Which Caribbean island should you fly into in Business Class from the UK?

"The Caribbean" is a useful word for a holiday brochure and a poor one for booking a flight. Barbados, Antigua, Grenada, Jamaica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas are seven sovereign countries with seven airports, seven sets of entry rules and seven separate fares. They are not interchangeable, and the differences between them cost real money and occasionally a ruined arrival day.

As of 20 August 2026 our Caribbean Business Class fares ran from £1,610 to £2,346. But the headline number is not the interesting part of this region. Two things matter more, and almost nobody publishes them: London is not the cheapest UK departure on four of these seven, and two of them are served by more than one airport, at opposite ends of the country.

Which Caribbean island should you fly into?

Start with what you actually want from the trip, because these islands are genuinely unalike. A Grenada holiday and a Bahamas holiday have almost nothing in common beyond the sea temperature.

• Business Class flights to Barbados (BGI) — the most established UK market in the region and the easiest first Caribbean trip. Well-developed west coast, good restaurants, and the widest choice of UK departure airports of any island here.
• Business Class flights to Antigua (ANU) — beaches are the point, and there are a great many of them. Also the practical gateway for onward sailing and for Barbuda.
• Business Class flights to Grenada (GND) — the greenest and least developed of the group. Spice estates, rainforest and a genuinely quiet feel. Also the island where which London airport you choose matters more than anywhere else we sell.
• Business Class flights to Jamaica (KIN) — a large island with two very different arrival points and a strong cultural pull. Read the two-airport section below before you book this one.
• Business Class flights to Cuba (HAV) — Havana is a city break that happens to be in the Caribbean. It is also the one destination here with entry requirements that are meaningfully harder, and a consequence for onward travel to the United States.
• Business Class flights to the Dominican Republic (PUJ) — our cheapest Caribbean fare. The published fare lands at Punta Cana, on the eastern resort coast, not at the capital Santo Domingo.
• Business Class flights to the Bahamas (FPO) — an archipelago of many islands rather than one place, and the arrival airport question here is sharper than anywhere else in the region.

Caribbean Business Class fares compared

Seven destinations, seven fares. These are our own from-prices, checked 20 August 2026 — a briefing to help you choose, not a live availability feed and not a savings claim against anyone else.

Destination	Airport	Business Class from	First Class from
Dominican Republic Business Class	PUJ	£1,610	£3,109
Jamaica Business Class	KIN	£1,640	£3,735
Cuba Business Class	HAV	£1,677	£2,985
Barbados Business Class	BGI	£1,723	£3,850
Antigua Business Class	ANU	£1,979	£4,360
Grenada Business Class	GND	£1,959	£4,303
Bahamas Business Class	FPO	£2,346	£3,900

The spread from top to bottom is roughly seven hundred pounds, which is narrower than you might expect across seven different countries. Flight times are broadly comparable too. What actually moves the number in this region is not distance — it is which UK airport you leave from, and that varies island by island in a way that catches almost everybody out.

The Caribbean breaks the usual rule: London is often not cheapest

On nearly every long-haul market, London carries the lowest fare. It has the most capacity, the most competition and the most airlines, and the standard advice — get yourself to Heathrow — is usually right.

In the Caribbean it is wrong more often than it is right. On our current fares, a regional UK airport is the cheapest departure on four of these seven destinations:

• Dominican Republic — Birmingham is about £480 below Heathrow. This is the largest regional advantage on any route we publish.
• Antigua — Birmingham beats London by roughly £125.
• Grenada — Birmingham beats the cheaper of the two London airports by about £155, and beats Heathrow by well over a thousand pounds.
• Barbados — Newcastle is the cheapest departure, a little under London.

Birmingham is the cheapest UK departure on three of the seven. London holds the advantage only on Jamaica, Cuba and the Bahamas. If you live in the Midlands, the North East or the North West and you have been assuming a connecting train to Heathrow is the price of a Caribbean holiday, that assumption is costing you money on several of these islands.

This is not a claim that regional airports are always better — it is the opposite of what we tell people about Business Class flights to the Middle East, where London wins nearly everywhere. It is a reason to check rather than assume. Each destination lists the UK origins that actually carry its fare, with the price against each one.

The Grenada airport split — over a thousand pounds inside London

This one deserves its own section because the size of it is hard to believe until you see it.

On our current Grenada fares, London Gatwick and London Heathrow differ by more than £1,100 for the same journey. Same island, same cabin, same airport at the far end. Gatwick is the cheaper by a wide margin. Birmingham is cheaper still — roughly £1,260 below the Heathrow fare.

A traveller who searches "London to Grenada", takes the first London result they are shown and books it can therefore pay well over a thousand pounds more than someone who checked both London airports and Birmingham. Nothing about the trip improves for that money.

