AIR JAMAICA customer review :  10 November 2009 by Terry James   (USA)

Chicago to Montego Bay and back. Plane left (and arrived) early on both the outbound and return flights. No problems with check in or with the bags. They served drinks and offered a small bag of dried banana chips or cookies in both directions (nothing hot and nothing to buy). Service okay but nothing special. Only problem was that the entertainment system was not working in either direction. Major reasons to use Air Jamaica are the schedule and the fact that no connection is needed to get to Montego Bay.

AIR JAMAICA customer review :  23 October 2009 by A Sampson   (USA)

Chicago to Montego Bay return. Check-in done very well. Had drinks and a movie on the flight down but no food other than a 'snack box' that was for sale. Service on the flight was ok but rather ho-hum. Check-in in Montego Bay took forever due to the large number of people in line. Flight back was late taking off as the plane did not arrive in Montego Bay on time. Liked the price of the ticket, the schedule, and the fact that they do not charge for the first bag. Did not like the late return departure and the lack of included food on such a long flight. I would rate Air Jamaica slightly (very slightly) better than the low standards of most major US airlines.

AIR JAMAICA customer review : 15 September 2009 : by Fred Gross

Customer Rating : 3/5

ORD-MBJ-ORD on A320. The best feature of the trip down is the early departure time which gets me to be beach by noon. Air Jamaica has stopped serving food (only drinks) since my last flight. Service fine but nothing special on this trip. Return flight was, as is normal for Air Jamaica, about an hour late in departing MBJ. Had to by dinner at the airport in Montego Bay. Best feature of the return trip is being able to leave the hotel after lunch for the airport. AJ provides good basic transportation to/from Jamaica with a great schedule but thats about it.

AIR JAMAICA customer review : 13 August 2009 : by E Armstrong

Customer Rating : 1/5

This was the worst airline ever! My husband and I went to Ocho Rios for our honeymoon. We booked our flights through Expedia several months ahead of time. The airline canceled our return flight home and rescheduled it for the next day. No one bothered to even tell us this useful bit of information until we called to confirm our flights. When we asked for a voucher for our having to pay for another hotel night, or some kind of upgrade on our flight they said "no, we don't do that." Your only option is to cancel! By then it was too late to book any reasonable price with another airline. When we boarded they had changed my window seat to a seat in the back of the plane that did not recline and gave me attitude because I wanted a change back to what I had purchased. When I asked for a blanket they rudely told me "there are no blankets for coach". Long wait for drinks and I was ignored when I asked for a snack for my sleeping husband.

AIR JAMAICA customer review : 15 July 2009 : by R James

Customer Rating : 1/5

This airline is one to avoid. Broken seats, lazy crew, no inflight meal and only 1 small drink on our 3.5 hour flight from Jamaica to New York. Arrived to find our luggage had gone missing. Then 48 hours later, still no luggage and the insult of being offered $25 to compensate us. The bag cost more than that, let alone the contents! We are disgusted.

AIR JAMAICA customer review : 15 May 2009 : by T Potter

Customer Rating : 1/5

During a recent trip to Negril Jamaica we had a major medical problem and had to delay for one day. The reservations clerk told us it would be $150 each to reschedule - then the clerk said no, this is a one way (it was our original booking) it will be $280 for each, a total of $560. This is a rip-off pure and simple. A terrible airline and I will never fly it again.

