American Airlines is expanding its route network with new flights to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and Chicago (ORD), beginning Dec. 21, said U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism and American officials.

The new flights include year-round departures from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport toCyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas, using a 176-seat Boeing 757 aircraft. The seasonal route between Chicago O’Hare International Airport and St. Thomas will use a 128-seat Airbus A319.

The flights from DFW will leave at 10:35 a.m. and arrive on St. Thomas at 5:35 p.m. The St. Thomas–Dallas flights will depart at 1:50 p.m. and arrive at 5:20 p.m.

Chicago flights will depart at 8:20 a.m. and arrive on St. Thomas at 3:15 p.m. The St. Thomas-Chicago flights will depart at 4:30 p.m., and arrive in Chicago at 7:15 p.m.

“American has expressed a commitment to and a high confidence in our destination and we look forward to making more announcements concerning the strengthening of aerial highways which connect travelers to both our airports, on St. Thomas and St. Croix,” said Joseph Boschulte, commissioner of tourism nominee, U.S. Virgin Islands.

“These two new St. Thomas routes will not only promote travel and tourism to the island, but they’ll also provide our local customers with one-stop access to the network we operate out of our Dallas/Fort Worth and Chicago hubs,” said Alfredo Gonzalez, managing director for the Caribbean, American Airlines. “We have identified unique growth opportunities in the Caribbean and as a result, this year, we will continue to expand our presence in the region with new routes, frequencies and destinations.”