With the summer rush of European travel now underway, airlines are already looking ahead and planning their networks for the sun-seeking winter period. In the last year, destinations that are currently more commonly thought of as cruise ship stops have been catching their radar.
Last May, American Airlines (AAL) added eight new routes to destinations that include St. Lucia, St. Maarten, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from different U.S. cities. Competitors such as JetBlue Airways (JBLU) and Southwest (LUV) had earlier launched flights to Nassau in the Bahamas.
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Delta Air Lines (DAL) , which recently amped up its Italy network with new flights to Naples and Venice, is now also setting its sights on the Caribbean — along with increasing the routes it runs to Puerto Rico and the Cayman Islands, the airline announced new flights to Aruba and St. Maarten from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.
'Three brand-new sunny destinations to look forward to this winter'
"As the leading carrier from MSP to Latin America and the Caribbean, we're looking forward to increasing our seats to these popular destinations, offering unmatched convenience and expanded choices for our customers," Delta's Senior Vice President of Network Planning Joe Esposito said in a statement. "With the addition of Aruba, St. Maarten and recently-added Mazatlán, customers have three brand-new sunny destinations to look forward to this winter."
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Delta already offers flights to these destinations from larger cities like New York and Miami.
The decision to launch them out of Minneapolis has to do with both demand and untapped opportunity — many local residents look to break up the grueling winters at least once per year and are in need of new destinations to explore. Brian Ryks, who heads the airport commission which oversees MSP among others, described the "continued surge in international travel [that] has been a key trend for MSP in recent years."
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'Travelers can immerse themselves in the island's rich culture'
The Aruba flight will land at Queen Beatrix International Airport at Oranjestad and run twice a week on Fridays and Sundays. The St. Maarten route will run on Thursdays and Saturdays. The two destinations are autonomous nations within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and attract millions of visitors due to their location in the sunny Caribbean.
"Travelers can immerse themselves in the island's rich culture, visit the bustling Marigot Market, savor diverse cuisine at Grand Case, engage in water sports at Orient Bay, and explore scenic hiking trails," Delta writes of the latter.
When it comes to Grand Cayman and San Juan, Delta will up flights to the former from two to three while bringing its service to San Juan's Luis Muñoz International Airport (SJU) to 10 a week from Minneapolis alone.
As the U.S. territory is both a popular vacation destination and home to a large diaspora that goes back and forth between the mainland, the island has been seeing strong demand for air travel.
Last month, the airline also raised the number of flights it runs to San Juan from Atlanta, Boston, and Detroit. Low-cost competitor Spirit Airlines (SAVE) has also recently made a big push to serve Puerto Rico; it now flies to the territory from 12 airports across the U.S.
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