Durrant Pate/Contributor
American Airlines has just announced plans to launch direct flights from Miami to Ocho Rios, via the Ian Fleming International Airport.

The carrier announced in a statement that as of February 2024, “service to Ocho Rios will operate twice weekly with an Embraer 175 aircraft with capacity for 76 passengers, connecting with American’s hub at Miami International Airport”.

The new service into Ocho Rios will represent the launch of American Airlines’ third destination in Jamaica along with Kingston and Montego Bay. The carrier currently offers service to Kingston from Miami and to Montego Bay from Miami, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, New York and Philadelphia.

Flights should have started from last November

The Ocho Rios route was originally scheduled to begin in November 2022. However, a month before news emerged that American requested additional air navigation services to operate its aircraft to and from Ian Fleming airport.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett expects the new flights to provide a significant boon to tourism and air travel for that section of the island.

“We are delighted with American Airlines’ decision to introduce a new service to Ian Fleming, serving an area I call Jamaica’s Riviera,” Bartlett added.

He went on to say, “This marks a significant milestone in Jamaica’s ongoing journey to strengthen its position as a premier and easy to get to tourism destination. The introduction of this route is also a positive one for our stakeholders in St Ann, St Mary, Portland and beyond, as it will greatly enhance the accessibility of Ocho Rios, making it more convenient for travellers to explore the wonders of these beautiful areas.”

American Airlines Vice-President of International Operations José A. Freig commented: “With this new route we further strengthen our position as the leading airline in Jamaica, operating this winter more than 100 weekly flights to the US,” noting that the Miami to Ian Fleming Airport service will make American
Airlines the first US airline to offer access to that gateway in Jamaica, which he described as a “Caribbean paradise.”

New tourism developments for Jamaica

Just last week, it was announced that low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines will be offering a weekly flight from Kansas City, Missouri to Jamaica. The flight will arrive at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay on Saturdays throughout the winter season.

Bartlett said the new developments make Jamaica the most connected Caribbean island to the U.S. According to him, “We cover 18 gateways that connect us to over 100 cities across the U.S. That makes Jamaica the most connected Caribbean destination to the United States.”

The tourism minister boasted that Jamaica is on track to close out the year with 2.9 million stopover visitors and expressed optimism at surpassing the three-million mark in stopover arrivals next year, with earnings of more than US$4.5 billion.

Last month, Bartlett said that the country witnessed its most robust summer season in recorded history, sharing that stopover visitors surpassed 800,000.