a flight on a route that just weeks ago was believed to be lost for good.

The company has filed an application to run a daily summer service from La Guardia to Bermuda -- just over a month since US Airways said they were dropping the route.

If approved, TWA would have two new services into the Island -- adding New York to their planned twice weekly flights from St. Louis, Missouri.

Bill Mosley, of the US Department of Transportation, confirmed last night that TWA had submitted a plan on Tuesday to run a service from May 27 to September 4.

The flight is timed to leave La Guardia at 8.30 a.m., arriving at Bermuda at 11.40 a.m. with the return service departing the Island at 12.30 p.m., touching down in the US at 1.40 p.m. local time.

Mr. Mosley said there would be a two-week consultation period to allow for any comments or challenges to be raised.

If there were no objections, he said, a decision on allowing the route could be made very quickly.

The news comes after US Airways announced in December that it was to drop the route from its schedule.

The airline cited low seat occupancy, saying the flight was only 60 percent full at times last year.

But there were claims by Shadow Tourism Minister David Dodwell that US Airways pulled the flight because they were upset at a new fly and cruise programme being operated from Philadelphia -- another of their Island gateways.

At the time Tourism Minister David Allen rubbished the claims, adding that he hoped that talks with US Airways would eventually result in the service being restored.

If the TWA bid is accepted, it will mean Bermuda will have a full compliment of routes to the US again. In addition, there will be one new service and an extra daily Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta.

And more seat capacity will come when US Airways switches to a larger plane on its year-round Philadelphia service.

During the height of summer it will mean the airport will see up to 13 daily flights from the US and Canada, in addition to twice weekly and weekly services from North America, and the four times-a-week London flight.