Jet Blue to continue Puerto Plata flights

After recent cutbacks by other carriers, Jet Blue Airlines have said they will continue with their program of regular daily flights between New York and Puerto Plata.
This comes at an uncertain time for airlines flying to the Dominican republic. Although tourism is on the increase to the DR, the soaring price of fuel and higher than average Dominican flight taxes have forced other airlines to drop less profitable routes.
American Airline subsidiary American Eagle, recently announced it was dropping flights between San Juan, Puerto Rico and Samaná, although it would keep the Miami ones going.
Delta Airlines manager in Las Americas Airport, Dorian Martinez, announced recently that they were also reducing flights to the DR.
She said Delta will stop flying from Santiago to New York on September 11 and from Santo Domingo to New York on September 15.
Martinez cited that the cost of fuel purchased at the Santo Domingo airport was much higher than other airports, at US$4.50 a gallon compared to an average of US$2.91 a gallon elsewhere.
She indicated that this made Santo Domingo’s outgoing flights twice as expensive as incoming flights and such costs where unsustainable.
Latest prices on jet fuel in Santo Domingo were RD$169.57 a gallon, nearly US$5. The total price is made up of 21.82 pesos tax, 4.10 pesos for the distributor, another 4.26 pesos tax, with a cost price of 136.39 pesos. Earlier in the year in January the price was just RD$118.86.
Jet Blue say they are committed to regular DR flights and may even increase nighttime flights to cope with demand.
Meanwhile, Vice-President of Arsonhores (National Hotels and Restaurants Association), Arthur Villabueva is asking the Government to step in to reduce flight taxes in order to sustain the tourism growth, a step that many other Caribbean countries have already taken.