Mint to AUA/BGI
 

For next winter Mint-configured A321s will make Saturday-only trips to Aruba and Barbados from November - April. Also, for two weeks around Christmas & New Years the frequency will increase to daily.

The NYT story quotes execs as saying there is real demand for the premium product in those markets. I'm more convinced it is a fleet utilization thing taking advantage of the higher capacity in the belly for checked bags during the holiday season.

You think they are doing this to haul more bags around? Does AUA/BGI bulk out?

I think that could be part of it. Caribbean flights around the holidays are notoriously baggage-heavy.

And fleet utilization. Saturdays already are reduced transcon flying and the planes don't make money on the ground.

Saturday is a light day for HVC TCON's so the aircraft are free. Makes sense to run them down to the Carribean to see what the market will bear. My guess is that it won't be cheap and that there are a significant number of people who will pay.

Leisure caribbean flights are bag heavy?

Around Christmas, yes.

Those markets also end up with a decent amount of VFR traffic of people going home for the holidays.

It is due to premium demand during the holidays-not for bags. Yes, some islands are baggage heavy but this is more like PAP/SDQ kind of places where you have people bringing all kinds of gifts and other goods to relatives. Can't imagine a Sat to Sat traveler to Aruba is bringing anything other than things they will use on the trip.

It's hard for me to imagine a real demand for lie-flat seats to the Caribbean. You would need Bloomberg-like wealth to "need" that. Heck, Hawaiian flies a small first class cabin to Hawaii from JFK (a really long flight where a bed would be nice!) with ordinary seats because there's not much demand for premium service.

This must be aircraft utilization.

You are failing to see the cost of tickets at this time of year and the competition in the market. If coach tickets are already starting in the $550 range on the competition--with many days well over $700 each way, there is definitely demand for a premium product at comparable prices at that time of year.

BGI attracted the Concorde in its day from LHR. AUA and BGI are markets where people will pay for a premium product during the holiday season.

It is simply fleet utilization and additional luggage space no matter what they try to spin off. The plane will make money in the air rather than sitting on the ground. Both of these destinations are 1x daily, where it makes sense for a little more seats but not another frequency.

While BGI does attract some premium demand, it is from the UK and not the US.

I'm still waiting for FLL-LIM with Mint which would probably bring some JFK-FLL mint routes similarly what CO did with their 752 a few years back.

Remember that CO did it because the planes were all configured for TATL service, not because the LIM routes had demand for flat beds.
If there is high demand for Y at $700 then selling 30 fewer seats on each plane is a horrible deal for the company. If B6 is only getting an incremental $100-200 for each of the 16 seats that's likely working against the revenue model. Unless the expectation is that the plane is sitting on the ground idle those days anyways.

I was referring to the 752 that CO would fly EWR-FLL-EWR between flights across the Atlantic. It was a great way to get to the Miami region. They do use a 752 EWR-LIM which my family uses to visit relatives. Loads are pretty good on the route and fares are often slightly less than LA via JFK as CO/UA also has IAH-LIM.
Now I believe those 752s are sent to places like IAH & ORD and still have EWR-LAX that CO had too.

[QUOTE=sbm12;24517252]Remember that CO did it because the planes were all configured for TATL service, not because the LIM routes had demand for flat beds.[QUOTE]

Yup...all fleet utilization efforts, not demand for the product.

And B6 could distinguish itself on the LIM run with a lie-flat business product for a 5.5 hour+ flight, especially with a redeye return. Avianca runs MIA-LIM on an A330, AA & LA use 767s & Spirit runs their craptastic product to FLL as B6's only direct competition. I know I would pay to avoid having to use MIA as my airport and for a reasonably priced business product. Connections and Immigration at FLL are easy and plentiful (not as plentiful as MIA but I dislike their immigration experience).
If they have the demand for seats that would make the flight with a business product worthwhile routing a plane fulltime for the flight may be worth it and can run 1 flight to JFK & back between LIM runs.
CO used/uses the 752 on the EWR-LIM route for fleet utilization purposes and also to compete against LA's business product. If CO used a lounger business product they wouldn't be competitive. The load doesn't demand a 767 but the 752 fits range, seat requirements and cargo loads.