Delta, JetBlue Expanding Service to Virgin Islands

V.I. Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty told a crowd of tourism industry professionals Tuesday that increased demand for travel to the Virgin Islands has led Delta to add more flights to St. Thomas.

At Tuesday's Destination Symposium, organized each year by the USVI Hotel and Tourism Association, the department gave an hour-long presentation providing updates on the government's strategies to market and advertise the territory.

She said she makes it a priority to have sit-down meetings with all the airlines that come into the territory at least once, if not twice, a year. About two weeks ago, she had a meeting with Delta, and they told her about their decision to expand service to St. Thomas. Delta does not fly to St. Croix.

Traditionally, Delta cuts back its flights by two a week from about August to late November, Nicholson-Doty said.

Additionally, the winter schedule for Delta typically is staggered with a daily flight seven days a week and a second flight five days a week. This winter, both flights will be seven days a week, Nicholson-Doty said.

On top of that good news, Delta also is moving a Saturday-only direct flight from JFK Airport in New York to St. Thomas to a daily flight for the upcoming winter season.

As for other airlift to the territory, Nicholson-Doty said JetBlue has added another flight from Puerto Rico to St. Croix, bringing another 700 seats to the island per week.

She said she also is working closely with regional carriers Cape Air and Seaborne Airlines to increase capacity in the Caribbean region. The local airlines can be used to connect the territory to other markets by being the link to international airlines that do not fly directly to the Virgin Islands, she said.

Nicholson-Doty said the boost in airlift is attributable to good communication with the airlines and good marketing strategies that have led to increased demand for travel to the territory year round.

Continuing to promote the "no passport required" concept and partnering with national and regional organizations pooling resources to market the Caribbean as a whole have also been effective, she said.

Source: The Virgin Islands Daily News, St. Thomas