Bermuda will have a new daily flight for the first time in three years -- with the capacity to bring thousands of new visitors to the Island.

Delta Air Lines announced yesterday that it was starting a new, second service from Atlanta -- a move that will double the amount of seats from the gateway.

And more importantly, the timing of the service will allow easier connections with west coast flights.

Up to now it has been difficult for vacationers to meet Bermuda services when flying in from the west coast. But all that will change when the new flight starts on April 15. It will leave Atlanta at 4 p.m., allowing other Delta services to meet it.

And the return is expected to leave Bermuda at 8.30 a.m., so passengers are in time to make their westbound connections. The new service will utilise Boeing 757 aircraft with capacity for 188 passengers. This will provide 63,000 additional seats per year with the potential to generate 24,000 additional visitors.

Tourism Minister David Allen said: "It is a wonderful new opportunity.

"We have been working very hard for a long time and this new route is the first to come to fruition. We want to get more gateways. We don't have enough capacity and we have been turning business away. "There is a big market there to tap into because people don't want to overnight. And there is further development from the southeast, with Georgia, Texas and Florida.'' Tourism believes it will make Bermuda attractive to vacationers in San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose, Phoenix and other western cities.

Although at present it is due to be seasonal, officials hope they can make it work and extend the period. The flight will start in April and end in October.

In the meantime, Tourism staff are working on package deals from the west and will be promoting the Island in the region.