JAMAICA-TRAVEL-Spirit Airlines launches nonstop service to Montego Bay.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Spirit Airlines has launched a new, nonstop flight to Montego Bay from the Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks just outside Hartford, Connecticut, in the United States.

The service will operate four times weekly, traveling to and from the Sangster International Airport in Jamaica’s tourist resort capital.

Ambassador to the US Audrey Marks said the new connection would facilitate increased movement of people and goods between Jamaica and its largest trading partner, as she noted that Connecticut is home to one of the largest Jamaican communities in the world, boasting the fifth largest population of residents with Jamaican ancestry in the US.

Census data indicates that there are more than 56,000 residents with Jamaican ancestry in Connecticut, she said.

The Jamaican Ambassador credited the resumption of flights between Bradley International and Montego Bay to years of support and advocacy from several people ranging from diaspora members, community activists, and airport officials to State and locally elected representatives.

She noted the contribution of Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont; State representative Bobby Gibson; and founder of the Caribbean Trade Council in Hartford, Andrew Lawrence.

“Of course, none of this would be possible without Spirit Airlines, which has answered the call for service provision. I must express my best wishes for the airline’s continued growth,” Ambassador Marks said.

Vice President of Network Planning at Spirit Airlines, John Kirby, said the entity is “overjoyed by the Jamaican community’s excitement and anticipation for the first-ever nonstop service connecting Connecticut and Jamaica.”

“We’re proud to celebrate this historic day, which also marks Spirit’s first international flight from Bradley International Airport,” he said.

In his remarks, Executive Director of the Connecticut Airports Authority, Kevin A. Dillon, said, “in addition to connecting our passengers to an exciting travel destination, we are proud to offer convenient connectivity for the State’s strong Jamaican population, their friends, and their relatives.”

“We thank Spirit Airlines, Visit Jamaica, and the many community leaders, who partnered with us in securing the service and launching this much-anticipated flight,” he noted.