Cuba shows a milder version of the same effect, with Gatwick nearly £180 below Heathrow. The general lesson holds across the region: "London" is not one departure point, and on Caribbean routes the gap between London airports can be larger than the gap between London and the regions. When you enquire, tell us if you can use more than one London airport — on some of these islands it is the single biggest lever on the price.

The two-airport trap — Jamaica and the Bahamas

Five of these seven destinations have one international airport, so the arrival question does not arise. Two of them do not, and in both cases the alternatives are not a short taxi apart.

Jamaica — Kingston and Montego Bay are at opposite ends of the island

Our London and Birmingham Jamaica fares land at Kingston (KIN), on the south-east coast. Our Manchester and Glasgow fares land at Montego Bay (MBJ), on the north-west coast. That is roughly a four-hour drive across the island.

Montego Bay is the arrival most holidaymakers want, because the north-coast resorts are built around it. Kingston is the capital, the business arrival and the cultural one. Neither is wrong — but landing at the wrong one with a resort transfer booked from the other is a genuinely bad start. We confirm which airport your fare uses before you book.

The Bahamas — two different islands, and no Nassau

This is the sharpest version of the trap in the region, and it is worth being blunt about. Our Bahamas fares land at either Freeport (FPO) on Grand Bahama, or George Town (GGT) in the Exumas, depending on which UK airport you leave from. Those are not two airports on one island. They are different islands, connected to each other by a domestic flight or a boat.

Neither is Nassau — and Nassau (NAS) on New Providence is what most British travellers picture when they say "the Bahamas". Paradise Island, the big resorts and the cruise port are all there. We currently hold no Nassau fare at all.

If Nassau is where you are going, say so at the enquiry stage and we will price it as a separate request rather than quoting you a published figure that lands somewhere else entirely. We would rather tell you that up front than have you discover it at check-in.

Entry rules differ sharply across these seven countries

Here is where "the Caribbean" as a single idea does the most damage. These are seven separate immigration regimes, and the received wisdom — you need six months on your passport, you get ninety days, just turn up — is wrong on most of them.

Passport validity splits three ways. Barbados, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic only require your passport to stay valid for the length of your visit. Antigua and Grenada require six months beyond your arrival date. The Bahamas measures six months from your departure date, which is a different calculation again. Cuba wants six months beyond arrival and three months beyond departure. Applying one rule of thumb across the region is how people get turned away at a UK check-in desk.

How long you can stay ranges from 30 days to 90. The Dominican Republic and the Bahamas both give 30 days. Jamaica and Antigua give 90. Grenada gives three months. If you are planning a long winter trip, that is a real constraint on two of the seven.

Four of the seven require a form completed online before you fly. Barbados has a mandatory online immigration and customs form. Jamaica asks you to complete form C5 online before arrival. Cuba requires the D'Viajeros arrival form within 72 hours of entry, and airlines check it at check-in. The Dominican Republic requires an electronic entry form — and a separate one on the way out, which is the one people forget. Antigua's equivalent is recommended rather than required.

Several require proof of onward travel. Barbados, Antigua and the Dominican Republic all state that you must be able to show an onward or return ticket. That matters if you were planning an open-ended trip.

Destination	Visa	Max stay	Passport must be valid	Form before you fly
Barbados Business Class	Visa-free	Told on arrival	For the length of your stay	Yes — immigration and customs form
Antigua Business Class	Visa-free	90 days	6 months after arrival	Recommended, not required
Grenada Business Class	Visa-free	3 months	6 months after arrival	No
Jamaica Business Class	Visa-free	90 days	For your stay, plus 2 blank pages	Yes — form C5
Cuba Business Class	Tourist card required	—	6 months after arrival and 3 after departure	Yes — D'Viajeros, within 72 hours
Dominican Republic Business Class	Visa-free	30 days	For your visit (to 31 Dec 2026)	Yes — entry and exit
Bahamas Business Class	Visa-free	30 days	6 months after departure	Not stated

One time limit worth knowing: the Dominican Republic's relaxed passport rule is a concession that currently runs until 31 December 2026. If you are travelling after that date, check the position rather than assuming it rolls over.

All of the above is from UK government guidance and was accurate when we checked it. Entry rules change without notice, and we are a flight specialist rather than an immigration authority — check the official GOV.UK page for your destination before you travel.

Cuba is not like the other six

If you are considering Havana alongside the beach islands, understand that it is a materially different booking.

Cuba is the only destination here that requires a visa. UK visitors need a tourist card — also called a tourist visa — arranged before travel. It is not issued on arrival with a smile and a stamp.

The passport rule is the strictest of the seven: at least six months beyond your arrival date and three months beyond your planned departure. The D'Viajeros online arrival form is mandatory within 72 hours of entry, and airlines check it before they will let you board.

