LIAT reintroduces flights to St. Thomas

In response to appeals from passengers, LIAT has reinstated its Antigua to St. Thomas service that the company discontinued on March 14, 2017.
As of Monday July 2, and every Monday, Wednesday and Friday thereafter, the company will operate one flight out of V.C. Bird International Airport to the United States Virgin Island of St. Thomas.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LIAT, Julie Reifer-Jones said there were a number of challenges in the past including cost and demand which contributed to the suspension of service, but there was always an indication that service would be reintroduced.
“We decided to reinstitute this flight because we have had a lot of requests from St. Thomas and from passengers who want to go to St. Thomas to continue the service to that island,” she said.
The CEO stated that LIAT was in talks with authorities to ensure the longevity of the service.
 “Because this market is seasonal, we will continue to monitor it, but on this round, there are more discussions with the government and airport authorities as to how we can work together to make sure it is a successful operation. At this stage we would like to have this as a long-term service,” she said.
Reifer-Jones noted that during the period when service was suspended, it also allowed the company to improve on its overall operations and she believes that LIAT is currently in a “better position” to deliver the service that is required.
“Our objective is to serve all the territories and we are hoping that the funding discussions that we are having with the governments will allow us to deliver that service across the region in a more continuous and satisfactory manner,” she concluded.