Brent.pinheiro@guardian.co.tt
From October 18, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will once again fly to Trinidad via Barbados (BGI). The airline currently flies a triangle route from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (AMS) to Port of Spain (POS) via Sint Maarten (SXM).
The Dutch carrier will also adjust its days of service to Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, and will continue to fly nonstop from Port-of-Spain back to the Netherlands.
A spokesperson for KLM told Guardian Media the company is looking forward to flying via Barbados for a second season, as last winter season’s travel was negatively affected by the Omicron outbreak. The spokesperson said the carrier expects “a more positive picture for (the) upcoming winter”.
KLMs route to POS out of Amsterdam. Photo: gcmap.com
KLM restarted its service to T&T, via Barbados, in October 2021 after an absence of almost 30 years. In a recent interview with Business Guardian, Tourism Minister Randall Mitchell said they have been recording load factors in the neighbourhood of 75 per cent. KLM will operate the route with an Airbus A330-200—a widebody jet that can carry up to 268 passengers, depending on KLM’s configuration.
Several airlines have adjusted their schedules in the past few weeks.
Last week British Airways announced its intention to fly non-stop to Port of Spain three times weekly, moving from five weekly direct flights via St. Lucia (UVF).
JetBlue Airways also indefinitely suspended flights to Port-of-Spain out of Fort Lauderdale as it seeks to ensure “continued operational reliability”. However, JetBlue will continue to fly the New York–Port of Spain route once daily.