One of the major challenges in making Bermuda a more attractive tourist resort is reducing the cost of airfares and one of the ways of doing that is to increase competition.

For that reason alone, Government's preliminary discussions with JetBlue, the US low cost airline, are welcome.

If Transport Minister Ewart Brown can make some headway with the airline and find a way to have them enter the market, then that should result in the other airlines reducing their fares on the same routes.

That should make Bermuda more attractive to visitors and people planning business trips and should do something to put heads in beds in the hotels.

There are risks, as was reported in yesterday's newspaper. Two failing airlines on one route is worse than one successful airline in the long run.

But potential visitors in particular cite the extraordinarily high air fares to Bermuda as a key reason why they will not come, especially when they can get to London or Hawaii from the East Coast for less than they have to pay to come to Bermuda.