Air_jamaica

Air Jamaica
IATA JM	ICAO AJM	Callsign JAMAICA
Founded		1968
Hubs		Sangster International Airport Norman Manley International Airport Hewanorra International Airport
Frequent flyer program		7th Heaven
Fleet size		17
Destinations		26
Headquarters		Kingston, Jamaica
Key people		O.K. Melhado (Chairman Of The Board) ? (President and CEO)
Website: http://www.airjamaica.com

Air Jamaica is the national airline of Jamaica based in Kingston, Jamaica, operating scheduled services from Kingston and Montego Bay to 23 destinations in the Caribbean, Canada, the USA and the United Kingdom. Its main base is Norman Manley International Airport, Kingston with a hub at Sangster International Airport, Montego BayFlight International 27 March 2007.

Contents 1 History 2 Destinations 2.1 North America 3 Code Share 4 Fleet 4.1 Previously operated 5 Air Jamaica cargo 6 References 7 External links

History

Air Jamaica was established in October 1968 and started operations on 1 April 1969, connecting Kingston and Montego Bay, with New York and Miami. At that time the Jamaican government owned a substantial part of the airline, with Air Canada owning a minor share and providing technical, maintenance and logistical help.

During the 1970s, Air Jamaica expanded rapidly. Flights were added to Toronto and Montreal in Canada, to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Puerto Rico, to Philadelphia and many other destinations, especially across the Caribbean. Long-haul services to Europe were started on 1 April 1974. Air Jamaica used Douglas DC-8s for a large part of the 1970s, but the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and Boeing 727 jets became a part of the fleet towards the end of the decade when the government bought over Air Canada\'s small share. During the 1980s, growth slowed. Nevertheless, new routes were still opened, to Baltimore and Atlanta.^{[citation needed]}

Airbus A340

During the 1990s Air Jamaica continued to expand: the airline took over the Kingston-Nassau, Bahamas route, which had been left by British Airways, began a code sharing agreement with Delta Air Lines and opened routes to Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix (which was later dropped), and to Frankfurt, London, Manchester, Santo Domingo and Ft. Lauderdale. The route to Phoenix was opened because Air Jamaica was looking for expansion in the American West, beyond its route to Los Angeles. In 1994 the company was partially privatized, with the government retaining 25% of the company and giving 5% of it to the airline\'s employees. It began buying Airbus equipment, including the Airbus A340, and began a feeder service, a frequent flyer program (7th Heaven), and an inflight magazine, named SkyWritings. The airline also underwent a livery change during that decade. Air Jamaica has now opened a large operations base in Saint Lucia.^{[citation needed]}

In December 2004, after massive financial losses, the Government of Jamaica took back full ownership of Air Jamaica. It employs 2,522 staff (at March 2007).

In September 2007, the new Jamaican government began to consider privatisation of Air Jamaica.Air J/Virgin deal a priority for new transport minister

Destinations

^{[citation needed]}

Airbus A340

Air Jamaica operates the following services (at October 2007):

North America

• Canada
  • Toronto
• United States
  • Atlanta
  • Baltimore
  • Boston
  • Chicago
  • Fort Lauderdale
  • Los Angeles
  • Miami
  • New York City
  • Orlando
  • Philadelphia

Caribbean

• Bahamas
  • Nassau
• Cayman Islands
  • Grand Cayman
• Cuba
  • Havana
• Grenada
  • St. George\'s
• Jamaica
  • Kingston hub
  • Montego Bay
• Netherlands Antilles
  • Bonaire [stops March 8th, 2008]
  • Curaçao
• Windward Islands
  • Saint Lucia

Airbus A340-300 lands at London Heathrow Airport

Code Share

Air Jamaica have code share agreements with the following airlines:

• Air Canada
• Caribbean Star Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic Airways

Fleet

The Air Jamaica fleet consists of the following aircraft (as at May 2007) :

• 9 Airbus A320-200 with an average fleet age of 8.6 years
• 6 Airbus A321-200 with an average fleet age of 5.3 years
• 2 Airbus A340-300 with an average fleet age of 7.8 years

Previously operated

Air Jamaica has operated the Airbus A300, Airbus A310, Boeing 727-200, Boeing 747-100, Douglas DC-8, McDonnell Douglas DC-9, McDonnell Douglas MD-83, and McDonnell Douglas MD-88.PlaneSpotters.net

Air Jamaica cargo

Air Jamaica Cargo\'s Head Office is located at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, Jamaica. Air Jamaica Cargo has 70% of the airfreight market between Jamaica and the rest of the world.

References

External links

• Air Jamaica
• Fleet Detail

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