by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 4:11 PM ET, Tue February 20, 2018
As the Caribbean continues its tremendous recovery from last year's unforgettable hurricane season, Spirit Airlines plans to expand its service to the region to include a new route.
Starting at the end of May, the airline will fly from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to St. Croix's Henry E. Rohlsen Airport.
The new service will be offered three times weekly on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, the airline said in a statement.
St. Croix is the airline's 65th destination, coming on the heels of a recent announcement that Spirit will also begin flying to Columbus, Ohio, Richmond, Virginia, Ecuador and Cap Haitien, Haiti.
"Spirit is proud of its strong connection to the Caribbean, and we're thrilled to bring more ultra-low fares to the U.S. Virgin Islands," Mark Kopczak, Spirit Airlines' vice president of network planning, said in a statement. "With this new service to St. Croix and our continuing resumption of service to the other islands impacted by last year's hurricanes, we are excited to expand on our 12 years of service to the region and continue to deliver ultra-low fares for tourists and locals alike."
The airline's decision to provide service to St. Croix coincides with the U.S. Virgin Islands' continued recovery from last September's hurricanes. As TravelPulse's Brian Major recently reported, the U.S. Virgin Islands were among the destinations hardest hit by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
But the destination is closer than ever to full recovery.
Electrical power has been restored to more than 90 percent of the islands. Historic downtown Charlotte Amalie is also in relatively good shape, thanks to the government, local stakeholders and cruise line officials teaming up to do everything from road clearance to debris cleanup and beach restoration.
"The decision by Spirit Airlines to provide service to St. Croix not only provides additional options for travelers to and from the mainland but also signals confidence in the territory's continued growth and progress," Kenneth E. Mapp, governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, said in a statement issued by the airline.
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Spirit continues to rebuild to its full historic Caribbean service levels.
On March 10, service to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands and to San Juan and Aguadilla in Puerto Rico all return to pre-storm, daily service. The following month, on April 12, Spirit will celebrate expanded service to Kingston, Jamaica for the summer season and new nonstop service to Cap Haitien, Haiti. Spirit also said it intends to resume its Saturday-only service to St. Maarten May 5.
"This additional service helps to meet the growing demand for air service into St. Croix, the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands," Beverly Nicholson Doty, Commissioner of Tourism U.S. Virgin Islands, said in a statement. "We thank Spirit Airlines for its commitment to the Territory and look forward to developing our expanding partnership."
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