ORLANDO — Locals who want to spend a week visiting Central Florida’s theme parks, or just looking for a deal on a flight, have a new option: Frontier.
The twice-weekly flight between Florida’s busiest airport and St. Thomas will connect the two cities in the second month of 2021.
Orlando is a major hub for the airline and service to the city will link St. Thomas to more than 90 additional Frontier destinations.
V.I. Commissioner of Tourism Joseph Boschulte announced that Frontier’s new seasonal service will give travelers in Florida even more options for travel to the territory during the peak winter season.
“We are grateful for and greatly encouraged by Frontier’s partnership and support of our efforts to build aerial access to the U.S. Virgin Islands,” Boschulte said. “The carrier’s strategic decision to inaugurate service to ‘Rock City’ is another critical airlift development success for the territory, as it helps us to address the growing demand of stateside visitors – as well as Virgin Islanders living abroad – to come to the USVI.”
Boschulte and Governor Albert Bryan met with Frontier executives in Miami in March to explore airlift possibilities.
Starting in February 2021, Frontier will serve St. Thomas (STT) with flights twice a week from Orlando International Airport (MCO), Florida’s busiest airport based on the volume of passengers.
Expressing confidence that the new air service bodes well for the growth of tourism-related activity and revenues, Boschulte said, “As we welcome more stayover visitors to our shores, we expect to see a concomitant increase in visitor expenditures at restaurants, retail and grocery stores, attractions and activities,” while noting that arrivals in the territory have risen steadily since the resumption of leisure travel in September.
“Airlift development for St. Croix and St. Thomas is a central element of the Department of Tourism’s FY 2021 marketing strategy, which will be unveiled and implemented in the coming weeks,” he said.
Commissioner Boschulte added that in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, “We have delivered clear and consistent messages to the travel marketplace that the U.S. Virgin Islands wants travelers to ‘Reconnect with Paradise’ in a safe and healthy manner.”
Pandemic-related guidelines for traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands include the requirement for every traveler aged five or older to submit a COVID-19 test result through the secure online USVI Travel Screening Portal. The traveling public is encouraged to stay abreast of the territory’s COVID-19 travel protocols by visiting www.usviupdate.com.
Frontier Airlines, which is known for its low fares as well as its customizable purchase options, has implemented stringent screening and sanitization standards to protect the health and safety of passengers and crew.