Why are flights between islands so expensive?

High taxes, small plane operational costs, and a lack of competition keep prices artificially high regardless of the short flight time.

Should I use miles for these flights?

Only if you have miles with a partner airline that specifically serves the region, like Caribbean Airlines or InterCaribbean. Otherwise, save your miles for long-haul flights.

Booking Inter-Caribbean Flights Without Overpaying

Avoid booking regional carriers through major global search engines like Expedia or Kayak, which often fail to display smaller airlines. Instead, use Skyscanner or Google Flights to identify routes, then book directly on the specific island airline’s website to avoid third-party agency markups.

Use a specialized regional aggregator. Use Skyscanner or Google Flights to map out the connections between islands. These tools are better at pulling in small carriers like LIAT, Caribbean Airlines, or Silver Airways than major American travel sites.
Check the local airline direct site. Once you see the flight number and airline, go directly to the airline's website. Third-party sites often add a service fee of $20–$50 per ticket that you can save by booking at the source.
Utilize hub-and-spoke logic. Don't try to find one ticket from Island A to Island C if it doesn't exist. You will almost always overpay for a 'multi-city' ticket. Book two separate legs (e.g., A to B, then B to C) using the local carriers that operate those specific 'spokes'.
Monitor regional codeshare patterns. Check if your main airline (e.g., American or British Airways) has an interline agreement with the local carrier. Sometimes adding the regional leg to your long-haul booking is cheaper than buying it separately, though this is rare in the Caribbean.

Why are flights between islands so expensive?: High taxes, small plane operational costs, and a lack of competition keep prices artificially high regardless of the short flight time.
Should I use miles for these flights?: Only if you have miles with a partner airline that specifically serves the region, like Caribbean Airlines or InterCaribbean. Otherwise, save your miles for long-haul flights.