The Tribune

American Airlines began taking bookings at the weekend for the return of its year-round service between New York's LaGuardia Airport and Nassau, which will resume on December 22.

The carrier, in a statement, said it will operate a Saturday-only flight to Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) with an Airbus A319 aircraft. This plane will feature eight seats in First Class; 24 seats dedicated as Main Cabin Extra with more legroom and reserved overhead bin space; and 96 seats in Main Cabin.

"Bringing back service to Nassau from LaGuardia airport is a big win for our customers," said Loretta Bove, American Airlines' managing director for LaGuardia. "This service will provide a non-stop escape from the cold this winter to these beautiful islands."

American Airlines operates more than 275 daily flights from its New York-area airports to over 80 destinations in Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, Mexico, South America and the US.

"New York City has always been a key market for The Bahamas, and we are thrilled to be able to offer New Yorkers even more options for visiting our islands with American Airlines' service from LaGuardia," said Dionisio D'Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation.

"The service from New York, along with supplemental service from Charlotte, North Carolina, are a testament to the strong demand from these markets and we hope to see continued growth from these two important cities."

Bookings for the LaGuardia to Nassau route became available from July 14. Flights will leave LaGuardia on Saturday at 7am, arriving in Nassau at 10.25am. The return flight leaves Nassau at 5.35pm on the same day, arriving in New York at 8.45pm.

American Airlines' route expansion is the latest sign of increased airlift into Nassau, driven in large part by Baha Mar's expanded room inventory following its full opening.