the end of July until the spring.

But Tourism Minister the Hon. C.V. Jim Woolridge believes other airlines can cope with the extra passengers.

Mr. Woolridge announced the news in the House of Assembly yesterday, he said: "They normally keep the service on through October.

"We have had a good year so far from New England, up some 9.9 percent through April. However, New England business traditionally does experience a softening in the summer.

"Northwest has obviously seen that softening in their projections and has decided that they cannot justify continuing the service through that period.'' Mr. Woolridge said his understanding was that the service would be resumed in spring.

The Tourism Ministry has been in contact with both Delta and USAir which also serve Bermuda from Boston.

He said: "They have assured me that they will do everything in their power to put on additional capacity for this period to meet the demand if the need arises.

"While we are always concerned when a carrier flying to Bermuda decides it has to alter its service here because of lower than expected demand, Northwest's action in Boston was not entirely unexpected.

"By working closely with Delta and USAir, we think we can ensure a sufficient supply of seats in that market for the balance of the year.''