Nine was the magic number as the newest airline in Barbados, REDjet, announced that its fares would start at US$9.99, before tax.??
The company, which aims to be the Pan Caribbean’s Low Fare airline, held a press briefing last Saturday at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.?? Minister of Tourism, Richard Sealy, was in attendance and congratulated the cofounders, Ian and Robbie Burns, for their entrepreneurial spirit.?? He added that choosing Barbados "represents a tremendous vote of confidence in the Barbadian economy and the buoyancy in the economy."
Minister Sealy agreed that the airline would play an important part in the Caribbean.?? He said: "Travel within the region is especially important for Barbados [as it represents] the fastest growing source market." The Tourism Minister further noted that with intraregional travel experiencing a decline in recent times, the arrival of a low-cost airline was opportune and he looked forward to seeing growth within the Caribbean market once again.
The final step for REDjet, will be the acquisition of a license from the Barbados Civil Aviation Department.?? The airline boasts a staff of 64 persons – two thirds from Barbados – and it hopes to establish bases throughout the Caribbean and Latin America in the coming years.
The ???no frills’ airline will see non-stop flights and all economy seating.?? Customers will only pay for the services they desire, such as seat selection through priority boarding and food and beverage.