United Airlines Increases Service to Jamaica by Over 50% Since 2019

  • Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett welcomed the news that United Airlines has increased its total flights to Jamaica by over 50% since 2019. The disclosure was made during last week's meeting with the Airline’s top brass, the Minister and his Senior Executives at United’s World Headquarters.
  • United Airlines is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois. It operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States, connecting six continents from its seven US mainland hubs.
  • “Jamaica continues to be in high demand and this increase by one of the largest US airlines proves that the partnership between the destination and airline has been fruitful and is strong. We pride ourselves on being one of the most connected destinations through our network of airline partners who form a core part of driving our tourism growth,” said, Minister Bartlett.
  • In 2024, United Airlines plans to significantly expand its flight schedule to Jamaica, particularly to Sangster International Airport (MBJ). This marks a 15% increase from 2023, with up to 34 weekly flights scheduled from five of United's hubs. MBJ remains a crucial destination for the airline, ranking as its third-largest Caribbean location.
  • “Without airlift, we cannot grow our tourism product and so we rely on these types of partnerships to create mutually beneficial outcomes. Jamaica is in a good position regarding its phenomenal post-COVID growth and with this consistent demand for the island, we are optimistic about our tourism outlook,” said, Minister Bartlett.
  • Summer is gearing up to be very robust as some of the Airlines’ hubs, New York/Newark, Houston, Washington D.C./Dulles, Chicago, and Denver, experience strong load factors for travel to Jamaica. This augurs well for Jamaica's tourism sector, building on the record-breaking year of 2023 to meet its goal of earning US$5 billion from five million tourist arrivals within a targeted five-year period ending in 2025.

(Source: JIS &NCBCM Research)