With the “winter blues” season now well underway, airlines are determining which seasonal flights to tropical destinations are popular enough to bring back for a second year.
Last fall, American Airlines announced new flights to Puerto Escondido in Mexico and Bimini in The Bahamas. Delta Air Lines also started new flights to St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada that run until spring 2026.
Founded in the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands in 1968, Cayman Airways has become one of the last airlines to announce a new route for the 2026 sun-seeking season with a flight between Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM) in Grand Cayman and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) set to launch on May 20 and run until Aug. 16.
Cayman Airways to launch first direct flight between Austin and Grand Cayman
The flight is slated to run once a week on Sundays and will be the only direct route connecting Austin and the territory’s largest and most populated island. In 2025, Grand Cayman saw more than 400,000 overnight visitors, an increase of more than 7.5% from the previous year.
Along with multiple flights to nearby countries in The Caribbean, Cayman Airways currently flies to five other destinations in the U.S.: New York, Miami, Tampa, Denver, and Los Angeles.
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“Austin has emerged as a strong and growing source market for the Cayman Islands, with steady increases in visitor arrivals over recent years, despite the absence of nonstop flights,” Paul Tibbetts, the airline’s executive vice president for commercial affairs and chief financial officer, said in a statement.
“Data analysis conducted in collaboration with the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism identified Austin as one of the largest unserved U.S. markets for Cayman travel, with particularly strong demand during the summer period, and we’re excited to be the first airline to blaze this new trail for the Cayman Islands.”
Cayman Airways has been serving the Cayman Islands since 1968.
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Why is Cayman Airways launching an Austin flight now?
Cayman Islands Premier and Minister of Tourism Hon. Gary Rutty also celebrated the flight for its potential to drive U.S. tourism to the islands and provide greater connectivity for those looking to spend a few days after coming in to other islands in The Caribbean.
As Austin is a smaller city compared to all its other U.S. destinations, Cayman Airways plans to judge uptake during the 2026 season to judge whether to expand it to more frequencies for next year. Tickets for the flight will be available for purchase from Jan. 30 on the Cayman Airways website.
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Other airlines to launch new flights to Grand Cayman from the U.S. include JetBlue and Spirit Airlines.
Despite being in the throes of trying to navigate out of a second bankruptcy, the latter low-cost airline has launched a flight to GCM from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) last December that it previously described as a “dream destination” that will help it bring in much-needed traffic.
The JetBlue flight from Fort Lauderdale has also run since November 2025.
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