JetBlue is kicking off a new route to Antigua and Barbuda next week, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

The fast-expanding carrier is launching its first-ever service from Newark-Liberty International Airport to Antigua’s VC Bird International Airport. 

The new service, which begins July 3, will operate three times each week, with service on Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays. 

The addition complements JetBlue’s existing service out of the wider New York area, which already includes flights on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. 

It’s part of a broader Caribbean expansion first announced by JetBlue in February. 

And it’s never been a better time to visit Antigua and Barbuda, which has seen a strong tourism rebound after being one of the first destinations to reopen amid the pandemic back in June 2020. 

So what do travelers need to know? 

In one of the simpler-to-execute entry protocols in the region, all travelers have to do is show proof of a negative PCR test taken and received within seven days of their flight to Antigua. 

Children below the age of 12 don’t need to take a test. 

Visitors may be required to undergo testing on arrival or at their hotel or place of lodging as determined by health authorities. 

And the wearing of face masks in public spaces is mandatory throughout Antigua and Barbuda, along with social distancing protocols. 

All visitors need to complete a health declaration form on arrival. 

So what will travelers find?

They’ll find a vibrant, open destination, home to some of the Caribbean’s leading hotels and resorts (like the spectacular Hammock Cove). a vibrant dining scene (Sheer Rocks is a must) and the beginnings of a renaissance in Barbuda, where Robert De Niro just opened his first Caribbean restaurant.

For more, visit Antigua and Barbuda. 

— CJ