An American travel agent last night applauded the extension of the summer flight schedule from Newark, New Jersey, to Bermuda, but said more was needed.

Earlier this month, United Airlines announced it would extend its season from five months out of the year to six months, closing the route in October.

“I am happy to hear they extended it,” said Buffy Alexander of the A Good Time 2 Travel agency in New Jersey. “However, I would like to see at least one flight run all winter even if it’s once a week from Newark.”

Ms Alexander, who specialises in Bermuda and Disney World, believes there is enough of a market in New Jersey to warrant a winter flight, especially during the holidays.

“Overall, Bermuda does a good job of promoting itself,” she said. “They do it heavily in New York. I would like to see them doing more in New Jersey, where there are few vendors who support Bermuda.”

She said a lot of people, including herself, do not like making the trip from New Jersey to JFK Airport in New York in the winter.

“On the map, it looks like JFK is only 15 minutes further from Newark,” Ms Alexander said. “In reality, it is much further because of traffic. You have to be at the airport at 4.30am for the 7.30am flight. That means that I have to leave my house in New Jersey at 2am.”

She was thrilled to see BermudAir come online, but said so far it does not help with the New Jersey issue.

“They have added Westchester, New York, to their flight schedule, but that is even further away from us,” she said.

Ms Alexander first came to Bermuda on a girls’ trip 16 years ago.

“We stayed at Grotto Bay Beach Resort,” she said. “A guy there was joking that he guaranteed I was related to someone in Bermuda.”

She did not believe him until she returned home and posted photographs of herself in Bermuda on social media.

“My aunt asked, ‘Did you meet your cousin Jimmy while you were there?’,” Ms Alexander said. “It turned out I had cousins who relocated to Bermuda.”

She has since connected with her Bermuda relatives, Jimmy and Frank Arnold, staying with them several times.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, she switched her career from book-keeper to travel agent.

“Ever since then I have pushed Bermuda on a regular basis,” Ms Alexander said. “I am a certified Bermuda tourism ambassador. I come to Bermuda six or seven times a year now.”

Bermuda is an easy sell for Ms Alexander, particularly when Americans find out the island is only a short flight from the New York and New Jersey area.

“It is a destination that works for a range of age levels,” she said. “It works for retirees who want to sit off and watch the sunset. They can do a food tour or a tour of St George. For younger and more adventurous people, there is snorkelling on the shipwrecks, sport fishing and that type of fun stuff. For the youngest ones there is swimming with the dolphins, they can go to Snorkel Park to do some mini-golf and then go to the Trampoline Park in Dockyard. There is a little bit of everything.”

Helmet diving with Greg Hartley is one of her favourite activities.

“The concept of being on the ocean floor, and walking around just baffles my mind. Having a helmet on your head, on top of it, is just amazing to me,” she said.

Many of her clients are foodies.

“They want to try traditional foods such as wahoo and codfish and potatoes on the weekend,” she said. “I always send people to Woodys in Sandys for a fish sandwich. My personal favourites are Port O Call Restaurant and Harry’s. Every time I come to Bermuda I find a new restaurant.”

One of Ms Alexander’s challenges in selling Bermuda is the cooler weather in the winter months.

“A lot of people are under the misconception that it is warmer in Bermuda in the winter,” she said. “There are still things to do such as whale-watching tours or visiting Crystal Caves. Not everyone is about hot weather and swimming.”

She promotes May and June as the best months to visit the island.

“The Bermuda Day holiday in May is popular,” she said. “I also promote March for the whale watching. Many people are very into that.”

Ms Alexander said the Pride Parade in Hamilton in August is also an attraction.