The Transport Ministry is fine-tuning its presentation to Jet Blue in the hopes of Iuring the cut-price airline to start flying to Bermuda.

Transport Minister Ewart Brown yesterday confirmed that he will meet Jet Blue's executives in just over a week.

"Hopefully we can move to the next level which would result in Jet Blue coming to Bermuda sooner than they had originally planned," Dr, Brown said. "We are way past the preliminary stages. We are prepared to welcome any new carrier to increase the options for travellers to and from Bermuda."

But at the end of the day, he said, the decision was with the carrier. Talks between Government and Jet Blue have been going on for over a year.

"We are delighted to be in conversation with Jet Blue. All of our research indicates they are a solid outfit and they are one of the few carriers which have avoided financial jeopardy thus far," Dr. Brown said.

JetBlue Airlines started life as a private company two years ago and had its initial public offering in April which saw its stock soar 67 percent by the end of its first day of trading.

Dr. Brown's talks with the carrier, if successful, could push down the cost of airfares to Bermuda.

The airline is run by New York businessman David Neelman, and among its backers is the billionaire George Soros.

If it does start flying to Bermuda, the new route will be Jet Blue's first expansion beyond the continental United States and Puerto Rico.

"They have already flown over water which is a milestone for carriers so we know they have qualified for that - that would not be an issue," Dr. Brown said.

Government is hoping to get the airline to start a daily New York-Bermuda route