Flights Around the Caribbean
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Search and buy flights to and around the Caribbean. Alternative Airlines offers flights from a variety of Caribbean airlines that fly between the different countries and islands in the Caribbean.
Visiting the Caribbean
Flying in and around the Caribbean has been part of island life for many years and is key for the islands to thrive in both business and tourism.
Flying to and from the various islands is a great way to make the most of your trip.
Where is the Caribbean?
The Caribbean is a group of 700 islands located in the Caribbean sea which is located to the south east of north America's mainland. The islands are a collective, owned by sovereign states and overseas dependencies including the U.K, France, The Netherlands and America.
The islands encompass all walks of life from all around the world and have a rich heritage, with a large array of different languages and dialects. The most popular languages spoken are English, French, Dutch, Spanish, Creole and Papiamento.
Why visit the Caribbean?
The Caribbean has a vast array of attractions to visit, with all sorts of things to do. Each island is unique, and tourists travel from all over the world to experience all that they have to offer. Each island has its own character and special charm and continues to attract many tourists each and every year.
The islands offer many natural wonders, from mountainous areas to coral reefs. Deep valleys, dense rainforest areas, large volcanoes and gushing waterfalls bring an incredible natural beauty to the archipelago of islands. There are famous eco tourism resorts and plenty of areas which are protected and are unspoilt.
Flying to the Caribbean
Fights to the Caribbean have continued to grow every year, as tourism has increased in the past years. More and more international and flag carriers continue to serve the islands. With the islands having various sovereignty, there are many national carriers that serve the islands.
Airlines such as British Airways, KLM and Air France all fly from their big European hubs, offering nearly daily services to the most popular islands. From the United States, airlines such as United, American, Delta & Jet Blue fly to many of the islands, again operating a daily service to and fro a lot of the popular islands.
The busiest Caribbean airports
| COUNTRY | CITY | AIRPORT | IATA | PASSENGERS (PER YEAR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominican Republic | Punta Cana | Punta Cana International Airport | PUJ | 9,000,000+ |
| Puerto Rico | San Juan | Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport | SJU | 8,800,000+ |
| Cuba | Havana | José Martí International Airport | HAV | 5,700,000+ |
| Jamaica | Montego Bay | Sangster International Airport | MBJ | 4,200,000+ |
| Dominican Republic | Santo Domingo | Las Americas International Airport | SDQ | 3,600,000+ |
| The Bahamas | Nassau | Lynden Pindling International Airport | NAS | 3,300,000+ |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Port of Spain | Piarco International Airport | POS | 2,800,000+ |
| Aruba | Aruba | Queen Beatrix International Airport | AUA | 2,500,000+ |
| Guadeloupe | Pointe-à-Pitre | Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport | PTP | 2,300,000+ |
| Barbados | Bridgetown | Grantley Adams International Airport | BGI | 2,100,000+ |
Airlines that fly to the most popular Caribbean islands
Barbados
Best airport to fly into: Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI)
Airlines that fly to BGI: Air Antilles, Air Canada Rouge, American Airlines, British Airways, Caribbean Airlines, Eurowings, JetBLUE, LIAT, Virgin Atlantic, WestJet.
Jamaica
Best airport to fly into: Sangster International Airport (MBJ) or Norman Manley International Airport (KIN).
Airlines that fly to MBJ: Sunwing Airlines, American Airlines, Caribbean Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, United Airlines, WestJet, United Airlines.
Airlines that fly to KIN: Caribbean Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Air Canada Rouge, WestJet, Spirit Airlines, Jetblue, InterCaribbean Airways, Cayman Airways, Copa Airlines.
Cuba
Best airport to fly into: José Martí International (HAV).
Airlines that fly to HAV: Cubana de Aviación, InterJet, JetBlue, Virgin Atlantic, Iberia, Blue Panorama Airlines, Condor, Air France, Air Europa, Air Canada Rouge, Air China.
