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Posted By: Marty Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/18/09 02:17 PM

And while American is reaching into Belize, one local airline is reaching out to Mexico. Your next trip to Cancun from Belize can be by air. That is because Maya Island Air will start flying to Cancun, Guatemala City, and Honduras next month. The airline announced that it is going regional on July 8th. That’s when the airline will begin flying two return trips to Cancun daily and daily roundtrips to San Pedro Sula Honduras and Guatemala City.

The airline will be using two ATR 72s that can seat 68 passengers. It will be initially staffed with crew from Swift Air but they will eventually be replaced with Belizeans who are receiving training. The inaugural flight will be on Wednesday July 8th.

Channel 7

Posted By: wilske Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/18/09 03:34 PM
Hi Marty. This is great news! Is there a website? Any news on the cost? I'm in Canada and looking to come down in December, not stopping in the US would be fantastic.
Posted By: SimonB Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/18/09 04:21 PM
http://www.mayaislandair.com/

But there is nothing on the site about the flights yet.
Posted By: wilske Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/18/09 04:34 PM
Thanks I guess I'll just have to be patient!
Posted By: deadserious Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/18/09 04:49 PM
My prediction...

This Cancun route is going to be the single biggest boon to the Belize economy in the country's short history.

Posted By: Peter Jones Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/18/09 05:52 PM
If they get the price right.
Posted By: deadserious Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/18/09 06:18 PM
very true.
Posted By: Texican Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/18/09 10:10 PM
This is probably a substantial investment for Maya, and if marketed carefully, and being the only game in town, they can pretty much charge adventure and eco tourists what they want from Cancun. How many tourists would love to buy Belize and Tikal package add-ons if not inhibited by travel time constraints? If they provide reliable service, and the tourist market is indeed there, they might do as well, or better, flying at below capacity than with a plane full of cheap seats. Not as profitable revenue-wise, some frequent flyer fare scheme for commuters would provide for future goodwill when/if there is competition. I hope they will consider having Belikin girl hostesses serving complementary One Barrel and Belikins
Posted By: Otteralum Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/18/09 10:14 PM
I like the way you think Tex!
Posted By: Texican Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/18/09 10:17 PM
I forget what the first Belizean international airline was called, something like Belize Air LTD. With service to four countries, will Maya now be known as the national flag carrier, or will the TACA group swoop?
Posted By: darrin fisher Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/19/09 12:40 AM
this post is for dr tommy to inform him that aero mexico is now flying out of new orleans and one of the direct destinations is cancun. i think shortly it will be possible to fly out of N.O. to cun and then get the maya flight to bze. i saw the cun flight for less then 2 bills too.

fish
Posted By: Otteralum Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/19/09 01:21 AM
cvg - cun
cun - bze

would be a dream come true if the price is reasonable
Posted By: Don Greife Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/19/09 03:45 AM
Sure hope the price will be less than Continental is asking from KCMO to BZE ($845) today up from $525 last week,
Posted By: Barbara K Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/19/09 02:29 PM
Kind of a bad time to start new service when tourism is down everywhere. Cancun was down something like 80% between the economy and the Swine flu. But I hope it happens, has reasonable prices and stays in service for a while. We shall see....
Posted By: cracked up Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/19/09 03:08 PM
The cost of renting an airline is probably close to 1 mil usd a month just in direct operating costs. Mayaisland doesn't have an Air Operators Certificate, so it will be a Spanish airline operating out of Belize. Tropic did Cancun in the early 90s, there have been a couple of mex airlines that tried the route, never worked and the economy was good then.
I wish them luck, hope it opens up an alternate market for Belize.
Posted By: Marty Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/19/09 03:16 PM
Last night we told you that Maya Island Air is going regional. Starting next month, the airline will start daily flights to Cancun, San Pedro Sula, and Guatemala City. It is big news from a small airline and today we found out more.
Keith Swift Reporting,
This is one of the two brand new ATR 72 aircrafts that Maya Island Air has acquired for its new regional routes.

