Summary
- American Airlines inaugurates Jamaica 007 route to Ocho Rios, aiming to open doors to travelers globally.
- Connecting beautiful destinations – AA’s third Jamaican route expands presence in the Caribbean region.
- Future possibilities – weekly flights between Miami and Ocho Rios may elevate to daily, attracting other carriers.
American Airlines has inaugurated its third Jamaican destination from Miami with the launch of the aptly-named Flight 007 to Ian Fleming International Airport (OCJ) over the weekend. The carrier will operate two weekly flights served by its fleet of Embraer E175s.
AA launches Jamaica 007 route
The airline announced the route back in September, becoming the first US-based airline to serve Ocho Rios and establish a direct connection to the US. The inaugural flight took off from Miami International Airport (MIA) at 10:34 local time, landing in Ocho Rios at 11:50 following a 75-minute flight. Flight AA4007 – operated by an Embraer E175 (registration: N207AN) – had 71 passengers onboard and was captained by Jamaican-born pilot Marc Coley.
American Airlines’ Managing Director for Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, Jose Maria Giraldo, commented,
“We are proud to expand our presence with a third destination in the country, Ocho Rios. By connecting this beautiful destination with our Miami hub, American’s largest international gateway, we aim to open the doors of Ocho Rios to travelers from around the world.”
Flights will operate every Wednesday and Saturday on the following schedule:
- MIA to OCJ – Departs Miami at 10:05, arrives in Ocho Rios at 11:03
- OCJ to MIA – Departs Ocho Rios at 11:43, arrives in Miami at 14:32
According to Cirium data, the airline will offer over 160,000 seats to and from Jamaica next month. Over a quarter of this capacity will be from Miami, with the carrier also operating three daily flights to Montego Bay (MBJ) and a double-daily to Kingston (KIN) from its MIA hub. The airline also serves MBJ with four daily flights from Charlotte (CLT), a double-daily from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and daily frequencies from Chicago O’Hare (ORD), New York JFK (JFK) and Philadelphia (PHL).
James Bond inspiration
Ocho Rios was where Sir Ian Fleming started writing the first book in the James Bond series at his Goldeneye estate in 1952. In keeping with its tradition of selecting flight codes with some kind of meaning or significance, the 007 code was the obvious choice. AA has also given other routes special codes, such as its AA1492 service to Columbus and Flight 1776 between Philadelphia and Boston.
Photo: Philip Pilosian | Shutterstock
This route was actually announced back in April 2022 and was slated for a November 2022 launch. However, just a month before the route was to begin, AA pulled out after requesting additional air navigation services, which would eventually delay its launch by over a year.
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Future expansion
Jamaican Member of Parliament for St Mary Western, Robert Montague, who was the first to disembark the flight upon arrival, said he hopes the route may increase to a daily frequency in the future, adding that other carriers have also demonstrated interest in serving OCJ. Possible new routes on the cards could include direct connections to the likes of Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, New Orleans and Tampa.
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