The British Virgin Islands’ new nonstop route from Miami seems to be doing rather well. The first flights between Miami and Tortola in the modern era only kicked off a few weeks ago, and American Airlines has already announced plans to expand them.
This winter, American Airlines will be adding a second daily nonstop flight between Miami and Tortola’s Beef Island Airport, spurred by strong demand for the nascent flight.
It’s a significant boost for the British Virgin Islands as it looks to winter 2023 recover its tourism number from prior to the pandemic.
The additional daily flight is part of what American Airlines is calling its largest-ever winter schedule to the Caribbean and Latin America. It’s also part of a concerted effort by American to connect Miami to smaller, typically harder-to-reach airports in the Caribbean like Dominica and Anguilla.
“This coming winter we’re looking forward to adding more service to the destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean that our customers want to visit, including our newest destination, Tortola,”José A. Freig, Vice President of Operations and Commercial for Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America. “We are proud to strengthen our lead as the largest U.S. airline in the region, with more flights and seats to more destinations than any other single carrier or partnership.”
Overall, American will be operating more than 2,250 weekly flights to 90 different destinations in the wider region. That represents an increase of 10 percent compared to the winter of 2022.
The second flight will be initially operating on a seasonal basis, the carrier said.
The British Virgin Islands got another recent boost with the announcement that Tradewind Aviation would be launching major new nonstop flights between San Juan and the island of Virgin Gorda, proving a crucial new route to one of the region’s top luxury destinations.