By Robert Andre Emmanuel
Tourism and aviation officials gathered at VC Bird International Airport on Saturday to welcome Frontier Airlines inaugural flight connecting San Juan, Puerto Rico to Antigua and Barbuda.
Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez and Colin James, CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority (ABTA), welcomed the flight crew and around 35 passengers at the entry gate, many experiencing the destination for the first time.
“This is really special to us. I know Frontier originally came directly from Orlando. Now you make a stop in San Juan and that’s good for us as a lot of us want to go up to San Juan every now and then to do a little shopping,” Fernandez said.
Paola Torres, Frontier Airlines Regional Manager, affirmed the airline’s commitment to the route.
“We’re definitely very excited to return right here to Antigua. We are looking forward and very optimistic with this route, and we appreciate the partnership,” Torres said.
The CEO of Antigua and Barbuda Airport Authority, Wendy Williams, was on hand to offer greetings.
“It is an honor to welcome you to our shores. We have a great airport, I assure you, and we have great things to come for all the airlines,” Williams said.
Colin James, CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority (ABTA), emphasized the strategic importance of the San Juan connection.
“It’s especially exciting to be getting that connectivity with Puerto Rico as we look at it as a Latin American market. It’s a Latin American market that has a gateway for us with lots of connectivity onward to South America,” James said.
Fresh from the Routes Americas conference, James highlighted new market opportunities, noting that “Cincinnati, Boston, Philadelphia can now connect to Antigua with one stop through San Juan. We need aircraft coming here to enable us to have strong growth in visitor arrivals.”
The ceremony also recognized Charmaine Spencer — Director of Tourism for Caribbean and Latin America — for her role in facilitating the airline’s return.
Fernandez particularly praised Spencer for “doing a terrific job in terms of paving the way for us here today”.
The weekly service, which commenced February 15, marks Frontier Airlines return to the twin-island nation as part of its Caribbean expansion.
The flight crew, led by Anthony Rudd, included two Antiguan flight attendants, namely Tanisha Henry of Golden Grove and Shanique Nicholas hailing from Glanvilles.
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