Although your mind may already be on the upcoming Fourth of July weekend, with that "out of office" message at least mentally set, we interrupt your holiday mindset to inform you of a wide-reaching sale to the Caribbean. Round-trip flights are hovering around $300 to multiple destinations.
New York City-based travelers will find the best-priced flights to the Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos, Aruba, St. Martin, Antigua and Grand Cayman, for travel extending through May 2023. This includes some availability over Thanksgiving.
Deal basics
Airlines: American, Delta, JetBlue, United.
Routes: New York City and others to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Oranjestad, Aruba; St. Martin; Antigua; Grand Cayman; and Providenciales, Turks and Caicos.
How to book: Browse Google Flights and then book directly through the airline.
Travel dates: August-November 2022; January-May 2023, exact availability depends on the route.
Book by: 1-2 days.
Major kudos to Scott’s Cheap Flights for sending us this deal. Try SCF for free for 14 days before signing up for a Premium membership, to get deals up to 90% off, for $49 per year. Or upgrade to the Elite tier for $199 per year and receive all the Premium deals plus premium economy, business-class and first-class alerts.
Sample flights
As mentioned, the lowest-priced flights are departing from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City to all six Caribbean destinations for around $300 round trip. The below flights are currently available from JFK to:
- Providenciales International Airport (PLS), starting at $277.
- George Town/Owen Roberts Airport (GCM), starting at $295.
- V. C. Bird International Airport (ANU), starting at $302.
- Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA) and Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), starting at $310.
- Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ), starting at $328.
To book this deal, start by selecting your destination of choice. If you missed the boat on planning a trip for this weekend, you could consider taking a trip to Turks and Caicos next weekend and potentially encounter fewer crowds at the airport as well as on the island.
For example, a round-trip flight on JetBlue is available for $277, almost half off its normal price tag of $500.
The cheapest flights you'll come across in this deal are likely to be for a carrier's basic economy class, which in this case is JetBlue's Blue Basic.
Blue Basic only allows passengers to bring one personal item that can fit under the seat in front of them without incurring an extra charge. You can pay $65 to check a full-sized carry-on item at the gate or pay to upgrade to a Blue fare. Note that both Blue Basic and Blue charge $60 to check a bag, though.
Related: Enjoy these ‘secret’ airport hangouts when your flight is delayed
Even including a $65 fee to carry on a bag with a Blue Basic fare, finding a last-minute fare to Turks and Caicos for less than $350 is still a good deal considering comparable flights for that route on American and Delta both start around $550.
However, American and JetBlue have similarly priced flights to Antigua in late September, meaning you could pay $20 more to fly AA's basic economy, which includes a full-sized carry-on item.
Both AA and Delta's basic economy fares include full-sized carry-on luggage, and United charges $30 each way to check a full-sized item. A checked bag on all airlines will cost between $30-$35 each way.
If you decide to travel between August and November, take note of hurricane season and be sure to book a flexible fare type and use a credit card that offers trip cancellation and interruption insurance covering weather-related issues. On the flip side, this time of year also tends to bring smaller crowds to the Caribbean.
For travelers outside of NYC, search for flights available from other cities, including Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) to PLS, starting at $306; Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) to GCM, starting at $297 and Nashville International Airport (BNA) to PUJ for $312.
Maximize your purchase
If you book this deal, consider using a card that offers trip insurance such as The Platinum Card® from American Express, (5 points per dollar on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel), on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year); the Chase Sapphire Reserve (3 points per dollar on airfare) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2 points per dollar on airfare).
Check out this post for more ways to maximize your next airfare purchases.
Bottom line
This deal includes last-minute flights to a variety of Caribbean destinations for at or around $300. These are well worth considering, as these prices for these routes are less than many domestic fares we've seen this summer.
In planning your trip, be sure to check out Caribbean properties we've recently covered, including Royalton Chic Punta Cana, Zoetry Agua Punta Cana, Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Punta Cana and the Kimpton Seafire Grand Cayman.
Related: Top tips from a flight attendant to avoid the worst of summer’s travel headaches
