JetBlue Airlines see decline after passenger tax

The Director of Planning at JetBlue Airlines David Clarke, is predicting that the decision by the Jamaican Government impose a 20 per cent tax on incoming passengers will result in a drop in business for air travel operators.

The $20 tax on tickets purchased by incoming passengers was announced by Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips during the recent Budget debate in Parliament.

But Clarke says JetBlue, which recently began operating two flights per day from Fort Lauderdale, in Florida, to Kingston, has seen demands for its services dip as soon as the tax is applied.

The JetBlue executive was participating in a panel discussion at the two-day Caribbean Tourism Summit and outlook seminar that was held at the Ritz Carlton Golf and Spa Resort in Montego Bay, St James.

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