Dr. Louis Zabaneh, CEO - Maya Island Air Regional
"We're expanding our services into the region: Cancun, Mexico, San Pedro Sula, Honduras and Guatemala City. We have one flight emanating from Cancun through Belize to Guatemala in the morning, returning in the evening and one from San Pedro Sula in the morning up through Belize and then returning back in the evenings. So that makes two flights per day to Cancun."

This is a model of the ATRs 72 airplane. It seats 68 persons and each one costs US$18 million.

Dr. Louis Zabaneh,
"We are using the ATR 72 which is a world renowned aircraft for safety, used all over the world. It is a natural 72 seater � we have taken out one of the rows to make it a 68 seater, giving it more space and comfort. So that is the aircraft that will be initially for the first year. We are bringing in foreign highly-trained people who will in turn be training our people to take over after approximately a year."

The new ATRs will be added to Maya's existing fleet of 13 aircrafts that includes 8 Cessna caravans. The promotional rates for the flights to Cancun, to Guatemala and to Honduras is US$199. So Maya says it will be not only cost-effective, but it will also be time efficient.

Dr. Louis Zabaneh,
"We know that people on a daily basis, 20 to 25 people a day, catch the bus or drive a total of 5 hours from Chetumal to Cancun. Some of them coming 3 hours from within Belize, and we think this will make it very convenient for them. But regionally what was amazing to us is that, for example, if you have someone wanting to go from Roatan, Honduras to Cancun, what they would have to do amazingly is leave at 7:00 in the morning, go to La Ceiba, then go to San Pedro Sula, then catch another plane, go through San Salvador to Guatemala, arrive there around 8:30 at night, have to get a hotel to sleep over, catch a flight around midday and get to Cancun around 2:00 or 3:00 in the evening. We will be able to do that in less than 3 hours. So besides being competitive with pricing, we're also going to offer convenient connections.

Throughout the region we've been hearing for the last 10 years or so this whole thing about the Mundo Maya. It never really fully materialized because of the lack of connectivity. So for the first time now we in middle Belize are taking advantage of our geographic position and will now be making the Mundo Maya a reality by bringing people from various parts of the region to other parts of the region very conveniently."

The inaugural flight is July 8th. You will now be able to book tickets online at MayaIslandAir.com http://www.mayaislandair.com/.

Channel 7
Posted By: cracked up Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/19/09 04:07 PM
http://www.swiftair.com/
Posted By: deadserious Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/19/09 05:40 PM
$199 isn't bad. Was hoping for around $150 or so, but I'll still take one ticket please.
Posted By: champion Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/19/09 05:50 PM
Is this one way or round trip?
Posted By: deadserious Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/19/09 06:01 PM
I assumed round trip from the article, but if it's one way, then that's not good.
Posted By: papashine Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/19/09 06:02 PM
Just phoned Maya, the promotional fare will be 199 US for a month then it will go up to 345 US.
Posted By: Peter Jones Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/19/09 06:10 PM
One way?

Either way, US$345 is a lot of money, bearing in mind that that'll only get you to the international airport and you'll then have another US$120ish to get over to San Pedro.

A bit too steep, I fear. The only way this has a chance of "flying" is if they can bring people direct to San Pedro, which of course they can't (currently).
Posted By: papashine Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/19/09 06:11 PM
sorry, that would be return.
Posted By: deadserious Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/19/09 06:34 PM
$345 is way too much. I just paid that for a round trip flight from Vegas to Belize.

