Bimini Arrival & Flight Suggestions

The information below is offered to assist you in making your travel arrangements to Bimini. Please look it over and give me a call with any questions or if you would like some help deciding the best way to get here.

Most people arrive to Bimini via air, which i recommend, and there is also the option to come by ferry. There is more info on the ferry further down this page **

Silver Airlines and Tropic Ocean Airways are the predominant carriers to Bimini. Silver is the more economical, only flies a few days in the week, and has a reputation for having delays. Tropic Ocean Airways is a fun float plane and is fast and simple (brings you straight to North Bimini, excluding the need to take a water taxi), and is typically the more expensive of the two. I suggest checking the dates of your travel with their websites first, and decide which carrier to use.

If you choose Silver, one way to book your flight is to use your favorite online flight search engine and book your flight from your departing airport straight through to Bimini. (Example; if you are flying out of JFK, just search from JFK to BIM). Because United Airlines flies to Bimini using Silver Airways, most flight search websites will put together an itinerary that includes using United/Silver for the Florida to Bimini leg of your travel.

Arrivals: The most direct way to Bimini, (airport code BIM), from the US is through the Ft. Lauderdale International Airport, (airport code FLL), in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Some airlines, including Tropic are now flying also out of Miami International Airport (MIA) and the Miami Seaplane Base (MPB) and Tropic’s float planes are landing up at the resort on North Bimini, which uses the airport code of NSB.

Unless you fly from your home airport to Bimini on United Airlines, you typically have to book your flights to Florida and to Bimini separately. If United/Silver only offers a morning flight to Bimini, we suggest flying into Ft. Lauderdale the evening before, book a hotel for the night, then catch the United/Silver flight to Bimini the next morning.

Some clients have in the past arranged to fly into Ft. Lauderdale on an overnight flight, skipping a night in Ft. Lauderdale, and arriving in time to catch the morning flight to Bimini.

Return: Unless arranged otherwise, our trip typically ends on the last day after breakfast, and coordinates at the same time as your accommodations check-out, which is typically 10 or 11am. You can schedule your return flight from Bimini to Florida anytime after that. If your Bimini departure flight leaves the island at 11 am, I would schedule your return flight out of Ft. Lauderdale airport at 3 pm at the earliest, to leave time for clearing customs, etc. Clearing US immigrations usually only takes 20 minutes, unless you get behind a big jet from overseas. Upon clearing immigrations, you then claim your luggage, go thru US customs with your luggage, then carry your luggage to another terminal (update – see below*) and go thru security again. I recommend giving yourself a minimum of three to four hours between the arrival of the Bimini flight into Ft. Lauderdale, and the departure of your return flight from Ft. Lauderdale to home.

United Airline, 1-800-864-8331, often has daily flights from FLL to Bimini through Silver Airways, that average from $250 – $325 round trip for the FLL to BIM portion. Their schedule changes with the seasons, in winter they often only fly on weekends, in spring and fall they might have only one flight per day. In summer they typically have a morning and an afternoon flight.  United/Silver Airways is often the simplest carrier to book your Bimini flight with.

Tropic Ocean Airways is a float plane that comes to North Bimini (airport code NSB) from Miami or Ft. Lauderdale. While the price is sometimes higher, landing on a float plane is an amazing experience. Tropic Air’s number is 800-767-0897.

Island Air Charters also flies from Ft. Lauderdale to Bimini. You can reach them at 954-359-9942. They fly out of the Jet Center which is adjacent to FLL and offer a courtesy shuttle between the two airports.

* Re-checking your bags at FLL Terminal 4 once you clear US Customs! There is now a counter on the ground floor of Terminal 4 where certain airlines will accept your bags, you can re-check them there instead of lugging them all the way to the other terminals.

Charter Planes: There are also a number of charter planes you can arrange to get flights with. See a list of other charter possibilities at the bottom of this page***.

Flying through Nassau: I’ve had a number of European clients book their flights to Bimini by flying through Nassau, avoiding flying thru the US completely. This involves booking two separate flights; your flight to Nassau and then a flight with Western Air for the Nassau to Bimini leg of your journey. Western Air currently flies 9am and 3pm between Nassau and Bimini.

Hotels in Florida:  If your travel plans include a night in Miami or Ft. Lauderdale, there’s an infinite variety of hotels to choose from, based on convenience, budget and location. Some have a shuttle to the airport. You can also get a hotel on the beach, or the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel. I’ve recommended a number of hotels over the years, and find that they keep changing prices and specials. The Sleep Inn & Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport, 800-346-8357, has rooms for $70 a night and includes a free shuttle to and from Ft. Lauderdale International airport. www.hotels.com and www.travelocity.com are two simple ways to find what you’re looking for.

Orbitz is my favorite website for booking airline travel. Just go to www.orbitz.com and put BIM as your destination code. With United’s flights I’m sometimes able to fly my son Mark straight into Bimini without an overnight in Florida.

If you would like assistance in finding a flight, please feel free to email me and i can assist you in finding the best flight from your city to Bimini.

Travel Insurance and Trip Cancellation Insurance is always recommended! Here are two webpages that compare coverages; Insure My Trip and Squaremouth.

I’m so excited you’re joining us! We’re in for an awesome adventure. We’ll see you in the Bahamas!

The Peters family at the South Bimini Airport. They’ve just arrived from snowy Toronto for a family dolphin trip and they are excited!

** The Ferry to Bimini:

The Balearia ferry that runs three to four days a week from Ft. Lauderdale to Bimini. I have taken the ferry a few times over the years. It has become more reliable over time. It costs approximately $300 round trip and involves approximately 5 to 6 hours of travel time when you include the check-in and disembarking procedures. You can get more info about the logistics involved from a ferry ticket reseller here and you can book directly with the ferry company here.

*** Charter flight options:

The following list is of airlines that charter the whole plane. They occasionally offer a shared charter.

Tropic Air Charters

Island Air Charters

Noble Air

Aztec Air

Bahamas Air flies indirect flights from the US and Bimini

For flights within the Bahamas there is Flamingo Air that flies between Bimini and Freeport (Grand Bahamas) and Western Air that flies between Bimini and Nassau.