The commissioner further praised the stated intention of Insel Air to use St. Maarten flight attendants for the new service.
"It always makes a difference when you know that you have a St. Maarten flight attendant on board," she said. "It gives a feeling of confidence and excitement."
Commissioner Wescot was accompanied by the Director of Tourism, Ms. Regina LaBega, while the Insel Air delegation was led by the airline's Chief Executive Officer, Albert Kluyer, who stressed his company's commitment to St. Maarten as a hub destination, evidenced by the commencement of direct scheduled service from St. Maarten to San Juan, Puerto Rico. This twice weekly service (Mondays and Fridays) will start on April 3, 2009, about two weeks to the official kick-off of the 40th anniversary celebrations of St. Maarten carnival.
The airline will use a Jet Service with a seating capacity of 152 passengers on the route.
According to the Director of Tourism, Ms. LaBega, "the service will once again assist in positioning St. Maarten in the Puerto Rican Market, and also enable St. Maarten residents to travel to Puerto Rico at a reasonable rate."
She urged the airline to work in close collaboration with St. Maarten's marketing firm in Puerto Rico, Paradigm, to further stimulate traffic from that island to St. Maarten.
"With competitive airfares, the new Insel Air service to Puerto Rico could be a tremendous boost for tourism during this challenging period," LaBega stated, noting that Insel Air's proposed services are in line with St. Maarten's airline development and growth plans as well as the Tourism Master Plan.
Insel Air's CEO, Kluyer, similarly disclosed that the airline is also interested in servicing St. Maarten from Valencia, Venezuela. In this regard, Commissioner Wescot encouraged the airline to work closely with the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau to develop the demand from the Venezuelan Market and other South American countries.
Insel Air's mission is to develop Curacao and St. Maarten as a hub for European, North American and South American Traffic, Kluyer stressed. He said the airline wants to develop St. Maarten as a second headquarters, like Curacao; a home away from home for the company.
Also attending the talks on behalf of Insel Air were Chief Commercial Officer, Jurgen Lippinkhof, and Station Manager Alonso Hassel.
