GREAT BAY, St. Maarten — Spirits were high when Grisha Heyliger-Marten, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication (TEATT), met with a delegation of high-ranking Spirit Airlines officials in Miami on July 22, 2024.
The airline officials told the St. Maarten Minister that in the next 12 months, Spirit Airlines plans to explore code-sharing opportunities and enhance connections for passengers, thus improving market reach and offering more travel options. The Minister was accompanied by her Chef de Cabinet, Regina LaBega.
Heyliger-Marten stressed the strategic importance of increasing air connectivity to boost tourism and support St. Maarten businesses, while the Spirit Airlines delegation explained their current routes and the potential for maintaining and expanding services to St. Maarten.
Matthew Glover, Senior Director, Network Planning, provided insights into Spirit Airlines’ network planning strategies, while Piotr Rolek, Senior Director, Schedule Planning & Distribution spoke about the airline’s schedule development and distribution processes, emphasizing their commitment to optimizing flight schedules for better connectivity.
With load factors at 70%, Spirit still faces competition on the St. Maarten route and the broader Caribbean region. Despite this, the yield to St. Maarten remains strong, indicating favorable revenue performance per passenger.
According to Daniela Ortiz, Spirit Airlines’ Senior Analyst for Planning, there is sufficient analytical data to support the potential for increased flight frequency and new routes to St. Maarten. There will be follow-up meetings to delve deeper into potential new routes and scheduling optimization.
The Spirit delegation appreciated reports about the arrival of container generators in the southern half of the island, to deal with the load-shedding it has been facing for some time now. The generators are expected to enhance energy reliability and operational efficiency. Nevertheless, they expressed concerns about water supply issues in the northern half of the island, which could impact passenger experience and infrastructure reliability.
Acknowledging the overall improvement of the arrival experience at Princess Juliana International Airport, the Spirit delegation, however, raised concerns about the arrival hall’s suitability for active senior passengers, and highlighted the need for more accessible services for this group of visitors. Similarly, they noted that the current customs process might be excessive and worth reviewing.
The meeting concluded with both parties agreeing to explore opportunities for future collaboration to enhance the travel experience for tourists and improve the overall accessibility of St. Maarten. To this end, Spirit Airlines will provide a detailed marketing proposal on how to maintain and expand air services to St. Maarten, while the Ministry of TEATT will prepare a report on the impact of previous marketing efforts and increased air connectivity on the St. Maarten tourism sector.
“I’d like to reiterate our government’s commitment to supporting initiatives that promote tourism and economic growth in St. Maarten,” Heyliger-Marten concluded.
