What is a good price for airfare to Grand Cayman?

[bertschb]

I'm flying from Portland, OR to Grand Cayman in late October. Right now airfare is about $725 on Continental for a fairly direct flight with one stop and short layovers and about $100 less for indirect flights with two stops and long layovers. I've never flown to GC so I don't know what a good price is.

Typical winter prices from Portland to:
Roatan - $950
Cozumel- $700
Costa Rica - $600

Does anybody have any idea if $725 is a good deal flying from Portland to GC in late October???

Thanks!
Brian

 

[zf2nt]

I'm flying from Portland, OR to Grand Cayman in late October. Right now airfare is about $725 on Continental for a fairly direct flight with one stop and short layovers and about $100 less for indirect flights with two stops and long layovers. I've never flown to GC so I don't know what a good price is.

Typical winter prices from Portland to:
Roatan - $950
Cozumel- $700
Costa Rica - $600

Does anybody have any idea if $725 is a good deal flying from Portland to GC in late October???

Thanks!
Brian

First off, I think it's a big mistake to go there in late October. That is the absolute peak of hurricane season in the western Caribbean and the weather is typically terrible that time of year. I wasn't there this last October, but was in CI for the previous 8 Octobers. I can only remember one when it wasn't windy and rainy.

Nevertheless, you've certainly hit on the biggest problem in visiting CI. Airline fares are all over the map and typically outrageously high. I can usually fly round trip from SFO to MIA for much less than it costs me to take the 61 minute flight from MIA to GCM. The $725 you got from Portland actually sounds fairly good. The last time I bought it was $829 from SFO, but that was purchased months in advance and entailed staying there over 3 months. The best deals come if your stay is less than 30 days and you wait until about 2 weeks before your departure date to buy. And the very best fares will come when Cayman Airways has one of its special sales. You can get on their mailing list to notify you when they have a sale, and then you'll receive periodic notices from them. Typically, they only give you about 3 days to make your choice and nail down reservations--and even then it always seems that everything you want is fully booked.

My advice: Take the $725. Better yet, wait until after the first of the year and then go. The weather will be much more enjoyable.