Carriers Add Flights to Meet Growing Caribbean Demand

The Caribbean remains a popular vacation destination choice among U.S. travelers and most airlines are starting to take notice to meet the demand for flights into the region, says the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

This fall and winter, consumers will have more options into the Caribbean from both big air carriers and budget airlines. Also, with an increase in intra-Caribbean air service, vacationers will be able to hop around the islands with greater ease.

“The new airlift into the Caribbean region and the increased intra-Caribbean service affords travelers more options to reach any one of our more than 30 member countries for their vacation,” said Hugh Riley, director of marketing for the Americas for the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO).

“We anticipate that the popularity of our region among the traveling public will continue to bring additional routes and carriers to the Caribbean,” he added.

Over the next few months American Eagle will introduce new intra-Caribbean routes with a non-stop flight between San Juan and Fort-de-France, Martinique four times a week and daily service between San Juan and Vieques, Puerto Rico. The airline will also add a second flight between San Juan and Anguilla.

Continental Airlines is launching service to five Caribbean destinations starting with Ponce, Puerto Rico from Newark Liberty International. In December, Continental will begin weekly, nonstop flights between Houston and Bonaire, Newark and Curacao, and New York´s La Guardia and Aruba.

Continental also will begin twice-a-week service between Houston and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The airline will also increase frequencies from Houston and Newark to Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.

Delta Airlines plans to begin new daily service to the Dominican Republic by launching Atlanta to Punta Cana and Atlanta to Santo Domingo. Three-times per week service between Atlanta and Barbados will be introduced.

Spirit Airlines rolls out new nonstop service between Orlando and Nassau and connects San Juan with Orlando and Tampa via a convenient connection through Ft. Lauderdale.

The new air connection services are a follow-up to a growing expansion of service over the past six months to the Caribbean.