Airline launched for vacation destination adds two new routes

Over the last year, a new airline called Bermudair has been working to find its place shuttling those looking to escape the Northeast U.S. winter with a trip to the Caribbean archipelago. 

While the airline's founders initially hoped to differentiate themselves from other airlines by making every seat on the Embraer E175  (ERJ) - Get Free Report jets it leased business class with armchair-style chairs and free cocktails, it later found the business model unprofitable and announced a "strategic shift" in which it would convert most of the cabin into regular economy seats.

Related: Airline building luxury image with all-business seats has change of heart

After running both all-business and later the mixed flights between Bermuda's L.F. Wade International Airport from New York's Westchester County, Boston and Fort Lauderdale over the last six months, Bermudair announced that it is ready to expand its coverage to two more East Coast cities: the Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI) serving Baltimore and the D.C. area as well as Orlando International Airport (MCO).

Airline hopes new routes will 'support our continued growth...'

"We're satisfied with the overall performance on our existing routes and anticipate that the addition of these new routes will support our continued growth," Bermudair founder and CEO Adam Scott told Travel and Leisure magazine. 

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The Baltimore flight to Bermuda's capital of Hamilton will begin running on March 18 while the Orlando one will start a week later on March 26. The latter flight will run once a day on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays while the BWI-Bermuda flight will take place on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

The Embraer 175 plane used to run the routes will have 14 business seats and 52 economy ones. The same plane will be used to fly from the same cities on different days.

Bermudair expanding quickly but more plans are in store

To promote the new routes, Bermudair is offering those who book early discounted rates of $99 one-way fares for the flight from the U.S. and $199 for the flight back from Bermuda for what can be a round-trip flight to the island for just under $300 non-inclusive of baggage.

To take advantage, one needs to cement travel between Feb. 1 (while the new routes will not be available until March, one can also use the promotion to score a cheap flight from one of the cities the airline already serves) and June 30, 2024 by the end of Jan. 31. There are no "blackout periods" but the dates with the cheapest fares can be found by using the booking calendar on the airline's website.

According to Bermudair, this expansion is part of the airline's efforts to grow and become a recognized name. While this will affect business suppliers rather than travelers, Bermudair is also planning to launch cargo flights from Westchester County and Fort Lauderdale after starting to run one from Boston last year (cargo transportation is a common way for airlines serving islands and other out-of-the-way destinations to supplement their income.)

"This expansion demonstrates our dedication to meeting our passengers' needs and strategically enhancing our service offerings, based on continual market feedback and evaluation," Scott said further. "It's a significant step that elevates BermudAir to new levels of service and reach."