NEW YORK — St. Croix is about to get a lot closer to the New York metropolitan area. United Airlines announced at Caribbean Week NYC 2026 that it will begin nonstop service between Newark Liberty International Airport and Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (STX) on Oct. 31, 2026 — the first direct air link between the U.S. Virgin Islands’ largest island and the New York region in roughly 30 years.

The weekly Saturday flight will operate on a Boeing 737-700 configured with 126 seats, including 12 in business class. Southbound service is scheduled to leave Newark at 9:03 a.m. and land in St. Croix at 1:20 p.m.; the return departs St. Croix at 2:25 p.m. and arrives back in the New York area at 6:58 p.m. With the addition, United becomes the only carrier flying between St. Croix and the New York City region, and the route brings the airline’s Newark-based Caribbean network to 23 destinations.

The announcement was a centerpiece of Caribbean Week NYC, held June 1–5, where a U.S. Virgin Islands delegation led by Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. and Tourism Commissioner Jennifer Matarangas-King promoted the territory alongside an award-winning culinary showcase. For St. Croix — long considered one of the Caribbean’s most underrated islands, with world-class restaurants, quiet beaches and a growing roster of distinctive places to stay — the nonstop removes one of the biggest hurdles East Coast travelers have faced: the connection-heavy trek to get there.

The St. Croix route is part of a broader surge in U.S.–Caribbean airlift heading into the back half of 2026. At the same Caribbean Week gathering, carriers including United, JetBlue, Southwest and Caribbean Airlines outlined expanded service across the region, and JetBlue separately confirmed additional summer flights to Aruba, St. Maarten and Santo Domingo. Industry projections point to a strong year for the islands, with peak destinations anticipating double-digit growth in bookings.

The timing also lands squarely in hurricane season, which runs June 1 through Nov. 30. Forecasters are calling for a near- to below-normal Atlantic season in 2026, with NOAA giving a 55% chance of below-normal activity, in part because of expected El Niño conditions that tend to increase storm-suppressing wind shear. As always, travelers booking fall Caribbean trips are wise to pair their plans with travel insurance and a flexible mindset.

For New Yorkers who have eyed the U.S. Virgin Islands but balked at the layovers, a Saturday-to-Saturday week in St. Croix just became a much easier sell — no passport required, since it’s U.S. soil.

If you’re weighing St. Croix against other Caribbean escapes — or wondering how it stacks up next to an all-inclusive stay at Sandals or Beaches — the team at Pixie Vacations and Pixie Honeymoons plans Caribbean getaways at no extra cost and has personally visited resorts across the region. It’s a free quote and a friendly conversation away.

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