It is one of the favorite dreams of frequent travelers: hopping around from island to island, exploring the region on small planes, collecting their experiences and seeing the Caribbean in an entirely new way.
If you travel to the Caribbean often, you know there are a host of great regional airlines who provide precisely that service, offering quick, easy connections between your favorite islands.
The newest one? Fast-growing regional carrier Fly the Whale, which set up shop in the US Virgin Isands last year and is now expanding with a new route between St Croix and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Fly the Whale, which has long operated scheduled and charter service across the northeast US, Florida and The Bahamas, opened its base of operations in St Croix last year.
The company’s presence in the US Virgin Islands began with St Croix-St Thomas flights, operated out of a base at Henry Rohlsen Airport — with the airline now having flown more than 10,000 passengers since April.
Now, beginning next month, the carrier will be launching up to three roundtrip flights every day between the USVI and Puerto Rico’s San Juan Isla Grande Airport.
The flights have departures in the early morning and early evening as well, meaning you can even plan the perfect island-hopping day trip.
That service will complement Fly the Whale’s nine-times-daily flights between St Thomas and St Croix.
The relatively small Isla Grande airport is just a few minutes away from Puerto Rico’s air hub of Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, making for a decidedly comfortable and more intimate aviation experience.
“This new destination is the result of our savvy customers who were looking for a convenient and reliable service to their neighbor island, and Isla Grande achieves that,” said David Ziemer, Fly the Whale’s Chief Operating Officer.
Fly the Whale is partnering with Vieques Air Link for handling at Isla Grande Airport; VAL regularly operates flights between Ceiba, Vieques and Culebra.
“This is a great opportunity for our valued guests to take the easy way to San Juan. Our new flights skip the big airport hassles and make getting to and from San Juan a breeze for both frequent business travelers, residents traveling for medical care, and those simply seeking a getaway to the beautiful islands of Puerto Rico and St. Croix,” said Omer ErSelcuk, president of Fly the Whale.
The expansion for Fly the Whale continues a major push being made by the US Virgin Islands to incentivize improved air travel in the territory.
“As important to visitors coming to our territory is the ability for us residents to move between the islands,” said US Virgin Islands Tourism Commissioner Joseph Boschulte said last year following the carrier’s Virgin Islands launch.
The announcement comes just a few weeks after Frontier Airlines announced plans to launch nonstop flights between San Juan and St Croix, with thrice-weekly service beginning in June, another important connection for the US Virgin Island.
For more, visit Fly the Whale.