Cayman in the News 6 September 2018
Cayman Airways@will make Denver its newest U.S. gateway, launching nonstop service to Grand Cayman in what will become the longest route ever flown by the carrier.
Article by: Ben Mutzabaugh
Cayman Airways will make Denver its newest U.S. gateway, launching nonstop service to Grand Cayman in what will become the longest route ever flown by the carrier.
Cayman Airways will use new Boeing 737 Max 8s for the seasonal service, which will begin March 2. The carrier will offer two flights a week through August. The service will pause in August before resuming again in December.
"The new Denver nonstop service will reduce the travel time to Cayman from typically between nine and eleven hours using multiple flights, to less than five hours aboard a direct flight on our brand new state-of-the-art Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft," Cayman Airways CEO Fabian Whorms said in a statement.
Cayman Airways expects to take delivery of its first Boeing 737 Max 8 in November before putting it into service in late 2018 or early 2019. The carrier is slated to have four Max 8s in its fleet by 2020.
The flights by the national airline of the Cayman Islands also will give Denver its only nonstop route to a Caribbean island, according to current schedules. (United does fly from Denver to the Mexican island of Cozumel, though that's typically considered more of "Mexican" destination than a stand-alone "Caribbean" one.)
“Each new airline or a nonstop destination provides our residents and visitors more options to explore the world, while also creating new tourism and businesses opportunities here in Denver,” Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said in the carrier's statement. “We thank Cayman Airways for investing in our community, and we’re pleased to welcome them as the first Caribbean-based airline to serve Denver.”
Denver will become the fifth U.S. city for Cayman Airways. The carrier already offers either seasonal or year-round service to Chicago O’Hare, Miami, New York JFK and Tampa.
Cayman tourism officials touted diving as one of the top draws that might lure Denver customers.
“Denver is well known as a community of avid divers who will be thrilled by having the convenience and opportunity to dive in Cayman more often,” Moses Kirkconnell, the Cayman Islands Minister for Tourism, said in a statement announcing the service. “We are especially pleased that the arrival of CAL’s first Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft this November will help to support dive tourism due to the aircraft’s ability to serve long-range destinations.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2018/09/06/cayman-airways-denver-flights-mark-longest-route-ever-airline/1211022002/