Budget airline JetBlue will introduce a second flight between Bermuda and New York this summer in what Premier Ewart Brown described yesterday as a "bullish" move during testing economic times.

On May 1, the low-cost carrier will begin operating two flights a day on its JFK route for four days of the week, increasing to five days a week on May 21.

JetBlue had already pledged to increase the number of seats available between the Island and New York from 100 to 150 from next week.

The introduction of a second aircraft — a 100-seater Embraer 190 — will increase that to 250 seats during the summer months.

Tourism and Transport Minister Dr. Brown told a press conference yesterday that the decision had prompted the Department of Tourism to allocate $2 million to promoting Bermuda to New Yorkers as a vacation destination.

Dr. Brown said JetBlue's initial decision to increase seating capacity was "clearly a bullish move at a time when the US economy was struggling through a bearish environment".

He added: "Today, JetBlue is proving once again that it is bullish on Bermuda."

The Premier said the company's confidence in Bermuda during a rocky time for the tourism industry was likely to be due to the increase in air arrivals from New York during the last quarter of 2008.

He said that for September, October, November and December, the number of visitors from the city increased year on year by 11 percent, ten percent, 19 percent and 29 percent respectively.

"Based on those numbers it would appear JetBlue has made a shrewd business move," he said. "I would not be at all surprised if we are before you again sometime soon with more airlift."

Tourism director Billy Griffith said JetBlue would be offering return fares for about $345 for seats bought before the end of March.

JetBlue's decision means the Department of Tourism will spend $2 million from its budget on a "heightened awareness campaign" of television, newspaper and radio adverts to get more New Yorkers to Bermuda for a holiday.

Shadow Tourism Minister Michael Dunkley said yesterday he supported any move to increase the number of tourists visiting the Island.

"We need to be out there in the marketplace to say that Bermuda is alive and well. Even in this economic downturn I think people are going to need to get away and relax and what better place to do it than Bermuda?"

The announcement about JetBlue came a day after it was revealed that low-cost airline USA 3000 was axing its spring and summer Bermuda/Baltimore schedule.

Dr. Brown said that decision "had nothing to do with a lack of confidence in Bermuda's performance as a market, but everything to do with the US economy".

He told the press conference that the Department of Tourism was keen to find any carrier interested in competing with British Airways on the Bermuda to London route following the demise of Zoom.

The fact that air arrivals from the UK rose by between 16 and 18 percent during 2008 was, he said, one of the "most pleasant" surprises of the year.

"The hotels enjoy it when visitors come from Europe because they stay longer. We are definitely on the lookout for any carrier that would increase our air lift out of the UK."