Who is REDjet you ask? Well, its seems its orgins date back to 2006 when a father and son team thought it would be a good idea to launch the Ryanair of the Caribbean.
In a filing with US regulators in May Airone Ventures -- the company behind REDjet-- said it wanted to fly intra-Caribbean flights and offer service from Barbados to the US. They were going to dry lease an MD-80 from Allegiant, and also said the successful US travel group would take a 10% stake in the company.
Then Airone backpeddeled as reported in this Travel Weekly article, and said it incorrectly stated Allegiant was taking a stake.
So fast forward to today and REDjet wants to launch flights next month with two 149-seat MD80s based in Barbados. REDjet's website only says "launching soon." Unconfirmed reports are showing that the aircraft were previously at American.
Irish businessman Ian Burns and his son Robbie are the founders of the new airline boasting fares of $9.99, "before taxes", which can run extremely high in some Caribbean markets.
It seems like REDjet is taking its clues from various LCCs models and melding into its own offering. Whether the Burns' can execute their low cost strategy flawlessly in the Caribbean remains a huge unknown. But it's going to fun to watch a bit of shake up in the market.
Check out the Trinidad and Tobago news blog for some really great insight into the Caribbean market and how REDjet might carve out its place there.
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