If they plan to stay at that rate, I don't see it succeeding at all. Very disappointing.
Posted By: papashine Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/19/09 06:39 PM
I just came from vancouver to cancun(through Mex city) for 160.00 US, one way on Mexicana.
Posted By: Gela Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/19/09 06:53 PM
You can't tell yet about CUN-BZE from Maya's website but I just plunked in a one way reservation from BZE-SAP (Honduras) and it was $187.50. Does this make me believe that the $199 CUN-BZE is one way?
Posted By: Islenutt Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/19/09 07:30 PM
I did the same just reversed Gela...If flights stay at $187.50 for SAP-BZE I will be thrilled! It will make doing a combination Roatan/SP vacation much easier. Direct Roatan to SP would be a dream!
Posted By: champion Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/19/09 09:30 PM
I don't see this as a viable solution anymore. I think the $200.00 R/T fare is the max it can be to enable creative alternate routings. Like Peter said, you still have to get to SP from BZE.
Posted By: Gela Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/19/09 10:34 PM
I still think the air fare is just one way - not round trip.
Posted By: champion Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/20/09 12:02 AM
That makes it insane!
And at 18 million dollars per plane, that may have just broken their back.
Posted By: deadserious Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/20/09 01:41 AM
Originally Posted by Gela
I still think the air fare is just one way - not round trip.


$200 per round trip is reasonable. Anything more will doom the route.
Posted By: Texican Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/20/09 03:25 AM
I'd be surprised if the numbers here are near accurate. Aircraft dealers are organizing purchases as hard and heavy as those who sell automobiles. I haven't even seen anything that would indicate that Maya has BOUGHT Jack-squat. The next time you get them on the phone, confirm that the tarifs being quoted are in USD.
Posted By: Peter Jones Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/20/09 04:03 AM
As "cracked up" says, they don't have the requisite operating licence so can't run these flights themselves anyway. They're probably subcontracting/code sharing.
Posted By: Otteralum Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/20/09 02:31 PM
at that price -- I'm out. way out. worth the hassle to pay and fly directly to BZE
Posted By: Texican Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/20/09 05:04 PM
The press release or news item previously posted says the flights will be operated by Swift for the first year, and another thread appears to affirm that fares are being quoted in BZ dollars..
Posted By: papashine Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/20/09 05:10 PM
The price of tickets is in US dollars for the cancun, guat, routes, Belize dollars for all other flights.
Posted By: cracked up Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/20/09 05:37 PM
They will need like 65/70% load factors evey flt, even at $345 R/T just to break even. I doubt if that's possible these days.
Wish them luck.
Posted By: Phil Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/20/09 06:23 PM
The US$120 to and from the Caye needs to be factored into all flights to Belize, so is irrelevant in this topic comparison wise.

A smart move by Maya would be to bundle in the internal Belize flight that most will need at a discounted rate.
Posted By: papashine Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/20/09 06:40 PM
Like Cracked up just stated, I wish them luck, but seriously doubt that there is a big enough market for them to actually make any money. The Mexican airlines tried the route with several different types of aircraft and gave up, they were not making any money.
Posted By: Texican Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/20/09 06:47 PM
Hm, it's now been reported that Maya *bought* 3 ATRs
Posted By: cracked up Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/20/09 07:03 PM
They have an 8 month wet lease with Swift Air, acft, crews, cabin crews, maintenance.
Posted By: Peter Jones Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/20/09 07:45 PM
Originally Posted by Phil
The US$120 to and from the Caye needs to be factored into all flights to Belize, so is irrelevant in this topic comparison wise

No. The main option for people considering flying into Cancun is bussing down. From Europe an overnight stay is preferred, from N.A. probably not necessary. The cost of that option is the bus/taxi fares both ways (say US$100 total RT), the hotel/meal costs (maybe another US$100), the trip from Corozal to SP (either boat or plane - not sure of costs but the flight is probably at least another US$100) and whatever value people place on the time saved by flying.

On that basis US$200 seems good value and US$345 isn't a long way out of line. But psychologically it's a large chunk of money straight-off. If Maya could find a way of bundling in the SP flight even if they increased the US$345 a bit I think that would help them a lot.

