What flights are available for cheap travel to the West Indies (Guadeloupe and Martinique)? Several airlines share the cake, for even greater savings!
If you’re reading this article, it’s likely that you’re currently preparing your trip to the West Indies, as you’re planning to visit Martinique or Guadeloupe. But you’re missing the most important thing: your plane ticket!
But how can you find a cheap flight to Martinique or Guadeloupe? To help you in your search, we’ve listed all the information you need to book your plane ticket to the West Indies at the best price. You’ll see that several airlines offer direct return flights from Paris, but prices vary according to the time of year… We’ll explain everything below!
What time of year should you travel to the West Indies?
Of course, the weather is fine most of the time in the French West Indies, whether on the islands of Martinique or Guadeloupe. So there’s no preferred period for the best weather.
However, when it comes to budgeting for your plane ticket, it’s important to note that there are two types of season:
- High season: December to end of April
- Low season: July to October
Ticket prices vary significantly over the course of the year: they are considerably more expensive in high season and during school vacations. So, if you have the choice, choose the low season to pay less for your plane ticket.
Which airport(s) to fly to in the French West Indies?
The islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe are linked daily from Paris by direct, non-stop flights:
- Departure airport: Paris-Orly Sud (except Paris Charles-de-Gaulle for XL Airways)
- Arrival airports: Aimé Césaire airport in Martinique (Fort-de-France) and Guadeloupe – Pôle Caraïbes airport (Pointe-à-Pitre)
Flight time from Paris is around 8.5 hours, and 5 hours from Montreal.
Which airlines serve the French West Indies from France?
In 2014, the arrival of XL Airways on the segment of flights between France and the West Indies shook up the competition and, above all, brought prices down. From France, there are now 4 airline operators:
- Air France
- Air Caraibes
- XL Airways
- Corsair
Whether you’re flying to Martinique or Guadeloupe, you’ll need to take off from Orly-Sud.
An offer called « TGV AIR » allows you to buy a combined train + plane ticket including a flight to the West Indies preceded or followed by a TGV journey.
What’s more, XL Airways has announced that for winter 2017/2018 the airline will be strengthening its offer of flights to Fort-de-France (Martinique), and Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe), departing from mainland France. You’ll be able to depart from Bordeaux, Brest, Lille, Marseille, Nantes or Toulouse during the winter season. This will make XL Airways the only carrier to offer direct flights between the provinces and Fort-de-France from May 1 to 8, 2018. As for Guadeloupe, it will be served from Lyon and Marseille over the same period.
How much does it cost to fly from Paris to Fort-de-France or Pointe-à-Pitre?
A return flight to the French West Indies from Paris costs between €370 (low season) and €600 (high season).
How do you get around between the islands of the West Indies?
Air Antilles Express specializes in routes between the islands of the Lesser and Greater Antilles: Dominican Republic, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Barthelemy…