Flights from Miami to Athol Island

Athol Island is about 164 nautical miles east of Miami, just past Nassau. A seaplane covers it in about an hour in the air. For a small plane, a helicopter or a jet the time depends on the aircraft and the field you leave from, and it comes back with the quote.

What really sets the length of the day is the border on both sides and how long you stay. On a day trip most parties spend far longer on the island than in the air.

It depends on how you want to arrive and what you carry. A seaplane clears at Nassau and then lands on the water off the island itself, with no boat needed.

A small plane or a jet lands on the runway at Nassau and handles more weight and rougher water, and a boat covers the last three miles. A helicopter gives the best view on the way. We quote the options side by side so you can compare.

Yes, every passenger needs one, children included. The Bahamas is another country, and a private aircraft does not change that. We take the passport details once when you enquire and file the manifest for both sides before departure. The travel documents page lists what each passenger sends and by when, including the cases that need more notice. Nothing else has to be printed or carried.

Not on wheels. The island has no runway, no road and nobody living on it. A seaplane lands on the water off the island instead, after clearing at Nassau. A small plane or a jet lands at Lynden Pindling International on New Providence, and from there it is a short drive and a boat east.

Either way you clear customs at Nassau, three miles west. Which of the two suits your day is the first thing we answer when you send your dates and your party size.

That depends on the aircraft. Runway aircraft land at Nassau, and from there it is a drive across New Providence and a boat of about three miles to the beach. A seaplane lands right off the island, so there is no boat at all. A helicopter clears at Nassau too, and where it sets down after that is agreed with the operator before the day.

Yes, and it is the most common way this route is flown. On a charter the aircraft waits for you, so the return is set by you and not by a timetable. Out in the morning, back in the evening, with both borders handled.

If you would rather stay a night, tell us when you enquire: the island has no hotel, so the night is in Nassau and the return is planned for the day you want.

It is a question of weight, not of the number of bags, and it differs by aircraft. Floats carry less than wheels, and a jet carries the most. Say what is coming when you enquire, including snorkel gear, a cooler, a beach shade and anything with a battery, and the answer comes back with the quote rather than at the aircraft.

Nothing can be rented on the island, so whatever the day needs travels with you, and we know that when we choose. If the load decides it, the aircraft is chosen around what you bring, not the other way round.

It suits families well for a day out of Miami: the beach where the pigs come down is shallow and pale, and the reef off the western shore is bright and shallow enough for children with a mask. Children need passports like everybody else.

On a charter there is no terminal and no queue, which is usually what makes the difference with small children. There is no shop and no shade built on the island, so we plan lunch and shade with the flight.

Yes. Once you have cleared into the Bahamas at Nassau, every leg after it is domestic. The same aircraft can carry on to Harbour Island, Andros or the Exumas, as long as the next island has a place for it to land.

Tell us the shape of the whole trip when you enquire and it is quoted as one booking. Where the next island only has water to land on, that leg switches to a seaplane.

Every aircraft handles weather differently. A seaplane needs calm enough water to land, a small plane and a jet use the runway and a jet can climb above much of it. If conditions are below what is safe, the crew moves or cancels the flight and the weather and delays policy says what that means for your booking. That call is always the crew's, and a delay of an hour or two often solves it.

No, and it is not meant to be. A scheduled seat is cheaper because someone else picked the time and you share the aircraft. A charter buys you the aircraft: your departure, your return, your party only. On a day trip that usually means several more hours on the island, and no waiting in a terminal on either side of the water, which is the comparison worth making.

We send the price for the whole aircraft, so you can split it across your party and compare fairly. Tell us what matters most, the time on the island, the landing point or the budget, and we suggest the aircraft that fits it best.

Yes, pets travel in the cabin with you. The one thing we ask is that you tell us at the enquiry, with the type of animal and its weight, so the seating and the load plan are right from the start.