fp Turks and Caicos

The Turks and Caicos Islands are about to become a lot more accessible with several new flights from the U.S. starting this week.

JetBlue’s sold out inaugural flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport touched down at the Providenciales International Airport today (Feb 17) with 150 passengers on board.

The flight was greeted by the fire dept with an impressive water cannon salute. The captain then waved the TCI flag from the cockpit window, drawing cheers from the crowd of dignitaries and airport staff anxiously awaiting its arrival.

His Excellency the Gov. Gordon Wetherell and JetBlue executives who came in on the flight cut a ribbon at bottom of stairs, ushering in a new era of air service for the country.  

JetBlue Chief Commercial Officer Robin Hayes said he was "so happy to be here" and said he expects much more to come, including JetBlue vacations, 100 of which have already been sold this year. The airline is also considering adding flights to Providenciales from Ft. Lauderdale, he said.

On Friday, Feb. 18, Continental will bring its first flight to the TCI from Newark Liberty International Airport.

JetBlue will also be landing a flight from Boston on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 2:45 p.m., making a total of eight flights per week for the low-cost U.S. carrier to the TCI.

The addition of these new flight makes a total of eight non-stop destinations from the U.S. to Providenciales, including Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Dallas, Miami, New York City, Newark and Philadelphia.

Currently two airlines, Air Canada and WestJet, service the TCI from Canada with several weekly direct flights from Toronto and Montreal. British Airways also offers weekly service to London’s Heathrow Airport via Nassau.

Air Turks & Caicos also offers direct international services to the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas and Haiti.

Currently more than 200 flights arrive and depart the airport weekly.

The TCI Airport Authority is in the process of redeveloping the airport to accommodate the increasing traffic, including lengthening of the runway. The new runway will allow for larger planes to arrive directly from Europe and other long-haul destinations. Phase two of the expansion planned for next year also includes a new modern airline terminal.

New flights

Continental

Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, converting to daily service on March 6.

Newark (EWR) to Providenciales (PLS)
Depart 9:35 a.m. — arrive 1:10 p.m.
Providenciales (PLS) to Newark (EWR)
Depart 2:05 p.m. — arrive 5:45 p.m.

Jet Blue

Daily non-stop service

New York (JFK) to Providenciales (PLS)
Depart 9:10 a.m. — Arrive 1 p.m.
Providenciales (PLS) to New York (JFK):
Depart 2 p.m. — Arrive 5:40 p.m.

Saturday weekly winter service

Boston (BOS) to Providenciales (PLS)
Depart 11:00 a.m. — Arrive 2:45 p.m.
Providenciales (PLS) to Boston (BOS):
Depart 3:40 p.m. — Arrive 7:20 p.m.