A trio of Caribbean airlines have formed an alliance to help streamline inter-island travel within the region.
Antigua-based LIAT, Guadeloupe’s Air Antilles and St Maarten’s Winair have teamed up to form an alliance which they say will offer cheaper and more convenient travel between dozens of countries.
The CaribSKY alliance project is co-funded by the European Union’s INTERREG Caribbean program.
Passengers will be able to book through tickets to any destination served by the three carriers travel on any of the three airlines through codeshares and interline agreements, said Air Antilles CEO Serge Tsygalnitzky.
"Sometimes, a customer has to purchase two tickets, three tickets to get to a single place. Now, what we want you to be able to do is travel seamlessly anywhere you want to with a single ticket," he told local reporters during a media presentation in Guadeloupe.
Customer will see improvements through more direct flights with lower fares and loyalty benefits, Tsygalnitzky added.
In addition LIAT, Winair and Air Antilles will coordinate schedules.
The three airlines have a combined fleet of 25 aircraft.
As the region most dependent on air travel, Cornelius de Weever, St Maarten’s minister of tourism, said the alliance is key to keep airfares affordable.
He noted it is often cheaper to fly transatlantic than to travel to some destinations within the region.
