JetBlue Airways will increase its seat capacity by 50 percent between Bermuda and New York for part of the first quarter of 2009.

The added capacity for the Bermuda-JFK route takes place from February 12 and will run until April, when JetBlue Airways will fly an Airbus 320 instead of the Embraer 190.

The Airbus 320 aircraft carries 150 passengers; the Embraer 190 carries 100 passengers. In total it will make an extra 3,500 seats available over the course of the initiative.

Premier and Transport Minister Ewart Brown said in a statement yesterday: "This is good news for us. A move like this shows confidence in the potential of Bermuda tourism in the near future. As Transport Minster I am especially pleased because JetBlue is a trendsetter in the aviation industry. When JetBlue makes a decision like this, other carriers sit up and take notice."

Earlier this year American Airlines eliminated its second daily flight between Bermuda and JFK in the face of skyrocketing fuel costs, causing a considerable reduction in capacity from New York, Bermuda tourism's number one gateway market.

L.F. Wade International general manager Aaron Adderley, the chief negotiator for Bermuda's commercial air routes, said: "JetBlue believes that a New York-Bermuda service remains a viable opportunity for them and as such, following discussions back and forth, its decision to increase lift out of JFK to the tune of 3,500 additional seats beginning in February, is a step toward ensuring that there is an ample supply of affordable capacity in the market during the winter and early spring."

Mr. Adderley said that although fuel prices have fallen dramatically, airlines are still selectively eliminating flights as the global economic crisis affects the demand for travel.