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NEW WEST AFRICAN-BASED AIR CARRIER 'AFRINAT INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES' INAUGURATES SCHEDULED SERVICE FROM JFK TO FOUR WEST AFRICAN DESTINATIONS: THE GAMBIA, GHANA, COTE D'IVOIRE AND CAMEROON
(Banjul, The Gambia, West Africa, Aug. 30, 2002) AFRINAT International Airlines, a new West African air carrier, will provide the only transatlantic service from the US via JFK International Airport in New York City to four West African Destinations: the Gambia, Ghana, Cote d‚Ivoire and Cameroon. A fifth destination, Sierra Leone will be added in the near future. The inaugural flight will depart from JFK‚s Terminal 4 on September 29, at 11:59 PM. The announcement was made by Sam Ofori, President of AFRINAT. This flight will commence a regularly scheduled service of four departures a week, Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Alken Tours, based in Brooklyn, New York, has been appointed the General Sales Agent in the US for AFRINAT. Promotional Fares Starting at $667 US Dollars Round-Trip One month promotional roundtrip fares from New York are available to all four destinations starting at $667 (plus tax) to Banjul, the Gambia; $721 (plus tax) to Accra, Ghana or Abidjan, Ivory Coast (Cote d‚Ivoire) and $827 (plus tax) to Douala, Cameroon. This fare must be purchased seven days in advance of travel and is valid through November 30, 2002. Negotiations are underway with US domestic air carriers to eventually provide special add-on fares to connect with the JFK AFRINAT departures. AFRINAT International Airlines will operate two aircraft, a B747 holding 411 passengers and a B767 holding 250 passengers. The B747 will offer three classes of service, 12 in First Class, 32 in Business Class and the remainder in Economy Class. The B767 will have two classes, 32 in Business and the rest in Economy. Initially the flight crews will be staffed by Air Atlanta and the plan is to train African flight crews to gradually take over the flights. Making West Africa Accessible and Affordable AFRINAT was started by a group of African businessmen who were frustrated with the difficult connections and expensive air service to the US, especially with the vacuum left by the demise of Air Afrique. Sam Ofori, a Ghanaian, said „We wanted to be able to provide affordable and convenient air service for both business and leisure passengers to promote tourism and investment in West Africa. It costs more for Americans to fly to West African countries than it does for them to fly to Russia or China, yet flying time to Banjul is only seven hours from New York City. Although a new carrier, AFRINAT International Airlines has expressed its avowed determination to be the most reliable and customer-oriented airline in West Africa. AFRINAT‚s focus is on differentiating itself from its competitors by providing services that will satisfy the real needs of the fare and time sensitive passenger. Ofori also noted the convenience of the late night departures which „enable passengers from all points in the US to connect to AFRINAT. The four departures a week provide flexibility in a business traveler‚s schedule that may require him to extend his stay a day or two. The frequency allows him to catch another flight without having to wait a whole week.‰ With low fares, appreciable luggage allowance, reliable scheduled flights and excellent customer service, AFRINAT will certainly boost business and leisure travel to West Africa. AFRINAT International Airlines shall be high-quality, customer sensitive, friendly and affordable. A promise, which the management intends to vigorously pursue to achieve its desired objective of becoming the most reliable airline in West Africa. Promoting Cultural Understanding And Exchanges One look at the AFRINAT web site indicates that this is not your ordinary air carrier. Acknowledging that many Americans are not familiar with the diversity of Africa in general, or West Africa in particular, the AFRINAT site provides detailed travel information for each gateway it serves. Mr. Ofori, AFRINAT President, also noted that the Carrier wanted to provide scholarships for students to visit Africa and provide and encourage cross cultural exchanges between Americans and West Africans. Travel Agent Commissions and Special Discounts AFRINAT will be a Travel Agent-friendly airline and will offer generous commissions to the travel agent and consolidator community. The Airline will offer a special IATA Travel Agent Discount starting at $250 (plus tax) on its Inaugural flight to Banjul on September 29 as well as most other flights. AFRINAT encourages travel agents take advantage of these discounts to visit West Africa and gain first-hand knowledge of AFRINAT‚s destinations. AFRINAT International Airlines Schedules and Fares For schedule, fare and destination
information for The Gambia, Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast,
visit AFRINAT International Airlines web site at Reservations and Ticketing: Contact Alken Tours at (800) 327-9974 |
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