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Travel + Leisure

Southwest to Add a New Route to This Caribbean Island Famous for Its Crystal-clear Waters

It just got easier to get a dose of vitamin sea. Southwest Airlines is launching new service to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands next year, adding the Caribbean destination to its roster. The new flights to St. Thomas' Cyril E. King International Airport (STT) are expected to kick off in early 2026 and will mark the carrier's ninth island destination in the Atlantic Basin, according to the airline. However, the new flights are subject to government approvals and it was not immediately clear where Southwest would operate the flights from. 'We want to make Southwest Airlines the easy and obvious choice every time, and this is another meaningful step in our ongoing transformation,' Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said in a statement, adding the airline was "listening closely to what our Customers want." In addition to St. Thomas, the airline teased it planned to add two more new destinations, which it said would be announced this summer. The carrier did not offer any insights about where these destinations would be. For travelers who don't want to wait until 2026, they can book flights through several other airlines currently serving STT, including American Airlines, Cape Air, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines. The St. Thomas airport is also a hub for inter-island and regional travel. Passengers can book flights to San Juan, St. Croix, and other destinations from there. The U.S. Virgin Islands continue to be a popular destination among air travelers and cruise passengers. More than 930,000 people traveled to the region by air in 2024, according to the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism, representing a 16.5 percent increase compared to 2023 and a new record high. The region is also a popular stop with cruisers, with Disney Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Virgin Voyages all docking there. More than 1.7 million passengers disembarked and explored the region, according to the tourism department. "As a destination, we continue to explore, elevate, and improve, which further supports the ongoing goal to build upon our commitment to be a premier Caribbean destination," Joseph Boschulte, the commissioner of the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism, said in a statement.