United Airlines Is Adding More Flights to the Caribbean, With Extra Service to St Maarten, Punta Cana and Cozumel 

The shopping in Philipsburg. The dinners in Grand Case. The vibes on Friar’s Bay. The energy in Maho. St Maarten is more popular than ever, and now the island is getting an extra boost from United Airlines this fall, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

United is ramping up its Caribbean footprint out of Chicago, with plans to add extended weekend service from O’Hare to St Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport in November. The Chicago-SXM flight takes a little over five hours; United is selling roundtrips in November for around $792. 

But it’s not just St Maarten. United is also adding more weekend service from Chicago to Punta Cana in October, in another boost for what is already the most popular destination in the Caribbean. 

That’s along with extended weekend flights in November to the tiny Mexican Caribbean island of Cozumel, which is generally more popular as a cruise stop but has been quietly seeing strong growth in stayover tourism in recent years. 

United has been adding more and more flights to the region in the last year, most notably with its launch of the first-ever flights between Newark and the Eastern Caribbean island of Dominica, which kicked off in February.

Are you heading to St Maarten? It’s a remarkably diverse place to visit, with two countries sharing one small island, both ripe for exploration. If you’re heading to the Dutch side, we like the new adults-only wing at the Sonesta Maho all-inclusive resort; on the French side, I just stayed at the Grand Case Beach Club and it remains one of my all-time favorite beach hotels.

One can’t miss experience in St Maarten? A trip to Pinel Island, where you take a super-quick ferry from the Cul-de-Sac neighborhood and are immediately transported to a little island paradise, replete with two world-class beach bars. 

If you’re going to Punta Cana, it’s likely you’re looking for an all-inclusive vacation. If that’s the case, we rather like the Lopesan Costa Bavaro resort, which is set on a broad stretch of beach in the primary tourism zone in Punta Cana, and is particularly good for families. Rooms start at $389. But we strongly recommend the swim-up rooms, too. 

Can’t miss experience in Punta Cana? A lunch at the wonderful Jellyfish beach bar in Punta Cana, where you’ll get the best seafood in the whole area. 

As for Cozumel, while there are lots of all-inclusive options, you can’t go wrong at the InterContinental Presidente, with rooms at $239, according to Google Hotels. 

Cozumel is famous for its diving, and that means you simply must take a trip to either dive (or snorkel) the renowned Palancar Reef.