There has been a great deal of excitement among Anguillians, hoteliers, travel and tour operators, and the Government and Opposition in Anguilla, over the announcement by American Airlines of two scheduled direct flights to Anguilla with effect from December 11.
The twice-weekly flights, from the airline’s Miami hub, to the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport on Wednesdays and Saturdays, have been described by observers on the island as a Christmas gift to Anguilla jut about the start of the 2021-2022 tourist season.
The American Airlines’ announcement was sent directly to The Anguillian newspaper which, since in 2018, had been following and reporting on the discussions on the planned flights to Anguilla. The announcement, posted shortly afterwards by the newspaper on its website, became an immediate hit and was shared by all other media houses in Anguilla, persons on the island, and by the Anguillian Diaspora. The announcement gained further prominence when the story was published by the internationally circulated Miami Herald.
The full text of the American Airlines’ news release is published on page 3 of this edition of The Anguillian newspaper.
Meanwhile, Anguilla’s Minister of Tourism, Mr. Haydn Hughes, was quoted as saying in part: “It has been a very exciting day for us in Anguilla and it is the culmination of a lot of hard work by the team in tourism and the team in Infrastructure. Starting on the 24th of July, bookings can be made for direct flights out of Miami into Anguilla. American Airlines will be flying directly into Anguilla twice weekly on Saturdays and Wednesdays on an Embraer 175 which has a capacity of 76 seats.
“We are very excited at this time as we move forward with the expected growth in tourism over the next few months and into 2022.”
The Chairman of the Anguilla Tourist Board, Mr. Kenroy Herbert, also commented on the American Airlines’ imminent flights to Anguilla. He stated in part: “Access is the most critical factor for any destination, and the Miami gateway provides excellent connectivity from the west coast so it opens up lucrative new markets for the island.”
Leader of the Opposition, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge, issued a press statement last weekend in which she said, among other matters: “The Anguilla United Front wishes to express thanks to all those who started the discussions with American Airlines, back in 2018, including the joint public and private sector team – Mrs. Donna Banks, Mr. Curtis Richardson, Mr. Cardigan Connor and especially Mr. Nickolas Wrangler, of Forecast, who was the consultant engaged jointly by both the Government of Anguilla, and members of the private sector, to pursue route development out of the US.”
Mrs. Richardson-Hodge, the former Minister of Home Affairs, added: “We also want to thank the Government of Anguilla for continuing with yet another initiative of the Anguilla United Front…We are pleased that the 2018 promise, by American Airlines to Mr. Wrangler and Forecast, to consider a weekly service, beginning in winter 2019, though it was interrupted by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, has now materialised.”
She was of the view that “the flights would create great opportunities for Anguilla to grow its tourist arrivals out of various cities in the US, as well as provide Anguillians with the added convenience of non-stop service to the island.” She added: “We thank American Airlines for their sustained confidence in Anguilla, and we are confident that this decision, by American Airlines, is just the beginning of the realisation of many years of investment by various local administrations into Anguilla’s access development.”
Mrs. Richardson-Hodge’s full press statement is published elsewhere in this edition of The Anguillian newspaper.