AIR JAMAICA customer review : 13 January 2009 : by D Dunn

Customer Rating : 1/5

Original plan to fly JFK to Grenada. Air Jamaica with short notice cancelled the return flight and replaced it 1 day later. We were lucky to have a room available for the extra day during our hotel's busy season. I tried to contact customer service to express my complaint and was told to send e-mail. After several messages stating that e-mail could not be delivered I finally got one to go through but no one responded. I tried to pre-register on- line within the 4-24 hours prior to the flight but I was unable to. We were told to arrive three hours prior to our departure time of 0630 but the ticket counter was not staffed until 0500. They started to board the plane which had been at the gate all night and then had to stop due to a maintenance issue. After the three hour delay we boarded and taxied to the runway but was then told one of the generators would not start and had to return to the gate. It took 2.5 hours to make the repairs during which time many passengers became edgy and the pilot was slow in keeping the passengers informed of the progress. Finally we were off and arrived 6 hours later than scheduled (total of 7.5 hours on the plane). I again tried to pre-register on-line within the 4-24 hours prior to the return flight but I was unable to. On our return flight which was stated as nonstop, some but not all of the passengers were informed that we needed to stop in Kingston Jamaica to refuel the plane which had just arrived from Montego Bay. This made a nonstop flight of 5 hours last an additional 2 hours for a total of 7 hours on the plane which is not great when you have back pain as I do. AJ makes this flight several times per week so they should have known that refueling would be necessary and should not advertise the flight as nonstop which is the main reason for selecting them. It would appear more logical to refuel the plane while it was at Montego Bay or while it was in Grenada but maybe there is a difference in the fuel cost. It seems that Air Jamaica has a reputation of being late, I will not use them again.

AIR JAMAICA customer review : 22 December 2008 : by C Charles

Customer Rating : 4/5

I fly with Air Jamaica twice annually from Grenada to New York aboard the Airbus 320/321. Their food is above average for airline food, they offer movies for the inflight entertainment. Flight Attendants are courteous, friendly and cooperative. They offer champagne inflight which is complimentary. The obstacle hindering them is their punctuality, they just cant seem to have one week of operation without delays.

AIR JAMAICA customer review : 1 December 2008 : by Paul Shindelus

Customer Rating : 2/5

While it wasn't the worst flight experience I've ever had, it left a poor first impression and I will think twice before flying them again. The first leg, LAX to Montego Bay left 45 minutes late because the crew was so slow cleaning the cabin. It was almost comical: they announced 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time that they were about to begin boarding, and by departure time we were all still standing there waiting to board and listening to our third or fourth "We're sorry for the delay but the crew is still in the process of cleaning the cabin" announcement. Naturally the flight arrived late to Jamaica as a consequence. The onboard service was below average: the flight attendants were not rude, but seemed indifferent to the passengers and unenthused about their jobs. Two of them even got into a minor argument in the middle of the aisle because one didn't think the other was being aggressive enough in telling people to raise their seatbacks before landing. So while the flight to MBJ wasn't without problems, it wasn't anything I couldn't forgive. However, the flight back to LAX was a nightmare and likely sealed my fate as a "one-and-done" Air Jamaica customer. We arrived at the airport 3 hours early, and it's a good thing, because we spent a ridiculous 1 hour, 45 minutes in the ticket line! I don't know if they didn't have enough check-in people or the ones they had were too slow, but if we'd arrived 2 hours early as the airline industry recommends for international flights, we'd likely have missed our flight. We had the same problem with late boarding that we'd incurred at LAX, they announced they were about to begin boarding and then it took 20 minutes to actually begin. Then we get on the plane and they told us our non-stop flight had been changed to include a stop in Miami. The reasons they gave were the direct MBJ-LAX route was experiencing turbulence (although the MIA/LAX route we ended up taking turned out to be awfully turbulent); and (2) with a full flight and headwinds, the plane would not make it all the way to LAX. Honestly, what kind of airline schedules a non-stop flight that can't make it to its destination non-stop? Full flights and headwinds can and should be anticipated when airline schedules are being made. So we flew to Miami, spent more than an hour on the tarmac getting refueled, and continued on to LAX. Once again we had an indifferent, unenthusiastic flight crew that provided service that was average at best. We arrived about an hour-and-a-half late because of the Miami fiasco. Not only was that a major inconvenience for us, but as the plane was immediately returning to MBJ on a red-eye, a huge inconvenience for the passengers of that flight as well. If there were positives, they didn't lose our luggage, they didn't cancel our flight (I've read Air Jamaica is notorious for last-minute cancelations), they served free champagne in coach, the meals were free (unlike some carriers) and were actually not bad for airline food. But overall it was a difficult and disappointing experience, especially on the return flight.

AIR JAMAICA customer review : 21 October 2008 : by K Walters

Customer Rating : 3/5

Air Jamaica FLL to KIN. Check in was chaotic because of the lack of space at FLL but otherwise the flight left on time and we had a hot meal and in flight entertainment. The return flight was delayed for about 2 hrs. Overall it was an average experience.

