The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE Tribune Business Reporter nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net DELTA AIRLINES is projecting load factors of between 80 to 85 per cent for its reinstated non-stop service between Nassau and New York's LaGuardia airport, airline executives telling Tribune Business they were projecting 100 per cent sold-out flights over the next two weeks due to Spring Break. Tourism minister Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace said the greater New York area was "the single most important" market for the Bahamas, with Delta's reinstated Nassau/LaGuardia service adding 1,000 seats a week to Nassau. Richard Pile, regional district sales manager for Delta Airlines, told Tribune Business: "Load factors will probably be between 80 to 85 per cent. Right now it's probably higher than that because we are coming up to Spring Break. We are probably looking at 100 per cent over the next two weeks because we are going into Spring Break. It's showing very positive returns so far." Mr Pile noted that in 2011, Delta landed 128,442 passengers in Nassau, and had started 2012 at a great pace. He said that in January 2012, Delta landed 10,094 passengers, up 1,397 passengers over the same month in 2011. Norma Dean, director of specialty sales at Delta Airlines, told Tribune Business that reinstating the airline's Nassau/LaGuardia service after it pulled out some two years ago will play a 'major role' in the airline's expansion plans out of that US hub. Delta plans to invest more than $100 million to upgrade its LaGuardia passenger facilities, with the expansion being part of its goal of transforming into a domestic hub. "We are particularly excited that with the major expansion we have going on at New York City, that Nassau and the Bahamas play a major role in that expansion and the plans we have going forward," Ms Dean said. "Since Nassau lies within the 1,500 mile perimeter of New York, we are able to offer New Yorkers the paradise of an international destination, and our Bahamian passengers the convenience of connecting to over 60 cities in the United States. She added: "When we looked at the destinations we wanted to serve, we thought that it would give us the unique opportunity to offer international service out of LeGuardia. We are making that into a gateway, and not just depending on the New York traffic that originates there, but we are feeding passengers from all over to connect into New York and come to New York." Back in 2010, Delta announced its decision to end non-stop service between New York's LaGuardia Airport and Nassau for economic reasons, stating that it was not influenced by loads or demand but, rather, yields, as an increasing number of low fare carriers offered fares well below Delta's seat cost with one-stop options, primarily over the South Florida gateways of Miami and Fort Lauderdale. The airline began its reinstated service between Nassau and LaGuardia last Friday, its inaugural flight being 100 per cent full. Ms Dean said: "By this summer we will have over 200 new flights in and out of the New York area, of which we are pleased to start the ball rolling with this Nassau flight." The service out of LaGuardia adds to Delta's daily Atlanta service and seasonal service via Detroit. Mr Vanderpool-Wallace said Delta's New York service alone provides the Bahamas with some 189,000 passengers a year. He added: "There is no question whatsoever that the single most important market for us in any measure you put forward is the greater New York area. There is no question that this is not a speculative return; this is a good business return." George Markantonis, president and managing director of Kerzner International (Bahamas), said: "For us, LaGuardia is huge. This brings in the section of the country that is about 90 per cent of the traffic into our businesses. The opportunity that those people have to reach Nassau and perhaps the Family Islands is critical to the survival of the country."