from the Chamber of Commerce....

Steve Schulte of Tropic Air reported that there is a delay to finishing the new terminal due to some undelivered material, but that the building is progressing and hopefully will be in use in the near future.

They are looking for resorts to put together travel packages that can be offered to the individual airline travel agencies. Most airlines offer package deals with lodging, meals, vehicles, etc. But here in Belize, there are few packages to offer. It would increase travel to Belize if the airlines had more package deals to market. Please contact Steve for more information. His email is steve@tropicair.com.

A good start in attracting tourists to the island would be to lower the cost of flight from Belize International to San Pedro. At just north of $120 usd for a 15 minute flight, it is a bit steep. Don't get me wrong, I think Tropic is great...just a bit expensive.

Others far better informed than I can and hopefully will reply, but I suspect the costs of operating Tropic and Maya are relatively enormous, because of the ever encroaching corrosion we experience here. Somehow they have to recover that money, or close up.

Also, what do you think the terminal put em back?
And, look at what it costs for local short carrier flight in the states.

Or Canada, or anywhere else in the world. I think if you do the research you will find that Tropics prices are lower then comparable fares around the world.

papashine, I just checked a comparable short flight in the USA and you seem to be correct. Tropic's prices seem reasonable.

You can leave a light aircraft parked for a month on tarmac or grass in most parts of Britain or the US and other than basic checks there'll be nothing to do before flying it again. I know, I used to do it. Leave one of the Caravans parked at the SP apron for a month and I suspect the airframe will have corroded significantly. It's a whole different ballgame.

Are air fares regulated in any way by the GOB? The different tarifs from Municipal and International make it seem likely that they are. For Maya flights to San Pedro Sula from Savannah, they add a nominal additional fee for connections to Savannah from outlying stations. With the advent of CUN-BZE services, could a carrier devise a fare structure that would keep Cancun passengers on its domestic flights?

I know nothing about aircraft but would assume that international flights carry a huge load with the carrier in as much that the planes and pilots would have additional requirements which would increase the fares.

Tropic's new terminal will be so nice for San Pedro passengers, and will surely benefit others system-wide in many ways. I can't know the competitive strategy of either airline, but Cancun flights have the potential to greatly influence market share.