Puerto Rico will receive a Christmas travel boost. Delta Air Lines has announced two new direct routes from its hubs in Boston (BOS) and Detroit (DTW).
The airline already flies to the island from New York-JFK, Minneapolis, and Atlanta. The new route from Boston and Detroit will increase the airline’s connectivity with Puerto Rico to five destinations.
The new nonstop services will land at San Juan International Airport (SJU), starting on the 17th of December and running for a minimum of four months, adding 25,000 extra seats heading to Puerto Rico during this period.
According to Carlos Mercado Santiago, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, this could add as much as $18 million to the local economy.
“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,” said Santiago.
“With this expansion, Delta will serve San Juan from five airports, thus increasing connectivity to the destination and positively impacting our economic development.”
The additional routes come at a pivotal time for Puerto Rico. 10 percent of the island’s GDP traditionally comes from tourism, with the pandemic denting this much-needed revenue stream. Passenger numbers, in general, are starting to reach pre-pandemic levels, and holiday destinations will be seeking to capitalize on this, temping U.S. tourists with warmer weather when winter hits.
Hurricane Fiona’s impact is still being felt in the area, with tens of thousands left without power. Once the cleanup has been completed, authorities will look for opportunities to cover costs, with new holidaymakers a crucial part of this.
“Puerto Rico is one of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean, especially for Delta customers,” said Amy Martin, vice president of International Network Planning for Delta.
“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. We will continue to work to provide our customers with more flight options coupled with Delta’s renowned hospitality and reliability.”
Flights from Boston will be conducted daily, with the Detroit Metro Airport service running every Saturday. Each route will be operated with the airline’s Boeing 737-900 aircraft.
