United Airlines launches St. Lucia flights

United Airlines began flying to the Caribbean island of St. Lucia this past weekend. The carrier's inaugural flight flew from Newark Liberty to St. Lucia's Hewanorra International Airport (UVF) on Saturday. United will offer one flight a week on the route, flying 154-seat Boeing 737-800 jets between the cities each Saturday.

United says the St. Lucia customers will be able to connect via Newark to and from 22 U.S. — including Chicago, Boston and Washington — as well as several Canadian cities.

"St. Lucia, United's 17th destination in the Caribbean, is a very welcome addition to our network -- and just in time for customers to enjoy a great summer getaway," Milagros Uriarte, United's director, Latin America Onshore & Caribbean Sales, says in a release marking the launch of the route.