St Lucia
Best airport to fly into: Hewanorra International Airport (UVF)
Airlines that fly to UVF: American Airlines, British Airways, Air Canada Rouge, JetBlue, WestJet, Virgin Atlantic, TUI Airways.
Antigua
Best airport to fly into: V. C. Bird International Airport (ANU)
Airlines that fly to ANU: LIAT, Sky High Aviation Services, Sunwing Airlines, Winair, WestJet, Caribbean Airlines, British Airways, American Airlines, Air Canada
Flying within the Caribbean
Inter-island services make up the bulk of the flying services within the Caribbean. This is the easiest and most convenient way to get around and see multiple islands during your trip, with some operators offering multiple stops per day in order to create a 'mini tour'.
There are many island operators who operate flights around the islands, each with their own routes and services. Most flights are conducted on light twin engine aircraft, such as the twin otter and the islander due to the short runways and varying approaches.
Airlines that fly amongst the Caribbean islands include Air Caraibes, Caribbean Airlines, LIAT and Winnair. All these carriers off inter island services to a large range of destinations including St Maarten, St Barthelemy and Saba, of which is host to the shortest runway in the world for a commercial flight to operate on.
Why fly amongst the Caribbean islands?
You might ordinarily associate island-hopping in the Caribbean with boats and ferries. But, island hopping by air is also a great choice, especially when you're travelling from country to country. Not only are flights around the Caribbean the quickest way to travel, but it's also surprisingly cheap, particularly when flying between lesser-known airports.
A ferry ride between the neighbouring countries of Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico will take around 13 hours by ferry. Whereas, by plane, it'll only take one hour.
Airlines that fly amongst the Caribbean islands
Caribbean Airlines
Caribbean Airlines is the national carrier of Trinidad and Tobago. The airline is based at Port of Spain and flies to destinations in more than 10 different Caribbean countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curacao, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten and Trinidad and Tobago.
Other than its Caribbean flights, Caribbean Airlines also flies to destinations in North America and South America.
Air Caraibes
Air Caraibes is a French airline that offers flights to several destinations in the Caribbean, primarily focussing on the islands of the French Caribbean. The airline is based at Paris Orly Airport (ORY) and, although it mostly offers flights to Caribbean destinations from Paris, it also flies between many of the Caribbean airlines that are in its route network.
Altogether, Air Caraibes flies to destinations in over 10 different Caribbean countries, including Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten and the Bahamas.
LIAT
LIAT is a Caribbean airline that is based at V.C. Bird International Airport (ANU), Antigua and Barbuda. The airline offers regular inter-island flights to destinations in more than 10 different Caribbean countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago, United States Virgin Islands.
Cayman Airways
Cayman Airways is the flag carrier of the Cayman Islands. The airline operates flights to destinations in more than four different Caribbean countries. The airline is based at Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM) and flies within the Cayman Islands, as well as to Cuba, Honduras and Jamaica.
Other than inter-island flights, Cayman Airways also flies to destinations in the US.
Bahamsair
Bahamasair is the national airline of the Bahamas. It flies to more than 15 destinations within the Caribbean, with a particular focus on internal flights within the Bahamas — flying to several destinations within the country. Other than the Bahamas, Bahamasair also flies to Cuba, Haiti and the Turks and Caicos.
The airline is based at Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS), Nassau. Besides from flights around the Caribbean, Bahamasair also operates flights to destinations in the United States.
