Tropic Air Announces Fare Increase

16 February 2011

To our valued customers:

The cost of our operations continues to increase forcing us to raise our fares. Costs in the airline industry have become so volatile that major airlines have increased their ticket prices twice within the past two weeks*.

Effective April 1st, 2011 we will increase most of our fares by $5.00 Belize per segment. See the enclosed fare schedule. This is primarily to offset the increased cost of fuel since our last fare increase in 2008. With the continuing volatility of operating costs, we may adjust fares frequently in the future without notice or delay.

While we are delaying this fare increase for the benefit of those customers who may have booked reservations and quoted current fares, we will not be able to protect customers from future increases. If you are quoting airfare in a package you should make the quote subject to immediate purchase of the airfare. Tropic Air is committed to offering the best possible service to its customers. To enable us to do that, we must charge a fair and reasonable price. We welcome any comments you have on this or any other part of our service.

Sincerely,

John E Greif III Steve Schulte

President Chief Executive Officer


* http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110216/business/business9.html

(Click graphic to enlarge)

Tropic Air Announces non-stop service between Placencia & Belmopan

- Press Release - San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize - Monday, January 24, 2011 - Tropic Air announced today that it will be inaugurating daily non-stop service between Placencia and the nation’s capital, Belmopan on January 31, 2011. The service will also allow easy connections in Placencia for passengers wishing to travel between Punta Gorda and Belmopan, and provide for efficient cargo services to and from the nation’s heartland.

The new service is a direct response to requests from its valued customers, and carries through on the airline’s stated commitment to the people of Belmopan, Cayo and Southern Belize.

“When we inaugurated Belmopan in April 2010, we promised the people of Cayo to increase our service levels in the coming years. Belmopan is an integral part of the growth strategy for Tropic Air and as such we feel it important that we link the expanding areas of the south with our nation’s capital” said John Greif III, President of Tropic Air. “Tropic Air is continuously seeking new and innovative routes that promote tourism, business, domestic travel and cargo within Belize”

The flight schedule for the new route is as follows:
Flt# DEPARTS TIME ARRIVES TIME
900 Belmopan (BMP) 08:30AM Placencia (PLJ) 09:00AM
350 Placencia (PLJ) 12:00PM Belmopan (BMP) 12:30PM
DAILY (Effective January 31, 2010)

An introductory fare of BZ$99 each way will be offered on the new route through February 28, 2010 and is bookable via the web at www.tropicair.com, via e-mail at reservations@tropicair.com, by phone at 226-2012 or by contacting any of our stations.

Tropic Air operates a fleet of 11 aircraft (including the lastest generation, G1000 “glass cockpit”, air conditioned Cessna Caravans) to 11 destinations in Belize and Guatemala. With over 250 employees, Tropic Air carried 200,000 passengers in 2010.

For more information on the new service, please contact Dora Gonzalez DoraGonzalez@tropicair.com or Julie Kee JulieKee@tropicair.com.

Belizean Airlines required to collect $5 Ride Fee

Air travel is one of the fastest and most convenient ways to get to and from the mainland. In 20 minutes, one can already touch down at the municipal airstrip and head to run errands as necessary. For those international travelers, plane rides are the top choice to head to their destination. Of course, for this convenience, one has to pay a bit more than if they were to travel via water taxi.

Well now we can add on $5 extra to the ticket prices. The $5 is called a “rider fee” and has been sanctioned by the Government of Belize and the Belize Airport Authority. According to a letter issued from Tropic Air, all (Tropic) tickets will now increase by $5 to reflect the required fee starting January 24th, 2011. The San Pedro Sun spoke to Tropic Air about this change, and they have explained that if one buys a one-way ticket to the mainland, and from there decides to buy another ticket to return, the $5 fee will be charged each time a ticket is purchased. To save a bit on the price, it is highly recommended that customers buy round trip tickets with open returns.

The Belize Airport Authority General Manager, Kenworth Tillett explained to The Sun that the fee came about as a result of all the planned improvements for the airports countrywide. The Statutory Instrument #44 to increase the rider fee was Gazetted on May 8th, 2010. He did indicate that airlines had been informed that the fee was imminent. The San Pedro Airstrip (John Greif Airport) is “way ahead of the curve in terms of improvements,” stated Tillett. He was of course, speaking of the proposed improvements reported in Issue #49, Vol. 20 of The San Pedro Sun, wherein a groundbreaking ceremony was held to mark the beginning of the much-needed works on the San Pedro Airport.

Improvements are in the plans for airstrips/ports throughout the country, and the fee collected will go towards paying the loans that are financing the projects.

Ground breaking ceremony held for newly named "John Greif Airport"

A ground breaking ceremony for the rehabilitation and upgrading of the airstrip was held today Thursday, December 16, 2010 on location at the San Pedro Airstrip. On hand for this momentous occasion were Michael Singh (current CEO of Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation & Culture), Captain Carlos Salazar, President of the Board of Directors (COCESNA), Mr. Bayardo Paguada, Executive President (COCESNA), Honorable Manuel Heredia Jr. (Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Culture) and Mr. Kenworth Tillett (Belize Ports Authority).

Minister Heredia addresses the gathered crowd.

The airstrip’s new name was also announced at the groundbreaking ceremony. What was always known as the San Pedro Airstrip is now going to be called “John Greif Airport”.Read more in the next issue of The San Pedro Sun.

Tropic Air adds new Cessna Caravan to fleet!!

This week, Tropic Air received yet another new Cessna (208B) Caravan. It arrived in San Pedro, directly from the Cessna factory in Wichita, Kansas, on Wednesday, November 17th, and represents an investment of over $4 million dollars in the future, economy and people of Belize.

Tropic now has eight Caravans in its fleet with five more on order. This new aircraft is part of Tropic's commitment to providing its customers with the most comfortable and technologically advanced aircraft. It also continues with the fullfillment of the airline's pledge of constant fleet renewal.

The new Caravan comes complete with the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit system and air conditioning which will ensure that its customers fly in safety and comfort. It will provide the additional airlift needed for the tourism industry and for new destinations such as Belmopan.

So on your next flight, be sure to see if you are on their newest baby. Look for the tail number V3-HHK.

Alberto Wade appointed Tropic Air SP Station Manager

Press Release – Tropic Air – March 2nd, 2010 – Tropic Air has announced a major change affecting the San Pedro Terminal. Catherine Paz, a 17-year veteran of Tropic, has announced her resignation as Station Manager and also as the acting Manager of the Sales and Marketing Department. She has decided to go into private business. Tropic is announcing the appointment of Alberto Wade to become the new Manager of the San Pedro Terminal effective March 1st, 2010. Alberto has worked for Tropic for over 20 years, 12 of which were in the San Pedro Station, as Assistant Manager and the last eight years in the Operations Department.

“We are pleased and fortunate to have Alberto as our new Manager. He comes with a wide range of experience by working in the San Pedro station and then in our Operations Department”, said Johnny Greif, Tropic’s President.

“Alberto brings a tremendous amount of knowledge that he has gained from the various departments throughout Tropic. He is widely known throughout San Pedro and will definitely be an asset to our employees and especially our customers”, concluded Greif.