ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Two major regional air carriers, LIAT (2020) Limited, operating as LIAT Air, and Air Caraïbes, have launched a new interline agreement designed to transform air travel across the Caribbean and beyond. Announced on Monday, the partnership enables passengers of both airlines to book end-to-end journeys across the companies’ combined route networks on a single ticket, with one consolidated point of purchase.
Interline tickets under the new agreement are accessible to consumers via registered travel agents and all authorized global distribution channels. The partnership merges two complementary route networks: LIAT Air’s far-reaching intra-Caribbean footprint, which links Eastern Caribbean islands, Guyana, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad, Barbados and other neighboring markets from its hub at Antigua’s V.C. Bird International Airport, and Air Caraïbes’ network, which includes regional services operating out of Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana, plus long-haul service connecting the Caribbean to Paris-Orly Airport in France.
For travelers, the agreement eliminates long-standing pain points associated with connecting travel between the two carriers. Itineraries that combine flights operated by both airlines can be booked through travel agents and global distribution systems, with checked baggage automatically transferred through to a passenger’s final destination. Travelers no longer need to purchase separate tickets for each leg of their journey, re-check their baggage during layovers, or pay duplicate baggage and processing fees when transferring between LIAT Air and Air Caraïbes flights.
Hafsah Abdulsalam, Chief Executive Officer of LIAT (2020) Limited, framed the partnership as a critical milestone in meeting long-standing demand from regional stakeholders. “This agreement is an important step in delivering the kind of regional connectivity Caribbean travellers, tourism operators and businesses have been asking for,” Abdulsalam said. “By linking our networks with Air Caraïbes, we are making it significantly easier to move between the English, French and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, and to connect from any of our island destinations onward to Europe through Paris. It is a meaningful expansion of what a ticket on LIAT Air can take you to.”
Hugues Heddebault, Commercial Director of Air Caraïbes, echoed that sentiment, noting that cross-Caribbean travel has long been bogged down by fragmented infrastructure and overly complicated booking processes. “Travelling across the Caribbean should never mean navigating fragmented journeys or unnecessary complexity,” Heddebault said. “Our ambition is simple: to bring territories closer together and make travel smoother for those who live, work, or travel across the region. This partnership with LIAT Air makes it easier to connect destinations across the Caribbean and provides more seamless access to Paris and Europe via our hubs in Pointe-à-Pitre and Fort-de-France.”
Heddebault added that the agreement goes beyond a standard commercial arrangement, reflecting a shared vision for regional growth. “Beyond a commercial agreement, it reflects a strong conviction: a better-connected Caribbean is a more open, more accessible, and more dynamic Caribbean,” he said.
Both carriers emphasized that the partnership is expected to deliver broad benefits to regional tourism and economic integration. By streamlining inter-island travel and lowering associated costs, while creating more convenient connections between Caribbean communities and major European source markets for tourism, the agreement is projected to drive growth in visitor arrivals, expand opportunities for regional business travel, and make travel easier for members of the Caribbean diaspora moving throughout the region.