It is one of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean: the US Virgin Islands, which has been seeing surging tourism numbers largely since the summer of 2020. That includes the territory’s most-visited island, St Thomas, which has been seeing sizzling travel demand. 

Now, St Thomas, long a top target for airlines expanding in the Caribbean, is getting more nonstop flights.

Next summer, American Airlines is doubling its nonstop service between Charlotte, North Carolina and St Thomas, with plans for two daily flights. The expansion underscores the continued popularity of the USVI as a year-round destination, not just a place for winter travel. 

That continues to be true across the wider Caribbean, and was a pandemic-era development. When many traditional summer destinations were closed in the summers of 2020 and 2021, travelers turned to the Caribbean, quickly realizing that the region is just as satisfying a destination in the warmer months (indeed, some say it’s an even better time to visit). 

The second daily flight will kick off operations on June 5, 2024, American Airlines confirmed. 

Are you planning a trip to St Thomas? 

The island is in the midst of a renaissance of its own, one that begins with the relaunch and rebranding of its largest resort: what is now the dual-resort Frenchman’s Reef complex consisting of the Westin Beach Resort and the Morningstar Buoy Haus resort, the latter part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection. 

St Thomas is also seeing renewed activity in the charming historic downtown of Charlotte Amalie, which has been undergoing a redevelopment and even welcomed its first full-fledged boutique hotel earlier this year.

The colorful Pink Palm, which opened its doors at the beginning of 2023, is a vibrant, hip 27-room boutique with a rooftop pool deck and a playful, breezy ambience. (The island also held the groundbreaking for its first new-build hotel in decades, the Hampton by Hilton St Thomas).

It’s part of a broader resurgence for the US Virgin Islands, from the continued boom on the tiny island of St John to a buzzing scene in St Croix, which is seeing new hotel growth of its own. 

For more, visit the US Virgin Islands.