ST. CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands — United Airlines will begin nonstop service between Newark Liberty International Airport and St. Croix on Oct. 31, 2026, restoring a direct air link between the island and the New York metropolitan area for the first time in roughly three decades and making United the only carrier flying nonstop between the two.
The weekly Saturday flight will operate aboard a Boeing 737-700 configured with 126 seats, including 12 in business class. According to schedule details reported this month, the southbound flight is set to depart Newark at 9:03 a.m. and arrive at Henry E. Rohlsen Airport at 1:20 p.m., with the return leaving St. Croix at 2:25 p.m. and landing in Newark at 6:58 p.m.
St. Croix had been without a nonstop to the New York area since predecessor Continental Airlines last served the route in the mid-1990s. Travelers from the Northeast have since had to connect through San Juan, Miami or other hubs to reach the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The new service eliminates that layover for a key feeder market and, United says, brings its Newark-to-Caribbean network to 23 destinations — more than any other carrier from the New York area.
The announcement lands amid a broader push by U.S. airlines to add Caribbean capacity ahead of an expected 2026 travel surge. At Caribbean Week in New York, United, JetBlue, Southwest and Caribbean Airlines outlined route expansions across the region, while American Airlines said it would grow its Latin America and Caribbean network to 100 destinations, including a new daily Miami–Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, flight launching in mid-July. JetBlue has also added summer frequencies to islands including Aruba and St. Maarten.
For St. Croix, the timing is significant. A single weekly nonstop from a major Northeast gateway gives the island a marketing hook heading into the high winter season and a more convenient option for mainland visitors weighing the USVI against other Caribbean destinations. Because St. Croix is a U.S. territory, American travelers do not need a passport to visit, a point of differentiation United is likely to lean on.
Whether the Saturday-only service expands will depend on demand during the inaugural winter, but the route’s debut signals renewed airline confidence in the U.S. Virgin Islands as a leisure destination.
Travelers eyeing a St. Croix getaway — or any Caribbean trip built around these new flight options — can get free, personalized help comparing islands, resorts and dates from the team at Pixie Vacations (pixievacations.com), with honeymoon and all-inclusive planning available through Pixie Honeymoons (pixiehoneymoons.com). There’s no booking fee, and an experienced agent can match the right resort to the new nonstop schedule.
