Mustique Airways, incorporated in 1979, was NOT (as I had always assumed) started by Jonathan Palmer, rather a French home-owner on Mustique named Michel Seydoux. Jonathan and his wife Marnie joined forces with Mr. Seydoux in 1981, and together they expanded the airline’s services. The company’s office was moved from Mustique to St. Vincent to accommodate the increase in passengers wishing to take inter-island flights, and a check-in desk was made available in Barbados to facilitate passengers arriving and departing on international flights.
When the J.F. Mitchell airport opened in May of 1992, Mustique Airways (which the Palmers had recently purchased) offered shared charter flights to and from Barbados, a flight that was instantly popular because crossing the channel to catch a LIAT flight would no longer be necessary. The Palmers had opened a travel agency at the Gingerbread complex in Belmont, and their friendly and efficient staff issued tickets for international flights as well as private or shared charters with Mustique Airways. With an airport, an airline and a travel agency on Bequia, flying suddenly became a pleasure instead of an unpleasant, frustrating experience.
I worked closely with Mustique Airways, Bequia Villa Rentals was extremely busy during the winter months and my guests all took the shared charter from Barbados to Bequia. There were days, especially between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, when several planes landed one after the other filled with people who had booked villas. It was chaotic at times, people often arrived without their luggage if the International flights into Barbados were late, but Mustique Airways worked hard to get everyone’s suitcases to Bequia the following day.
When I discovered that Mustique Airways was offering a flight to and from St. Vincent for $70.00 EC I cheered out loud. I had never been a good sailor and ALWAYS got queasy when crossing the channel by ferry, so flying to and from the mainland would be a treat. The fact that the flight departed at 8:30 instead of 6:30 was s bonus, it meant I could get the restaurant organized for the day without having to get up at 4:00. How civilized, how VERY civilized! I don’t recall if I was the very first person to take that Bequia/St. Vincent/Bequia, flight, but I didn’t waste any time booking it, that’s for sure !
The flight between Bequia and St. Vincent on Mustique Airway’s Islander was smooth and enjoyable. It took just seven minutes to fly across the channel as opposed to one hour by ferry, and it was nice to arrive on the mainland without feeling seasick! The $70.00 EC was well spent in my opinion, but I hadn’t factored in the taxis to and from Kingstown, which raised the transportation cost to $120.00 if I tipped the driver. The cost was not the problem though, I was a busy person, and the time I saved by flying and not getting seasick was well worth the expense. My problem was the unease associated with having cargo on a ferry and not traveling with it, I needed to be sure my boxes had been delivered to the right boat and that they were all accounted for. The obvious solution was to take the morning flight to the mainland and return with the ferry, I never got seasick on the return trip anyway. A one-way flight to St. Vincent was $40.00 EC, a total bargain as far as I was concerned, but that particular scheduled flight from Bequia to the mainland never really took off (if you will pardon the pun), and much to my dismay it was eventually discontinued.
Jonathan Palmer turned 65 in August of 2019, and aviation regulations dictated that he retire. Captain Palmer can still fly of course, but his career as a commercial pilot ended on August 16, 2019, which is the day he made his final flight. Jonathan and Marnie Palmer worked hard for many years to make inter-island flights a possibility, and I salute them for their efforts as well as their friendship. Thank-you!