I don't think this is dead in the water/air, but I do think they have a bit of a struggle on their hands. If they've already committed to 8 months of lease costs they must be taking the whole thing pretty seriously.
Posted By: deadserious Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/21/09 03:28 AM
I would pay $345 US round trip if it was the total cost from Cancun to SP even with a stop at the international airport.
Posted By: Otteralum Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/21/09 02:12 PM
now we're talking!
Posted By: cracked up Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/21/09 03:14 PM
No doubt they'd throw in the spr>bze leg. They just need a 135 more pax a day now to buy r/t tickets.
Posted By: Phil Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/21/09 06:43 PM
Peter, I don't understand your blunt No with my comment highlighted above it. People weren't comparing the bus route from Cancun they were comparing flying into Belize, either via Cancun or direct from US. The Cancun flights arrive at PGIA and that won't change, so via either choice you still need to pay to get to the Caye, or wherever your final destination is - so as a comparison it is irrelevant, although still an additional cost for either option.
Maya Island Special Rate for July 2009, $199 U.S. RT Cancun-Belize
Schedule
Cancun 8 a.m.-Belize City 8:45 a.m.
Cancun 4:50 p.m.-Belize City 5:35 p.m.
Belize City 9:30 a.m.-Cancun 10:15 a.m.
Belize City 6:50 p.m.-Cancun 7:35 p.m.

They still don't have anything about it on their website and July is quickly approaching.
Posted By: champion Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/22/09 04:20 PM
I just looked at the maya site and it reads, 1st leg of r/t 199.00. Second leg of r/t 99.00. That puts the price total @ 298.00 as a July intro special. Cancun to BZE.
Posted By: deadserious Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/22/09 04:21 PM
Originally Posted by Cybercayecaulker.com
Cancun 8 a.m.-Belize City 8:45 a.m.


When you say Belize City, I think municipal, but I can't believe it wouldn't be Goldson.

Posted By: champion Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/22/09 04:38 PM
BZE is the flight code to Goldson International.
If you go to the booking area it comes up as $99.50 for each way. They have to fly into Goldsen, since that is the international airport. I couldn't even begin to imagine an airplane this size landing on the dirt track by the sea we lovingly refer to as Municipal.
Posted By: deadserious Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/22/09 04:53 PM
Originally Posted by champion
BZE is the flight code to Goldson International.


Yes it is. But Cybercayecaulker.com did not give the airport code. He/she simply said Belize City which was a bit confusing and thought I should clarify.
It looks like, according to the website, you can buy a one way ticket also for $99.50, no additional taxes.
Posted By: deadserious Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/22/09 05:04 PM
Their site says the rate is before taxes and fees, but when you go through to make the purchase, it doesn't appear to include any other charges.

Maybe just a problem with the wording on the new site.
Posted By: champion Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/22/09 05:07 PM
Where do you read that?
Posted By: deadserious Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 06/22/09 05:09 PM
After you do a search, underneath the results you see the following:

All fares and fare ranges are subject to change until purchased.
These fares do not include government fees and taxes.
Posted By: Short Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/09/09 06:40 AM
Maya's newest service takes flight

[Linked Image] Maya Island Air launched its regional services today and the occasion was marked with plenty flourish and personalities of the past and present administration, including at least three ministers, the current Prime Minister and his predecessor. The airline, which has been in operation for almost half a century, has bought and outfitted three ATR 72's that seat sixty eight passengers. The planes touched down at the Philip Goldson International Airport this morning after overnight night flights giving way to the inaugural ceremony. According to Louis Zabaneh, the airline's C.E.O., Maya is now flying to Cancun, Mexico; and Guatemala City and is also scheduled to fly to Honduras.

Louis Zabaneh, C.E.O., Maya Island Air Regional

"It's the launching of our first flight. We had flights going out yesterday to Cancun and to Guatemala and then we brought the flights in this morning for the inauguration ceremonies in Belize. So we have people from Cancun, Honduras, Guatemala and of course here in Belize who are altogether now celebrating the inauguration."

