Aug. 11, 2006 – Northwest Airlines will join the lengthy list of carriers that fly to the Virgin Islands when it begins Saturday nonstop flights from Detroit on Jan. 6, 2007.
Tourism Department marketing director Steve Bornn noted on Friday that the addition of Northwest will give the territory service from all the major airlines.
The incoming Northwest flight leaves Detroit at 9:45 a.m. and arrives on St. Thomas at 3:10 p.m. The return flight departs St. Thomas at 4 p.m. and arrives in Detroit at 9:30.
Tourism Commissioner Pamela Richards said that Northwest will make St. Thomas more available to visitors from the Midwest.
"The timing couldn't be better because it's coupled with projections for another robust winter season," Richards said.
St. Thomas-St. John Hotel Association President Beverly Nicholson said on Friday that opening up the Detroit market was a wonderful opportunity for the Virgin Islands. "Their winters are horrid," she said.
Nicholson said that in previous years charter flights from Detroit to St. Thomas did well, so she expects the same with the Northwest flights.
She also said the ability to get to the Virgin Islands in one day from Detroit provides a strong enticement for travelers.
Richards said that the Northwest flights are the result of years of negotiation between the V.I. Port Authority, the Tourism Department and the airline.
Bornn said that Northwest is already accepting reservations for flights to St. Thomas.
In addition to the new Northwest flight, American Airlines currently flies nonstop twice daily to St. Thomas from New York and Miami; to St. Croix once a day from Miami; and once a day during the winter to St. Thomas from Boston.
USAir flies nonstop every day in winter to St. Thomas from Charlotte, N.C., and Philadelphia; Untied Airlines flies twice a week from Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C., and from Chicago to St. Thomas.
Delta Airlines flies twice daily from Atlanta to St. Thomas and twice weekly in the winter to St. Croix; Continental flies nonstop every day from Newark to St. Thomas; and Spirit Airlines flies nonstop every day from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to St. Thomas.
Flight schedules occasionally change due to seasonal factors.
Direct flights that make stops along the way are also available on those airlines. Numerous airlines fly to San Juan, where passengers can easily connect to St. Thomas and St. Croix.
To book a new Northwest flight, visit www.nwa.com or call 1-800-692-6955.
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