Passengers aboard Cayman Airways’ non-stop flight from Los Angeles to Owen Roberts International Airport were greeted by government ministers and Ministry of Tourism officials as they disembarked the inaugural flight on Sunday 6 Nov.
“This is definitely the government’s commitment to rebuilding tourism,” said Deputy Premier Christopher Saunders. “The (tourism) numbers for October were 90 per cent of where we were pre-pandemic back in 2019.”
The weekly round trip flight, approximately five hours from Grand Cayman to LAX and five-and-a-half hours back, is expected to become a permanent part of the Cayman Airway’s itinerary.
Health Minister Sabrina Turner, on hand for the arrival of the flight, told the Cayman Compass the smooth landing was enough to give her goosebumps, as it marks a “historic” move for the jurisdiction.
“We are happy that we can open our gates, definitely welcoming Hollywood to the Caribbean,” said Minister Turner. “It just shows where we are as a jurisdiction, and it’s just new beginnings and I embrace it wholeheartedly.”
The weekly flight marks a renewed effort by the national flag carrier to expand the country’s reach into the Western North American market.
In July, CAL CEO Fabian Whorms stated that the airline’s new fleet of Boeing 737-8 planes have a carrying capacity of 160 passengers, and he expects around 4,000 passengers to utilize the service annually.
“If you were to use a notional number of US$4,000 spend per passenger as the initial direct economic impact… you are talking about $16 million a year just by operating one flight,” Whorms said at the time.
“If we can increase that to two or three flights, we are really starting to have a significant impact.”
Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan, who departed Cayman on Saturday on the outbound leg of the round trip, was not aboard the returning flight.
Cayman Compass understands he, along with other members from the ministry and Department of Tourism, remained in Los Angeles while they continue to raise awareness of the new route.
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As I’ve commented previously, it’s a shame that the LAX-GCM return leaves so early in the morning. It forces those of us who live some distance from LAX to use an airport hotel the night before, or, as in my case living in San Diego, get up at 3.30am to drive there followed by a sleep-deprived journey. There must be untold numbers of people who decide this is not for them.
Agreed! And it prevents any feeder areas to make that flight from LAX to GCM – ie. San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver. If the purpose of this flight is to open a gate to the west coast of North America, then a later departure from LAX would be far more impactful.