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"It's a huge investment. It involves foreign partners and I'm saying that given what's happens with foreign direct investment, Mr. Zabaneh was able to attract foreign partners is extremely good. But to come right to the point what it's going to do for tourism, or what potentially it will do for tourism is exciting, absolutely wonderful. And I'm saying it could not have come at a better time."

Jose Sanchez
"So the flights will be daily?"

Louis Zabaneh, Maya Island Air Regional
"The flights will be daily, we are actually running just half of our schedule because of the conditions in Honduras right now. We hope that those will improve and we can start the flights from there, which we should have started today. We will have a flight that leaves Cancun at eight in the morning to Belize; a fifty minute flight and then a nine-thirty departure to Guatemala. The aircraft then leaves Guatemala in the evening at five-fifteen and gets to Belize at six-oh-five and departs from Belize to Cancun around six-fifty."

Another part of the new Maya service is online booking at www.mayaislandair.com .

http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=24636
Posted By: t42 Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/09/09 04:24 PM
So either coming or going to Cancun the above revised schedule pretty much includes an overnight in Cancun making it an added cost. We bought a ticket and it was 199.00 + 85.00 in taxes for Belize/Cancun return.
Posted By: deadserious Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/09/09 04:34 PM
When I did my pricing on the other thread, I chose schedules that would not require an overnight stay in Cancun.

However, I made the assuption that the $345 price quoted on their website included tax. If there is an additional $85 in tax, then that wipes out any benefit of taking the cancun route.
Posted By: t42 Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/09/09 04:47 PM
The morning flight to Cancun was cancelled yesterday and the flights coming from Cancun are also cancelled today. I can understand the circuit which includes Honduras being cancelled but that then only leaves an early flight into Belize and a late flight into Cancun(according to above) which leaves little chance of connecting without overnighting.
Posted By: papashine Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/09/09 06:44 PM
Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong but by my calculations the 85 dollars tax on the 199 dollar fare is 42.7%, that means that it will be 147.32 dollars tax on the full fare price of 345.00 bringing the total to 492.32 dollars....What a deal eh!!
Posted By: champion Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/09/09 06:49 PM
MAYA ISLAND AIR CUN-BZE > DOA
Posted By: piratess Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 02:23 PM
i've been offered a similar deal they just can't get the pricing right.i have no confirmed ticket from cun to bze and i'm off on my trek out of the northern canadian tundra today.i'm hoping in person will get it straight if not i'll take a bus,even a horse and buggy if i have 2.belize here i come
Posted By: piratess Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 02:26 PM
they offer no 1 way tickets same price as return, to me at least.i've been quoted and misquoted since early june i think in person might get me from cun to bze tomorrow
Posted By: piratess Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 02:27 PM
costs less to keep er in canada or the states eh
Posted By: piratess Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 02:32 PM
not offering a 1 way ticket you must pay the same price as return you can't imagine the debates i've had re this all i want is to get to ambergris caye tomorrow from cun
Posted By: piratess Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 02:40 PM
omg i am hoping i can catch a flight out of cun tomorrow to belize if not i guess it'll be a bus ride for me aahh!i've tried and tried to get a confirmed flight to no avail.
Posted By: piratess Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 02:50 PM
one way and return are the same price in july read the updated site because all i wanted was a one way ticket to hang in paradise for a while and have been told the price is the same no matter what. no return offered beyond july
Posted By: Peter Jones Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 03:41 PM
Originally Posted by piratess
one way and return are the same price in july ..... no return offered beyond july

What does that mean? What happens beyond July?
Wouldn't it have made sense for them to start this at the beginning of high season to have 1/2 a chance at surviving. And also advertising the service months in advance especially to the European market that they are hoping to capture? Just my opinion.
I have to assume that the Zabanehs are smart business people, and there's certainly some demand for the flights, but if you look at the checkered history of on-and-off flights between Belize and Cancun, Guatemala City, and San Pedro Sula, you have to think it's a high-risk operation.

--Lan Sluder
Posted By: deadserious Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 04:28 PM
I know nothing about Guatemala City and San Pedro Sula, but I would have to believe that Cancun is a smart move. They just need to do it right, and so far it doesn't seem like they are.

