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Affordable Caribbean: Drop in Winter Fares


Patricia Magaña
Patricia Magaña

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    Cure that vitamin D deficiency with a winter trip to the Caribbean. Our data shows that dropping fares make it more affordable for you to dip your toes in warm island waters.

    As we've done in the past with summer travel to Europe and holiday flights in the U.S., we've been tracking winter Caribbean routes from several dozen U.S. cities to some popular islands. Here are some of the routes we've been watching:

    Get some help with the above airport codes here.

    The Dip

    Though not dramatically lower, we are seeing a price dip week over week. Taking a popular route as an example, the New York JFK/San Juan, Puerto Rico, route saw a drastic $70 drop in price. Not as spectacular at $42 in savings but still noteworthy are fares from New York's LaGuardia to Puerto Rico's Isle of Enchantment (not displayed in the charts above).

    Search Nearby Airports

    The fare examples above point to a great way to find affordable fares: Whenever possible, include nearby airports when researching cheap flights. The difference in prices is often due to one airport having more low-cost carriers such as JetBlue and Spirit, which offer competitive rates to many Caribbean locales, including the Bahamas, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic. Know which airlines fly where and spend that hard earned savings on piña coladas instead of leaving it for the airlines' profit margins.

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