In a strategic push to enhance connectivity and reach priority markets, the Cayman Islands is expanding direct flights from key US and regional cities through partnerships with major airlines including Delta, United, American Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest and its national carrier, Cayman Airways.
Building on its regular Atlanta service, Delta will resume nonstop flights from Detroit and introduce a new weekly route from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Grand Cayman starting 20 December – marking its first JFK-Cayman connection in over a decade.
United, which already serves Grand Cayman from Houston, Newark and Washington DC, will expand its winter 2025/2026 schedule with increased flights from Chicago O’Hare and Washington Dulles. Meanwhile, American Airlines will reintroduce overnight service from Miami in October for a trial period through 1 November – arriving in Grand Cayman in the evening and departing the following morning.
The airline will also operate up to four daily flights between Miami and Grand Cayman, offer daily service to Dallas from June through 10 Aug., and provide Saturday flights to Philadelphia through 2 Aug. Service from Chicago O’Hare will increase between December and April, while daily flights to Charlotte will continue yearround, with two flights on Saturdays.
Meanwhile, JetBlue will continue its popular routes from New York and Boston, with additional flights slated for the busy summer travel period, and Southwest will operate Saturday flights to both Orlando and Baltimore through August, with daily service to Orlando continuing through the end of July.
In addition, Air Canada and WestJet offer non-stop service from Toronto and the two airlines combined cover at least three days per week during the summer months, increasing to five days a week November through April.
With a summer flight schedule that includes 10 international destinations, Cayman Airways is operating nonstop flights to cities such as Miami, Tampa, New York, Los Angeles, Denver, La Ceiba, Panama City, Havana and Montego Bay. Seasonal flights to Denver and Montego Bay run through August, and the airline maintains weekly service between Miami and Cayman Brac. The airline has also increased capacity on key routes.
The airlift expansion is a cornerstone of the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism’s broader aviation development strategy, which combines targeted route growth with advanced marketing. “Our data-driven approach to route development continues to yield results, positioning the Cayman Islands for sustained growth in our core markets,” said Director of Tourism Rosa Harris in a statement.
In late 2024, the Cayman Islands became the first Caribbean destination to launch a campaign through United Airlines’ Kinective Media platform, an omnichannel initiative designed to reach high-value travellers. This investment has already driven demand, said Harris, particularly in the midwest and northeast US, aligning with the department’s mission to enhance accessibility and flatten seasonality.
The payoff is evident in recent tourism figures. In April 2025, Cayman recorded 42,757 stayover visitors, marking a 15% increase over the previous year. US travellers fuelled the growth, with the South, Northeast and Midwest posting year-on-year gains of 28.3%, 25.3%, and 9.6%, respectively. Arrivals from the UK and Ireland rose by 45.3%, while visitors from continental Europe grew by 25.8%. Latin America also showed strength, with a 19% year-on-year increase.
“These statistics are tangible results of success because of the active collaboration the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism exercises in engaging with our on-island partners to drive demand and with our aviation partners to ensure that we have the necessary airlift to complement our marketing and business development efforts,” said Minister of Tourism Gary Rutty in a statement.
With the increase in direct flights and surge in demand, the Cayman Islands is on pace to match its record-setting 2019 tourism numbers – the highest in its history.
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Strange that UK arrivals are up 45%, they are sure not coming for independent holidays. Also exactly how will we “flatten seasonality” in the hurricane season, for sure there may be some “flattening” but that won’t be in increased tourist arrivals.
YES, proof that the Boom in Stay over Tourism is Cayman’s way forward. But the 7 Mile Beach Erosion issue should be at the Top of government’s list to move forward, to enhance the tourism experience.