And the one that catches British travellers out most often: you cannot travel from Cuba to the United States without a US visa. An ESTA is not sufficient. If your plan involves Havana and then Miami or New York, that is not a detail to sort out later — it reshapes the whole itinerary. Raise it with us at the enquiry stage and we will build the routing around it.

Hurricane season — the dates, and what they actually mean

The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from 1 June to 30 November. That six-month window covers half the year, which is why "avoid hurricane season" is less useful advice than it sounds.

The distribution inside it is very uneven, and that is the part worth planning around. The statistical peak of Atlantic activity is 10 September, with most activity concentrated mid-August to mid-October. Early June and late November sit at the quiet edges of the season rather than in the thick of it.

So a trip in the second half of June is a different proposition from one in the first half of September, even though both are technically "in season". December through to April is the reliable dry window and the region's high season, which is reflected in demand across the board.

Two honest notes. First, this is weather climatology from the US National Hurricane Center, not a forecast for your dates — a quiet month statistically can still produce a storm. Second, we are not going to tell you fares are cheaper in September, because your fare depends on your dates and what is available when you ask, not on a seasonal average. If you are weighing dates, ask us to price two or three and compare the real numbers.

First Class to the Caribbean

First Class is available on every one of these seven, and the Caribbean is unusual in how consistent the premium is. Across all seven, the step from Business to First runs between roughly 1.7 and 2.4 times the Business fare — a fairly narrow band.

That makes the common rule of thumb — First is about double Business — broadly reliable here. It is worth saying because it is emphatically not reliable everywhere: across the Gulf the same multiple ranges from about 1.7 to well over 3, which is why we tell people to ask there rather than assume. In the Caribbean, if you know roughly what you would pay for Business, you can estimate First and be close.

The Bahamas and the Dominican Republic carry the narrowest gaps in the region; Antigua and Grenada the widest. Our First Class flights from the UK overview covers what the cabin includes, and the Business Class flights from the UK overview sets out what Business buys you on a sector of this length.

UK departure airports

The Caribbean is the most regionally-served long-haul market we handle, which is exactly why the London-is-cheapest rule breaks down here. Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Newcastle all appear in our fares for these islands, and on several of them a regional departure is not a compromise — it is the cheapest option on the board.

The picture varies enough by island that a general table would mislead more than it helps, so we do not publish one. Each destination lists the UK origins that actually carry its fare with the price against each, which is a real dated number rather than a claim about what is theoretically possible.

One practical caveat that applies everywhere: a cheaper departure sometimes means a connection rather than a nonstop, and a connection costs time and adds risk that the fare does not show. We will put both in front of you and let you weigh them.

Booking a Caribbean itinerary

Tell us the island, your UK airport — or airports, if you can use more than one — your dates and your cabin. On this region in particular, flexibility about where you leave from is worth real money, and flexibility about which London airport is worth a great deal on Grenada.

We will confirm the arrival airport in writing before you book. On Jamaica and the Bahamas that is not a formality; it is the difference between landing where you meant to and landing four hours or one island away. Bookings we ticket are ATOL protected where the scheme applies (ATOL Protected). If you would rather talk it through, call 07862 620009.

Planning something further afield? The Business Class flights to the USA overview covers the routes most often combined with a Caribbean trip, and the Business Class flights to Canada overview covers the other side of the Atlantic seaboard.

Caribbean Business Class FAQs

Questions for this overview. Island-specific detail stays with each destination.

Which Caribbean island should I choose for Business Class from the UK?

Choose by what you want from the trip, because these seven are genuinely unalike. Barbados (BGI) is the easiest first Caribbean trip and the most widely served from the UK. Antigua (ANU) is about beaches. Grenada (GND) is the greenest and quietest. Jamaica (KIN or MBJ) is large, with two very different arrival points. Cuba (HAV) is a city break with harder entry rules. The Dominican Republic (PUJ) is our cheapest Caribbean fare. The Bahamas is an archipelago, and the arrival airport question there is sharper than anywhere else in the region.

How much is Business Class to the Caribbean from the UK?

It varies by island rather than by region. As of 20 August 2026 our fares ran from the Dominican Republic at £1,610 up to the Bahamas at £2,346, with Jamaica £1,640, Cuba £1,677, Barbados £1,723, Antigua £1,979 and Grenada £1,959 in between.

Which Caribbean destination is cheapest in Business Class?

The Dominican Republic, at £1,610 on our current fares, landing at Punta Cana (PUJ). Note that the cheapest departure for it is Birmingham rather than London — by roughly £480, which is the largest regional advantage on any route we publish.

Is London always the cheapest UK departure for the Caribbean?

