Key West International
The main Keys departure, with private terminal handling and direct legs to the mainland and the Bahamas.
Drive time from Old Town
Flight time to Miami
Runway Access
Small Plane Charter Florida Keys
A small plane small plane uses the small, rough and remote fields that larger aircraft have to pass over, so the arrival is the island itself rather than the nearest big airport. That removes the part most guests dread, the ferry leg and the second transfer after landing.
Dive gear, fishing rods, coolers, clubs and pushchairs travel with the party instead of following on a later trip, and the same aircraft takes seats, freight or a combination of both, with a cargo pod when the volume asks for it. Where an island has no strip at all, a seaplane charter is the aircraft that reaches it and we say which of the two fits before you book. The full island list sits on small plane charter to the Bahamas and small plane charter to the Florida Keys.
Ask Which Fields We UsePopular
Where Guests Fly by Small Plane from Miami
How It Works
How Small Plane Charter Works, from Enquiry to Arrival
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01
Tell Us the Route and the Load
Send the date, the two ends of the trip, your passenger count and what is travelling with you. Luggage decides the aircraft on these legs, so we ask early.
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02
We Confirm the Aircraft and the Field
A flight planner checks the strip at each end, the load plan and the fuel required, files customs on international legs and sends the options.
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03
Fly on Your Schedule
Meet the crew at the private terminal, load at the ramp and depart. We watch the weather and the field and your planner stays reachable until the last leg is complete.
Departure Points
Small Plane Departure Points in the Florida Keys
Marathon Airport
Central Keys access with parking, quiet handling and a runway well suited to small plane operations.
Drive time from Marathon
Flight time to Nassau
Ocean Reef Club, Key Largo
The northernmost Keys field, used by members and homeowners for short legs to the city and the Bahamas.
Drive time from Ocean Reef
Flight time to Bimini
Summerland and Lower Keys Strips
Occasional private field use for guests staying in the lower Keys, arranged with the operator in advance.
Drive time from Big Pine Key
Flight time to Key West
Naples Municipal
An alternative for guests crossing to the Gulf coast, with good handling and short taxi times.
Drive time from Marco Island
Flight time to the Exumas
Routes
Small Plane Routes from the Florida Keys
The five legs our charter desk plans most often from the Florida Keys, each flown as a private departure on your own schedule.
Experiences
Small Plane Experiences from the Florida Keys to South Florida and the Bahamas
Destinations Reached
Destinations Reached by Small Plane Charter
Bimini
Reached by SeaplaneThe closest Bahamian island to Florida and the easiest international day trip we arrange. A short crossing, a strip minutes from the marina and enough on the island to fill a day without a car. Bimini small plane charter
Nassau and Paradise Island
Reached by SeaplaneThe hub of the Bahamas, with customs on site and a short transfer to the resorts and the restaurants. Our usual staging point for onward legs into the Out Islands. Nassau small plane charter
Exuma and Staniel Cay
Reached by SeaplaneShort strips among the cays where a small plane is the practical aircraft. Guests joining a boat skip the connection through Nassau and dive gear and coolers travel with the party. Exuma small plane charter
Abaco, Marsh Harbour and Treasure Cay
Reached by SeaplaneCruising ground spread along a shallow sea, reached directly instead of through a hub and a ferry. Onward legs to Green Turtle and Elbow Cay are added on the same booking. Abaco small plane charter
North Eleuthera and Harbour Island
Reached by Seaplane
Pink sand and a walkable settlement, reached without the usual scheduled connection. We arrange the water taxi so bags go from the aircraft to the house. Harbour Island small plane charter
Grand Bahama and Freeport
Reached by SeaplaneClose to the Florida coast, with marinas, beaches and the north shore flats. Often chosen for fishing trips and for a first look at the Bahamas without a long travel day. Grand Bahama small plane charter
Key West and the Florida Keys
Reached by SeaplaneThe chain reached in one low scenic leg rather than a day on the highway. Key West and Marathon both take small planes and onward hops along the islands take minutes. Florida Keys small plane charter
Naples and the Gulf Coast
Reached by SeaplaneAcross the state in one leg with clubs, bags and a full party together. Arrivals near the waterfront and the golf resorts, with the Everglades underneath on the way over. Naples small plane charter
In the Air
Flying Low and Slow Over the Flats
High wings and large windows put the flats, the reef and the cays in view from every seat, not only from the two at the front. A small plane flies lower and slower than a jet, so the crossing is part of the trip instead of something under a cloud layer.
The cabin takes a family or a small team in one leg, with seating and load agreed before the day rather than at the ramp. Most of these aircraft carry nine passengers. If the group is larger than one aircraft carries, a private jet into the nearest strip or a second leg is the usual answer, and for an island without a runway a seaplane charter flies the same corridor.
See Routes and Times
Small Plane Charter from the Florida Keys: The Reef Line, the Flats and a Dock Instead of a Terminal
The reef runs the whole length of the chain, a few hundred feet below
The Keys are the one stretch of this coast with a reef along their whole length. It runs outside the chain from Key West back up towards the mainland, and the crossing holds low enough that the reef line, the flats and the deeper blue outside are three different colours from the cabin rather than a line on a map.
Inside the chain the water is shallow and pale, and the Bahamas stay in reach from here on the same day: Bimini and Nassau are flown out of the Keys as well as out of Miami, and which water makes sense is a question for the small plane charter desk.
