JetBlue to restores daily flights to Fort Lauderdale

SXM AIRPORT--JetBlue will increase its service between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Princess Juliana International Airport from four weekly flights to daily service beginning July 9, strengthening St. Maarten’s airlift at a critical time for the destination and helping to fill part of the void left by Spirit Airlines’ suspension of service.

The return to daily JetBlue flights provides an important boost for St. Maarten’s connectivity out of South Florida, a key gateway market for the island and the wider Northeastern Caribbean. The added frequencies also come as the island continues to see strong tourism momentum, with expanding hotel inventory and renewed travel demand across both sides of the destination.

The increase is especially significant following Spirit Airlines’ exit from the market, which reduced low-cost flight options and created a gap in service between Fort Lauderdale and St. Maarten. By moving to daily service, JetBlue is adding needed seat capacity, strengthening traveler choice and supporting competitive access to the destination during the busy summer travel period.

St. Maarten remains one of the Caribbean’s most diverse and complete destinations, offering visitors a wide range of experiences within one compact island. Travelers can spend the morning on the beach at Orient Bay, enjoy lunch in Grand Case, watch planes descend over Maho Beach in the afternoon, and still make it to Simpson Bay for dinner, nightlife and cocktails later that evening.

The French side continues to anchor much of the island’s culinary reputation, particularly in Grand Case, where waterfront restaurants line the boulevard facing the Caribbean Sea. The Dutch side offers a different but complementary appeal, with casinos, nightlife, beach bars, shopping, entertainment and larger resort developments concentrated around Maho, Philipsburg and Simpson Bay.

That contrast remains one of St. Maarten’s defining strengths, giving travelers access to two distinct tourism experiences in one destination.

Princess Juliana International Airport also continues to serve as one of the Caribbean’s major regional gateways. Many travelers arriving in St. Maarten continue onward to nearby destinations such as Anguilla, Saba, St. Barths and St. Eustatius, making strong airlift into PJIA essential not only for St. Maarten, but for the surrounding region.

The additional JetBlue flights will help reinforce those connections by increasing access through Fort Lauderdale, one of the most important U.S. travel hubs for Caribbean-bound passengers.

The airport itself remains part of St. Maarten’s global appeal. Travelers continue to gather daily along Maho Beach to watch aircraft descend low over the shoreline, one of the most recognizable aviation and tourism scenes in the Caribbean.

With daily JetBlue service returning on July 9, St. Maarten is positioned to strengthen its presence in the South Florida market, recover part of the capacity affected by Spirit’s departure, and continue supporting the island’s broader tourism growth.

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