American Airlines Resumes Flights to Saint Lucia

Earlier this month, on July 9, 2020, Saint Lucia welcomed the first flight from American Airlines, after the COVID-19 shutdown. The commercial flight arrived at Hewanorra International Airport from Miami International Airport. The flight maintained the new safety protocols and was welcomed by Steel Pan Music.

American Airlines flight 2295 landed at 2:05pm AST. It was the first flight to travel to Saint Lucia since the island announced its reopening on June 4, 2020. More flights are expected this month from Delta and JetBlue. The Delta flight will arrive from Atlanta, while the JetBlue plane flies from JFK.

The tourism authority, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Health, and Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports authority all greeted the passengers. They watched as passengers deplaned and went through the new safety procedures, including the health station installed at the arrival area.

As per the new protocols, all passengers had to go through a nurse’s station for screening. The screening occurred before the Customs and Immigration center. All passengers were cleared of any health issues and able to pick up their luggage and proceed to the transportation that took them to certified hotels.

The Minister of Tourism stated that the government and health officials worked together to establish new safety regulations to help protect visitors and residents of the island. The flight from Miami was a symbolic step towards the successful reopening of the travel industry for the island.

Saint Lucia also announced they would award a holiday prize to one passenger from each air carrier’s
first flight. The prize is a trip with complimentary airfare and a hotel stay at Gardens Beach Resort and Spa or one of the other certified locations. It is redeemable in 2021.

It is a significant announcement for the island to see new travel, and they are ensuring no one comes without being tested and showing a negative result before getting on a plane.