Swoop, a Canadian ultra-low-cost carrier, launched its second Caribbean destination from Toronto Pearson International Airport on Friday, expanding its winter holiday portfolio.
Beginning in December, the Calgary-based airline will operate two-times-weekly flights to Kingston, Jamaica, aboard a Boeing 737-800.
Swoop will begin flying from Toronto to Kingston as route WO646, departing Toronto at 1:25 p.m. on December 8. and arriving at 5:35 p.m. in Kingston
Swoop departs Kingston at 6:20 p.m. and arrives in Toronto at 10:40 p.m. on the return trip. These seasonal flights will operate on Wednesdays and Saturdays until April 30, 2022.
“We are happy to be expanding our footprint in Jamaica with the launch of service to Kingston to connect friends and families this holiday season and throughout the year,” Swoop Head of Commercial and Finance Bert van der Stege said in a statement.
“Our travelers have embraced our consistently low-cost flights to Jamaica, and we look forward to building on our success in the region with our new nonstop route between Toronto and Kingston.”
Swoop plans to use one of its nine Boeing 737-800s on the route, which has 189 economy class seats, 39 of which have “extra legroom.”
Swoop now plans to fly from two Canadian cities to Montego Bay, Jamaica, its first destination in the country.
On September 11, the Canadian low-cost carrier resumed flights from Toronto Pearson to Montego Bay, marking the carrier’s first international flight since it ceased foreign flights in January 2021 owing to Canadian government Covid-19 limitations.
“The Jamaica Tourist Board is delighted to have Swoop return to the destination with the restart of its Montego Bay flight this month, as well as the exciting launch of the airline’s new Kingston service in December.”
Swoop is a crucial airline partner for us in the Ontario market, and we sincerely appreciate their continuous support and faith in the destination.
“Whether you want sun and sand or a cultural city break, Jamaica is ready to welcome clients for a safe and seamless trip this fall and winter season,” the country’s tourist operator said in a statement.
Swoop plans to commence a seasonal weekly service from Hamilton, Canada — located in the province of Ontario — to Montego Bay beginning Nov. 1, a delay from the original Oct. 15 debut date.
Hamilton will restart four overseas destinations, including Cancun, Mexico, Orlando, Florida, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and St. Petersburg, Florida. Swoop used to have an eastern Canadian base in Hamilton, Ontario, until moving its operations to Toronto Pearson once the pandemic began.
In addition, for the winter of 2021, WestJet’s subsidiary will introduce a slew of international flights to Mexico as well as transborder flights to the United States. The airline will maintain service to Cancun, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, as well as five destinations in the United States, including Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, San Diego, and St. Petersburg, Fla.
Swoop will have competition from three carriers on its route from Toronto to Kingston. It will primarily compete with Air Canada — which will transition its service to its leisure subsidiary Air Canada Rouge in mid-December — WestJet, and Caribbean Airlines, which will run its flight from December 16 to January 15.
Swoop was announced in 2017 as a joint venture between WestJet and the growing ultra-low-cost carrier Flair Airlines. The airline launched its inaugural trip from Hamilton to Abbotsford, Canada – a satellite airport for Vancouver — on June 20, 2018. Initially, the plan was to service secondary airports in Canada as well as underserved cities in Canada.
Swoop had a variety of flights from Hamilton, Ontario, 68 kilometers from Toronto, as well as Abbotsford, British Columbia, 71 kilometers from Vancouver, as one Western Canadian base.
Swoop throughout that year and into 2019 expanded into the markets of the United States, the Caribbean, and Mexico, with a total of nine new destinations.
At the time, Montego Bay was one of four new Caribbean and Mexico markets introduced.