AIR JAMAICA customer review : 31 July 2008 : by Alison Williams

Customer Rating : 1/5

I traveled with AJ and was very disappointed. The aircraft was very old, the service hostile and rude, you were made to feel as if you were putting staff out of their way. On arriving at Montego bay airport and queuing for 20mins the check in desk was closed then reopened 10 mins later. In total my flight was meant to leave at 5.35 pm and it was delayed by 11hrs and 30mins and all the while no one came to tell us anything - even when we got on the plane it was delayed by another hour due to over selling seats. If I could I would give it no stars.

AIR JAMAICA customer review : 7 July 2008 : by L Harms

Customer Rating : 1/5

Curacao via Montego Bay to Kingston and back. It was one of the worst experience I made. Both flights were late. The first one 6.5 hours and the flight back two hours. The service on ground was nothing. No information about flights. You were sitting all the time in the dark. In Kingston (capital of Jamaica) there are now screens informing about the flight situation. And if you ask any officials, also nothing. Nobody knew anything. If you have a choice take another airline.

AIR JAMAICA customer review : 7 July 2008 : by A McBride

Customer Rating : 1/5

My husband and I were travelling Montego Bay to Curacao on the 11:25 flight. We were told at check- in that the flight was delayed for about 2 hours, and were given a food voucher between us to the value of US$15. Several hours later we had still not left the airport. There were no public service announcements made about our flight. It was only by looking at the arrival/departure information boards that we discovered that the flight was delayed further. Then around 17:30 there was an announcement that the flight had been cancelled, without apology or any explanation. Passengers were then informed that they should go to the customer service desk. When we got there it was absolute chaos. Again there was no explanation as to why the flight had been cancelled and we were told that the next flight to Curacao was in 2 days time (1st July 2008). There were 3 members of staff there but only one was trying (badly) to deal with the passengers. In the end we had no choice but to give up, go back through customs etc, collect our luggage, and go back through to the check-in desks to be dealt with. The lady there was very helpful, reserving our flight in 2 days time, and booking us in at a hotel for 2 nights, with complimentary taxi. When we arrived at the airport on 1st July, again at check-in we were told at 9:30 a.m. that the flight was delayed about 2 hours and whilst we were checking in were then told that it would not depart until 17:50 In actual fact the flight did not take off until 19:06 and when we finally arrived at our hotel in Curacao we were 2 and half days late. The only apology we had was from the Captain addressing the whole plane who apologised for the delay on 1st July and explained that it was due to the fact that there was a shortage of planes due to maintenance issues. After this trip we are not planning on using Air Jamaica again.