You would think there would be a sizeable market from Cancun, although over the years there have been various flights between CUN and BZE and between CUN and Chetumal that haven't lasted very long. That would have been a red flag for me.

The last airline that tried GUA-FRS-BZE, Tikal Jets, went bust quickly.

Maya Island has been flying San Pedro Sula-Savannah-Belize City for a couple of years, in small equipment, and not enough demand for daily service.

Assume Maya Island did its market research and due diligence, and they know their business, but the whole thing has always looked to me like a difficult business proposition, especially off-season.

--Lan Sluder
Posted By: champion Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 05:41 PM
One would also ponder the idea of a test bed scenerio of flights with the current planes and a capacity of 14 to see if it would fly. Jumping in with 3 planes valued at 18 mil each puts one in a deep rut, right out of the gate.
Posted By: SP Daily Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 05:44 PM
They are leasing
Posted By: deadserious Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 05:58 PM
Originally Posted by Lan Sluder/Belize First
You would think there would be a sizeable market from Cancun, although over the years there have been various flights between CUN and BZE and between CUN and Chetumal that haven't lasted very long. That would have been a red flag for me.

The last airline that tried GUA-FRS-BZE, Tikal Jets, went bust quickly.


The issue to me is all marketing and packaging. When I first heard that they were charging $350 for the trip, I thought it was outrageous. But after looking into the actual costs of flights into Cancun plus the $350, it was very competitive, and in most cases saved $40 to $100 bucks. They need to get that message out there.

And they have to package the flights a bit differently. For example, if I were able to go to Maya's site and price a flight from Las Vegas to BZE for $540, (which is what it cost when I priced it out), it would be very easy for me to compare the cost on Orbitz for the same departure/arrival airports and see that the price would be $600+. They would need to integrate the pricing and purchase of the other airline tickets into the sale, but is certainly doable with a sabre account. In addition to that, they would also need to ensure that the flight from Cancun left after the flights arrive to ensure an easy transfer.

The impression I get is that they aren't targeting this route to tourists or visitors at all. They are instead targeting locals who wish to travel to Cancun. That is the only explanation I have for some of the choices they've made. I think this is a mistake and unless rectified will doom the route for sure.
Posted By: Ernie B Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 06:13 PM
I personally would not go through the hassle/time, just to save $40 to $100 bucks.
Posted By: champion Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 06:26 PM
Originally Posted by jesse
They are leasing

Lease or purchase make no real difference. The money is large in any respect and it still goes against cost of goods sold. Lease a 20 passenger plane at a much lower rate. Remember its a test bed.
Posted By: deadserious Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 06:31 PM
Originally Posted by Ernie B
I personally would not go through the hassle/time, just to save $40 to $100 bucks.


There would be no hassle / time if it were packaged correctly.
deadserious' point about packaging the CUN-BZE leg into the overall ticket to Belize is well taken. If, say, Chicago to Belize City with a change of planes in Cancun is cheaper (and therefore comes higher up on the reservation screen) than Chicago to Houston, change planes in Houston then fly nonstop to Belize City, a lot of people are going to buy the cheaper option with the Maya Island Air Cancun connection. They're not going to price out the separate components separately, nor do they care whether they're changing planes in Houston or Cancun and may even prefer the "more exotic" Cancun connection.

Me, I've gotten to point that non-stops are important to me, and I'll even drive two to four hours, to Atlanta or Charlotte, for a non-stop into BZE rather than have to make connections. But a lot of people don't care much if there's a stop, and don't care whether the stop is DFW or or Houston or Miami or Cancun.

Of course this would apply even more to European travelers, many of whom hate going through U.S. airports.

--Lan Sluder
Posted By: Peter Jones Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 07:11 PM
Originally Posted by champion
Originally Posted by jesse
They are leasing

Lease or purchase make no real difference. The money is large in any respect and it still goes against cost of goods sold. Lease a 20 passenger plane at a much lower rate. Remember its a test bed.


