American Airlines now flies direct from Miami to South Caicos

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands — International airlift has arrived on the off-the-beaten-path island of South Caicos in the Turks and Caicos Islands. A passenger jet carrying travelers eager to begin their South Caicos vacation coasted onto the tarmac of the South Caicos Airport (also known as the Norman B. Saunders Sr. Airport, XSC) Saturday afternoon.

This was the inaugural flight of American Airlines' new service from Miami to South Caicos (flight AA 3815). The carrier will fly to the quiet island destination twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays aboard an Embraer E175 jet operated by Envoy Air, a small subsidiary carrier under American Airlines' American Eagle brand. It is the only international flight serving South Caicos. A community celebration was held at the South Caicos International Airport following the flight’s arrival.

South Caicos offers vacationers a laid-back old Caribbean charm, vibrant coral reefs supporting exceptional scuba diving, and windswept coasts where you can find rugged beaches and beautiful hiking vistas. With a population of only around 1,139 people (according to the last government census, completed in 2012), it is an excellent destination for exploring the country's natural environment and remnants of its once-thriving sea salt industry away from the crowds.

South Caicos is a relatively new tourism market in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Prior to the opening of its first luxury resort in 2017, the island largely relied on a small-scale fishing economy primarily exporting queen conch and Caribbean spiny lobster.

The vast majority of overnight stays and tourist arrivals in the Turks and Caicos have historically occurred on the main tourism island of Providenciales, where the country’s largest and principal international airport (the Providenciales International Airport - PLS) is located and nearly all international flights land. Two domestic airlines, Caicos Express Airways and interCaribbean, provide regular flights to South Caicos from Providenciales.

Scheduled international flights have not landed at the South Caicos International Airport for decades. The last direct scheduled flight between Miami and South Caicos was operated by budget airline company Air Florida during the early 1980s.