# Airlines Add New Routes to Puerto Rico’s Extended Christmas Season

> Airlines launch holiday flights to San Juan as Puerto Rico’s Christmas season stretches into January.
- Title: Airlines Add New Routes to Puerto Rico’s Extended Christmas…
- Summary: Airlines launch holiday flights to San Juan as Puerto Rico’s Christmas season stretches into January. Airlines add seasonal flights to San Juan from Dallas…
- Keywords: puerto rico, christmas, airlines, san juan, holidays, flights, discovery puerto rico, frontier airlines, american airlines, jetblue, southwest airlines, luis munoz marin international airport
- Source: Seattletimes — https://seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/airlines-chase-puerto-ricos-4-month-christmas-season-with-new-holiday-routes
- Read time: 3 min
- Topics: puerto rico, christmas, airlines, san juan, holidays, flights, discovery puerto rico, frontier airlines, american airlines, jetblue, southwest airlines, luis munoz marin international airport
## Puerto Rico’s Christmas season starts early
Puerto Rico’s Christmas holiday period stretches from October through mid-January, with celebrations continuing until the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián on the third weekend of January.
## Airlines target extended holiday demand
Carriers add flights to San Juan from cities as far apart as Dallas and Buffalo to serve Puerto Rico’s 4-month holiday season.
## Frontier Airlines adds direct flights
Frontier Airlines launches seasonal daily flights from Dallas, Houston, and Cleveland to San Juan, running November 20 through January 4.
## New routes add 15,624 seats
The three Frontier routes add 15,624 seats to Puerto Rico’s tourism market, expected to contribute $10.4 million to the local economy.
## American Airlines strengthens Miami gateway
American Airlines plans up to eight daily Miami-San Juan flights to strengthen the island’s busiest mainland gateway.
## JetBlue expands direct routes
JetBlue adds five new direct routes from San Juan to Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Norfolk, Richmond, and Buffalo, making 22 nonstop destinations.
## Southwest Airlines schedules late holiday flights
Southwest Airlines starts weekly Saturday service between Columbus, Ohio, and San Juan on January 9, 2027, during the Octavitas holiday period.
## Iberia doubles Madrid-San Juan flights
Iberia doubles its Madrid-San Juan service to up to 14 weekly flights during the 2025-26 winter season.
## Puerto Rico tourism hits record
Puerto Rico reported nearly 7.9 million hotel and short-term rental nights booked in 2025, its fifth consecutive record year.
## Tourism contributes $9 billion to GDP
Tourism contributed about $9 billion to Puerto Rico’s gross domestic product in 2025, up from $6 billion two years earlier.
## Airport passenger traffic declines
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport handled about 9.4 million passengers from January to August 2026, down 3% from the same period a year earlier.
## Spirit Airlines ends Puerto Rico operations
Spirit Airlines ended its Puerto Rico operations in May, affecting nine routes.
## Puerto Rico’s Christmas ends later
Puerto Rico’s Christmas celebrations continue through Three Kings Day on January 6 and the Octavitas holiday period.
## Coquito is a holiday staple
Coquito, a thick, chilled blend of coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, rum and spices, is served in small glasses to beat the heat.
## Parranda is a key tradition
Parranda, a Christmas tradition where friends gather outside homes after 10 p.m. to sing with cuatros, guiros and panderos, grows into a procession.
## Nochebuena features family meals
Nochebuena, Christmas Eve, brings the year’s biggest family meal followed by Misa de Gallo, the traditional midnight Mass.
## Guavate offers lechon asado
Guavate, a mountain community in Cayey, is where many Puerto Ricans travel for lechon asado, a whole roasted pig.
## Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico
The Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico is a 72-acre beachfront peninsula in Río Grande, 15 minutes from El Yunque National Forest.
## Puerto Rico’s manatee population
Puerto Rico is home to the only established U.S. manatee population outside Florida’s range.
## Key takeaway

Airlines add seasonal flights to San Juan from Dallas, Houston, Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Norfolk, Richmond, and Buffalo to serve Puerto Rico’s 4-month Christmas holiday period.