water together eagle beach It has a brilliant blue color that seems to last forever. in Montego BayHills rise behind resorts, beaches and old sugarcane areas. to st thomasFerries leave the port for Saint John and sailboats cross Pillsbury Sound. Magens Bay It curves around one of the most famous sandy beaches in the Caribbean.
By next spring, all three destinations in one of the country’s fastest-growing cities will be within easy reach, according to Caribbean Journal.
Southwest Airlines is embarking on a major new expansion in the Caribbean.Led by four dedicated Saturday routes in Nashville International Airport to Aruvno way; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands..
The airline is also adding Saturday service between: Columbus, Ohio and Punta Cana, Dominican RepublicIt provides another Midwest market with direct connectivity to the largest resort destinations in the Caribbean.
Aruba, Montego Bay and St. Most of the new Nashville routes, including flights to Thomas, are scheduled to begin March 13.
All five routes are structured around Saturday to Saturday holiday itineraries, a format particularly suited to resorts, villas and all-inclusive accommodation across the region.
The expansion gives Southwest a much larger Caribbean footprint from Nashville while opening a new nonstop vacation route from Columbus.
Nashville is becoming the gateway to the Caribbean
Nashville has spent years growing beyond its identity as a national business and entertainment destination. The airport currently connects the Middle Tennessee region with cities in Europe, Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, and the Southwest has become a central part of the airport’s international growth.
The new schedule pushes Nashville further into gateway territory.
From one airport, you can fly nonstop in the Southwest to many distinctly different Caribbean vacation destinations, including the beaches and restaurants of Aruba, the resort corridor of Jamaica, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (and the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica).
Southwest already flies from Nashville to several international destinations with warm weather, including Cancun, Punta Cana, San Juan and Los Cabos. The four new routes create a wider network and provide travelers throughout Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama and neighboring states with more options that don’t require transfers in Atlanta, Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Orlando.
Saturday-only services come with obvious restrictions, especially if your trip has to start or end on another day. But this naturally aligns with the way many Caribbean vacations are marketed. Seven-night resort stays are still commonplace, and non-stop weekly itineraries can be transformed into one direct flight.
New direct flights to Aruba
Nashville-Aruba flights connect Middle Tennessee with one of the most reliable year-round beach destinations in the Caribbean.
Aruba is a place where you can spend your entire vacation around the sand. Eagle Beach is spacious, quiet, and lined with low-rise resorts. Palm Beach has larger hotels, casinos, restaurants, and water sports. Arashi Beach brings you closer to the northwest tip of the island for snorkeling, rocky desert terrain, and the nearby California Lighthouse.
The island also offers more than just resort accommodation. You can drive to Arikok National Park, stroll through San Nicolas to admire its murals, have dinner in a restored Kunuku house, or spend an afternoon exploring its limestone coves and cactus-strewn interior.
Aruba’s hotel inventory has expanded significantly with luxury brands including: Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort, Boardwalk Boutique Hotel Aruba and that Embassy Suites by Hilton.
This route will be especially helpful in the late winter and early spring, when Aruba’s dry climate and location below the major Atlantic hurricane belt make it one of the most reliable destinations in the region.
Montego Bay gets a Nashville connection.
Southwest’s Nashville-Montego Bay service puts Jamaica’s busiest tourist hub within direct flights to Tennessee.
Montego Bay is the starting point for many possible Jamaican vacations. You can stay along the city’s resort corridor, head west to Negril, travel east to the villas and historic resorts around Ocho Rios, or head into the hills for cool views of Jamaica’s interior.
Close to the airport, half moon We have reopened the full resort experience, including the Eclipse section, Founders Cove, villas, equestrian center and the renowned Sugar Mill restaurant. Round Hill Hotel and VillasLocated on the west side of Montego Bay, it remains one of the island’s leading luxury hotels, with beachfront rooms, private villas and Ralph Lauren-designed interiors.
Of course, there’s nothing like a sandals vacation in the Caribbean, and the all-inclusive leader has three resorts reopening this winter as well.
St. Thomas Pioneers the Virgin Islands
The St. Thomas route may be the most exciting addition to Southwest’s Nashville expansion.
Southwest has only just begun flying to the following destinations: Cyril E. King Airport In February, the airline returned to growing its network and added the U.S. Virgin Islands to its map. Nashville will now become another Southwest gateway to the region.
St. Thomas can act as a full vacation in itself. You can stay near the calm waters of Secret Harbour, look across the harbor from the hills above Charlotte Amalie, or spend an afternoon at Magens Bay.
The real advantage of the island is the number of trips.
A short ferry ride takes you from Red Hook to St. John, where two-thirds of the island is protected as Virgin Islands National Park. Snorkel in Trunk Bay, hike the Reef Bay Trail, hit up a beach bar in Cruz Bay or Westin St. John Resort Villas.
St. Thomas is also the departure point for the British Virgin Islands. Ferries connect the U.S. Virgin Islands with Tortola and Virgin Gorda, while charter boats take you to Jost Van Dyke, Norman Island and the Sir Francis Drake Channel to scattered smaller islands.
Because St. Thomas is part of the United States, U.S. citizens do not need a passport to visit. The route provides Southwest with an attractive Caribbean product for families and less frequent international travelers seeking tropical travel with lower entry requirements.
Columbus is receiving new Punta Cana flights
Southwest’s other notable Caribbean additions include: John Glenn Columbus International Airport With Punta Cana.
Punta Cana is made for non-stop vacation flights. The airport is close to an extensive collection of all-inclusive resorts spread through Cap Cana, Punta Cana, Bávaro, Uvero Alto and Macao.
Best place to stay now? The outstanding Lopesan Costa Bavaro has added three new resorts to its complex in Bavaro.
Southwest’s push for a greater Caribbean
Southwest’s expansion comes as the airline adds more international flights from cities that have traditionally relied on connections for travel to the Caribbean.
The March schedule is larger across the Southwest network. The airline is planning more than 4,400 flights on high-demand weekdays and more than 4,000 departures on Saturdays, traditionally one of the airline’s lighter operating days.
Caribbean flights help fill some of this gap.
Weekly flights may begin targeting seasonal products, but successful routes can grow. Airlines regularly test the holiday market with limited service before extending seasons or adding more flights. Nashville’s strong performance could support a larger Caribbean program on the future schedule.
The immediate results are already great. If you’re in Nashville, you’ll soon be able to choose from Aruba, Jamaica, St. Thomas, Costa Rica, Punta Cana, Cancun, San Juan and Los Cabos in the Southwest, creating one of the airline’s most diverse warm-weather networks outside of its largest existing gateway.
Southwest is building its next Caribbean gateway as far away as South Florida, and Nashville is fast becoming one of the most important parts of the airline’s regional map.
