Frontier Celebrates Jamaica Link with Aircraft Tail Design

DALLAS — Denver-based LLC Frontier Airlines (F9) announced that the national bird of Jamaica will be the next animal to grace the tail of one of the carrier’s aircraft.

The Ultra-LLC stated that this gesture is aimed at celebrating the growing relationship with the island. The red-billed streamertail, also known as the “Doctor bird,” will be named “Stewart“ as a tribute to the late tourism mogul Gordon “Butch" Stewart, the founder of Sandals Resorts in the Caribbean. The new aircraft will be delivered to Frontier in late 2023.

This announcement follows earlier news of two additional routes scheduled to land on the island by the first quarter of 2023. F9 currently provides flights from nine US destinations to both international airports in Jamaica: Norman Manley International Airport (KIN) and Sangster International Airport (MBJ).

Comments from Frontier CEO

The CEO of Frontier, Barry Biffle stated “Every Frontier plane tail features a special animal and we can think of no better way to honor the people of Jamaica than to put the island’s beloved doctor bird on one of our aircraft”

The CEO further added that “The red-billed streamertail is a vibrant, stunning gem, just like the island of Jamaica”  Biffle expressed enthusiasm about the growing relationship between the carrier and Jamaica and stated that this partnership supports the local economy and visitor arrivals. Jamaica recorded over two million passengers since the start of 2022.

Frontier has been the fastest-growing commercial airline service in Jamaica since 2019 (based on load factors and the number of flights). The presence of the carrier not only connects tourists to the island but also provides Jamaicans with cheaper flight options to key destinations stemming from Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and soon Denver.

Featured image: Frontier Frontier N348FR Airbus A320Neo. Photo: Misael Ocasio Hernandez/Airways