The Caribbean’s fastest-growing carrier has added another daily route to the region, this time to the island of Puerto Rico.
This week, Frontier Airlines kicked off new daily nonstop service from Tampa, Fla. to San Juan, Puerto Rico, another new route for what has been the fastest-expanding airline in the Caribbean amid the pandemic.
The new daily service officially began on June 23, representing yet another route for Frontier to Puerto Rico, which itself has been one for the region’s top performing tourism destinations.
Puerto Rico has seen surging air arrival growth amid the pandemic, a trend buoyed in large part by the fact that travelers don’t need a passport to travel to the destination.
That was easily the island’s biggest draw at the heart of the pandemic, even when its health protocols were relatively restrictive, and has helped pave the way for continued arrival growth in the last year and a half.
“We are thrilled to expand our service from San Juan to now include Tampa, a highly popular destination in Florida among residents of Puerto Rico for both visiting friends and relatives and enjoying the area’s attractions,” said Daniel Shurz, senior vice president of commercial, Frontier Airlines. “Connecting San Juan to Tampa offers even more opportunities to travel to the U.S. mainland affordably and conveniently via Frontier’s ‘Low Fares Done Right’ as well as bring more tourists and additional economic impact to Puerto Rico.”
The new flight represents an economic impact of $34 million, according to Carlos Mercado Santiago, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.
It also amounts to 65,700 annual seats to the island.
“We are excited for this new flight bringing Puerto Rico closer to Tampa Bay residents. This route complements an expansive list of non-stop routes the airline offers to the Island from the mainland U.S., benefiting the Puerto Rican diaspora in the area and allowing other Floridians the opportunity to explore everything Puerto Rico has to offer, from breathtaking beaches to authentic cultural experiences, and above all, the Puerto Rican way of enjoying life. This new connection will allow Tampa residents to fully immerse themselves in our style, rhythm, and unique way of living, showing them what it truly means to ‘Live Boricua.’ Without the need for a passport, currency exchange or new phone plan, and with new routes continuing to be added, traveling to Puerto Rico is easier than ever.”
Frontier now flies from 10 airports in the mainland United States to San Juan.
The carrier also operates service between Orlando and Puerto Rico’s second-largest airport, Rafael Hernandez International Airport in Aguadilla, the gateway to the island’s west coast and popular destinations like Rincon.