Route Analysis: Grand Cayman-Los Angeles

Cayman Airways has opened reservations for a new year-round route to Los Angeles (LAX) during the northern winter 2022/23 season, becoming the airline’s only destination on the US west coast.

The service will operate weekly from Grand Cayman (GCM), starting on Nov. 5 using 160-seat Boeing 737-8 aircraft. Flights will operate on Saturdays from the British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, returning the following day.

“It has been a long-time goal to connect the Cayman Islands with our friends on the West Coast, and now that we have the ability to operate long haul flights via our national flag carrier, we are eager to showcase all that we have to offer,” the Cayman Islands’ minister for tourism and transport Kenneth V. Bryan said in a statement.

As well as playing an import role in stimulating stayover visitation from the Western corridor of the US, the airline hopes the route will also enhance air connectivity for passengers traveling to and from Southeast Asia, making the Cayman Islands more accessible to other markets.

Cayman Airways currently offers five nonstop routes to the US, flying from Grand Cayman to: Miami (MIA) 11X-weekly; Tampa (TPA) 5X-weekly; New York John F Kennedy (JFK) 3X-weekly; and Denver (DEN) 1X-weekly. It also serves Miami from Cayman Brac (CYB) once a week.

Flights to Los Angeles have been made possible following the carrier’s decision to replace its four 737-300 aircraft with 737-8s, the fourth and final of which was delivered in January by lessor Air Lease Corporation.

In June, the airline submitted an application to the US Transportation Department to conduct scheduled and charter passenger and cargo services between the Cayman Islands and the US to the full extent allowed under the air transport agreement between the US and UK. Cayman Airways previously had a foreign carrier permit under the former Bermuda II agreement.

Once the new Los Angeles route launches, the airline will become the sole carrier to offer nonstop connections between LAX and the Cayman Islands. According to data provided by Sabre Market Intelligence, O&D traffic between the Cayman Islands and Los Angeles totaled more than 13,000 two-way passengers during 2019—all of which was indirect. Miami (MIA) was the biggest one-stop market, followed by Houston (IAH) and Charlotte (CLT).

GCM-LAX