Written by Abraham Galvan on October 29, 2024
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An Open Skies Agreement between the US and the Dominican Republic has made the island more accessible for South Floridians.
The August agreement alters the aviation transportation relationship between the US and the Dominican Republic, including frequency of services for both passenger and all-cargo carriers, open route rights, an open charter regime, self-handling provisions, and open code-sharing opportunities.
According to the Department of State Economic and Business Affairs officials, the agreement with the Dominican Republic will expand a strong economic and commercial partnership, promote people-to-people ties, and create new opportunities for airlines, travel companies, and customers. Air carriers will be able to provide more affordable, convenient, and efficient services to travelers and shippers, promoting tourism and commerce, the department said.
Taking advantage of the change, airlines departing from Miami International Airport have added new and extended routes this winter.
Starting Dec. 5, American Airlines will be the only US airline flying to La Romana, Dominican Republic, allowing travelers to visit familiar and unexplored destinations, said Brian Znotins, American’s senior vice president of network and schedule planning.
Open Skies was a long-awaited agreement that stood between new, affordable flights, with value airline Arajet waiting in the wings to bring new routes between the US, Dominican Republic, Caribbean, and South America, said Victor Miguel Pacheco Mendez, CEO of Arajet, about the agreement.
“The Open Skies Agreement is critical to facilitating aviation industry expansion from the Dominican Republic and enabling new flight options for travelers. This agreement will enable Arajet and other airlines to expand their routes, bringing more competition to the industry,” he told Miami Today. “With that, additional opportunities will be available for tourists and the diaspora community in the United States to access affordable airfare to the Dominican Republic and 16 other countries. This will impact … the communities seeking to return to families in the Dominican Republic and also can support tourism in the country.”
The airline operates 10 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, offering direct service between Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and several cities in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.
“The Dominican Republic is already a top tourism destination. It is the second top destination for tourists from Latin America and the first for tourists from the Caribbean, with constant growth the last three years of more than 10%,” Mr. Pacheco Mendez said. “The big impact of the Open Skies Agreement is that it gives United States travelers the ability to expand their options to travel to the Dominican Republic. Arajet believes that impact will be extraordinary, because all airlines, Dominican and United States, will have an easier process for establishing new routes that are demanded by passengers, making the industry more competitive, which will result in better fares.”
Dominican Republic’s resorts are already seeing beneficial results from the agreement along with the added or extended commercial and private charter flight trips heading to the Island.
Casa de Campo Resort & Villas, a 7,000-acre resort in La Romana, has partnered with Tradewind Aviation, a private charter aviation service from MIA and the Caribbean, allowing Casa de Campo’s reach to stretch further with new flight paths for private aviation guests, said Jason Kycek, Casa de Campo’s senior vice president of sales and marketing.
“This collaboration underscores our commitment to providing the highest level of service and luxury from the moment they begin their journey to their stay at our resort,” Mr. Kycek said.
“Our new partnership with Casa de Campo Resort & Villas is really enhancing our commitment to providing unparalleled travel experiences throughout the Caribbean,” said David Zipkin, co-founder and chief commercial officer of Tradewind. “The Tradewind fleet of Pilatus aircraft are ideal for accessing Casa de Campo from throughout the region.”
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Publish date : 2024-10-28 13:00:00
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