By 2007, vacationers will be offered a wider variety of destinations as well as flight times to choose from when planning their Caribbean getaways.  With increased service between many Caribbean countries, intra-Caribbean travel or ‘island hopping’ is easier than ever for travelers allowing them to experience multiple destinations during a single trip to the region.

“The continued rise in air service to and through the region reflects the airlines’ tremendous level of confidence in the Caribbean and its attractiveness to vacationers,” said Hugh Riley, director of marketing for the Americas of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO).  “New and expanded air service is making it extremely easy for travelers to experience the vast diversity of the Caribbean by island hopping their way around the region,” he added.

New Services

Air Jamaica will increase flights to St. Lucia with continuing service to Barbados effective January 11, 2007.  Air Jamaica will provide non-stop flights from JFK International Airport (NY) to Hewanorra International Airport (St. Lucia) four times per week (every Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday).  .

American Eagle will increase its service to Anguilla adding two daily flights departing from San Juan starting December 14, 2006.  .

Continental will add a second weekly non-stop flight from Newark, NJ to Bonaire starting December 16, 2006.  .

Caribbean Airlines, as of January 1, 2007, will be replacing BWIA West Indies Airways, which has served the Caribbean for 66 years.  The first Caribbean Airlines flight will take off on the first as well.  Tickets purchased on BWIA will be honored and frequent flyer miles in Club BWEE will automatically be transferred. 

Delta plans to add a daily non-stop flight from Atlanta to Santiago, Dominican Republic with connections via New York and New Jersey as well as a daily non-stop and one-stop flight from New York (JFK International Airport) to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (with the one-stop in Atlanta) starting December 9, 2006.

On December 15, 2006, Delta will add a daily non-stop flight from Atlanta to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

On December 16, 2006, Delta is scheduled to offer non-stop service from Atlanta to Martinique every Saturday.

Northwest Airlines will add a new non-stop flight from Detroit Metropolitan Airport to Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas effective January 6, 2007. 

Recently Launched Services

Air Montserrat began service in October 2006, running daily flights between Montserrat and Antigua. 

Caribbean Sun Airlines/Caribbean Star Airlines new schedule went into effect April 2, 2006 expanding the sister airlines’ services.

Caribbean Sun has a new daily non-stop flight from Antigua to Trinidad while Caribbean Star added a third daily flight in either direction along its Grenada-Barbados route.

On July 13, 2006, Caribbean Star resumed daily service between Trinidad and Georgetown, Guyana, and on July 19, 2006, Caribbean Sun launched new service between its hub in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.  This is the carrier’s first service to/from Santo Domingo.  Customers are offered eight daily nonstop flights at numerous convenient times.

JetBlue launched service to Bermuda on May 4, 2006 with daily non-stop service to New York (JFK).

On February 2, 2006, JetBlue introduced daily service between Boston and Nassau, The Bahamas, complementing the already existing service between Nassau and JFK.

On September 15, 2006, it launched a daily non-stop flight from JFK to Aruba.

Spirit Airlines began its non-stop daily flights from Ft. Lauderdale, FL to Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands on February 9, 2006.  This flight offers connections from its Ft. Lauderdale hub to Grand Cayman from Atlanta, Atlantic City, Chicago/O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Los Angeles (LAX), NY LaGuardia, Orlando, Providence/Boston area, Tampa and Washington, D.C./Reagan National. 

US Airways has continued with its nonstop service between Washington, D.C./Reagan National and Bermuda International Airport for November – March, a flight previously run during only summer months. 

Win Air has added a fifth flight to its Montserrat/Antigua flight schedule.  Visitors can travel as early as 7:00 am and as late as 5:00 pm. 

As a reminder, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) will take effect January 8, 2007.  The WHTI requires all those traveling by air to the Caribbean to have a passport.