which airline

[sweetsue10190]

coming to the abacos this summer - looking to book on air taxi or florida coastal ,flew island express and had a real bad experience also air sunshine,which way to turn?

[AbacoPeach]

We had no problems with Yellow Air Taxi. They were a little late but not enough to be concerned about. We will fly with them again!

[Erin]

why just the puddle jumpers? Continental has more consistant schedules, tends to be on time and right in the main airport. Look at ticket prices online and you'll get a good deal. Ticket prices are almost the same if not cheaper than the smaller charter companies. Most of those companies are not even airlines (they are charter companies) and don't have the same deal as a real airlines. I would NEVER fly one of those airlines again unless absolutley necessary, not to mention the samller companies only allow 40lbs of luggage total. Continental allows 2 bags at 70lbs each. I flew Yellow Air after Franny just to get back to guana. They were 2 hours late and I had to pay almost $300 to get over beacuse of weight. Totally unorganized and unsafe. The planes had a nice paint job but they DO NOT even have full time mechanics. Not a good thing. Good luck!

[Alan Brown]

I agree, why just the puddle jumpers?

I flew Bahamasair out of Palm Beach a couple weeks back. They were on time, gave me no hassles about luggage weight, and were cheap ($194 rt). Have now flown with them a half-dozen times and have been completely satisfied each time.

All things considered, I prefer to fly with a major airline. I think their safety standards are higher, their crews better trained, and I love the convenience of flying in and out of a major airport, especially when I have to connect with another airline. I have also found their prices to be lower than the smaller outfits.

[Abacoparrott]

I fly the "puddle jumpers" simply because I prefer them. I like small planes. Used to fly a little bit myself. I hate crowds. Avoid them like crazy. why you guys think I love Abaco? I don't have a problem flying with the majors.....if I have to....they're just not my preference.......that being said, I DO wish someone had small planes powered by a turboprop......ken

[Mike from Boston]

What is the latest with US Airways? A friend wants to book them for March but I told him about them not flying to MH anymore. He says they have hooked up with another charter co. to MH. Is this true?

[Erin]

Yes.

[Jack Frost]

As far as puddle jumpers go there are only 2 legal 402 commuter airlines that really serve the Abaco's. It's Island Express and Florida Coastal Airlines. The other airlines are not certified or legal for commuter operations in the US nor in the Bahamas. We have all known this for sometime and it keeps getting revisited again and again. Someone post the DOT fine against Calypso Air for impersonating a scheduled airline, The Airsunshine crash findings, The Air Florida FAA revocations, The Bimini Island Bankrupcy, ect ect ect. What a mess out here and the US DOT is working on another airline that is impersonating a scheduled carrier between FLL and the Abacos. Good luck picking a airline. The puddle jumpers are good as long as they are legal. They keep the larger regional carriers airfares in check. If they were not here fares would be out of reach for many.
Jack

[BahamaAngie]

We just booked with Continental from Newark, NJ into Nassau and than on Bahama Air into MH. they fly into TC only on Friday and Sunday. Good rates, I believe a 56 passenger plane. I hope I did the right thing. We usually fly continental via Florida into TC but got a better fare this way. Also shorter trip in the Bahamas rather than flying from FL to Abaco. Wish us luck!

[aggie93]

My wife and I are looking at taking our first trip to Abaco in May and I was planning on using American Airlines FF miles. Problem is that American only has one flight per day it looks like that leaves Miami at 9:50 in the morning and there is no way I can get there from Austin, TX by that time unless we spend the previous night in Miami. I can pretty much fly anywhere though so I was thinking of going to Nassau or elsewhere close and catching a puddle jump so we wouldn't be stuck overnight. Any thoughts on the cheapest location to fly into Marsh Harbour from? I can likely get there using my AA miles and then only be out the money for the short flight or would I be better off just staying a night in Miami?:confused:

[bellavista]

We go Eagle because easiest from Atlanta. If you can catch their flight it is
1--mostly on time
2--pilots are over 18
3--bigger plane subject to more safety rules
4--slightly more expensive

[PattyB]

Lucky you that the AA flights won't work for your travel in a single day! Now you can avoid traveling through MIA, the most unfriendly airport I've ever experienced. Try any of the options discussed in this thread. You'll find travel through Palm Beach or Fort Lauderdale a breeze!

[Alan Brown]

Aggie,

If you fly AA into Nassau, chances are you'll have to connect with Bahamasair to get to Marsh Harbor. May's price on Bahamasair to MH is $162/pp rt. Pretty expensive hotel room! Don't believe a puddle jumper would be much cheaper.

You may want to do a Priceline search for a hotel room at MIA. My guess is you'll spend around $70/night.

