Florida Coastal Airlines

[LeeR]

Can anyone share experiences flying on Florida Coastal Airlines i.e.
on time?
schedule followed?

Lee

[sarae]

flew with them this past month. i had booked a roundtrip ticket with them from ft. lauderdale to marsh harbour. they changed my return trip to an earlier flight because they weren't enough passengers on the one i had booked. but they gave me enough notice so that i could book my return on another airline. they gave me a full refund immediately.
my one-way trip with them was fine and hassle-free. it was a fabulous day to fly and the views from the plane were specatular.
will probably fly with them again.

[trishdcct]

My note on florida coastal Airlines is long overdue. I have flown a few different airlines to Marsh Harbour and I had the best experience with them. The cheapest flights I have found yet, one way and round trip. Not only were they there when I arrived to check in, they also flew from Ft. Lauderdale even though I was the only passenger! Returning, I only had to be there half an hour before the flight and the people were on time and extremely friendly. I have to say thank you to Doc for such a nice flying experience. I would reccomend them anytime and I know they are opening up their flights even more in the next few months.

[Felix]

I agree...great airline! They saved me and my wife on our honeymoon from our Island Express fiasco (read the recent IE thread). They made room for us and didn't charge extra for the last minute booking. And, they didn't know it was our honeymoon. They fly reliable Cessna 402's and have experienced pilots.

[Jack Frost]

They have moved twice since getting wiped out by the hurricanes. The new number is 954 359 5555
Jack

[Alan Brown]

Question.

Do they charge for excess weight? Dive equipment weighs a ton and I hate getting $100 surprises when they weigh my luggage.

Also, what FL airports to the fly out of? Do they use the major airports or the ececutive ones?

[Jack Frost]

I believe thier limit with the ticket is 40lbs with charges beyond that.
Jack

[robd855]

If your afraid of flying this flight is not for you. My flight was delayed two hours, the flight was 90 something degrees on a plane that was falling apart. I was charged more money on my credit card statement then I was quoted. I will NEVER fly them again. Good luck

[l'il gecko]

And there you have it, the Good and the Bad. In the past two years I have flown over and back at least 15 times. I have had good experiences with many and some bad, but hey, things happen. If you go back and read ALL airline post you will see exactly that, the BIG GUYS and the LITTLE GUYS. One bad experience does not mean they will be all bad.
I have flown Calypos, Yellow Air, US Air, American, Continental, Bahamas Air and FCA and I would fly any of those, that are STILL flying, over again.
Done!;)
Jim

[Abaco Skippy]

Couldn't have said it better myself! No matter what airline you choose, sometimes "stuff" happens! But I have found that more "stuff" happens on domestic routes with domestic airlines regarding delays, security, lost luggage, BS, etc, etc. Give me a flight to Abaco on a small carrier anyday!

[TinCanMan]

over the last 15 years, I've flown em all. even private charters. Mostly good experiences, however, overtime, they all showed thier weaknesses. My last flight to Marsh Harbour takes the cake. Left FLL on June 11th. Not the best weather, but light wind. we get lift-off, clear the port and start over the ocean, maybe 3 mins into flight. Then the starboard side luggage hatch opens up. We return the FLL, the captain shuts down, exits and closes the hatch. Then he comes back onboard and proceeds to tell me it was the baggage handlers fault. I quickly reminded him of who has the ultimate responsibility of the plane and its contents asked him to exit the plane again and complete his pre-flights, again. I will fly the same airline again, but I will wait for the next flight if I have the same captain.

[momshell]

We had luck with them last year. They actually bailed us out of a situation with another air carrier that has since gone kerplunk. They picked us up for the other carrier- on time- with a great attitude, delivered us safely, we enjoyed the pilot( my husband is a commercial airline pilot and felt their pilot was up on his game). We were quite happy with them. Their rates are very competitive as compared with some other carriers, and they did it safely. They did the job for us on all counts.

[CaywannaBay]

Only been to the Abaco's one time. We flew FCA out of Ft. Lauderdale and had a very good experience. On time, good flight, and no hassles. Getting ready to book for our next trip and will again use FCA. I did make sure when I made my schedule up, that I wasn't cutting it close on any connections. My biggest delay was going home out of Ft Lauderdale on "Major" airline as they had a 2 1/2 hour delay. Go figure, as stated already everything is not always perfect, just be ready for a great time in the Abaco's.

[momshell]

Just remember that you are flying into a very small airport, on a small island, in a foreign country. You are not going to be flying a state of the art Boeing 757, so understand that it will be hot because the small carriers do not have APU's to keep planes cool while sitting on a blazing hot tarmac in FLL or MIA. You are on island time once you leave the big terminal stateside, so embrace it, be patient, and count your blessings that you are headed to a slower,calmer place.

[FlyUS]

biggest negative with FCA is the fact they fly 402s.... *blah*

You will always get the cheapest price by booking direct with fca, www.flyfca.com as their fares are higher (for a good reason) when booking thru USAir, travel agents, or online - orbitz, expedia, travelocity, etc.

They filled the void left when Air Sunshine's Bahamian cert was pulled and they're doing a MUCH better job than Air Sunshine ever did.

[bellavista]

sorry but since this seems to be a soap box re "which is best", i am voting for the way women seem to vote in private between themselves that we men sometimes get to "hear about"--bigger is better. Go with the folks with the best longest most solid record overall in aviation, no matter how bad A single flight might be. Listen to the folks that go 10 to 15 times a year like many regulars do. It's like the doctor. If you go enough they will screw up on you, but the big boys screw up generally less and know how to fix it better when they screw up. if this is your once a year or two experience, and you are changing planes from somewhere elsewhere vs. starting in so. fl., the bigger the better. if you are starting in so. fl., it seems to me that all are about the same.
whatever you decide, DON'T decide because one is 20 OR 30 bucks cheaper.
that cost differential will disappear in your first 30 minutes in the Bahamas.

[metigar]

I flew FCA in March, and found them professional, on-time and reasonable. I agree that a single experience can never be the criterion. I question whether any of the commuter carriers who wear major airline insignias are entitled to more respect -- they are their own entities, with their own employees and their own rules. E.g., USAir uses Chatauqua and Mesa -- both proven entities. Delta's ASA and Comair have shown they have a lot to learn, though ASA has improved of late. And so on.
m