JetBlue Airways is set to launch its newest Caribbean route at the beginning of next month. 

The New York City-based carrier is launching its first-ever flights to the French Caribbean archipelago of Guadeloupe beginning Feb. 1, 2020. 

The airline’s new service will be operating three times per week, with flights on Mondays, Saturdays and Wednesdays. 

The archipelago is one of the more diverse destinations in the Caribbean, with a range of island destinations from the lush Basse-Terre to the beachy rum capital of Marie-Galante to the charming Terre-de-Haut, among others. 

JetBlue said it would be operating the flights on Airbus A320 aircraft with free Fly-Fi. 

The flights will depart New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport at 8:00 AM, arriving in Pointe-a-Pitre at 1:20 PM. 

The 8AM departure was timed to allow better connections from hubs like Boston and Los Angeles, according to the Guadeloupe Islands Tourism Board. 

The new JetBlue route will be running through the end of April, before resuming again in November 2020, Guadeloupe tourism officials told Caribbean Journal.

The new service will help fill the void of the departure of Norwegian Air Shuttle, which earlier this year shut down its flights to the French Caribbean after several years of regular service to the region. 

The destination’s hotel product consists mostly of more boutique properties, particularly in its outer islands, from the Bois Joli in Terre de Haut to Le Me Hotel in Marie-Galante. 

That said, there are several larger resorts in the “main” islands of Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre, most notably the luxe La Toubana, which recently achieved five-star status. 

Another CJ favorite is the venerable, charming Auberge de la Vieille Tour in the vibrant beach town of Gosier.

Club Med also recently completed a large-scale renovation of its Caravelle all-inclusive in Guadeloupe, the island’s oldest branded resort. 

— CJ