[Jack Frost]

Take the tri rail from MIA to FLL and catch a puddle jumper.
Jack

[Island Notes]

Been visiting Abaco for the past 18 years and have lived in Abaco full time for the past 5 years. Have flown with almost everybody, current, past, 'crashed & burned' over that period.

US Air - Avoid totally for all flights at the moment. They do not fly to Abaco despite whatever the agent may tell you.

Continental - Very reliable but not a great price unless you book in conjunction with connecting flights to somewhere outside of Florida. Has flights to Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm. Connecting ? .... this is the choice if going through West Palm or Fort Lauderdale.

American Eagle - Very reliable but only flys from Miami which is a connecting airport of last resort but happy to use them if that is the case.

Bahamasair - Quite reliable but very limited schedule to Florida unless connecting through Nassau. Not flown them much but have been quite satisfied when I have.

Island Express - Use them when I just have to go to Florida and no further. Nice folks and very laid back. The Chief Pilot, Luciano, is very experienced and safe. Administration, ticketing and marketing always seems to be the problem with Island Express. Seems to go under and re-emerges at two year intervals.

Air Florida - Pilots skills and/or company operating proceedures scare me (why push the a/c (C402) at 30" manifold pressure to gain 5 minutes ???).

Yellow Air Taxi - Lots of nice paint jobs and slick brochures but otherwise just like Air Florida.

Calypso - have not flown with yet.

Cherokee - For flights to West Palm Beach this is the #1 choice. Reliable and very safe but not the cheapest. No baggage or baggage weight concerns. Very limited schedule 5 days a week. If it fits our schedule, there is no hesitation with a decision to fly with Cherokee.

[diannedri]

Thanks for the very useful info. Just wondering if you have any experience with Florida Coastal Air??

[aggie93]

The more I think about it I think we will just stay over in Miami. It is less expensive and looks like less of a hassle.

Thanks for the advice though!

[AbacoPeach]

Trust me. It's worth the money and the hassle!

[Noontide]

If you are going to stay in Miami I would look into and check if they have a hotel in the airport and just stay there. From what I recall they do have one. It can be a hassle getting in and out of the airport.

Enjoy the multi cultural very crazy and entertaining atmosphere!!

[AbacoKB]

Just flew with Vintage out of Orlando and would do it again and again!! Very professional, on time, and they have later flights so you can get there and return within a day each way! Not in the main terminal but just a $20.00 cab ride away and they shuttle you back to the terminal on the return trip.

-KB

[Abacoparrott]

If you are going to stay in Miami I would look into and check if they have a hotel in the airport and just stay there. From what I recall they do have one. It can be a hassle getting in and out of the airport.

Enjoy the multi cultural very crazy and entertaining atmosphere!!
Multi-cultural I can handle.......it's the multi-language that gives me a hard time......ken

[Noontide]

What do you mean by multi-language? We only speak one down here!

[Abacoparrott]

What do you mean by multi-language? We only speak one down here!
I forgot Jaime. And Spanish is NOT my strong suit! Ken

[bellavista]

Ken--you've been coming to Bahamas so long you have forgotten that there are at least 5 common languages there vs. only 2 in Miami--
US English
White Bahamian version of English
Black Bahamian version of English
Creole
French

If you can navigate thru these 5 languages on Guana, Miami is easy.

[stormkitty]

I just booked a trip on American Airlines from Seattle to W. Palm Beach. I will then book Bahamas Air into Marsh Harbor. This is a route that was not easy to find, but I'm glad I did. I, too, will be spending the first night in Palm Beach near the airport and then will catch the 1:20pm flight to Marsh Harbor. I wish I could have gone to Treasure Cay, but nobody I could find could get me there.

[Jack Frost]

Florida Coastal Airlines out of FLL has a daiily nonstop flight to TCB from FLL. WWW.FLYFCA.COM (http://www.FLYFCA.COM) or 954 359 5555
Jack

[Island Notes]

To AMPLIFY my previous posting ... DON'T FLY U.S. AIR

Just completed a series of flights with them on tickets that were purchased months earlier and they :-

Left me stranded with a non-usable ticket in Marsh Harbour. No agent or any way of getting me a replacement ticket that was valid on the carrier that they re-booked us on.

Had to spend $400 to get the two of us to Florida. The US Air reservation agent said we could request a refund (yeah ... not going to hold my breath ... but I will try to get the refund).

Re-routed us so that a simple flight within North America took longer than a flight from Abaco to Moscow.

Failed to load our bags on the plane in Philadelphia (due to a 'secret' labour dispute - according to the US Air rep in Nassau).

Said that they would get our bags over to Hope Town at their expense but we ended up having to get a cab to pick them up (at our expense) and put them on the ferry.

