Arajet Boosts Connectivity Between Chicago and Punta Cana with Special “Fly Chicago” Promotion

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 2, 2025--

The Dominican Republic presented its country strategy to strengthen air connectivity with Chicago by introducing more direct flights to Punta Cana, along with a special promotion for passengers before an audience of over 200 travel agents and tour operators in Chicago.

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During a Road Show held by the Ministry of Tourism of Dominican Republic this Wednesday in the Windy City, the country announced a promotional offer through Arajet, their flag carrier, under the code “FLYCHICAGO”, granting passengers a 50% discount when booking this new route. In addition, a series of advantages were unveiled for tour operators and travel agents, designed to provide them with greater benefits when sending clients to the Dominican Republic, particularly Punta Cana.

This strategic connection not only expands travel options for passengers but also contributes to strengthening tourism, cultural exchange, and economic development between both destinations, further consolidating the country as a key player in the international connectivity between the Americas.

The inaugural flight is scheduled for November 15, 2025, with three weekly frequencies departing from Punta Cana International Airport on Tuesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Likewise, flights from Chicago O’Hare International Airport will operate on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Mondays.

This new route represents more than 2,200 weekly seats, connecting passengers from both cities and positioning Chicago as a strategic destination for the Dominican Republic given its cultural diversity and strong tourism and business potential.

According to the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Tourism, the United States remains the country’s main source market, with Chicago ranking among the key U.S. gateways, sending more than 138,000 visitors to the Dominican Republic by air.

The special promotion “Fly Chicago”, available from August 27 to 31, 2025, offers up to 50% off base fares in Smart, Comfort, or Extra, by using the promotional code FLYCHICAGO. The applicable travel period will run from November 15, 2025, to March 18, 2026, subject to availability.

Passengers taking advantage of this offer will enjoy direct flights between Chicago and Punta Cana, with the additional possibility of connecting through Arajet’s robust network of destinations across the region.

“At Arajet, we remain committed to creating new opportunities for connectivity between the Dominican Republic and the United States with competitive fares that allow more people to enjoy our destinations. Chicago is a key city for both tourism and business travel, and this new route will strengthen ties between our two nations,” said Víctor Pacheco Méndez, CEO and Founder of Arajet.

About Arajet

Arajet is the Dominican Republic’s flagship airline. Recognized as the World’s Best New Airline 2023 by the World Aviation Summit, Arajet launched operations in 2022 and currently operates from two bases: Las Américas International Airport in Santo Domingo and Punta Cana International Airport. With a modern fleet of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, the airline offers safe and affordable travel to and from the Dominican Republic, and across North, Central, and South America, as well as the Caribbean.

For more information, visit www.arajet.com

Arajet Airplanes

NUUK, Greenland (AP) — For several weeks, international journalists and camera crews have been scurrying up to people in Greenland's capital to ask them for their thoughts on the twists and turns of a political crisis that has turned the Arctic island into a geopolitical hot spot.

President Donald Trump insists he wants to control Greenland but Greenlanders say it is not for sale. The island is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark and the prime minister of that country has warned that if the U.S. tries to take Greenland by force, it could potentially spell the end of NATO.

Greenlanders walking along the small central shopping street of the capital Nuuk have a hard time avoiding the signs that the island is near the top of the Western news agenda.

Scores of journalists have arrived from outlets including The Associated Press, Reuters, CNN, the BBC and Al Jazeera as well as from Scandinavian countries and Japan.

They film Nuuk's multicolored houses, the snowcapped hills and the freezing fjords where locals go out in small boats to hunt seals and fish. But they must try to cram their filming into about five hours of daylight — the island is in the far north and the sun rises after 11 a.m. and sets around 4 p.m.

Along the quiet shopping street, journalists stand every few meters (feet), approaching locals for their thoughts, doing live broadcasts or recording stand-ups.

Local politicians and community leaders say they are overwhelmed with interview requests.

Juno Berthelsen, MP for the Naleraq opposition party that campaigns for independence in the Greenlandic parliament, called the media attention “round two,” referring to an earlier burst of global interest following Trump's first statements in 2025 that he wanted to control Greenland.

Trump has argued repeatedly that the U.S. needs control of Greenland for its national security. He has sought to justify his calls for a U.S. takeover by repeatedly claiming that China and Russia have their own designs on Greenland, which holds vast untapped reserves of critical minerals.

Berthelsen said he has done multiple interviews a day for two weeks.

“I'm getting a bit used to it,” he said.

Greenland's population is around 57,000 people —- about 20,000 of whom live in Nuuk.

“We’re very few people and people tend to get tired when more and more journalists ask the same questions again and again,” Berthelsen said.

Nuuk is so small that the same business owners are approached repeatedly by different news organizations — sometimes doing up to 14 interviews a day.

Locals who spoke to the AP said they want the world to know that it's up to Greenlanders to decide their own future and suggested they are perplexed at Trump's desire to control the island.

“It’s just weird how obsessed he is with Greenland,” said Maya Martinsen, 21.

She said Trump is “basically lying about what he wants out of Greenland,” and is using the pretext of boosting American security as a way to try to take control of “the oils and minerals that we have that are untouched.”

The Americans, Martinsen said, “only see what they can get out of Greenland and not what it actually is.”

To Greenlanders, she said, “it's home.”

“It has beautiful nature and lovely people. It’s just home to me. I think the Americans just see some kind of business trade.”

Kwiyeon Ha contributed to this report.

A journalist films in Nuuk, Greenland, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Burrows)

An AP journalist films people sitting by the sea in Nuuk, Greenland, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Burrows)

A journalist conducts an interview in Nuuk, Greenland, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Burrows)