When you book a flight to the Caribbean, the process looks a lot like any other international itinerary. You’ll need to enter your passport details (except for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which follow different rules, because they’re both parts of the United States).
But there are a few key things that make these flights stand out—and not always in a good way.
International Fees, Domestic Experience
Even though the airlines treat Caribbean routes like international flights in terms of fees, the actual in-flight experience feels very domestic.
Most Caribbean flights from the U.S. are operated with narrowbody aircraft—typically Airbus A320s or Boeing 737s. You might assume that’s because the airports can’t handle widebodies, but that’s not true. Many Caribbean airports welcome flights from Europe and South America, like this KLM A330 landing in Aruba:
Service? Don’t Expect Much
On our American Airlines flight from Miami to Aruba, the onboard experience was about as typical as it gets: a cup of soda and a pack of cookies.
Wi-Fi? Sure—if you’re willing to pay $18 for an hour or $24 for the whole flight.
Food and drink beyond the complimentary beverage service come at a cost, too:
That Free Checked Bag? Not So Fast…
If you’re used to getting a free checked bag with your co-branded airline credit card, prepare for a surprise. On American Airlines, those benefits typically only apply to domestic flights. However, Delta, United, JetBlue, and Southwest all extend their checked bag benefit—including co-branded credit card perks—to flights to the Caribbean.
Some Airlines Actually Do It Better
Southwest, which now charges for checked bags for almost everyone except those booking the pricier Choice Extra fare, doesn’t exclude Caribbean and Central America flights from its co-brand card free bag policy. So if you usually get a free checked bag, you’ll still get it – even if you’re headed to Aruba, not Albuquerque. The onboard experience is also exactly what you’d expect on any other Southwest flight: open seating, friendly crew, and the classic snack mix. (Even if they have to wheel out the boarding position markers to the gate…)
JetBlue goes a step further. They treat flights within the U.S., Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada as part of the same system. If you have the JetBlue Plus card, which includes a checked bag, it doesn’t matter whether you’re flying to San Juan or San Diego—you’ll still get it.
On our flight to Puerto Rico earlier this year, the JetBlue experience was nearly identical to a transcon. Free Wi-Fi, seatback entertainment, and a generous snack basket were all part of the deal. Our outbound flight was on an older A321, but the return featured one of JetBlue’s updated aircraft.
Final Thought
Flying to the Caribbean from the U.S. may require you to enter your passport info, go through customs, and clear immigration—but once you’re on board, don’t expect much to feel different from a typical domestic flight.
So while you’re technically flying “international,” your in-flight experience will likely feel very familiar—just with a little more paperwork and a beach at the end of the runway.
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