Getting to the Caribbean is not hard. There are plenty of scheduled and charter flights to the region, from Europe, particularly the UK, from Canada and from cities all over the USA. Of course not all the Caribbean islands have direct flights, but the islands beyond the main gateways are usually well served by local airlines and charter companies. If there are no delays it should be possible to reach your destination from Europe or North America without having to overnight elsewhere.

Tickets are only hard to come by during the height of the season. If you wish to spend Christmas or New Year in the region, you may need to book your flights up to nine months ahead. It is possible to use Air Miles, or a mix of cash and miles in some cases, though the popular routes do become booked in advance. If you will be island hopping, remember that some scheduled airlines offer cheap internal fares to tack onto your international flight. These and some hopper tickets must be booked with your international ticket.

The main international airlines serving the Caribbean from the USA are: American Airlines, US Airways, Continental Airlines, Caribbean Airlines, Delta Airlines, Cayman Airways and Air Jamaica whilst American Eagle makes the link to islands that do not have the facility to serve long-haul flights from their hub in San Juan.

Caribbean flights from Canada are provided by: Air Canada, Caribbean Airlines and Air Jamaica

From the UK, the airlines with flights to the Caribbean are: British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Air Jamaica, Monarch, BMI, Air 2000/First Choice Airways, Thomsonfly, Thomas Cook Airlines and Cubana

From Europe the main airlines serving the Caribbean are: Lufthansa, Air France, KLM and Condor (from Frankfurt). Smaller charter carriers include Air Europe from Milan, Belair from Zurich, Condor from Frankfurt and Munich, Lauda Air from Milan or Vienna/Zurich, LTU from Dusseldorf, Martinair and Holland Excel from Amsterdam, and Corse Air from Paris.

The main regional Caribbean airlines are: Liat, SVG Air, American Eagle, Air Caraibes, Cubana, ALM, Winair, and St Barths Commuter

For more specific details of Caribbean flights to individual Caribbean islands and information on who flies where including local Caribbean airlines, please check by island below.