AIR JAMAICA customer review : 5 July 2008 : by Pam Hicks

Customer Rating : 1/5

Our flight experiences from "Hell!" My family and friends (21 of us total) flew from BWI to Montego Bay on Friday, June 27 for vacation in Negril. Having flown quite often previous to this, we arrived at the airport nearly three hours prior to the planned flight. Upon check in, we were told our flight was delayed by three hours because the originating flight from Jamaica the night prior had not arrived in Baltimore. Our reservations made nearly six months in advance, we planned to be in Jamaica by 12:30 pm, leaving lots of time for sun and fun upon arrival at our resort. As it turned out our flight did not leave until 12:30 pm (from our original 8:35 am time). The plane was old, the seats worn out with no cushion, and the bracing supports poked us in the back for our entire three hour flight. Upon arrival in Montego Bay, it took another 1 1/2 hours to collect our baggage due to Air Jamaica's backwards off-loading and lack of assistance with excess/unclaimed luggage. Sadly, our return flight home was even worse. Tired and ready to leave Montego Bay at 4:50 pm yesterday, we arrived only to find that our plane had been "down-graded," leaving 36 passengers without seats or arrangements for flights, food, or overnight accomodation. Only twelve from our group made it onto the flight, which was also delayed for some unknown reason and didn't actually leave the terminal until about 7:00 pm. The rest of us attempted to arrange other flights from the island to just simply get us back into the states. Myself, my husband and my two children were set to leave on a 7:35 pm flight into Atlanta, Georgia with an overnight stay and then leave this morning at 7:00 am for Baltimore. The remainder of our friends were to leave at 7:00 pm for New York with arrangements for transportation upon arrival from New York to BWI. At 7:00 pm, last evening our Atlanta flight was cancelled without warning or explanation! And, again leaving a very large, angry crowd trying to make alternate arrangements. In order to get our daughters home as quickly as possible to avoid further upset about not going home, we were forced to again change our reservations which would allow the four women to leave the island heading for New York. We boarded our plane believing we were "on our way." Unfortunately, we wound up sitting on the plane for an additional 1 1/2 hours awaiting passengers from an arriving flight from Kingston. Had the pilot refused to wait, the remainder of our families, as well as other families who were also previously bumped several times, could have been heading home. But, NO! We waited, arriving in New York at 2:40 this morning. We still had to drive 3 1/2 hours south to Baltimore to pick up our car and then an additional 1 hour to home. We finally arrived home this morning at 6:45 am, exhausted, frustrated, and discouraged about the whole experience. My husband, son, and our two friends unfortunately are still not home! Their flight from Montego Bay was further delayed this morning from 7 am until 11:40 am landing them in Miami at about 1:30 pm, but their connecting flight with American Airlines (set to leave at 8:00 pm for Baltimore) did not leave until 20 minutes ago (9:05 pm). They will not be home until about 1:00 am tomorrow morning, making this attempt to leave this beautiful island a horrible two-day experience and a terrible ending to a wonderful vacation. It is very sad that this type of experience is now the norm instead of the exception. We have received no explanation, apology, or other benefit from Air Jamaica, and probably never will. My advice - Be very wary of booking any flights with Air Jamaica!

AIR JAMAICA customer review : 17 May 2008 : by D Mauro

Customer Rating : 1/5

JFK-GND-JFK. Nightmare airline - canceled my flight from JFK-GND. Apparently, this airline cancels flights all the time when flights aren't full. They took all passengers on a roller coaster ride of lines, check-ins, lies, and miscommunication. I ended up getting out the next day with a connection in BGI. Boarding took almost an hour and was not at all organized; the flight was completely full because they combined it with yesterday's canceled flight! I chose Air Jamaica to avoid a connection and ended up having it anyway. FAs had an attitude both ways and the food was typical airline cuisine. Although, you get a complimentary plastic cup of cheap champagne (a joke). To sum up this airline - on the return flight (GND-BGI-JFK) the pilot announced that the plane was headed to Kingston by mistake! Fortunately, he corrected himself and we did get into JFK on time. If you take this airline expect cancellations- this is how they operate.

AIR JAMAICA customer review : 30 April 2008 : by Norma Faul

Customer Rating : 1/5

My husband and I were booked to Barbados on April 13th from JFK. The flight was canceled and we departed on April 15th, losing 2 days. Return flight April 28th was 2 hours late for departure from Barbados arriving JFK 0115am at an insane time, and no luggage on arrival. I am tired of hearing the reason was weight distribution when in effect it was making more money on cargo and sending the luggage with another airline. I should have taken the hint when our luggage at Grantley Adams Airport was checked in, that the check in handler asked if our name tags were on our luggage. This is the first and last time we will ever travel with Air Jamaica. We were treated as human Cargo. Rule number one, all passengers must check in 2 hrs before departure - obediently we did and people who checked in much later than we did, received their luggage and we paid for first Class service and received tourist class service.

AIR JAMAICA customer review : 30 April 2008 : by M Delaney

Customer Rating : 1/5

Air Jamaica nightmare JFK-Barbados return. Too many inconveniences, problems, rudeness and lack of professionalism to detail here, but includes changing the flight times five times before traveling and not notifying passengers (when the flight was leaving an hour earlier than scheduled!), not seating families together (even those with small children). No headphones working, no film shown, oversold flight on the return leg that left scores of people stranded in Barbados on a Sunday night, and then to top it off, no luggage on arrival in NYC for approximately half the passengers. Any complaint to any member of Air Jamaica staff yields only hostile, rude, defiant responses - been traveling throughout the world for more than 30 years and have never encountered such a poorly run operation - stay away from Air Jamaica!