TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands BVI Airways sets date to start direct flights

BVI Airways has set June for the first direct flights from Miami to BVI. Hope this works. Fares have not been set. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

I would like to know more! Their website is still not showing anything new. I've been looking at booking flights for June 11-20 and these guys might be a viable choice if they are flying by then.

These guys would be #11 on my top ten list of ways to get to the BVI. Has the FAA licensed them yet? Do they have any codeshare agreements? They were talking something like three flights a week. What happens if you miss one, you wait several days?

If you're flying in June, this is the time to be looking for a good deal into STT or EIS. InterCaribbean looks to be providing excellent service - saw a lot of their planes landing and taking off at EIS. I'd book separate flights on Southwest and IC long before considering BVI Airways.

We flew cape air into Virgin Gorda this time.on Sunday morning ....coolest thing ever....Bridget took air sunshine Tuesday from STT.
.welcomed her with a cold Carib in a coozie
Only in BVI..... Anegada bound baby <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

http://www.bviplatinum.com/news.php?articleId=26936

""The docket is currently with the Department of Transport in the U.S. Hopefully we get that stamped by the end of the month, and we are looking for hopefully in June to start operation," Mr. Brad Goggin, Director of Flight Operations told reporters during a tour of the 97-seater aircraft today, April 12."

Hopefully, they say. During the event they banned an unfriendly media outlet from...

and what happens if the one flight is cancelled?

I'll let a few hundred folks try this before I put my toe in the water...

I am hopeful that contingencies will be made for things such as mechanical issues/ flight delays.
I am hopeful that this will give a better option/ competition/ better pricing.
I am hoping to use them in late summer for a trip.

Their flight schedule makes it decent for only somebody that lives in Miami. Pretty much everybody else it appears will have an over night in MIA to get home. Getting there will probably work well for a lot of us that need to fly to MIA first.

I'm not sure what contingencies the airline can make - there's really no other options.

I have a hard time seeing someone use this for a vacation. Business for someone who frequently goes between Miami and BVI though is a different story. I can see that being useful.

can you say boondoggle?

so if the only flight cancels, the next flight is booked, oops. They will have no agreements with any other airlines.

Yes, that's the problem, when you only have 2 or 3 planes and you have a problem with one, there are no options. And for sure they will not have any agreements with any other airlines, so you are stuck with them getting you where you need to go, which could take a long time. OR you buy a mucho expensive walk up ticket on some other airline..

And to start, it sounds like they will only have 2 planes, maybe 3 end of the year.

One of my more recent trips to the BVI, I took AA out of JFK using a 757. We hit some geese and damaged the plane, so back to JFK. You would think AA would have a spare 757 at JFK but no we had to wait for a flight from Spain to come in, a 6 hour delay. So just because an airline has hundreds of planes does not mean you have spare planes. BVI airways could always fly one of their spare planes to Miami to fly passengers to the BVI if they had a problem.
Give them a chance to provide service before you bash them.
Too much negativity.

Sorry, your situation is the poster child for why it's a big problem. Like you said, AA has hundreds of planes and there was a 6 hour delay for you. In this situation with BVI Airways with only a couple, we would probably be talking DAYS, multiple days..

What would worry me is that BVI Airways will be under huge pressure not to cancel flights because of the lack of backup that they will overlook "minor" maintenance issues.

Actually the lack of multiple routes (i.e. Delta, AA), BVI Airways will be only 1 route. 1 Plane would routinely fly this To (2.5 hrs + turnaround of 1 hr + 2.5 hr back) and then repeat.... so backup plane could be just that...a backup plane.

I am a pilot and have no backup plane. Only missed 1 flight for maintenance issue that took more than 2 hrs to remedy, in 10 years. (Not quite the same).

Agree, let's see performance and with additional volume, hopes are for more (earlier) flights in/ out of Miami to match our connection desires.

With only 4 flights a day, there should be plenty of time for "minor " maintenance.... Delta jets probably are scheduled for 8-9 flights a day with similar legs(2.5 hours).

Hold the bashing for now.

I don't think any of the comments are bashing by any means. Just pointing out the reality. There is a higher risk using BVI airways, especially in their first few months. Even in a case where another airline might not have an extra plane waiting to go (and I think they usually don't as they don't make any money sitting around), there are often other options such as switching to a different airline.

I think there's also a lot of other factors that could hold up the plane aside from maintenance as well.

