As of Friday, July 1, all Air Jamaica flights will officially begin operating under the callsign of Caribbean Airlines and their “BW” code, effectively ending Air Jamaica’s life as an operational entity, leaving it to be merely a subsidiary brand of their parent company.
Their history dates back to April 1, 1969 as a mostly government-owned company (with part ownership by Air Canada) providing service from Kingston and Montego Bay, Jamaica to Miami and New York’s JFK. Over the past few decades, their route network has expanded and contracted, having connected multiple Caribbean islands with many cities throughout the United States, Canada, England and Germany, and owning over 70 aircraft during their lifetime.
Unfortunately, economic troubles in recent years led to their being acquired in May of 2010 by Caribbean Airlines, formerly known as BWIA (British West Indian Airlines) in a past life. Now flying under the slogan “One Vision, One Caribbean, One Airline”, the transition completes with their change from the JM/AJM callsigns to BW/BWA, ending over 40 years of service.
Though operating as Caribbean Airlines, their aircraft will still sport Air Jamaica titles. They also intend to expand, creating commonality by moving to an all-737 fleet, and even announcing earlier this year their plans to receive up to three Boeing 777-200ERs for flights to London, later to be replaced by 787-8s.
About the Author
