Transportation Minister Derrick Burgess yesterday said he was “excited” by the prospect of a new flight from the US.He was speaking at a press conference yesterday held to confirm that Delta plans to launch daily flights between Bermuda and New York next year.Along with providing additional 160 seats of coverage, Mr Burgess said the additional competition may help to reduce the cost of flights to and from Bermuda, noting that the cost of flights to and from New York fell after the introduction of Jet Blue.“When you have just one carrier, the price is higher, so we could see [a price drop],” Mr Burgess said. “It’s welcome, and I think airlines welcome the competition as well.”Mr Burgess said the flights between Bermuda and the LaGuardia airport will begin on April 7, and will operate year-round “should demand warrant.” The flight will be the fourth daily flight between Bermuda and the New York area in the busy summer season.Delta had offered service between Bermuda and LaGuardia for a period in 2009.He explained that the announcement was the result of ongoing discussions between the airline and Airport General Manager Aaron Adderley, who was asked to help secure additional airlift from the New York metropolitan area.“The hotel industry and others in the Tourism sector had suggested that in order to accommodate growth in air arrivals, they would prefer that the Department of Airport Operations acquire an additional flight out of New York specifically, where awareness of Bermuda is at its highest.” Mr Burgess said.“This new flight adds to what has been an aggressive introduction of new airline services over the past two years, with both Westjet and AirTran entering the Bermuda market in 2010 and 2011 respectively.”Mr Burgess said that there was no revenue guarantee for the flight, but that the Department of Tourism would work hard to make sure the 160 additional seats are filled.“I’m excited by yet another new flight, and I’m proud of the efforts of our team at the Department of Airport Operations to ensure Bermuda is the most connected little island in the world,” he said.Shadow Tourism Minister Shawn Crockwell said he was pleased to see additional air lift to the island, particularly if it results in the cost of flights to New York falling.“If the cost is going to remain the same, that’s fine, but I think that if it lowers the cost, it would do more to bring tourists here than by simply having more seats available,” he said. “Obviously we believe that additional air lift is required. If we want to increase air arrivals, we need to increase the number of flights.”However he also said that to really encourage more people to visit the Island, substantial changes need to be made to the tourism product.Useful website: www.delta.com.