Low cost flights from Atlanta could be the next step as Bermuda breaks down what has long been regarded as the biggest single impediment to the future of its tourism industry.

The prospect of the capital of Georgia becoming next in line for an affordable air link was mentioned during an unusual Press conference announcing the all clear for JetBlue Airways to start twice daily $129 one-way ticket flights between New York and the Island.

After more than four years of negotiations with the Government low-cost airline JetBlue will land its first scheduled flight at Bermuda International Airport on May 4.

JetBlue chief executive David Neeleman stepped off an internal US flight to make a cell phone call directly to Tourism Minister Dr. Ewart Brown and assembled media in the Cabinet room explaining why his company had finally decided to fly to Bermuda after four years of talks.

A key reason was to wait until the company had a flexible choice of aircraft for the route, so that it can interchange from a 100-seat plane during low season to a larger 156-seat plane at busier periods, and also so it could run a frequent twice-a-day service every day of the week.

Mr. Neeleman said: ?We are very impressed with Bermuda and all the things it has to offer. Unfortunately it hasn?t had good access.

?It really needed some low fares to stimulate people, to get the word out and get people to travel there, especially during the golf and spa season.

?I think it?s going to see tremendous growth. I was astonished when I saw the occupancy rates in Bermuda in January, they are so low you really do need people to come and check it out. We are confident that when they do they are going to come back and there will be a lot more people visiting Bermuda because of our low fares.?

The JetBlue deal offers flights to and from JFK starting at $129 one-way, and for connections to Boston, Richmond, Buffalo, Burlington, Rochester and Syracuse the fares start at just $10 more.

Presenting the news, Deputy Premier Dr. Brown hinted that another low-cost carrier may link Bermuda with the city of Atlanta.

?Atlanta is a major gateway for Bermuda. We have been in preliminary discussions with AirTran and we expect that those discussions will continue. We don?t expect them to enter the market this year but there is always the possibility of next year,? said Dr. Brown.

Focusing on the JetBlue, he said: ?All the paperwork and filings in the US and Bermuda have been completed.?

He now expects to see the cost of getting to Bermuda tumble bringing higher visitors numbers, commenting: ?All we have to do is look in other markets where this phenomenon has occurred, the low-cost carrier comes in and as long as that carrier is able to sustain itself in terms of frequency, then usually what happens is that the other carriers reduce their fares.

?We are hoping that will happen out of New York, one of our major gateways. And out of Boston and, eventually, every gateway that serves Bermuda.

?Because until travel to Bermuda is less expensive we are going to suffer from inadequate numbers of visitors coming. When people have to pay upwards of $600 or $700 to travel for 90 minutes, many times it is the single thing that makes the difference.

He added: ?We believe the impact of low-cost carriers coming to Bermuda in the long run will result in a multi-million dollar impact for the economy simply because a portion of the savings on the airfare will likely end up in Bermuda and that should do something to stimulate our economy further.?

It has been a long haul for the Government to entice JetBlue. Dr. Brown has been directly involved in talks for the past three years, and there were earlier discussions dating back to 2001.

Last month Bermuda?s Hollywood couple Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones added a touch of glamour to the Island?s case when they attended a reception with JetBlue representatives at the Grotto Bay Hotel. It was shortly afterwards that the fast-growing airline announced its intention to start flights to Bermuda.

Dr. Brown said discussions had also been held with hoteliers to arrange for ?flexible? room rates, particularly during the golf and spa season, to further entice visitors to the Island.

?Today represents a new page in our Island?s history and with this advance we are poised for success. We can now compete,? said Dr. Brown.