Philipsburg- St. Maarten's Commissioner of Tourism Roy Marlin confirmed that JetBlue Airways will be commencing air service on Saturday, February 14th, 2009 to the island of St. Maarten via Boston's Logan International Airport.
In making the announcement, Commissioner Marlin said, "On behalf of the island territory of St. Maarten, I am pleased to welcome the JetBlue Airways flight from Boston, MA. This new service marks the first time our island has received year round direct scheduled service from the Boston area, and we are confident that with the support of the private sector, the local St. Maarten government, the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association, and our partnership with the Princess Juliana International Airport and its President Director Drs E. Holiday, that this new flight will introduce new and convenient connections for tourists and residents of the island to travel to the United States and beyond for many years to come."
The new non-stop service complements JetBlue's existing daily flights to St Maarten via New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, with twice daily service on Saturdays, and will utilize the fleet's comfortable 150-seat Airbus A320 which offers industry-leading legroom, roomy leather seats, seatback televisions, and free snacks and drinks.
JetBlue's new Saturday service between Boston and St. Maarten:
Boston (BOS) to St. Maarten (SXM) St. Maarten (SXM) to Boston (BOS)
Depart - Arrive Depart - Arrive
7:50 a.m. - 1:04 p.m. 2 p.m. - 5:57 p.m.
(Saturdays effective February 14, 2009) (Saturdays effective February 14, 2009)
The Commissioner noted, "Over the past few years we have worked tirelessly to forge and maintain our relationships with the members of the airline industry, the private sector, as well as our relationship with the partners if the Little Caribbean Alliance which include Anguilla, St. Barths, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten/St. Martin. It is our feeling that these strong ties, combined with the numerous infrastructure developments, both on St. Maarten and on the neighboring islands, are but a few of the many attractive qualities that not only increase visitor satisfaction but maintain a strong bond with our travel partners."
In a later comment, the Commissioner went on to add, "In this time of economic unrest and financial crisis, which effects all Caribbean destinations, St. Maarten is committed to do everything it can to ensure that any loss of airline seats will be minimal, thus reducing the impact to our local economy. To this end, we are pleased that JetBlue has added additional service from a primary source market despite the dire predictions from the airline industry. Their confidence in our island only confirms our belief that we have something special to offer, and that people will continue to travel despite the present economic situation."
Commissioner Marlin also announced that St. Maarten is embarking on an expanded marketing strategy, which includes the establishment of multi-line sales representatives in each gateway city within the United States to future promote the St. Maarten experience. Furthermore, we are currently working with our partners in the U.S. to implement a new multi-faceted public relations strategy that has been designed to bring us through this economic period."