A seasonal weekly flight offered directly from North Carolina to St. Croix has resumed more than a month early because of strong demand.

US Airways' Saturday flight from Charlotte - scheduled to restart in mid-December - instead recommenced on Nov. 10, the V.I. Tourism Department has announced.

The Charlotte flight complements US Airways' existing flights to St. Croix and allows travelers to connect from the airline's hubs in Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.Β 

"Bringing back this direct Saturday flight on US Airways is testament to the growing demand for convenient and frequent service to America's Caribbean," Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty said in a prepared statement. "Eastern U.S. is a very important market for the destination, and we will continue to work to make traveling from there to the U.S. Virgin Islands easier than ever."

The Tourism Department will undertake a series of promotions in three of the flight's feeder cities in order to encourage potential visitors to vacation in the Virgin Islands, Nicholson-Doty said.

Flight 1415 departs Charlotte at 11:35 a.m., and arrives in St. Croix at 4:18 p.m. on Saturdays. Flight 1414 departs St. Croix at 5:15 p.m., and arrives in Charlotte at 8:15 p.m. The Airbus 319 used for the flights carries 124 passengers.

The seasonal service from Charlotte is scheduled to end on May 3, 2008, and resume on Nov. 8, 2008.

US Airways' direct Charlotte-St. Croix service began in March 2003. Previously, the airline offered direct service from Philadelphia.

- Contact Lynn Freehill at 774-8772 ext. 311 or e-mail lfreehill@dailynews.vi.