Skip to content

Royal Jordanian Sends Dreamliner to St. Maarten to Evacuate Irma Survivors

Sept. 18, 2017
2 min read
Royal Jordanian 787
Royal Jordanian Sends Dreamliner to St. Maarten to Evacuate Irma Survivors
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don’t cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.

Since Hurricane Irma made its way through the Caribbean, St. Maarten's Maho Beach and famed Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) have been left with devastating damage. Travel companies have made efforts to help the island by bringing supplies and helping survivors evacuate to safety — from KLM bringing its 747 back to SXM to Royal Caribbean sending one of its ships. Now, Royal Jordanian has shared that it's sent one of its aircraft to help evacuate Jordanian citizens.

According to FlightRadar24, on of Royal Jordanian's Dreamliners (JY-BAG) made the trip from Madrid (MAD) to St. Maarten (SXM) on Monday morning. After arriving at 8:21am, the aircraft quickly turned around after picking up evacuees before departing at 10:22am, bound for MAD.

Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, the King of Jordan, reportedly ordered Royal Jordanian to send the aircraft to St. Maarten. According to the Jordanian government, there were 96 citizens in St. Maarten who needed to be rescued.

We reached out to Royal Jordanian but have yet to hear back about any of the specifics of the flight.

RJ's Dreamliners feature 24 lie-flat seats in business in a 2-2-2 configuration and 246 seats in economy in a 3-3-3 configuration.

Image by Brendan Dorsey.

If there were indeed 96 Jordanian citizens who were being evacuated, RJ's Dreamliner offers enough room for each of the survivors to have a lie-flat bed of their own — at least on paper. There are 80 "clusters" of three seats each in economy, meaning there's plenty of space for one passenger to have claimed a cluster for themselves, which could be used as a makeshift lie-flat bed. Others could get a true lie-flat bed at the nose of the aircraft.

Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts
Image by Brendan Dorsey.

At the time of this writing, RJ Flight 6104 is en route to Madrid and is expected to arrive at 5:36pm ET. Royal Jordanian does not regularly operate flights to SXM.

TPG featured card

4 / 5
Go to review
Rewards rate
1XChoose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee
2XEarn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases
Intro offer
Open Intro bonus
50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status + $300 of Bilt Cash
Annual fee
$495
Regular APR
26.74 - 34.74% variable
Recommended credit
Open Credit score description
Good Credit, Excellent Credit

Pros

  • Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
  • Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
  • $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
  • $200 Bilt Cash annually
  • Priority Pass membership
  • No foreign transaction fees

Cons

  • Moderate annual fee
  • Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
  • Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
  • Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
  • 2X points on everyday spend
  • $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
  • $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
  • Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
  • Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
  • Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.