USA3000 Airlines has announced it will resume direct service between L.F. Wade International Airport and Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

Flights will start on June 11 and extend through the summer to August 16, on Thursdays and Sundays. Afternoon flights arriving in Bermuda will depart in the early evening for a return trip to Baltimore.

According to a press release from the company, one-way fares will begin at $99.99 before taxes and fees.

USA3000 ceased its Bermuda service for the duration of the 2008-2009 winter season and earlier this month announced that it had axed its spring and summer schedule for this year too.

Since Baltimore-Washington International Airport is the closest airport to Johns Hopkins Hospital, the move meant that patients travelling from Bermuda faced flying instead to Reagan National Airport, which is about an hour away from the hospital on one of US Airways' daily flights.

USA3000 chief executive officer Steve Harfst said of the change of heart over the summer service: "We recognised a very real interest in the Baltimore-Bermuda flight from our passengers. The summer vacation season is an opportune time for us to return to such an important and popular route."

Mr. Harfst said airline executives worked closely with the Bermuda Department of Tourism and L. F. Wade International Airport to ensure the service would start up again.

Premier Ewart Brown, who is also Minister of Tourism and Transport, said: "USA3000 has been a critical component in our commitment to increased competition and lower prices for air travellers, particularly for vacationers who want to take the short trip to our pink sand beaches. We couldn't be more pleased to have USA3000 back as an air travel partner."

Customers can book summer flights to and from Bermuda on-line by visiting www.usa3000.com or by calling 1.877.USA.3000.