Spirit Airlines was off to a flying on Thursday when the low fare carrier launched its daily non-stop service from Fort Lauderdale to Grand Cayman.
A reception to celebrate the low fare carrier’s new service took place at the waving gallery at Owen Roberts International Airport where government officials, members of Cabinet, airline representatives and members of the public gathered.
Minister for Tourism Charles Clifford spoke about how the Fort Lauderdale route and Cayman as a destination makes compelling business sense.
‘In 2005, the Southeast Sales Region of the US (of which Fort Lauderdale is a member city) provided the second highest number of visitors to the Cayman Islands; additionally, the Northeast and Midwest regions (which are home to many cities with connecting Spirit flights over Fort Lauderdale) placed first and third as source markets respectively,’ he said.
A bonus of the noon time arrival of the flight is if Grand Cayman is not a passenger’s final destination, then there is time for numerous onward connections to the Sister Islands — Cayman Brac and Little Cayman.
He welcomed Spirit Airlines as the newest member of Cayman’s tourism industry, noting that it is a challenging time for the aviation industry.
Although competition between competitors is healthy, he said, smart partnerships are also essential, and despite a healthy rivalry between Cayman Airways and Spirit, and indeed all airlines, the national flag carrier will do the ground handling for Spirit in Cayman.
‘This demonstrates that each has business interests to protect and grow but there will be still times when their business opportunities coincide and partnerships result. I would like to encourage these smart partnerships which benefit the commercial interests of each airline and facilitate increased consumer benefits.’
The Minister continued, ‘The nature of marketing a tourism destination requires that we aim to provide the Cayman Islands with the most options for airlift, making it as easy as possible for our guests to reach our shores.
‘The reverse side of this equation is that we also provide residents of the Cayman Islands with the most options for airlift, making it easy for them to travel for business or pleasure.’
Minister Clifford welcomed the passengers the airline had brought to Grand Cayman and said he looked forward to thousands more who would arrive because of the airline.
Spirit Airlines’ Vice President of Sales and Distribution, Marc Cavaliere said the airline had come with low fares to offer service to millions of passengers. The low fares mean that tourists will have more money to spend in Cayman.
Residents can also avail of the flights and low fares, as can the business community, making business more affordable.
He said that Grand Cayman has become one of the top destinations in the Spirit Vacation package.
A new Airbus A319 aircraft will serve Grand Cayman with two-class service and all leather seats throughout the cabin.
Spirit will also provide connecting service from Atlanta, Atlantic City, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, New York/La Guardia, Orlando, Providence, Tampa and Washington D.C./Reagan National.
‘Spirit’s new service to Grand Cayman is off to a great start,’ said Barry Biffle, Chief Marketing Officer of Spirit Airlines. ‘Today we’re flying a full plane to Grand Cayman from Fort Lauderdale and had a huge send-off with music, food and gifts for passengers and most of all, from today on out, Cayman gets Spirits’ low fares and great service.’
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