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Jamaica's air-travel ranking plunges
Published: Wednesday | July 20, 2011
Steven Jackson, Business Reporter
Jamaica's air-travel ranking nosedived five spots below the soaring Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) amid the acquisition of its majority stake in local carrier Air Jamaica, according to an index published last month by international-based Global Traveller.
The top five nations were Germany, France, the United Kingdom, United States and Turkey.
It is the first time that Jamaica has dropped behind T&T and coincided with the shedding of six routes by Air Jamaica last year in preparation for acquisition by T&T-based Caribbean Airlines.
Jamaica dipped two places to rank 107 out of 192 countries on the Flight Connectivity Index (FCI), which measures air route connectivity. It is the second consecutive decline for Jamaica on the index, from 105 in 2010 and 104 in 2009. T&T, however, ranked at 102 compared with 110 in 2010 and 104 in 2009.
Published data
Global Traveller publishes the index every six months. Data indicated that Jamaica has FCI connections to 14 other nations, while T&T has connections to 15. The FCI value reflects "the number of other countries to which you can fly directly from a given country, based on published schedules of IATA airlines," according to the Global Traveller, 'powered' by the BoardingArea, described as an amalgam of popular business travel and frequent flyer sites.
"With 192 member countries of the UN, the maximum FCI score is 191. Germany is the country with the highest FCI at the moment, at 110," it stated.
The island's FCI value could increase next year based on a recent announcement of Air Jamaica/CAL's plan to re-enter the United Kingdom as early as next year, following the planned withdrawal of Virgin Atlantic from Kingston. The airline wants slots at London Heathrow, which would entitle it to scheduled arrivals and departures.
Air Jamaica operated 11 routes in 2010, but it's now down to five, according to the Economic and Social Survey published by the Planning Institute of Jamaica in April. The routes terminated included Orlando, Baltimore, Havana, Curacao, Chicago, and Grenada, while operations continued on New York, Philadelphia, Fort Lauderdale, Nassau, and Toronto routes. Air Jamaica currently operates three Boeing 737, one A-320 and one A-319. The reduction of its operations resulted in a 40 per cent drop in revenues, from US$257 million in 2009 to US$154 million (J$13.2 billion) in 2010, while operating with less passenger seats filled than year earlier levels.
Concurrently, Jamaica's former dominance in air connectivity was also demonstrated in a new index developed by World Bank staff members Jean-François Arvis and Ben Shepherd in a research paper published last month titled, The Air Connectivity Index (ACI). The ACI , based on 2007 data, ranked Jamaica at 67 and T&T at 109. In 2007, Air Jamaica operated at near capacity with 19 routes, including London, using a fleet of 15 Airbus planes. Also in 2007, revenue passenger miles grew 2.1 per cent to 2.48 billion and revenue increased 5.5 per cent to US$439 million.
In May 2010, after protracted negotiations, Air Jamaica and CAL began operating as one airline. Under the agreement, the Jamaican government retained 16 per cent ownership as part of the conditions for the airline taking over the lucrative routes of Air Jamaica.
Steven.jackson@gleanerjm.com
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...business5.html
Published: Wednesday | July 20, 2011
Steven Jackson, Business Reporter
Jamaica's air-travel ranking nosedived five spots below the soaring Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) amid the acquisition of its majority stake in local carrier Air Jamaica, according to an index published last month by international-based Global Traveller.
The top five nations were Germany, France, the United Kingdom, United States and Turkey.
It is the first time that Jamaica has dropped behind T&T and coincided with the shedding of six routes by Air Jamaica last year in preparation for acquisition by T&T-based Caribbean Airlines.
Jamaica dipped two places to rank 107 out of 192 countries on the Flight Connectivity Index (FCI), which measures air route connectivity. It is the second consecutive decline for Jamaica on the index, from 105 in 2010 and 104 in 2009. T&T, however, ranked at 102 compared with 110 in 2010 and 104 in 2009.
Published data
Global Traveller publishes the index every six months. Data indicated that Jamaica has FCI connections to 14 other nations, while T&T has connections to 15. The FCI value reflects "the number of other countries to which you can fly directly from a given country, based on published schedules of IATA airlines," according to the Global Traveller, 'powered' by the BoardingArea, described as an amalgam of popular business travel and frequent flyer sites.
"With 192 member countries of the UN, the maximum FCI score is 191. Germany is the country with the highest FCI at the moment, at 110," it stated.
The island's FCI value could increase next year based on a recent announcement of Air Jamaica/CAL's plan to re-enter the United Kingdom as early as next year, following the planned withdrawal of Virgin Atlantic from Kingston. The airline wants slots at London Heathrow, which would entitle it to scheduled arrivals and departures.
Air Jamaica operated 11 routes in 2010, but it's now down to five, according to the Economic and Social Survey published by the Planning Institute of Jamaica in April. The routes terminated included Orlando, Baltimore, Havana, Curacao, Chicago, and Grenada, while operations continued on New York, Philadelphia, Fort Lauderdale, Nassau, and Toronto routes. Air Jamaica currently operates three Boeing 737, one A-320 and one A-319. The reduction of its operations resulted in a 40 per cent drop in revenues, from US$257 million in 2009 to US$154 million (J$13.2 billion) in 2010, while operating with less passenger seats filled than year earlier levels.
Concurrently, Jamaica's former dominance in air connectivity was also demonstrated in a new index developed by World Bank staff members Jean-François Arvis and Ben Shepherd in a research paper published last month titled, The Air Connectivity Index (ACI). The ACI , based on 2007 data, ranked Jamaica at 67 and T&T at 109. In 2007, Air Jamaica operated at near capacity with 19 routes, including London, using a fleet of 15 Airbus planes. Also in 2007, revenue passenger miles grew 2.1 per cent to 2.48 billion and revenue increased 5.5 per cent to US$439 million.
In May 2010, after protracted negotiations, Air Jamaica and CAL began operating as one airline. Under the agreement, the Jamaican government retained 16 per cent ownership as part of the conditions for the airline taking over the lucrative routes of Air Jamaica.
Steven.jackson@gleanerjm.com
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...business5.html
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