No — and the Caribbean breaks this rule more than any region we handle. On our current fares a regional airport is cheapest on four of the seven: Birmingham on the Dominican Republic, Antigua and Grenada, and Newcastle on Barbados. London holds the advantage only on Jamaica, Cuba and the Bahamas. If you are in the Midlands or the North, check before assuming you need to travel to Heathrow first.

Why is Grenada so much more expensive from Heathrow than Gatwick?

On our current fares the two London airports differ by more than £1,100 for the same journey, with Gatwick the cheaper. Birmingham is cheaper again, around £1,260 below the Heathrow fare. Nothing about the trip improves for that money. "London" is not one departure point on Caribbean routes, so tell us if you can use more than one London airport — on Grenada it is the single biggest lever on the price.

Does my Jamaica flight land at Kingston or Montego Bay?

It depends which UK airport you leave from. Our London and Birmingham fares land at Kingston (KIN) on the south-east coast; our Manchester and Glasgow fares land at Montego Bay (MBJ) on the north-west coast. That is about a four-hour drive apart. Montego Bay is the arrival most holidaymakers want because the north-coast resorts are built around it; Kingston is the capital and the business arrival. We confirm which airport your fare uses before you book.

Do your Bahamas fares land at Nassau?

No. Our Bahamas fares land at either Freeport (FPO) on Grand Bahama or George Town (GGT) in the Exumas, depending on your UK departure airport — and those are different islands, not two airports on one. We currently hold no Nassau (NAS) fare at all, and Nassau is what most British travellers mean by the Bahamas. If Nassau is your destination, tell us at the enquiry stage and we will price it as a separate request.

Do I need a visa for the Caribbean?

Only for Cuba, which requires a tourist card — also called a tourist visa — arranged before you travel. The other six are visa-free for UK visitors. That said, four of the seven require an online form completed before you fly, so visa-free does not mean nothing to do in advance.

Does my passport need six months validity for the Caribbean?

Not everywhere, and applying that as a blanket rule would be wrong on three of the seven. Barbados, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic only need your passport valid for the length of your visit. Antigua and Grenada need six months beyond your arrival date. The Bahamas measures six months from your departure date, which is a different calculation. Cuba needs six months beyond arrival and three months beyond departure. Check the specific country on GOV.UK rather than a rule of thumb.

Which Caribbean countries need a form filled in before I fly?

Four of the seven. Barbados has a mandatory online immigration and customs form. Jamaica asks for form C5 online before arrival. Cuba requires the D'Viajeros arrival form within 72 hours of entry, and airlines check it at check-in. The Dominican Republic requires an electronic entry form and a separate one on the way out, which is the one people forget. Antigua recommends its version rather than requiring it.

How long can I stay in the Caribbean without a visa?

It ranges from 30 days to 90 depending on the country. The Dominican Republic and the Bahamas both give 30 days. Jamaica and Antigua give 90. Grenada gives three months. If you are planning a long winter trip, that is a real constraint on two of the seven, so check before booking dates.

Can I fly from Cuba to the United States?

Not without a US visa — an ESTA is not sufficient. This catches British travellers out regularly, because an ESTA covers most other UK trips to the US. If your plan involves Havana and then somewhere in the States, it reshapes the itinerary rather than being a detail to sort out later. Raise it when you enquire and we will build the routing around it.

When is hurricane season in the Caribbean?

The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs 1 June to 30 November. That covers half the year, so the dates alone are less useful than the distribution inside them: the statistical peak is 10 September, with most activity between mid-August and mid-October. Late June and November sit at the quiet edges. December to April is the reliable dry window. That is weather climatology from the US National Hurricane Center, not a forecast for your dates and not a fare claim.

How much more is First Class than Business Class to the Caribbean?

Across all seven the step from Business to First runs between roughly 1.7 and 2.4 times the Business fare — a narrow band, which makes the usual "about double" rule of thumb broadly reliable here. That is worth saying because it is not reliable everywhere: across the Gulf the same multiple ranges from about 1.7 to well over 3. The Bahamas and the Dominican Republic carry the narrowest gaps in the region, Antigua and Grenada the widest.

Are your Caribbean fares guaranteed?

No. Each figure is one of our own fares with the date it was checked, shown so you can judge how fresh it is. Your actual fare depends on your dates, the operating airline and what is available when you ask. Fares change with your dates and availability, and your quote is confirmed against live availability before you pay.

How do I get a quote for a Caribbean destination?

Use the form on here or email info@myupcomingtrip.co.uk. Name the island, your UK airport — or airports, if you can use more than one — your dates and the cabin. Flexibility about where you leave from is worth real money in this region. We confirm the arrival airport in writing before you book, which on Jamaica and the Bahamas is not a formality. Bookings we ticket are ATOL protected where the scheme applies (ATOL protected).