The Smartest Way to Fly from the US to the BVI’s – by Wiley Sharp
December 23, 2025
Flying to the Caribbean is a big part of what we do to help our clients through the process of buying or selling a catamaran. Since becoming a licensed yacht broker in 2013, on average I’ve spent around 100 nights a year on the road. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to Europe, China, and throughout the Caribbean.
One of the most common locations I fly to for work is Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Whether you are buying a catamaran or planning a catamaran charter in the Virgin Islands I thought it would be worth sharing some of my experience as a road warrior in the Caribbean.
Where to Fly Into?
Up until a few years ago there were very limited flight options into the British Virgin Islands. It usually involved flying into Puerto Rico, and then hoping on a puddle jumper from San Juan to Beef Island.
In the early days of my career, this was a pretty decent option since American Eagle had a fleet of ATRs operating throughout the Caribbean. Unfortunately, when American Eagle’s lease expired on the ATR’s in 2013, it left a BIG hole in the airlift. The airlift was further impacted when Silver Airlines declared bankruptcy and ceased operations in early 2025.
This now leaves only one viable option for the SJU to EIS route, Cape Air. While I LOVE flying Cape Air for the experience, the cost has gotten quite a bit higher.
For many of our clients, this routing still makes a lot of sense, since there are a TON of direct flights from the mainland into San Juan, Puerto Rico. I’ve personally flown from Denver to San Juan, and then onwards to Tortola.
The next option most clients explore is flying into St. Thomas, USVI and then taking either a ferry or a private water taxi from St. Thomas to Road Town, Tortola. The flights into St. Thomas are generally pretty competitive price-wise. Still, the hassle factor of connecting on the ferry system can be exhausting, and private water taxis are very expensive.
My personal favorite option for flying into the BVI’s is directly into Beef Island, Tortola from Miami International Airport. American Eagle started flying this route in 2023 on Embraer 175’s, which are normally used for regional flights. These smaller jets only carry 76 passengers, BUT fortunately, American Airlines offers as many as four flights a day into Tortola during the high season. In the offseason, they still typically offer two flights a day.
Isn’t flying into Tortola WAYYYYY more expensive than the other two options?
The short answer is yes, BUT when it’s all said and done it really isn’t that much more expensive. When I am traveling to the BVI’s to meet with clients it is usually for a very short stint. In the past (before the American Eagle flight) I would be on the road for 3 nights to account for the timing of flights and ferries. Now that I can fly directly to Tortola, it allows me to come in for one or two nights, thereby saving $250-$800 on hotels. The convenience factor of that alone, makes it worth the additional cost.
For those arriving for a catamaran pre-purchase survey or a luxury crewed charter, rapid turnaround isn’t always the priority. Even so, the simplicity of flying directly into the BVIs remains a major advantage.
Here is a breakdown of cost for the three flight options outlined with a random week 1 month ahead of booking. Prices with airlines are always subject to change.
Flying via San Juan, Puerto Rico
As I mentioned, with the collapse of American Eagle’s hub, and Silver Air’s bankruptcy, it has somewhat moved San Juan off the board for my travels to the Virgin Islands. For the same cost of flying through SJU one could buy a business class plane ticket to France to attend the Cannes Yachting Festival.
Flying via St. Thomas
Flying into St. Thomas is always the “cheapest” option, but it’s often not the least expensive option.
The cost of a one-way private water taxi from St. Thomas to Tortola is often around $2,000 each way, or for a family of 6, $333.33 per person each way. The experience of taking a private water taxi is definitely a unique and a fun experience. It means typically getting met at the airport by a private driver, a 45 minute ride from St. Thomas airport to Red Hook on the east end, and then an hour boat ride across with a pitstop at customs. Round trip this experience will set a family of 6 back $666 per person.
If you’d prefer to save money, and go the public ferry route you’ll need to take a taxi from St. Thomas airport to the St. Thomas ferry terminal in Charlotte Amalie. The published rate for a shared taxi from the airport to the ferry terminal is $15 per person, and $2-5 per piece of luggage. So, for a family of 6, each with a piece of luggage, the taxi should set you back roughly $100 each way.
There are a number of ferry operators that make the run from St. Thomas to the BVI. I like using the VInow website to see the current ferry schedules. You can click here:
I think it’s always a good idea to book your ferry ride in advance. For a family of 6, a round-trip ferry will cost $618 + luggage charges.
Now one of the issues with the ferry system is what happens when your flight is late? In the example above, you land roughly at 4pm and the ferry leaves at 5:30 pm.
If you miss the ferry you will need to get a hotel room for the night in St. Thomas, which is not only added cost BUT loss of time. Most people that are catching the morning ferry tend to stay at Windward Passage Hotel, which works, but isn’t exactly the vision anyone has in mind for a beautiful, relaxing Caribbean vacation.
For argument sake, if a family of 6 were to miss the ferry they’d need a minimum of two rooms at Winward Passage, and on the 14th of January that will roughly cost $618.
Flying directly into the BVI’s
This is without a doubt, the easiest option. Since they started the MIA to EIS route I’ve literally flown this route over 100 times. It has been a life changer for me personally. For $1,202 I can be to Tortola within 6 hours.
I am a HUGE fan of this route. Beef Island, Tortola is such an easy airport to fly in and out of. The company operating this flight (American Eagle) is super friendly and efficient, the customs and immigration officers get you through the line with ease, and airport security on the return flight is stress-free.
My Tips When Flying MIA to EIS
While the Embraer 175 that American Eagle uses for this route is somewhat of a dated interior I find the plane to be plenty comfortable with the 2-2 seating, no middle seats! One trick is to sit as far forward in the aircraft as you can. This will really help you upon arrival get through customs and immigration quicker, than if you’re in the back of the plane.
The other trick I’ve learned over the years is which side of the aircraft to sit on. When I am heading south I prefer to have a window seat on the starboard side of the aircraft. You’ll be rewarded with amazing views of Bahama turquoise-blue waters, trace along the north shore of the Dominican Republic, and see Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands in the distant.
On the return trip home I always to sit on the port side of the aircraft. At least 50% of the time when I take this route I see flamingos in the salt ponds on the north side of the runway. The view passing the North side of the Leeward Islands is also amazing. During the winter months, when the sun sets earlier, I’m often rewarded with a beautiful sunset over the Turks & Caicos and Bahamas.
I travel to the Caribbean multiple times each year for work, and having experienced every possible way of getting here, I genuinely believe the American Airlines flight from Miami (MIA) to Beef Island (EIS) is the most efficient and stress-free option for anyone heading to the BVIs—whether for a crewed charter yacht vacation, to preview a yacht, or attend a survey/sea trial.
If you have any questions about the information I’ve shared, please feel free to reach out to me directly. Our time is valuable—there’s no reason to spend it dealing with unnecessary travel complications.
