Caribbean Airlines Ltd Jamaica - Jamaica

Caribbean Airlines was founded in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on 27th September, 2006. Our first ever flight took place on 1st January 2007 back when we had 128 weekly departures to 10 destinations and just five Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Caribbean Airlines were the pioneers of the simplified one-way fare inclusive of taxes and fees that provided our valued customers with flexible fare combinations and extended stay options. The new fare programme also featured a permanent discounted fare, senior citizen discounts and no change fees for students.

Shortly afterwards, we launched a Web check-in feature that allowed travellers to check in for flights and print boarding passes from the comfort of their homes and offices.

In the first two months of operation, our on-time  

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performance was 93.9% surpassing the average aviation industry’s standard of 85%. Caribbean Airlines also exceeded industry standards with an impressive lost baggage rate of just 0.7 for January 2007(less than one bag lost per thousand passengers).

Our codeshare with British Airways took off with a flight between Port of Spain, Trinidad and London Gatwick International Airport in March .

The codeshare allowed Caribbean Airlines customers easy connectivity to London, a city well loved by travellers. To meet increased travel demand for major regional events, like Cricket World Cup and the Tobago Jazz Festival in March and April we added a Boeing 737-800 aircraft and a hundred extra flights to our schedule. The enhanced schedule also included special charters to St. Kitts, Bermuda and Grenada, and is a clear example of Caribbean Airlines’ commitment to the Caribbean region and our customers’ needs.

A key part of employee induction and establishment of our culture was a comprehensive brand camp. The brand camp exposed all employees to the customer service standards expected from everyone. Employees were appointed Brand Ambassadors to spread the word about elements of our superior service, on time performance and authenticCaribbean warmth, which were was welcome by our customers.What’s more, we initiated customer service monitoring programmes to measure and benchmark customer satisfaction in all areas from reservations to our in-flight service.Impressively, we managed to end the first two months of 2007 with an overall customer service rating of 81%.

In addition, our Caribbean Miles loyalty programme featured a seamless transfer of Miles from the BWIA West Indies Airways Frequent Flyer Miles programme. An initial base of 128,734 recorded Caribbean Miles members had risen to 136,789 members by the end of June 2007, a clear testament to our growing loyalty base.

In July 2007 Caribbean Airlines became the first airline in the region to launch an initiative to provide sustainable air travel, with the CarbonNeutral® programme. In partnership with the CarbonNeutral Company, we offered customers the opportunity to off setair line carbon emissions by investing in eco-friendly projects.

In August 2007, Caribbean Airlines opened a new 2,000 square-foot sales and ticket office at Nicholas Tower,Independence Square, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad featuring state-of-the-art technology such as internet kiosks for ticket booking and online check-in.

Two months later, we purchased the remaining shares of the airline, Tobago Express. This acquisition included the airline’s employees, its five aircraft and responsibility for operating the domestic air bridge between Trinidad and Tobago.

In the latter part of our maiden year, more than a dozen flight attendants from throughout the Caribbean region joined Caribbean. The recruitment from other CARICOM nations showed our commitment to being the airline for the entire Caribbean.

Further, to demonstrate our flexibility and commitment to meeting regional travel needs, Caribbean Airlines leased an additional Boeing 737-800 to increase the number of flights to our destinations and provide more opportunities for our customers to visit family and friends around the world.

By the end of 2007, our airline was firmly established as the corner stone for regional travel as evidenced by its steady growth. In early 2008, Caribbean Airlines began a daily service to Caracas, Venezuela. The new daily return flight was the first network expansion since the start of operations in January 2007. The introduction of a daily service to Fort Lauderdale, Florida soon followed and we became the regional-airline with the most direct services between Trinidad and South Florida. This growth was complemented by significant costs savings and increased quality control with the move to insourcing the heavy maintenance of the fleet.

Today, 10 years on, and with many milestones since our start in 2007, Caribbean Airlines operates more than 600 weekly flights to 18 destinations in the Caribbean and North and South America. Our fleet is comprised of Boeing 737-800 and ATR72-600 aircraft. Jointly owned by the people of Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica, headquartered in Trinidad and Tobago, and with an operational base in Jamaica, Caribbean Airlines employs more than 1600 people. We are a member of theInternational Air Transport Association (IATA) and are recognized as an IATA Operational Safety Audit qualified airline. Caribbean Airlines is a certified FAA repair station as per regulation 145.