Even though Reggie technically qualifies to fly in-cabin on most airlines, we’ve never been tempted to cram him into a carrier for him to fly under the seat in front of us. His vet considers Reggie a “nervous dog,” so the added stress of regular commercial flying always seemed like unnecessary abuse. And so, we’ve been happy to road trip to Montreal and Quebec City, Maine and the Cape, and a few times all the way down the East Coast to Florida to include Reggie in our travels.
But… all that’s going to change this coming winter when Reggie boards his first flight from Florida to the Bahamas!
There are a handful of small airlines that operate out of Florida that allow dogs to fly on your lap or on the floor at your feet (or even in a seat next to you), instead of in a carrier or in cargo. These are the only airline options we can consider for Reggie, so if your dog has private jet taste but you’re on a commercial flight budget, read on.
Tradewind is a private charter airline that also runs scheduled flights in a few different regions: the Northeast, the Caribbean and the Bahamas. These scheduled flights are considered semi-private since the planes are small and only carry up to eight passengers. Tradewind operates out of private terminals in Stuart, FL and Fort Lauderdale, FL and take you about an hour’s flight to Nassau, North Eleuthera and Marsh Harbour. Each flight can carry a maximum of three pets at a time and they do not need to travel in a carrier. Pets over 100 lbs require an extra seat be purchased for them. Once you’ve booked your tickets, you can email Tradewind to add your pet to your booking. Pets under 100 lbs fly free. One-way tickets between Florida and the Bahamas start around $250.
Similar to Tradewind, Tropic Ocean is a private charter airline that offers scheduled flights on seaplanes from Florida to the Bahamas. They fly out of the private terminal at FLL to Bimini, North Eleuthera and Marsh Harbour. Tropic Ocean allows a maximum of two pets per flight; pets under 25 lbs fly free and pets over 25 lbs fly for $1 per lb over 25 lbs. One-way tickets between Florida and the Bahamas start around $300.
Aztec offers the most destinations in the Bahamas from Fort Lauderdale, flying to Bimini, Andros, Exumas, North Eleuthera, Marsh Harbour, Rock Sound and more. They do charge a pet fee ($35/$125/$ticket price, each way) depending on the pet’s weight and you’re required to bring a crate/carrier for pets under 34 lbs though they don’t have to ride in the carrier during the flight. One-way tickets between Florida and the Bahamas start around $379.
