March 3, 2004 -- As winter winds down, various airlines are offering sales to the Caribbean. But several of those sales aren't as good as they appear; when we searched Travelocity for lower fares, we found many. There are plenty of low fares to the Caribbean out there right now, but to find the best ones, you're going to have to compare and shop around.
This week, we have uneven Caribbean sales from US Airways (www.usairways.com/pro/specials/carib_getaway.htm) and Delta (www.delta.com/travel/sp_offers/carib_022604/index.jsp); as well as contributions from American (www.aa.com) and United (www.united.com), discounters USA 3000 (www.usa3000.com), Spirit (www.spiritair.com) and AirTran (www.airtran.com); and "local" Caribbean airline BWIA (www.bwee.com).
The best fares we found include:
- From Baltimore: Bermuda for $158 on USA 3000; Grand Bahama Island for $180 on AirTran; Barbados for $269 on US Airways
- From Boston: Bermuda for $327 on US Airways
- From Buffalo: Aruba for $390 on US Airways
- From Chicago: Cancun for $325 on American
- From Washington, D.C.: Barbados for $289 on American; Trinidad or Tobago for $299 on BWIA; Bahamas for $299 on US Airways
- From Hartford: San Juan, PR for $221 on United, much lower than the $322 "sale fare" from US Airways; Aruba for $366 on US Airways, similarly lower than the "sale fare" of $381 on Delta
- From Miami: Grand Cayman for $199 on Cayman Airlines
- From New York: Trinidad for $254 on BWIA; San Juan, PR for $193 on Spirit, not the "sale fare" of $254 on Delta; Barbados for $274 on US Airways
- From Orlando: San Juan for $146 on US Airways; Bahamas for $134 on US Airways, lower than the "sale fare" of $149 on Delta
- From Philadelphia: St. Thomas for $308 on US Airways
- From Pittsburgh: Grand Cayman for $343 on US Airways
Naturally, there are different restrictions for these various fares. The USA 3000 fare covers flights on Tuesdays and Fridays starting May 7, and can disappear at any time. The American fare from Chicago to Cancun must be bought by March 31 and is good all year, with various blackout dates; click here for details. The AirTran fare must be bought by March 4 for travel through April 19, Sun-Wed, with a seven-day advance purchase. US Airways fares are good for purchase through March 5 and travel through April 8 on Monday-Thursday flights. Delta's sale fares are available through March 8 for travel through May 31 on Mondays-Thursdays. BWIA fares are good for bookings and flights through the end of March. The Cayman fare is good for purchase through March 17 and travel through April 21 with a 3-day advance purchase.
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