When the bags finally arrived, we found that they had been opened and some items stolen, in Philadelphia or Nassau. First time in 25 years of flying that that has ever happened. This was just little stuff, nothing very valuable.

AVOID U.S. AIR !

First time I have flown with them in 10 years but I guarantee it will be the last time. Makes Island Express look like a "Rolls Royce" operation!

[Kimberly]

Cherokee Air rocks, for safety and service!

[Reefgal]

We have flown twice on a charter company out of FLL... We found Air Flight, Inc. by accident - they picked us up from Walkers when the Otter was in for service - & have used them to get to Treasure Cay. The service was great, & if you break down the price, for 5 people the cost to "have your own plane" was the same as commercial.... We didn't have to rush to the airport way ahead of time, & knowing we wouldn't be stuck in Lauderdale or Treasure Cay ( not that I really would have minded!) was very worth it! We plan to fly them again in May. Was really tough to fly commercial after that... hee hee! Enjoy your trip, I know I can't wait to get back. :)

[island daze]

i have been going to Gtc for 20 years and the small companies have been the best option so far as cost and ease of flying.Twin Air,Vintage,Air Florida,Yellow Air have all been great but some people get freaked out by flying a 402 with one pilot and then should fly the big boys.Just think about this everyone is going nuts over the two deaths on air sunshine but what is going to happen when a major airline puts one in the drinks or bores a hole in the ground lots more deaths and then what scare the hell out of everyone so they don't go to abaco.Look it's simple you can get killed much easier going to the airport than you can on the plane so just fly what fits your budget and peace of mind get there and have a kalik and enjoy life.

[OCTOPUSSY]

OH PLEEZ!! One of the very best airlines you can fly on is just but a click of the mouse away. Vintage Props & Jets seems to be the only airline I can depend on to get me where I'm going when I want to go. They fly turboprops with two qualified pilots and plenty of room underneath the airplane for baggage. They are serving Daytona, Jacksonville, Orlando and Melbourne and I have nothing but good to say about them and I've been using them for years! If you want safe, quick transportation to and from Abaco...check it out, I think you'll like it! PS> I love Abaco!!!

[It'lldo]

ditto...

Vintage is the only way for me.

[nojopo]

I'm having a tough timegetting the right flight from Nassau to Treasure Cay. I'm looking at a charter from Southern Air. Any experience with these guys?
Thanks.

[KatieK]

Whoops, got a new laptop and hit the wrong button. This is continuing my other message. If you have until summertime, and are flying with the bigger airlines, you should watch and wait a while before booking (unless you think there's going to be a big spike in fuel prices). For each of the last two years, our airlines to Florida and over to TCB have changed their schedules, usually about 4-5 weeks before our departure date. Last week I had to change our flights into FLL, and switch from TCB to Marsh Harbour. Not a disaster, just a hassle. Because we travel heavy, we try to keep the flight to FLL non-stop (to minimize loss/delay of fishing gear), and stay out of Miami. Just stick with it, as once you get thru the hassles of airports and airlines, heaven awaits.


Hope this helps.

[KatieK]

I guess I deleted my first message to reply to SweetSue. If you are travelling with lots of stuff---fishing/golf/kids equipment, I recommend using one of the larger scheduled airlines...which right now is just Continental and Bahamas Air. Flew both in the past 5 years without trouble. The puddle jumpers offer a lot of convenience, but if you get here without all your toys, what good is it? The restrictions on weight allowances and bag sizes can make a big difference. Read the fine print.

[nancy mcdaniel]

One of THE BEST safety records in the industry. A Dash-8 pressurized plane. A 40 minute flight. Take it from us and our near crash experience on one of the little guys. It is just not worth it. Support the Islands of the Bahamas. Support their flagship airline and employ talented Bahamians.

[beachcomber60]

What is the latest with US Airways? A friend wants to book them for March but I told him about them not flying to MH anymore. He says they have hooked up with another charter co. to MH. Is this true?

That is correct. They have partnered with Bahamas Air..If you fly out of West Palm you go ddirect to Marsh Harbor, if you fly out of Fort Lauderdale you have to go to Nassau and then Marsh Harbor

[Floridaze]

When the Gulf Stream gods prevent a crossing, we take Vintage Air (out of Melbourne - they also fly from a number of other places) and we have ALWAYS been more than satisfied. They seem to be priced a little higher than some of the other airlines listed, and they are worth it!

Happy Holidays! Doug & Diane

[LEAPIN LIZARDS]

I have flown coastal, all I can say is SCARY. Vintage flys out of Orlando, Jacksonville and Daytona, two pilots and very reliable.