I suspect the two biggest issues will be range and maintenance support. Required runway length for the RJ85 on a ISA 30 day (89F) looks to be around 5000 feet with a full load of passengers and standard bag weights to fly a 1000 mile segment. Actual bag weights I suspect will be higher with all the dive gear etc...
The runway available is 4645. They will have to pull a bunch of bags or people unless they go to SJU for gas. If thunderstorms in MIA require a alternate airport then they will need additional fuel meaning even less payload. This does not even factor in if the runway is wet. If a rain shower soaks the runway after the aircraft is fueled they will have to wait for it to dry before takeoff leading to delays.
The maximum altitude on the AVRO is 35,000 feet which means you will be below the tops of thunderstorms in route and may need contingency fuel for diversions.
On the return leg from MIA if it's one of the rare days the airport is IFR the flight will have to divert to SJU.
On the subject of spares the first few months they will have a spare however they plan other flights so it will later be in use. In addition the likelyhood of them flying a spare from EIS to MIA to cover a broken aircraft in MIA is slim. It's simply too expensive. It would be cheaper to rebook on other airlines. Lack of a interline agreement does not mean they can't rebook you. They simply have to pay the other airline with a check when they walk you over. It's done all the time.
G

When Booking, I would ask about the "what ifs". Assuming they have reasonable answers, gives reassurances of their planning for potential issues.

I think we all are interested in seeing what happens the first couple months. I hope they do well,enhancing our options of getting to/from BVI.

Honestly, you think some person who answers the phone is going to have any answers like that? Or regardless of what answers they give you, when the spam hits the fan, all bets are off..

a reservation clerk answering the phones will be very reassuring. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

You guys are too funny. I think i will call united and ask about their policy on physically abusing senior citizens to make way for employees.

Not trying to defend UAL's actions however they were putting employees on to operate another flight. A entire flight would have been cancelled had they not done that. It also makes some interesting reading if you Google this Doctors background.
The better way to handle it would have been to up the compensation until you found volunteers. Everyone has a price. One woman turned two oversales for her family of 4 into 11,000 dollars during the Delta meltdown.

I been meaning to ask George. Does Delta ever have cash money available for compensation? I volunteered once at STT and besides the $800 flight voucher they gave me vouchers for cab fare and a room at Sugar Bay. Rather than the fancy hotel voucher I would have much preferred cash for the ferry so I could get back to Tortola and Mal's couch for the night. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

I don't think the blame should fall on United though - they don't employ the security that used violence. Passenger doesn't listen to the flight attendants, police/security are called. And not listening to a flight attendant is a federal offense I believe.

I think you could compare this to a restaurant calling police to have someone who won't leave removed.. Police beat the guy up, restaurant isn't going to get blamed, police are. Really the same thing here. And the guy should take blame in causing the whole situation in the first place - doesn't excuse what happened to him, just that he had a role.

OK, guys, the United situation really doesn't have anything to do with BVI Airways. If someone wants to start a thread about the United situation, in People Talk, please feel free.

Otherwise, please return to the subject.

...or we will be forced to reaccommodate you!

Has anyone seen their intended schedule? I would think it would work along with typical charter boat schedules...

They do offer cash but normally for oversales. If the issue is a mechanical delay with rebooking it's pretty much all vouchers.

Anegada. Flat island with solid coral base and miles available to build a proper runway as proposed many years ago. Wish they would just consider this easy option.

That will come as soon as they finish the deep water cargo consolidation/trans shipping port on the east end. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Why would landing on Anegada be preferable to landing on St. Thomas?

STT has facilities and infrastructure. Anegada does not.

The one advantage would be the ability to land flights from anywhere in the US or Europe. The terrain and 7000 foot runway limits STT.
It would destroy Anegada in my opinion.
G

It definitely would change anegada but anything is better than continuing the talk of extending the runway at Beef.
In my little world I picture taxis, small,planes and ferries making a nice living and it would be quicker than a taxi across Tortola some days

It absolutely would. And it would still be very inconvenient for most BVI visitors.

Make Anegada the destination. Not many places in the world have a north shore like this island.

Pretend you have all the money you need. Build a mega marina on Anegada not far from your new airport and move all the charter companies there. Build three or four golf courses and line the north shore with wall to wall resorts. Imagine an indoor air conditioned shopping mall and yes of course a monster size cruise ship dock.

I am kidding of course. I love Anegada the way it is.

I love Anegada the way it is.

ditto!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mappy <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" />

Though it's been quite a while since we were there, I have to agree with Walker, MAP and others, perfect way to ruin Anegada, add an airport that handles jets from wherever. Worst idea ever.

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got til its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot…