Monday, May 21, 2012

JetBlue To Start Flights From Washington, D.C. To Puerto Rico, JetBlue Adds Flights From West Palm Beach To Puerto Rico


JetBlue to start flights from Washington, D.C. to Puerto Rico


JetBlue Airways will be adding nonstop flights between Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.  The U.S. Department of Transportation has granted the carrier, a new nonstop “capital-to-capital” service between San Juan and Washington, D.C.  JetBlue's new flights will be the only nonstop service between Washington D.C. and the capital of Puerto Rico.
JetBlue expects to start this service in the fall of this year.



JetBlue launches flights from West Palm Beach to Puerto Rico


JetBlue starts new route from Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) in Florida.  The West Palm Beach route is new to Puerto Rico, and provides a new option for passengers to get to Puerto Rico.  Flights operate daily and are on sale now.  JetBlue's flights to and from San Juan will be operated with the airline's Airbus A320 fleet.


Puerto Rico is a major airline hub in the Caribbean.  JetBlue is the largest carrier in Puerto Rico, and offers service to 13 nonstop destinations throughout the U.S. mainland and the Caribbean. 

                                                                  
 










Sunday, May 20, 2012

WiFi To Be Available In Town Plazas In Puerto Rico



The island of Puerto Rico is making it easier for people to connect on the internet.  Thanks to a $3 million funding, through the island government’s Telecommunications Regulatory Board, all 78 towns in Puerto Rico, in their public plazas, will have free wireless Internet access by December of this year.  Providing this service is a policy of the governor of Puerto Rico.  The governor wants the internet, a tool to access the world, to be used by all residents of the island of Puerto Rico.


The Telecommunications Regulatory Board has already set up WiFi hotspots in Manatí, Moca, Toa Alta, San Sebastián, Aguada, Gurabo, Juana Díaz, Vieques and Loíza.  All residents and visitors of Puerto Rico will have access to the free WiFi.

                                                             






Saturday, May 19, 2012

Construction Of The Mall Of San Juan To Begin In Puerto Rico



The construction of The Mall of San Juan will begin this summer in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  The Mall of San Juan, formerly known as Plaza Internacional, will be the first upscale mall in Puerto Rico.  The Mall of San Juan, a two-level, 640,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art shopping center, will feature a 138,000-square-foot Nordstrom and a 100,000-square-foot Saks Fifth Avenue.  This will be the first store in Puerto Rico for Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue.  


As Puerto Rico Is The Place had previously reported, the project, which is located on the San José Lagoon on the Río Piedras side of Teodoro Moscoso Bridge, and just five minutes from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, is also expected to include a 240-room Crowne Plaza hotel and casino.  The $405-million shopping center will include more than 100 specialty stores and restaurants.  The opening of the mall is expected for late 2014.  New Century Development, Inc., and Taubman Centers are developing and managing  the project.



With The Mall of San Juan residents and visitors will enjoy new shopping options.  The Mall of San Juan, will bring a luxury shopping experience, and the place to shop and dine in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

                                                                    
 







Sunday, May 13, 2012

Puerto Rico An Entertainment City Is The Topic Of A Novel: "Puerto Rico City"


A mega-entertainment city is created, where the Roosevelt Roads Naval Station used to be, in a new novel, “Puerto Rico City,” by David R. Martin.  The 13-square-mile military air base in the town of Ceiba, Puerto Rico, has been closed since 2004, and the novel suggests this area is an important development opportunity.  The novel deals with the 2008 global financial crisis, the conflict of Puerto Rico’s ambiguous political relationship with the United States, and the island elections.


Lino Mendoza, is the book's main character.  Mendoza gets the idea to create "Puerto Rico City,"
to lift the economy of Puerto Rico, and bring Puerto Rico to international stature.   Puerto Rico city, according to the novel, would be better than Las Vegas, Macau, and Dubai.  Puerto Rico city would be a showcase for talented Puerto Ricans, in entertainment, music, sports, and the arts.  A place where everybody wants to be and be seen.  Lino Mendoza is in a race against time.  There will be no second chance to build Puerto Rico City. 


Interesting to note, is that the current government of Puerto Rico, Governor Fortuño administration, has plans to redevelop this old military air base, in the town of Ceiba, Puerto Rico.  The plan calls for a  “Caribbean Riviera,” with a 2,500-room hotel, a large casino and entertainment complex, and an adjacent airport and passenger-ferry terminal, which would link the resort to Vieques and Culebra.  Is this a case of art imitating life?

                                                                    






Sunday, May 6, 2012

IKEA Furniture To Open Stores In Puerto Rico



It has been reported that IKEA, the Swedish home furniture company, is looking to open shops in Puerto Rico.  Officials from IKEA were in Puerto Rico last week searching for locations in the San Juan metropolitan area.


IKEA is the world's largest furniture maker.  The Company, based in Stockholm, has plans to set up three stores, and a central warehouse.


The report said IKEA is expecting to start operations in Puerto Rico by the end of the year.  IKEA had 655 million customers last year, from its 287 stores.  IKEA employs 131,000 people in 41 countries.


UPDATE:  IKEA opens first store in Bayamón, Puerto Rico.