During it's heyday, Mercedita used to receive L-1011 jets from Eastern Airlines and DC-10 jets from American Airlines from the United States. It also had extensive domestic service by Prinair each day.
On June 24, 1972, Prinair Flight 191, which took off from Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, crashed while attempting to land at Mercedita Airport.
The bigger airlines and jets eventually left, but Prinair kept on flying there until it ceased operations in 1984. Eastern Airlines then returned in 1985, with their smaller planes flying under the banner name Eastern Metro Express flying several times daily from Eastern's Luis Munoz Marin International Airport hub. American Airlines followed suit soon, also flying smaller planes under the name of American Eagle once the San Juan airport became a hub for American too.
During the 1990s, jets returned briefly, with American starting Airbus A300 service from Newark, and Continental Airlines also flying from Newark, on Boeing 757s.
In addition, Vieques Air Link has offered service there.
Airline service to Mercedita is provided currently by: