CAL to fly direct to Honduras
(CNS): On 6 June, Cayman Airways Limited (CAL) will be launching a once-weekly non-stop Boeing 737 jet service to La Ceiba, Honduras. Flight 824 will operate on Saturdays, departing George Town, Grand Cayman at 9:00am arriving in La Ceiba, Honduras at 9:15am. The return flight 825 departs La Ceiba at 10:15am, arriving on Grand Cayman at 12:30pm. There is a one-hour time difference between the two gateways.
“Opening this new gateway is in response to overwhelming feedback from our customers, and we are excited about adding this new destination to our schedule,” said CAL Acting Chairman of the Board Johnny Brown.
Bookings can be made now through Cayman Airways reservations, 345-949-2311, and through travel agents in Cayman and Honduras.
Category: Business
CAL please come back to Houston
And Futurist-
I happen to be a BODDEN TOWNER!!!!!!!!!!!!
As always, you seem so ill-informed
This reply is to the futurist-
I will NOT stoop to YOUR level of integrity or character to justify a reponse. But ask Chuckie to clarify these two things for your poorly informed self-
1- How much was paid for the building that houses the new headquarters and who sold the building???
2- How much maintenance problems have been inherited by the purchase of airplanes that were not properly maintained by their former owners.
If Charles Clifford and the Board had any business and more importantly AIRLINE KNOWLEDGE and SENSE , they would have opted to lease 3 B737-700 or 800 aircraft (which are newer and more efficient airplanes than the 300’s). These 300 airplanes are ‘new’ to CAL but Boeing stopped production of them at least 8-10 years ago- so unlike what Chucky Cheese would have you believe- the airframes are not NEW. Charles Clifford, Angelyn Hernandez, Olsen Anderson, Patrick Strasburger and Lufthansa- are new kids on the block as it relates to Mike Adams tenure with the airline. Neither of the aforementioned can even hope to much less fall into the shoes of professionlaism worn by Mike Adam. Jealousy is a terrible thing I tell you. Mike- congrats as you have them wanting to be like you
And I IMPLORE you to confirm with him if certain fuel vendors did not stop offering CAL credit terms until their accounts were brought up to date. Maybe what you, Charles Cliffird and the PPM should do is BE HONEST with this country and tell us how and where your losing candidate in North Side got CI$55 000.00 CASH to pay the Turtle Farm. With the Freedom of Information Law that your losing governmen taunts, request WILL be made to the Turtle Farm for this to be disclosed> then we will see where the under the table antics went on. Like has been said, he was making 12K per month and needed salary advances, now he is making nothing per month and can find 55K CASH? Go figure this one. I smell something REALLLLLLLLY fishy.
This is not a good thing. Central america is engaged in full out drug wars that are spilling over borders. Gangs like MS13 are spreading like fire and have already slipped into Cayman. This is bad for cayman as this increased ties will surely bring with it the drugs, guns, and drug culture that controls Central america. Of course I am not saying everybody coming from there is bad, but certainly the non welcome elements will find it easier to ‘do business’ here once the connection is set.
Cayman is turning to crime at a faster rate than ever before, and closer links to Honduras are not going to help.
Cayman airways should focus on having direct flights from more gateways in the US and introduce some Canadian ports. I have simply never met a Honduran family staying at the ritz, renting a car to drive to rum point, or eating out at Luca…How exactly will this connection help our waning tourism product? If the argument is that the routes arent just about the tourist product, then some hard questions must be asked of Cayman Airways mandate.
My words may seem hard to some, but remember them, Cayman will not be better off for this route.
If spending a weekend at the Ritz and dining out at Luca is all that enables our tourism industry to continue to strive, then it’s obvious that "logicman" ain’t too logical. A country that has a well-balanced tourism product, offering and extending our Caymanian hospitality to ALL, is what tourists look for. How are the US and Canada exempt from drugs and gangs? Remember that little guy, Marius Voiculescu (CANADIAN) who was a teacher here on island teaching our primary school students? Well, well, he was arrested for trying to bring in ganja at the airport. In case you don’t recall and for your ease of reference, check Cayman Compass article published 4 Jan 2009. How about Cameron James Mackie also CANADIAN living in Little Cayman that was cultivating his own little ganja farm? Check out Cayman Compass article 3 Jun 2008. Tell you boy…
Now, we are all well aware that Central America consists of several large countries, thus, more people, and therefore, more crime. However, Canada and the US is exposed to significantly more countries and nationalities so offering more direct routes to these countries wouldn’t exactly be ideal for our "waning tourism product" either.
There is such a thing called demand and because most Caymanians have Honduran ancestors, most naturally, there is a direct connection and thus the reason for this very sensible route.
Thanks to those Hondurans for continuing to give the small business man business because if it were up to the Ritz to do so, they would try to encourage THEIR employees more, motivate them with more than US 5/hr – this my friend, would promote our "waning tourism product". Employees would greet our valued tourists with a big smile and not a disgruntled face so that they will return to the beloved Ritz Carlton.
And of course, luggage will be checked and rechecked, just like how it is we enter the US, we are turned upside down and questioned like we family to Osama and his crew. DUUUHH, this is a normal safety precaution used all over the world, even in places spilling over with drugs and gangs, SUCH AS the US.
Oh and one last thing, Honduras has some good things to offer other than the drugs and crime, do your research before opening those big mouths of yours.
Great move Chuckie. Well done….CAL will do excellent on this route as there is significant demand for this flight.
