New Doctor Bird plane tail design unveiled

Frontier Airlines has honoured Jamaica in unveiling the country’s national bird, as newest animal to adorn one of the carrier’s plane tails.

The American ultra-low fare airline said the red-billed streamer tail, also known as the ‘Doctor Bird’, will be added to one of its airplanes to honour Jamaica and celebrate its growing partnership with the island nation.

Frontier currently operates flights from nine destinations in the United States to Jamaica with two more scheduled to begin in 2023. They are the Denver to Montego Bay route, which will debut in February 2023 and Dallas Fort Worth to Montego Bay, slated for next spring.

The new aircraft, with the Doctor Bird tail, is expected to join the carrier’s fleet in late 2023. The bird adorning the tail will be named Stewart, as an ode to the late Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, the founder of Sandals Resorts and an advocate for Jamaican tourism.

“Every Frontier plane tail features a special animal and we can think of no better way to honor the people of Jamaica than to put the island’s beloved doctor bird on one of our aircraft,” said Frontier CEO Barry Biffle.

“The red-billed streamer tail is a vibrant, stunning gem, just like the island of Jamaica. We are thrilled to continue expanding our partnership with Jamaica and increasing service, which, in turn, helps support the local economy and increase visitor arrivals.”

Frontier is said to be the fastest-growing airline serving Jamaica since 2019, based on the number of seats, and currently operates flights to Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay from key tourism destinations, including Atlanta, Orlando, Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia, St Louis and Tampa.