All Airlines that fly within the Caribbean
| AIRLINE | COUNTRY |
|---|---|
| ARUBA | |
| Aruba Airlines | Aruba |
| Crystal Luxury Air | Aruba |
| BAHAMAS | |
| Bahamasair | Bahamas |
| Flamingo Air | Bahamas |
| Pineapple Air | Bahamas |
| SkyBahamas | Bahamas |
| Western Air | Bahamas |
| BONAIRE ISLAND | |
| Fly-CD | Bonaire Island |
| BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS | |
| BVI Airways | British Virgin Islands |
| VI Airlink | British Virgin Islands |
| CAYMAN ISLANDS | |
| Cayman Airways | Cayman Islands |
| CUBA | |
| Aerogaviota | Cuba |
| Cubana | Cuba |
| CURAÇAO | |
| Divi Divi Air | Curaçao |
| DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | |
| Air Inter Island | Dominican Republic |
| Air Santo Domingo | Dominican Republic |
| Flycana | Dominican Republic |
| Servicios Aéreos Profesionales | Dominican Republic |
| HAITI | |
| Sunrise Airways | Haiti |
| MONTSERRAT | |
| FlyMontserrat | Monsterrat |
| PUERTO RICO | |
| Air Flamenco | Puerto Rico |
| Culebra Air Services | Puerto Rico |
| M&N Aviation | Puerto Rico |
| Seaborne Airlines | Puerto Rico |
| Vieques Air Link | Puerto Rico |
| Air Sunshine | Puerto Rico |
| SAINT PIERRE AND MIQUELON | |
| Air Saint-Pierre | Saint Pierre and Miquelon |
| SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES | |
| Mustique Airways | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
| SVG Air | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
| TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO | |
| Caribbean Airlines | Trinidad and Tobago |
| TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS | |
| interCaribbean Airways | Turks and Caicos Islands |
| UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS | |
| Coastal Aviation | United States Virgin Islands |
| SINT MAARTEN | |
| Winair | Sint Maarten |
| SAINT BARTHÉLEMY | |
| St Barth Commuter | Saint Barthélemy |
| JAMAICA | |
| Jam Air Express | Jamaica |
Flights Around the Caribbean
FAQs
Which Caribbean island is the cheapest to fly to?
Punta Cana is one of the cheapest Caribbean destinations to fly to. Punta Cana is a town located in the Dominican Republic. It is served by BA, Virgin Atlantic, American, Air France and a range of other large carriers. This is due to the airport having a large runway to accommodate larger aircraft, as well as being a popular island to visit, thus resulting in an overall lower cost for airline passengers
How long does it take to fly to the Caribbean?
Depending on your departure location, flying from mainland Europe takes around 9-10 hours, whereas from the US it can take around anywhere from around 3hrs (from New york) or 55mins( from Miami).
What airlines fly between the Caribbean islands?
Airlines that fly between the Caribbean islands include Cape AIr, LIAT, Caribbean Airlines, Cayman Airways, Mustique Airways, Dutch Antilles Express, Insel Air, Seaborne Airlines, SVG Air, Vieque Air Links, Western Air, Copa Air, Tiara Air, Anguilla Air services, BahamasAir, Cubana, Air Caraibes, Winnair, Fly Montserrat and Coco Bahama Seaplanes.
Do I need a passport for flights around the Caribbean?
Yes, if you're travelling from one Caribbean country to another, you'll need a passport to fly. However, if you're travelling domestically within one Caribbean country, you might be able to travel with another form of photo ID. It will depend on the entry regulations for each Caribbean country. However, if you're an international traveller, it's easier and more convenient to use your passport whenever flying around the Caribbean.
How early do I need to arrive for domestic flights in Colombia?
Although it differs from airline to airline, check-in deadlines are usually 45–60 minutes before scheduled flight departure time. This means you should arrive at the airport at least two hours before your flight is scheduled to depart.
Are there defunct airlines that no longer operate?
There have been a number of airlines that were loved by the public that no longer operate. Defunct airlines include Dutch Antilles Express, which ceased operations in 2013, and Antigua Caribbean Airways. The current airlines listed above have taken over many of the routes that these airlines operated.
Can I buy flights around the Caribbean online?
Yes, you can buy flights around the Caribbean and between the Caribbean islands with Alternative Airlines. Simply use the search form at the top of the page, enter the two Caribbean destinations that you want to fly between and the dates that you want to fly on and click 'search flights'.
