Three scheduled carriers will soon increase air service to St. Thomas, according to United States Virgin Islands commissioner of tourism Beverly Nicholson-Doty.
Nicholson-Doty announced that, following meetings with airline partners over the past few months, Spirit Airlines will increase its Fort Lauderdale-St. Thomas frequency to daily, effective Saturday, March 10th, 2018.
At the same time, due to strong bookings on the Atlanta-St. Thomas route, Delta Air Lines will reinstate its daily service from New York to St. Thomas, effective May 24th.
Finally, JetBlue Airways will operate a second daily flight from San Juan-St. Thomas from February 15th.
The airline will provide daily options for travellers between Boston and St. Thomas, between February 15th-May 1st, over San Juan.
“We are very encouraged by these new developments,” reported the commissioner, who explained that while hotels and resorts rebuild and prepare to welcome stayover visitors back to the territory, a strong demand for air seats is being generated by guests staying at inns, bed and breakfasts and boutique hotels.
The commissioner assured that efforts are continuing to increase airlift to both airports, on St. Croix and St. Thomas.
Governor of the US Virgin Islands, Kenneth Mapp, thanked the respective airline partners for their commitment to the territory, and explained that his administration was making every effort to ensure there was adequate air access between the airports and the US mainland.
“It’s really encouraging to see the continued demand in the marketplace for the US Virgin Islands, as we continue making strides in our recovery from September’s back-to-back hurricanes.
“The resilience of our people and our territory is undeniable, and we’re grateful to our airline partners for making their continued contributions to our recovery.”
With the latest flight additions, the US Virgin Islands are now being served by approximately 13,000 seats each week – 9,000 to St. Thomas and 4,000 to St. Croix (not including intra-island service).