By the Caribbean Journal staff

The category-4-strength Hurricane Irma was set to make landfall in the Caribbean on Tuesday as islands across the northern Caribbean braced for impact.

As of Monday evening, the eye of Hurricane Irma was moving with maximum sustained winds near 140 mph with higher gusts, with additional strengthening forecast for the next 48 hours.

The storm was about 410 miles east of the Leeward Islands.

The center of the storm was set to move near or over portions of the northern Leeward Islands on Tuesday night and early Wednesday.

As such, a hurricane warning is now in effect for Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, St. Kitts, Nevis, Saba, St. Eustatius, St Maarten, St Martin, St Barth, the British Virgin Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra.

A Hurricane Watch and tropical storm warning is in effect for Guadeloupe, with a tropical storm watch in effect for Dominica.

A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area, typically issued 36 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of storm-force winds.

Some of Irma’s biggest hazards are storm surges, which could raise water levels by as much as six to nine feet above normal tide levels along the coasts of the extreme northern Leewards.

The NOAA said that if peak surge occurs at the time of high tide, water could reach as high as four to six feet in the BVI and USVI (except St Croix) and between two and four feet on the northern coast of Puerto Rico.

Irma is expected to produce total rainfall of about three to six inches, with max amounts of 10 inches across the northern Leewards, something that could produce life-threatening mudslides and flash floods.

Islands around the northeastern Caribbean have declared states of emergency, most notably Puerto Rico.

Irma’s approach led to a wave of flight cancellations around the northern Caribbean both on regional carriers and international carriers like American Airlines, though it should be noted that these cancellations applied to flights to the northeastern Caribbean, not the eastern and southern Caribbean.

The post Hurricane Irma Heads for the Caribbean appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Southwest Airlines has officially taken delivery of its newest aircraft: its first Boeing 737 MAX 8.

Southwest is the first airline in the United States to receive the 737 MAX, planning to take delivery of eight more MAX planes in the coming weeks.

Southwest is aiming to launch nine MAX aircraft into revenue service on Oct. 1.

“Southwest Airlines has a lot more to do and a lot more places to go,” said Chairman & CEO Gary Kelly. “The 737 MAX opens a new chapter of efficiency, reliability, and comfort to the Southwest fleet, and its increased range allows us to take our low fares even farther.”

Southwest’s 737 MAX 8 aircraft has a single-class cabin configuration with 175 seats, along with features like LED lighting sequences and Boeing’s Sky Interior.

“As the launch Customer of the 737 MAX, we’ve been preparing for this moment since 2011,” said Chief Operating Officer Mike Van de Ven. “I want to offer a special thanks to Boeing, CFM, and all of the Southwest Employees who worked together to deliver this game-changing aircraft to Southwest Airlines.”

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Hard Rock International has promoted Andrew Nasskau to be its new vice president of operations development, the company announced in a release.

Nasskau had been serving as area vice president of operations, responsible for management, operations and preopening of Hard Rock hotels in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India.

In his new role, he will oversee pre-opening global operations and development for the brand.

“With more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Andrew is the perfect fit for the position of vice president operations development and we look forward to seeing his continued success,” said Dale Hipsh, senior vice president of hotels, Hard Rock International. “From serving guests to hoteliers, Andrew’s career has been a stadium tour packed with sellout dates in London, Dubai, Tenerife and more.”

Hard Rock has been expanding globally, including in the Caribbean, where it is developing a major new project in Santo Domingo.

— Caribbean Journal staff

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There’s a new leader in the Caribbean cruise industry: Windstar Cruises.

The luxury small-ship cruise line has taken home Caribbean Journal’s 2017 Readers’ Choice Award as the Best Caribbean Cruise Line.

The award is the result of surveys of Caribbean Journal’s audience of more than 100,000 daily email subscribers and more than 500,000 unique visitors per month — the world’s largest community of travelers to the Caribbean.

The voting choices included 16 cruise lines, with both large and small-ship lines.

Windstar received the most votes, beating out Royal Caribbean to take home the crown.

Windstar operates a fleet of six luxury “yachts” with no ship larger than 310 guests, with itineraries across the Caribbean region.

For more information, visit Windstar.

— CJ

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Virgin Atlantic has jus raised the bar with its new Wi-Fi update: a global offering that even includes flights from Europe to the Caribbean.

Virgin is now the first airline in Europe to offer Wi-Fi across its entire fleet, meaning travelers can now use email and browse the Internet at 35,000 feet.

The cost? As little as £2.99, according to the company.

Virgin’s technology uses a combination of Panasonic and Gogo technology, with access beginning once aircraft reach 10,000 feet.

Virgin said about 42 percent of customers opt for the WiFi Max package which lasts for the entire flight.

“From today customers flying around the world with Virgin Atlantic can work and play throughout their flight as we become the first airline in Europe to offer a fully WiFi enabled fleet,” said Mark Anderson, Executive Vice President, Customer at Virgin Atlantic. “Innovation has always been in our blood and we’ve worked closely with WiFi providers to develop the fastest, most reliable connection across the Atlantic, and are the first carrier to offer WiFi between the UK and the Caribbean, China and Africa.”

The airline’s Airbus A330 aircraft use Gogo, while its 787 Dreamliners use Panasonic Wi-Fi.

– Caribbean Journal staff

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