New flights TO Puerto Rico will represent 25,000 additional seats

Durrant Pate/Contributor

North American airliners, Delta and Swoop have expanded their Caribbean service.

In the case of United States-based Delta Airlines, it plans to launch a major expansion to the island of Puerto Rico, while Canadian ultra-low-cost carrier Swoop is expanding its service to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. In a major boost for Puerto Rico’s tourism fortunes, particularly in the wake of the destruction wrought by Hurricane Fiona, Delta is launching a pair of new non-stop routes to San Juan’s Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport. 

Starting December 17, Delta is kicking off nonstop service from both Detroit and Boston to San Juan. According to Carlos Mercado Santiago, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, the new flights will represent 25,000 additional seats to the island over a four-month period.

The service represents an economic impact of more than $18 million.

“The diversification and expansion of air access is a priority in the midst of a challenging operational environment due to the lack of personnel and the increase in competition between destinations,” Santiago said.

“With this expansion, Delta will serve San Juan from five airports, thus increasing connectivity to the destination and positively impacting our economic development.”

Daily service through to April

The new Boston-San Juan service will operate daily, running through at least April 23, 2023. The flights from Detroit’s Wayne Country Metropolitan Airport will run weekly on Saturdays, with service through April 8, 2023. 

Both routes will be operated on Boeing 737-900 aircraft with capacity for 180 passengers. Delta already flies to Puerto Rico from New York, Minneapolis and Atlanta. 

Amy Martin, vice president of International Network Planning for Delta Airlines, explained: “Puerto Rico is one of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean, especially for Delta customers… . Now Delta customers in San Juan will have access to two additional flight hubs in the United States, where they can conveniently connect to more destinations around the world.”

Continuing, she stated that Delta will continue to work to provide our customers with more flight options coupled with Delta’s renowned hospitality and reliability.

Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport has been one of the fastest-growing airports in the hemisphere since the onset of the pandemic, for much of the year eclipsing its pre-pandemic passenger traffic. 

For his part, Brad Dena, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico, commented: “Despite the many economic challenges facing our industry, airlines like Delta are betting on our destination. These additional flights help to have better direct access from key markets for Puerto Rican tourism and allow us to stimulate and grow the demand of our market.”

Swoop’s new non-stop flight to Punta Cana 

Swoop is expanding its service to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. The airline is said to be adding a new nonstop route between John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport and Punta Cana.

The new Punta Cana flight will operate once weekly on Wednesdays, according to the carrier.