iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — JetBlue has returned to its full flight schedule to Puerto Rico, nearly nine months after Hurricane Maria, the airline announced Friday.
The return to full capacity comes six months ahead of schedule, totaling 48 daily flights between the United States and the Caribbean island, the airline said.
JetBlue, which is the island’s largest carrier, hired an additional 50 staffers for San Juan.
“Our return to our pre-hurricane flight count is a testament to the incredible resilience of Puerto Rico and our crewmembers who kept flights operating during a very difficult period,” said Dave Clark, JetBlue’s vice president sales and revenue management, said in a statement.
The Puerto Rican government says that commercial flights to the island are back to normal daily capacity. The island, which depends greatly on tourism, was devastated after Hurricane Maria made landfall on Sept. 20, 2017.
About 15 percent of hotels are still not operating, according to the Puerto Rican Tourism Company.
“The fact that JetBlue has been able to match seat capacity levels to pre-hurricane figures six months earlier than expected shows that demand has increased and that we are on track for a historic recovery,” said Carla G. Campos, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. “Likewise, the creation of 50 new jobs as a result of the increase in operations is a testament to the trust and commitment that JetBlue has with Puerto Rico.”
There are still 6,224 customers are without power in Puerto Rico, according to the island’s electric power authority. The agency’s new chief told the Associated Press in early June that it would take up to two months to restore power to the entire island.
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