This paper aims to begin a discussion about how the Commonwealth Caribbean can more effectively brand its air transportation sector and leverage that Brand Strategy in the interest of achieving certain defined socio-economic development objectives, largely but not exclusively, in creating a more competitive travel and tourist industry.

In pursuit of that endeavour it seeks to define what Branding is, how important it is, the extent to which it has been used to date in the Caribbean travel and tourist industry, and what are some of the challenges and constraints the region has faced along the way. It specifically raises the difficulties involved in branding separate companies which have merged or consolidated in some way and in that context discusses the implications for merging existing Caribbean carriers or for the creation of other collaborative approaches between them.

It wishes also to examine some of the challenges facing branders in light of how technological innovations have and are impacting distribution channels and the business of marketing and advertising products of all kinds.

Finally it seeks to examine some case studies of successful and unsuccessful branding, especially in the field of air transportation and to discuss how the lessons learnt may be usefully applied to Caribbean air transportation.