US Airways will expand service to Bermuda this summer with the resumption of the link to Baltimore-Washington International Airport while Transport Minister Dr. Brown said a US Midwest flight could soon be added.

Meanwhile US Airways company confirmed on Friday the one-weekly Fort Lauderdale service, run on a trial basis last year, will expand to two flights while the company will operate a second daily Philadelphia-Bermuda flight.

Transport Minister Dr. Brown is delighted with the news.

He said: "And there's more to come.

"We are confident we are going to end up with a flight out of the midwest, we are close to tying it down. Plus one additional one out of the east coast.

"We are going to see quite a few more flights. We have more announcements coming up in the next few weeks.

"Our team has been very effective. We would go to visit these people, they knew we meant business and they have responded to us. We are very, very pleased."

US Airways has also filed with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) for authority to operate an Orlando-Bermuda service, also this summer.

Douglas D. Leo, US Airways vice president-international, said: "With this new and resumed service, US Airways is the largest carrier serving Bermuda, with the most destinations and most departures.

"For summer 2004, US Airways plans to serve Bermuda from eight US gateways, giving US Airways customers the most options for travel to the Island during the peak travel season."

US Airways also operates seasonal non-stop service between Bermuda from Boston, Charlotte, N.C., New York-LaGuardia and Reagan Washington National Airport.

US Airways is the nation's seventh-largest airline, serving nearly 200 communities in the US, Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America.

Dr. Brown said: "We think one way we can increase the likelihood of people coming to Bermuda is to increase the number of airports than can leave from."

He said statistics showed travellers to Bermuda were one third locals, one third international business people and one third tourists.

"We take into account each component of that mix. There are a lot of travellers between Bermuda and Florida. On other carriers there is no non-stop service.

"They found in the trial period there was a fantastic response both ends.

He said in the last month the flights were absolutely sold out in the last month. "That's why they were so anxious to come back."

Opening up a direct route to Miami is still be worked on said Dr. Brown but he said American Airlines, who operate from that city, were not as receptive as US Airways.

He hopes more competition would help Government's goal of encouraging ticket prices to fall and he believes prices were slightly lower this year than in the same period last year.

Revenue guarantees from Government gave the Bermuda some leverage in pricing said Dr. Brown although airlines had the final say.

In the summer of 2000 Bermuda had a brief link to the mid west when TWA ran a flight from St Louis. But the company axed the trial twice-weekly service due to poor sales five weeks ahead of schedule.

Dr. Brown said: "The St. Louis flight was doomed almost at its beginning because TWA was having service operation difficulties and financial problems."

He said the Tourism was mostly spending money on the gateway cities while carriers would be spending advertising dollars in Bermuda.

His lobbying team were Tourism Director Richard Eve and Toby Dillas, who has just left the department, Transport Permanent Secretary Mark Telemaque, Airport General Manager Jim Howes and Ian MacIntyre from Civil Aviation.

Flight time box

Flights from Baltimore Washington International airport to Bermuda will operate daily from June 6 to September 4.

Flights will depart BWI at 9.15 a.m. and will arrive in Bermuda at 12.25 p.m. Return flights will depart Bermuda at 1.25 p.m. and will arrive in BWI at 2.40 p.m.

Flights between Fort Lauderdale and Bermuda will operate on Wednesdays and Saturdays from May 5 to September 22.

Flights will depart Fort Lauderdale at 11.35 a.m. and will arrive in Bermuda at 3.06 p.m. Return flights will depart Bermuda at 4 p.m. and will arrive in Fort Lauderdale at 5.46 p.m.

The year-round Philadelphia-Bermuda service will be augmented by a daily roundtrip flight operating May 2 to November 6.

Flights will depart Bermuda at 7.50 a.m. and will arrive in Philadelphia at 9.04 a.m. Return flights will depart Philadelphia at 5.20 p.m. and will arrive in Bermuda at 8.37 p.m. providing convenient connections from our transatlantic and transcontinental flights in Philadelphia.

Subject to government approval, US Airways plans to operate Orlando-Bermuda service on Saturdays from May to September 2004.