Flights to the Caribbean have always been in ample supply from the East Coast, making the region an appealing choice for these American vacationers. But travelers from other regions of the U.S. often struggle between choosing a Caribbean vacation or selecting more convenient options such as Mexico or Hawaii.
However, with a wide range of new flights to the Caribbean coming into play over the coming months, connections and direct flights will now be even easier from the West Coast and the Midwest.
American Airlines has been a major player in the Caribbean for decades. The carrier has announced an ambitious slate of new flights and increased service from a variety of hubs to a range of Caribbean islands.
A new flight already in play includes a Saturday flight from Miami International Airport to Bonaire International Airport. The flight, which utilizes an Airbus 319 with eight first-class seats and 120 economy seats, departs Miami at 12:05 p.m. and arrives in Bonaire at 4:13 p.m. Commencing Dec. 15, American will bolster its Bonaire service with an additional three non-stop flights from Miami. These will fly on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Many of the new flights from American are timed to coincide with the Caribbean’s winter high season for travel.
Beginning Nov. 4, American will be adding a daily nonstop flight from Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, to St. Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport. On Dec. 19, the carrier will add a second daily flight from Miami International Airport.
This winter travel season, American will also add Chicago O’Hare International Airport routes to Aruba, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; Nassau, the Bahamas; and Turks and Caicos. The Aruba service will be further bolstered with a flight out of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, beginning Dec. 22.
An aerial view of Secret Harbour Beach Resort in St. Thomas, the U.S. Virgin Islands
Credit: 2018 Gregory Moorehead“Connecting Aruba with Dallas does not only mean a new gateway for Aruba into the Midwest, but also will entail additional connections beyond this point into U.S. Western markets,” said Jo-Anne Arends, air service development manager for Aruba Airport Authority.
When it comes to the Caribbean, JetBlue has established itself as the carrier to watch, with constant additions to its roster of flights and destinations. In June, JetBlue beefed up its Curacao service by adding a fourth nonstop Tuesday flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City to Curacao International Airport. JetBlue also flies to Curacao on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
JetBlue has also added new daily service from JFK to Grenada that will operate until Sept. 4.
Clients will most likely appreciate that the biggest Caribbean expansion is coming from a low-cost carrier. Spirit Airlines will begin flying an ambitious slate of new flights out of its hub at Orlando International Airport in Florida.
“We have been proud to serve Orlando for 25 years, and after more than doubling service last year, we are so proud to be expanding there yet again,” said Bob Fornaro, chief executive officer for Spirit Airlines. “Orlando is now one of our largest markets, and we have no plans on stopping our growth.”
The new flights from Spirit include daily flights to Rafael Hernandez International Airport in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, commencing Oct. 4; three times a week to Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, beginning Nov. 8; and service to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, four-times weekly now through Nov. 7. On Nov. 8, the Santo Domingo flight shifts to daily service.
Travel from the U.S. to Cuba has been having its ups and downs lately. That hasn’t stopped Southwest Airlines from expanding its service to the destination. Beginning Aug. 7, the carrier will offer a third daily nonstop flight between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba.
