U.S. Virgin Islands Commissioner of Tourism Joseph Boschulte says new JetBlue service from New York to St. Thomas this fall will help to meet strong demand for travel to the territory from the Northeast United States.
Responding to a JetBlue announcement that the airline is adding new routes to serve customers in markets where leisure and VFR (visiting friends and relatives) travel are showing some signs of strength, the commissioner commended the airline for increasing nonstop connectivity to the U.S.V.I.
“Over the past year, we have been making our case to the airline about boosting connectivity from the tri-state area, and we are pleased with the timing of this twice-weekly service, ahead of the winter season,” said Boschulte.
According to the airline, with business travel facing a less certain recovery timeline, newly announced routes offer JetBlue the opportunity to generate revenue, bring back into service aircraft that would otherwise sit idle, and add more flying opportunities for JetBlue crew members.
“Coronavirus has transformed airline route maps, and as we begin to see small signs of recovery, we continue to be flexible with our network plans to respond to demand trends and generate cash in support of our business,” said Scott Laurence, head of revenue and planning for JetBlue. “We’ve selected routes where customers are showing some interest in travel again and where our low fares and award-winning experience will be noticed.”
Commissioner Boschulte said that the territory was observing strong demand and interest in the U.S. Virgin Islands in spite of today’s pandemic, and the U.S.V.I. assured that the safety and health of residents and guests will continue to be a top priority for the destination.
The Department of Tourism has worked closely with the Office of the Governor, the Department of Health, the USVI Hotel & Tourism Association, as well as the business and local communities to develop and implement protocols to help stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the territory. A travel advisory, outlining specific guidelines that apply to visitors, can be found at https://bit.ly/2MgxuJ9. Additional information is available at www.usviupdate.com.
JetBlue currently serves St. Thomas from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and will resume Boston-St. Thomas flights this fall. The airline’s COVID-19 practices and policies are published online at http://blog.jetblue.com/coronavirus.
