Find cheap Caribbean Airlines flights

Based in Trinidad, Caribbean Airlines services more than a dozen Caribbean airports – along with five major airports in the US and Canada, and a few additional locations in northern South America. Flights are generally cheaper than on US airlines or their partners, making the Caribbean a great option if you’re looking to make your vacation budget stretch further. Next time you’re heading to one of these tropical locales, these expert tips can help you navigate your Caribbean Airlines flight like a pro.

Caribbean Airlines fare classes

Caribbean Airlines sells tickets under six fare classes across two cabins – business and economy – though not all planes include the business cabin. As with most airlines, the higher the fare class, the more perks you’ll receive.

The cheapest and lowest fare class is Lite, which comes with no free checked bags and is non-refundable. Increasing through Classic and Flex in the same cabin, you’ll receive a greater free baggage allowance and a larger portion of your purchase refunded in case of personal cancellation. All classes come with free entertainment and refreshments, and airline loyalty members earn more reward miles for each increase in fare class.

In the business cabin, you can choose between Biz and Biz Flex fares. Biz Flex includes an extra free checked bag, earns the most reward miles, and offers fully refundable tickets. While this cabin is reasonably comfortable and less expensive than business class on most US airlines, I recommend skipping these fares and opting for the Caribbean Plus upgrade, which is available to anyone in the economy cabin.

With Caribbean Plus, you’ll still need to select from the three economy fares available, but you’ll be moved to rows 5–10, where you’ll find five inches of extra leg room and increased pitch for a better recline (except in Row 10, which does not recline).

You’ll also board and disembark the plane earlier. The cost of Caribbean Plus is less than buying a decent lunch at the airport food court, and I can personally vouch that it made a world of difference on my flight from New York to Guyana. The improvement is better than purchasing premium economy seating on US airlines, and the price is much less. You can even add this upgrade to the Lite fare.

Caribbean Airlines check-in

Caribbean Airlines offers a check-in desk for each cabin. If you purchase one of the three economy fares, you’ll join the general check-in line, but if you purchase a business cabin fare, you’ll receive priority check-in at a designated counter. There are two workarounds for gaining access to priority check-in, even without a business class ticket. Fliers with elite status can check in at the business class counter, along with those who have purchased the airline’s club membership.

I tend to have a bad habit of arriving at the airport as late as possible, but I never do this when I’m flying Caribbean Airlines. That’s because online check-in is not always available and Caribbean Airlines has stricter cut-off times than many airlines, closing the check-in and baggage process a full hour before departure. This is because boarding begins 60 minutes before departure for most flights, and Caribbean requires you to be at the gate by this time or they can cancel your ticket and give away your seat. With this airline, I urge you to respect the airline’s guidelines and arrive the full three hours before departure to clear all lines and arrive at the gate on time.

Caribbean Club membership

Like most airlines, Caribbean Airlines has a free loyalty program for earning reward miles and achieving various levels of status with increasing perks. However, it also offers Caribbean Club membership and this comes at about half the price of club (lounge) membership of US airlines. It offers access to partner business class lounges at several airports serviced by the airline, but also comes with the added perk of priority check-in regardless of your purchase fare class.

Though it’s relatively inexpensive, I don’t personally find this membership worthwhile as a US-based flier, but it’s worth considering if you’ll be spending a considerable part of the year flying between Caribbean islands.

Caribbean Airlines’ frequent flier status

The free Caribbean Airlines frequent flier loyalty program is called Caribbean Miles and technically comes with four tiers, but only three matter. Everyone who signs up is automatically made a Bronze member, and this comes with no special privileges of actual value. The remaining tiers are Silver, Gold, and Executive Gold, which offer increasing benefits of bonus miles, mileage accrual, and upgrade rewards. All three of these elite levels come with several fee waivers (my favorite is the second checked bag fee waiver), priority boarding, and business class counter check-in.

Attaining elite status on Caribbean Airlines is solely based on mileage flown within a year, ranging from 20,000 for Silver to 80,000 for Executive Gold. These may not seem high, especially in comparison with US airline loyalty programs (which all now depend on steep spending rather than counting mileage), but you have to remember the limited reach of the routes.

Because the airline primarily flies within the relatively small radius of the Caribbean and its bordering North and South American cities, it takes many flights to accrue even 20,000 air miles. That’s not to say you shouldn’t sign up for the free program, but I wouldn’t recommend intentionally choosing Caribbean Airlines flights to shoot for status on this airline over another, unless you’ll be flying to and from the region frequently.

Caribbean Airlines alliance

While Caribbean Airlines is not a member of any of the three major airline alliances, it does codeshare with several individual airlines. This allows inter-airline ticketing on a single reservation, which means your luggage will usually connect all the way through and the rest of your journey will be protected if there are delays or airline cancellations along the way. I’ve taken advantage of this to use Caribbean Airlines for the first leg of a trip out of the US before connecting deeper into South America, saving a bundle without the risks of booking multiple, disconnected reservations.

Inflight entertainment on Caribbean Airlines

Caribbean Airlines offers free inflight entertainment but does not have seatback screens for viewing. You must use your personal devices, like mobile phones and tablets, to view the movies, series, and other entertainment offered, so be sure to bring something suitable and have it fully charged before boarding. About half the fleet is made up of the Boeing 737-8 model, which has USB ports at all seats and additional outlets in premium seats and emergency exit rows, but the rest of the fleet does not. If you’ll be flying on an ATR 72-600, bring a backup power supply if you want to stream content throughout your entire flight.

Caribbean Airlines credit card

Caribbean Airlines only offers one branded credit card for enhanced traveling perks, but it comes at two levels. The RBC Caribbean Airlines Visa Platinum card can be acquired as either a personal or business card, with the business card earning unlimited miles for annual spending. Like most airline credit cards, you’ll earn bonus miles when purchasing Caribbean Airlines products (like airfares) and can redeem miles for free flights or upgrades. Because the personal card is free and the business card has a nominal fee, they offer little else.

Even if you’re planning to become a frequent Caribbean Airlines traveler, I recommend opting for a premium travel credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or American Express Platinum. Though these come with a hefty annual fee, much of that is returned to you through statement credits for common travel expenses and you’ll earn better rewards with added perks.

Caribbean Airlines’ pet policy

Caribbean Airlines does accept pets of many varieties and sizes, but none of them can fly in the cabin with you. The only animals allowed in the cabin are service dogs, which are professionally trained dogs distinct from emotional support animals. Keep in mind that each Caribbean Island can have its own list of entry requirements for animals, including service dogs, so it’s just as important to review your destination’s rules as the airline’s. You can still be denied entry on arrival, even if the airline allows you to fly.

I fly regularly with a companion who uses a service dog and I can attest to the many hoops that must be jumped in advance of departure. It’s critical to begin your destination-specific research as soon as possible, to ensure you have enough time to meet each requirement at the proper stage.