Dominica: Airline industry sources are revealing that American Eagle is moving toward ending its 41 years of service to Dominica and other Eastern Caribbean destinations, with the scheduled phase-out of its San Juan, Puerto Rico base, according to a Dominica News Online report.
Reports indicate that the airline is overhauling its routes and international operations in the wake of American Airlines’ ongoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring process, the DNO said.
According to the sources all ATR 72 turboprop planes are being phased out at the end of 2013.
It was reported that American Eagle has announced to employees that the San Juan base will be closed by March 2013; a move that will create a vacuum in the region.
Reductions in flights began in September 2008 when the airline cut daily departures from 93 to 51, a 45 percent reduction. More came in 2010 when American Eagle ended flights to Anguilla; Port of Spain, Trinidad; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Flights were also cut to Nevis, St. Maarten, Curacao, Bonaire, and Canouan, the DNO reported.
The remaining destinations presently being served by American Eagle from San Juan are Antigua, Beef Island (British Virgin Islands), Barbados, Martinique, Grenada, Guadalupe, Dominica, St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. Kitts, St. Lucia and La Romana, Punta Cana, Santiago and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Most are served on a daily basis, the DNO report said.
On a weekly basis American Eagle serves Dominica with 896 seats from San Juan.
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