Moderators: richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR
davidjohnson6 wrote:There are a large number of islands in the Caribbean with flights to the UK. Many of these are countries that were previously under UK rule
Sint Maarten / Saint Martin has strong appeal to the French and Dutch, being under joint French/Dutch sovereignty. What does Sint Maarten / Saint Martin have to offer to UK residents which is different to the other islands ?
One could argue similiarly why Guadeloupe, Martinique, Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao have no links to the UK - these are all larger tourist destinations from Europe, yet see few tourists from the UK
Concorde2fly wrote:I agree with that angle, but unlike Guadeloupe and Martinique, SXM has a large US/Canada appeal and therefore the English language makes it more appealing to the UK traveller. I would argue the opposite, given how 'similar' it is to the other Caribbean islands, ANU, UVF, GND it surprises me that there aren't flights. Also, SXM is very close to Anguilla and BVI, both still technically part of the UK. The other thing SXM offers that the other islands (except BGI) don't is the cruise port.
Aruba, as a good example, has seasonal weekly TUI UK flights from LGW.
Concorde2fly wrote:I agree with that angle, but unlike Guadeloupe and Martinique, SXM has a large US/Canada appeal and therefore the English language makes it more appealing to the UK traveller. I would argue the opposite, given how 'similar' it is to the other Caribbean islands, ANU, UVF, GND it surprises me that there aren't flights. Also, SXM is very close to Anguilla and BVI, both still technically part of the UK. The other thing SXM offers that the other islands (except BGI) don't is the cruise port.
Aruba, as a good example, has seasonal weekly TUI UK flights from LGW.
factsonly wrote:Concorde2fly wrote:I agree with that angle, but unlike Guadeloupe and Martinique, SXM has a large US/Canada appeal and therefore the English language makes it more appealing to the UK traveller. I would argue the opposite, given how 'similar' it is to the other Caribbean islands, ANU, UVF, GND it surprises me that there aren't flights. Also, SXM is very close to Anguilla and BVI, both still technically part of the UK. The other thing SXM offers that the other islands (except BGI) don't is the cruise port.
Aruba, as a good example, has seasonal weekly TUI UK flights from LGW.
The opposite - an EU carrier operating to a former UK island - has only just commenced, with KLM's 2021 launch of AMS-BGI.
That may be supported by KLM's strong UK regional network.
TC957 wrote:I would have thought a 2 or 3 times a week LON-SXM service would do well. SXM is the gateway to many of the uber-luxury hideaways islands nearby. You only have to see the number of biz-jets at SXM to see that this part of the Caribbean attracts high net worth clientele.
MLIAA wrote:It is already incredibly easy for Britons to reach SXM (and most other islands in the Caribbean) from Heathrow via MIA or even ATL. This allows daily service and more flexibility for tourists.
LBA1432 wrote:I don't think there's a market for direct UK - SXM, anybody wanting to do this can do an easy 1 stop routing from the UK regionals via AMS. For most British visitors, the island is a Caribbean cruise stop.
The UK market to the Caribbean is heavily focused on former colonies, these routes are already well-served where they can be - similarly France and the Netherlands also have direct traffic to their Caribbean territories / former colonies like Aruba / Guadeloupe / Martinique etc.
factsonly wrote:Concorde2fly wrote:I agree with that angle, but unlike Guadeloupe and Martinique, SXM has a large US/Canada appeal and therefore the English language makes it more appealing to the UK traveller. I would argue the opposite, given how 'similar' it is to the other Caribbean islands, ANU, UVF, GND it surprises me that there aren't flights. Also, SXM is very close to Anguilla and BVI, both still technically part of the UK. The other thing SXM offers that the other islands (except BGI) don't is the cruise port.
Aruba, as a good example, has seasonal weekly TUI UK flights from LGW.
The opposite - an EU carrier operating to a former UK island - has only just commenced, with KLM's 2021 launch of AMS-BGI.
That may be supported by KLM's strong UK regional network.