by Brian Major
Last updated: 12:40 PM ET, Thu May 25, 2017
Major US carriers are continuing to expand Caribbean-bound flights after significant expansion in 2016.
Delta Airlines became the latest company to launch new service to the region, announcing new weekly flights from New York's John F. Kennedy Airport to Robert L. Bradshaw Airport in St. Kitts beginning December 23.
Delta will also add a second weekly flight from Atlanta to St. Kitts starting Jan. 9, 2018. The Tuesday and Saturday departures will be operated using Boeing 757-200 aircraft offering 16 business class, 36 premium economy, and 108 economy seats.
"The Northeastern US has always been a prized market for tourism to Nevis so this will be very welcomed news to the growing number of travelers who visit our beautiful island," says Greg B. Phillip, CEO of the Nevis Tourism Board, adding that the additional flight from Atlanta "will help to satisfy the growing tourism demand from not only Atlanta, but also from their greater network across the US."
The new Delta flights follow a significant expansion in Caribbean service over the past year.
Although several carriers-including Frontier Airlines, Silver Airways and Spirit Airlines-have dropped flights to Cuba this year, both Jet Blue and Delta recently announced new flights to the island.
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Since the beginning of 2016, major carriers including Air Canada, American Airlines, Jet Blue and United Airlines have announced new flights to destinations including Barbados, Bermuda, the Dominican Republic-Haiti, the US Virgin Islands, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad & Tobago.
"We are very pleased to welcome the new Delta flight from JFK, as it is a very strong market for the Federation and, in particular, for Nevis, while the additional peak season service from Atlanta further expands capacity from a top gateway," said Mark Brantley, Nevis' minister of tourism, foreign affairs and aviation. "These flights align perfectly with our strategy to provide non-stop airlift from our key international gateways."
"This new service to St. Kitts bolsters our strong portfolio of Caribbean destinations from JFK," added Henry Kuykendall, Delta's vice president - New York.
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