CALGARY — Ultra low-cost carrier Swoop is dipping its toe in the Caribbean Sea with new flights out of John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport (YHM) to Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport (MBJ) starting Dec. 16.

The twice weekly service will run until April 24. Flights will operate Wednesdays and Sundays.

So far this is the only Caribbean route for the ULCC but no doubt others will follow (and can vacation packages be far behind?)

“The addition of Montego Bay to our network is another important milestone,” says Swoop President, Steven Greenway. “Many Canadians of Jamaican origin live in the Toronto area, which makes this new route ideal for connecting friends, family and loved ones, as does the vacation appeal of replacing ten feet of snow with ten miles of white sand beaches this winter.”

Rafael Echevarne, CEO of MBJ Airports Limited, says “MBJ welcomes Swoop”, adding “we look forward to this service and the additional passengers from this service.”

Swoop is the first Canadian ultra-low-cost carrier to provide sun-service from Canada to the U.S. and Caribbean, says Greenway.

Swoop announced its U.S. routes on Aug. 2, with flights from Edmonton, Hamilton and Abbotsford to Las Vegas, Phoenix, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa Bay starting this October. WestJet says the ULCC’s load factors on domestic routes are so far topping 95%.