Barbados and Guadeloupe, but goes up against Sunrise Airways operating between Dominica and Guadeloupe four times weekly in an Embraer EMB-120.
Expanded Eastern Caribbean presence
Caribbean Airlines has significantly expanded connectivity within the Eastern Caribbean, all the way from Suriname to San Juan. Even though Trinidad and Kingston are Caribbean’s only hubs, they are slowly building their presence out of Barbados and Guyana as well.
However, their Kingston hub seems to be poorly represented, currently only serving a handful of destinations. They are expected to resume service to Ft. Lauderdale in mid-December with their all-economy Boeing 737-800.
They are expected to operate three times weekly to the Florida destination, leaving four free days for other opportunities. Hopefully they consider venturing into different markets to build out its Kingston hub.
