Frontier Airlines’ first non-stop flight from Cleveland to San Juan, Puerto Rico took off from Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport on Thursday evening, marking the first direct flight to the island since United Airlines grounded its route in 2017. For the growing contingent of Puerto Ricans in Northeast Ohio, the affordable four-hour flight means a whole lot more.
As part of a broader expansion into underserved and unserved markets from Cleveland-Hopkins, Frontier Airlines announced earlier this year that it would bring direct flights to Puerto Rico beginning in May. The flights, which will occur four times per week, will provide a quicker and easier way to get to the island’s capital city by eliminating the need for connecting flights.
With fares around $159 round trip, the direct flights are also affordable.
Since United Airlines eliminated its flight to Puerto Rico six years ago, the Puerto Rican population in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio has continued to grow. More than 45,000 people of Puerto Rican descent currently reside in Cuyahoga County. Another 22,000 live in neighboring Lorain County, according to census data.
Chef Jose Melendez, the owner and operator of Twisted Taino in Parma, said the direct flight will allow Puerto Ricans and Hispanics with an obtainable and affordable way to visit family members still living on the island, which is something that hasn’t always been easy to do.
“It’s very, very important. Our unity and our love for our island, we’re very proud,” Melendez said. “You can see Puerto Ricans driving around with the Puerto Rican flag in their car or on their shirts. We take a lot of pride in our island and our culture.”
Much of that culture revolves around family and food, Melendez said. After climbing out of homelessness while in his 20s, the chef and entrepreneur began fusing together elements of traditional Puerto Rican and Latino cuisine, ultimately culminating in his restaurant and catering service.
“Everybody at home tells you your food is good, but you don’t know if anybody else would like it. I guess it was proven that my food was pretty good,” Melendez said with a hearty laugh.
Melendez said he hasn’t been able to visit his native Puerto Rico since early 2020 when he narrowly avoided the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdowns. He has been yearning to get back.
“I tell my wife every day that I need to take a trip to Puerto Rico,” Melendez said. “I really want to enjoy my family, my uncles, and my grandma is still alive. Having to have that be accessible and affordable as well — it means a lot. When I travel to PR, I always have to take a whole day just to travel. You sometimes get out of here at 8 o’clock in the morning, but you could get there at midnight because you’re either jumping from Florida to Chicago or other states. It takes a whole day.”
Melendez also said the direct flight is a much-needed shot in the arm for Puerto Rico’s tourism industry.
“It is important to see new people coming in. We take pride in telling them, ‘whenever you go, you have to try this, you’ve got to go here, you’ve got to go there.’ We tell everybody about it,” Melendez said. “If you’re planning on going to Puerto Rico, just keep in mind that you are going to come back with 20 extra pounds for sure.”