What a charter removes is the waiting at both ends. A scheduled arrival ends at a terminal and starts a queue. A small plane charter ends where the party is going, and on a day trip that difference is usually the difference between an afternoon on the sand and an afternoon in transit.
Small Plane Charter Florida Keys: Planning a Charter Across the Bahamas and the Florida Keys
A small plane day is planned backwards from the destination, not forwards from the clock
A small plane is the aircraft that actually makes island travel work, because the strip decides the trip. A morning departure from Miami, Fort Lauderdale or West Palm Beach can put a family and a week of luggage on Bimini, at Staniel Cay or into Marsh Harbour without a connection and without leaving the dive bags behind. That is the case for Small plane charter and it is why our desk plans the field and the load with the same care as the route.
Most enquiries begin with a destination and the strip at that destination usually settles the aircraft. Small Bahamian fields in Exuma, North Eleuthera and Treasure Cay suit a small plane, while a water arrival at a dock calls for a seaplane and a city address for a helicopter. Longer legs to or across the Atlantic belong on a private jet. Where a route sits between two answers we set out both, with the trade in ground time made explicit.
International legs add paperwork rather than difficulty. Our team files the arrival for the Bahamas, confirms the port of entry and sends travel documents and baggage guidance before the day. Load planning matters more on a small plane than on a jet: fuel, passengers and bags compete for the same margin, so we agree the allowance and tell you early if something needs to move to a second leg. The weather and delays policy sets out how conditions and field state are assessed and who calls you if a departure moves.
On the ground we can add chauffeur services, meet and greet, catering, dock pickup and yacht transfers, so the flight is one part of a single arrangement. Groups can travel as , supply runs go through island logistics and cargo flights and regular clients move onto a corporate account. To begin, send the date, the two ends of the trip and what is travelling with you to the charter desk or .
Small Plane Charter: We Take Care of Both Borders
A flight inside Florida files nothing, and a Bahamas day files both borders
A day that stays inside Florida has no border in it. There is nothing to file, nothing to carry and no port of entry: the aircraft leaves from here and lands where you asked for.
A day that crosses to the islands is a different matter, and it is the half most guests never see. The manifest goes in before the aircraft moves, the departure is filed on the American side, the aircraft clears at a Bahamian port of entry, and the only thing the small plane charter desk asks a party for is a name and a passport number.
What is left is ours rather than yours. We file both borders when there are two, confirm the port of entry and brief you on travel documents and baggage before the day. Weather gets its own call early enough to move a departure rather than lose it.
Small Plane Flights from the Florida Keys: The Whole Aircraft, One Manifest and the Same Crew Home
The small plane waits where it dropped you, because nobody else is on the manifest
One party, one aircraft, one manifest. Nothing on the schedule belongs to anyone else, so the departure hour is yours and so is the return, and a party that wants to stay another two hours says so on the day rather than in a booking system.
The same crew flies both legs. They know where they put you down, they know what the weather was doing when they left, and the flight home is not handed to a different aircraft at a different field.
Every departure point on this coast works the same way, not just this one. Parties leave from Miami, from Fort Lauderdale and from West Palm Beach depending on where the day starts, and the small plane charter desk arranges the rest.
Questions
Small Plane Questions, Answered
What is a Small plane and why is it used for island flying?
A Small plane is a single engine small plane widely used across the Bahamas and the Keys because it combines a useful cabin with short field performance. It carries a group and their luggage into strips that jets cannot use, tolerates rough and unpaved surfaces and is simple to support on remote islands. High wings and large windows make it pleasant for sightseeing as well as transport. Our planners recommend it whenever the destination strip, the luggage or the group size rules out a jet.
Do I need a passport for a small plane charter to the Bahamas?
Yes. The Bahamas is an international crossing, so every passenger needs a valid passport and any visa their nationality requires and children need their own documents. We file the inbound and outbound paperwork, confirm the port of entry and send a document checklist once the booking is confirmed. Guidance by nationality is set out on our travel documents page and the charter desk reviews your party before the day so nothing is discovered at the aircraft.
How much luggage can a Small plane carry?
More than most people expect, which is usually why the aircraft is chosen, but the allowance is still planned rather than assumed. It depends on the passenger count, the fuel required for the leg, the field at each end and whether a cargo pod is fitted. Soft bags load best. Dive gear, fishing rods, golf clubs and pushchairs can normally be carried when declared at booking. We agree your allowance and will tell you early if the load plan needs adjusting.
Can a Small plane land on a short or unpaved island strip?
Often yes and that is the point of the aircraft, but every field is assessed individually. Runway length, surface, obstacles, weight on the day and the operator's own limits all decide what is possible and some private strips need permission from the owner as well. Our flight planners confirm the field before the day and brief an alternative. Where a strip cannot be used safely the flight goes to the nearest suitable field and we arrange the last part of the journey by car or boat.
Can a small plane charter carry cargo as well as passengers?
Yes and mixed loads are common on island runs. The cabin can be configured for seats, for freight or for a combination and a cargo pod adds volume underneath. We handle manifests, customs paperwork and duty documentation and can arrange delivery to a dock, a site or a house at the far end. Dangerous goods, fuel and certain building materials have restrictions, so tell us what is moving early and we will confirm what can travel.
Can I bring a pet on a small plane charter?
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.
Charter Desk
Request a Small Plane Charter Quote from the Florida Keys
Send us the date and the two ends of your trip. A flight planner replies with routing, aircraft options and the arrival plan.
- 24/7 support
- Fast response
- No obligation
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