Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says Jamaica is pleased to welcome new non-stop air service from Kansas City International Airport (MCI) in Missouri to Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport (MBJ) by Southwest Airlines.

In a statement, the tourism ministry indicated that the new flight will operate once weekly on Saturdays starting October 7 and is now available for booking.

“It is very gratifying to welcome this new route by Southwest as we continue to grow our partnership and offer new ways for travellers to get to Jamaica,” remarked Bartlett.

“This is a testament to the strength and ongoing appeal of Jamaica’s tourism product among US travellers as well as the confidence of Southwest Airlines in the destination,” he added.

The new flight will be the only non-stop service from the Kansas City market, opening this important area to the destination. This service complements Southwest’s exiting service to Jamaica from Baltimore, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Houston and St Louis, bringing the carrier’s total number of non-stop gateways serving the island to nine.

“This new service is a welcome addition to our airlift roster as we continue our drive to further increase visitor arrivals to Jamaica,” said Donovan White, Director of Tourism. “It will open up access to more potential travellers from the midwestern US to visit our shores and we look forward to having them on island as they experience our authentic Jamaican hospitality.”