Crossing the Gulfstream to The Abacos by boat is a two-day adventure which includes countless "Kodak Moments", while crossing by air is a kalidoscopic delight lasting less than 70 minutes. Depending on which airline you choose, your departure point and your flight-day weather, you'll look down on ever-changing panoramas of colorful sea- and reef-scapes, remote settlements, miles of empty beaches, coral formations just a few feet below the aquamarine water and miles of pine forests.

The area and islands you'll pass over are primarily Grand Bahama Island (if you're flying from West Palm or Ft. Lauderdale), the Bimini islands, a hint of Andros' bulk (with a flight from Miami) and The Abacos' west side "Marls" [100's if not 1,000's of mangrove outcroppings, zillions of "islands-lets" and lots of very thin water]. Whatever your flight's route, the aqua-terrain below is certain to change from "amazing" to "incredible" to "quick, where's the camera".

Go - Abacos strongly suggests you try to book your flight directly into one of Abacos' airports and avoid a transfer in Nassau (or Freeport). By flying direct, you'll get here faster, have a much better chance of arriving with ALL your luggage and, in general, have a far better, much less stressful trip.

Great Abaco's Treasure Cay and Marsh Harbour International Airports are only a bit more than an hour's flight from South Florida and several FAA certified airlines and reliable charter operators serve the islands twin points of arrival:

Scheduled Airlines To The Abacos:

[WEBMASTER NOTE: while other airlines publish Abaco schedules, the following carriers have proven to be the most dependable in terms of SAFETY and ON-TIME ARRIVALS-DEPARTURES. Several airlines which currently offer Abacos air service have not been included on the following "Scheduled Airlines" list (which has absolutely nothing to do with sponsorship of Go-Abacos!!) due to SIGNIFICANT and ON-GOING unannounced flight cancellations, unconscionably high prices (one of the non-listed airlines -- a biggy -- has priced themselves as high as $705 for a round trip ticket to Ft. Lauderdale!!), consistantly "non-delivered" (lost) luggage and other less than desirable service irregularities.

ISLAND EXPRESS - (954) 359.0380 -- (Fort Lauderdale International Airport) Monday thru Friday, 9AM to 6PM.
Vintage Airlines (Orlando, Daytona, Melborne - 800-852-0275)

Please read before you consider booking with Air Sunshine or Air Florida

American Airlines - Miami - (800) 433 7300
Vintage Props & Jets - New Smyrna Beach - (904) 423-1773

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If you're traveling with 6 or more adults, the per person cost of a charter flight can become surpisingly competitive (in many cases, less than $245 per person, round trip) with the charges of a scheduled commercial carrier. Chartering can also be more convenient than a commercial flight.

Cargo and Freight:

ISLAND EXPRESS - (954) 359.0380 -- (Fort Lauderdale International Airport) Monday thru Friday, 9AM to 6PM.
Air Cargo Express International (Lantana and OpaLocka FL) -- 305-688-6772

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Charter Companies Based In The Bahamas:

Abaco Air - 242-367-2266 or 242-367-2206 [24-hour a day]
Cherokee Air - 242-367-2089 (Preferred)
Clear Air - 242-377-0341
Congo Air - 242-377-8329

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AIRLINE TIPS:
Since scheduled air service to The Abacos appears to be in an almost constant state of RE-scheduling, even if you've traveled many times to the Abacos, we strongly suggest you confirm current schedules and up-coming changes before beginning your plans.

American Airline's "Eagle" (Miami only) is also relatively dependable, but connecting through Miami can be a nightmare of confusion, frequently lost luggage and less-than-attentive airport personnel. USAir out of Palm Beach only (a variable schedule), flies relatively large planes, but is priced (on average) significantly higher than any of its competitors.

If at all possible, schedule your to-The-Abacos flight for the earliest convenient morning flight on the day of your intended Abacos arrival. No matter which scheduled airline you choose to fly, they all have experienced problems arriving on time due to weather conditions and passenger loads. A late arriving afternoon flight can easily cause major problems with your inter-island ferry connections (please see our ferry schedules), and chartering a ferry after dark can be a bit of a hassle ... and can cost a bare minimum of $40.

If you have any problem booking a timely flight, you might want to consider a stop-over in Florida the night before your Abaco flight. If your return flight involves a connecting flight, it is advisable to allow a MINIMUM of 3 hours between your connecting flight's scheduled departure and your Abacos carrier's scheduled arrival.

While we believe the above airline phone numbers to be accurate, due to the ever-changing Abacos air transport picture, a few of these phone numbers may be incorrect or service may be discontinued.