It can make a tremendous difference depending on the terms of the lease. The aircraft owner is sacrificing any other usage of that plane, so even if it doesn't travel one day he still has to charge something. The question is, how much? And for how long - the whole eight months of the lease? Have Maya left themselves a getout clause if it just doesn't work? They've already cancelled some flights on this route for lack of business.
Posted By: SP Daily Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 07:21 PM
Originally Posted by Peter Jones
[
They've already cancelled some flights on this route for lack of business.

Where did you get that information? Please give your source.
Posted By: Tim Callanan Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 07:38 PM
Wish Maya Air the best,this will be great for Europeans and Canadians.My fingers are crossed, this is quite the challenge that could pay handsomely,for all. (can't imagine the RED TAPE and uncertainty involved)- NO GUTS ,NO GLORY, price you pay for success !
Posted By: Ernie B Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 07:38 PM
DS, not having checked connections in Cun to and from Bze (if you dont need a layover) RT Iah to Bze $472. Iah - Cun $300. Cun - Bze - Cun (Ive seen post from $198 to $345). Using the lower fare of $198 = $498 V $472, it still aint worth it in time, plane change, layover etc, to me, no matter how they package it.
Posted By: Peter Jones Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 07:39 PM
Jesse - you're well connected. Why don't you find out directly? I found out from a contact in Tropic.
Posted By: SP Daily Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 07:49 PM
So its just a rumour...
Posted By: Peter Jones Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 07:57 PM
A rumour is a statement that the speaker has no way of knowing the truth of, but chooses to repeat anyway. Rather akin to the "hearsay" much beloved of crooked lawyers. I have strong reason for believing what I was told was true, although I do appreciate that once my statement reaches you you may not be able to tell that. Essentially you can dismiss most of what people tell you as "rumour" as they rarely give you evidence that what they are saying is true - you just have to be discriminating.
Posted By: deadserious Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 08:59 PM
Originally Posted by Ernie B
DS, not having checked connections in Cun to and from Bze (if you dont need a layover) RT Iah to Bze $472. Iah - Cun $300. Cun - Bze - Cun (Ive seen post from $198 to $345). Using the lower fare of $198 = $498 V $472, it still aint worth it in time, plane change, layover etc, to me, no matter how they package it.


If your departure airport is Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami and sometimes LA, then it isn't going to be worth it for you.

But from any city where you have a non-stop to Cancun (which are many), then you have the same number plane changes if you fly through cancun or if you fly through one of the others mentioned.

And from many others, you already have two hops to BZE. For example, my folks fly out of Traverse City, MI or Grand Rapids, MI. From those airports, you cannot fly direct to any of the above. So if they fly to Belize, they have 2 hops either way. Why not make one of them in Cancun if it's cheaper?



Posted By: cracked up Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 10:51 PM
The sched as it stands requires an overnite in CUN.
From what I understand, the flt Thu departed with 9 pax, don't know the return number.
Posted By: deadserious Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/10/09 10:53 PM
Again, it goes to packaging the service more appropriately.

when I priced the examples in the other thread, none of the flights required an overnight. But it seems the schedule has changed.
Posted By: darrin fisher Re: Maya Island Air Going Regional - 07/11/09 12:59 AM
What this flight might be good for is the gulfcoast region, which is growing greatly in the number of central americans that live in our region. right now from LA and i assume MS it is hard to get flights into bze for under 600, and those flights have to route thru dallas, houston or miami, as noted.

new orleans (msy) is starting flights direct from n.o. to mexico city thru aero mexico with one of the added destinations to be cancun as they get up and running. these will be cheap flights and to my thinking a much better flight then the others.

ofcourse.....maya has to work on packaging and pricing and time schedules but, i do know that the REAL LA is well represented in belize and i think lining this route up could make belize a huge destination for louisianians, right now its florida and cancun.
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