Here’s what Charles Clifford has done for CAL. A very nice new HQs for staff and customers, two salary increases, one salary restructuring, an efficiency audit to clean up the mess that Mike Adam left behind, achieved greater efficiences, rebranded the airline, open new tourism routes, swapped out the remaining B737-200s for more fuel efficient B737-300s, integrated CAL’s and DOT’s marketing and promotions strategies….and you call that failure. U must be a Baya !!!
Go ahead and bring Mac back so he can complete his plan to sell CAL to Air Jamaica and so he can once again use CAL as his private airline. Will you and your spouse be happy then ? Sure hope you can support him or her after that !
Panama will be a great investment and will probably turn out to be more profitable over time, but the market in Honduras already exists. Hopefully we will see Roatan, Belize City, and Panama City added by the upcoming winter season. They will all do very well, especially if we offer connections to Kingston!
This route (Cayman-Ceiba) was in put in place under Mac…….but as with everything else, Chucky is his biggoted way got rid of it. But Chucky Cheese has a lil more than 24 hours to hold onto his ministerial title and he too will be gotten rid of. The staff of CAL deserve better than what they have been through in the past 4 years. No mangement, no leadership, no direction, a pompous Minister, a rude Chairman, foreign Managers who have no clue about how to manage, lead or with manners…the list could go on. After all the money that Charles Clifford has spent on CAL the past 4 years- IT IS A WONDER THE AIRLINE IS STILL FLYING. But then, we must give credit to the staff, especially the pilots who have had to on ocaasion use their PERSONAL credit cards to buy fuel so that they can get back to Cayman. This is shameful and Charles Clifford you should, no in fact we demand you hang your head in shame- but with your pompous, arrogant and condesecnding attitude- you have no shame.
And Chuckie- a lil info for you- as the spouse of a CAL employee- let me confirm to you that at least 65% of the entire CAL staff that can vote, will NOT be voting for you or your cronies. You failed us misreably and for this, your services are be relinquished tommorow. Thanks for nothing PPM
My dream come true. I have been praying for this for a long time. Last year I almost got caught in the Atlantic Fiasco. It started just after I returned from Honduras. About the Saturday morning flight, this is perfect. You still get the weekend there. And Dustin, well said. I too have met with a lot of people coming from different countries through La Ceiba.
WELL DONE MY AIRLINE!
Watch out for the drugs.
I sure hope that the Cargo coming from Honuras is checked, and rechecked.
Glad to learn this and hoping this will be reality and not just another "statement without delivery" as was the case in December 2008, although I later learnt this was not all CAL fault that the flights did not commence.
I believe this will be a profitable route for Cayman Airways as I usually fly back and fourth from GCM – LCE- GCM regularly, with most flights fully booked and many passengers on stand-by at the airports. I have travelled with passengers not only going to Honduras but Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Mexico.
What is presently lacking by Islena/Taca airlines who presently service’s this route, is that the flight takes approximately 2 hours from departing to the final destination. Passengers travelling to Honduras from GCM usually arrive around midnight with most of their luggage left behind due to the small aircraft that is being used.
Passengers want safety, dependability with on time departures/arrivals, comfortable/reasonable hours, reasonable fares and the ability of receiving one’s luggage upon arrival. I believe Cayman Airways is capable of delivering all of these and in light of the expected decline in traffic on the Cayman – Cuba route, this is a good choice I believe Cayman Airways is implementing.
Good Luck !!!!!!!
Another pre-election move by PPM.
Green Hornet, the difference between TACA and CAL is 1h45m more flight time and I would rather give my money to CAL.
Anon, why not GCM-LCE-PTY … and return. Two birds – one stone…. It not just about a flight, it is about the benefits that lay within the flight.
CAL has a much bigger cargo hold than TACA’s present aircraft running the route.
ie, if Cayman uses Honduras as not only a food source, but a source for clothing, building material, seafood, fresh eggs, fresh vegetables (Vegetables picked in the morning and on the flight to Cayman that afternoon) etc.. the resulting financial and health benefit…astounding.
At the rate of B1 = US1.00 in Panama and L 18.52 = USD1.00 in Honduras (big stretch on the dollar)/
You may also want to factor in that Honduras makes for a tremendously inexpensive vacation getaway for those living in Cayman. There is alot to see and do in Honduras.
For example, a quick one-hour flight to La Caiba, then jump on a GreyHound type bus, and 4 hours later you’re exploring the Pyramids in the Copan Ruins. A weekend at the Ruins with all tours included, US$239.00 and US$25.00 for the bus ride.
Nice Job Cayman Airways.
Regards to All,
Dustin M. Jackson
Panama is next….Don’t stop the progress! Minister Clifford is always one step ahead of you,
Odd Choice. What happened to CAL’s proposed link to Panama City?
Panama’s Tocumen International (PTY), the busiest airport in Central Amercia, is already a major hub for South American and European travellers seeking an alternative to the indignities of Miami Airport. Tocumen handled over 3,805,312 Int’l passengers in 2007 (http://www.tocumenpanama.aero), vs 15mln for Miami (MIA) Int’l passengers for same period.
Only 700 miles away, it would be logical for Cayman to nourture a permanent air link to Panama, not only for local commercial purposes, but also to capture a fragment of the northbound South American traffic for Cayman business and tourism. South America’s snowbirds flee winter just as eagerly as North Americans and Europeans do, which could provide an opportunity for a welcome boost during what has traditionally been our "off-season" summer period.
Honduras’ Golosón public/military airport (LCE) near La Ceiba is so offbeat that there are no public stats available for comparison.
Uh, didn’t TACA already sew this route up with their twice weekly service?