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You’d think you could fly pretty much anywhere non-stop from the Big Apple, right?
I mean, the broader New York region has a total of five airports…
You can fly to Belgrade, Serbia, Abidjan, Ivory Coast and Fuzhou, China, but hot diggity dog, you can’t fly to one of America’s most beloved paradises?
Apparently the people have spoken, and United took notice as the popular airline was about to fill a surprising gap in New York City’s vast route map.
The truth is, as nice as it is to have a passport, it’s nice to have one less thing to think about when traveling – especially the entry requirements.
Take it from me, who once had his passport pickpocketed even though wearing cargo shorts was the real crime.
Guilty as charged.
But if I had visited one of the Caribbean’s most pristine islands, I wouldn’t have needed excessively large pockets—I would just rock around in my trunks all day and sip mai tais, the way you do in the States. beautiful US Virgin Islands.
That’s why United Airlines and the US Virgin Islands were proud announce at the same time an overdue flight route connecting the Tri-State area to this passport-free island.
New York, meet St. Croix
USVI consists of more than 50 cays and islands, but most notably the following trio:
- St Thomas
- St. John
- St. Cross
Being a US territory, you might imagine being able to fly in and out at will from America’s most populous city.
That is not the case.
St. John has no airport, but St Thomas does – and yes, you can fly here direct from NYC from all 3 major airlines: American, United and Delta.
But St. Croix?
Shockingly, not, not even one. That’s why this is such exciting news.
Not every Virgin Island vacationer wants to visit other islands, or has to land somewhere else and board a ferry after a roughly four-hour flight, especially since St. Croix is 40 miles from the other islands.
Instead, sun worshipers will soon be able to fly straight to St. Croix without any extra hassle or headaches.
Newark (EWR) to St. Croix (STX)
Okay, okay – we know Newark, New Jersey isn’t technically ‘New York’ – but it is…
I’ve flown into Newark many times. Honestly, it’s neck and neck with DFW as my least favorite US airport.
If there’s one thing EWR does right, it’s that it doesn’t matter where you go, whether you’re crossing the Hudson into Manhattan or boarding a flight to almost anywhere: it elevates your vacation because you’re just happy to no longer be in Newark.
Don’t tell The Sopranos I said that…
Newark is a major hub for United, but this is one of their most exciting new flights in recent memory.
Scheduled for takeoff on October 31, 2026The only scary thing is how long it took New York to reach this non-stop route.
If you book a return flight, prepare for a week’s stay as the schedule applies to this Only on Saturdays on a Boeing 737-700 with 12 Business Class seats.
To make St. Croix even more attractive, there are numerous beachfront hotels with rave reviews just minutes from the airport.
No more flying to St. Thomas and navigating inter-island transfers to get here: fly right in and turn on vacation mode from the start, especially if you don’t have to clear customs upon arrival.
What makes St. Croix special
St. Croix is not the island travelers choose if they are satisfied with inauthentic cruise port chaos or a resort bubble with no reason to leave.
It stands out as the one to choose if you want more space to roam, with two historic towns, rum distilleries, local cuisine, colorful waterfronts, less crowded beaches and reef-filled waters.
St. Thomas may be the busy gateway, and St. John may be the obvious escape from nature, but St. Croix is exactly what you’re looking for: more culture, more remote, with undeniable Caribbean splendor, all packed into one place that’s now so much easier to get to in the fall, when the weather is truly beautiful, with average highs of 84 degrees in November.
How safe are the US Virgin Islands to visit?
Because it’s a U.S. territory, the U.S. State Department says “thanks, but no thanks” when offering an official advisory.
However, we have our own tool to counter that: a real-time safety index, voted on by travelers like you and me.
The results so far are a bit surprising, with a current score of just 70/100:
