The United States has a shrinking list of airlines to choose from.
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Earlier this year, Spirit Airlines shut down after battling bankruptcy. A few years earlier, in 2022, a regional carrier called Aha!, Elite Airways, and Miami Air International closed down. These closures have exacerbated previous mergers, like 2015’s US Airways and 2012’s Continental Airlines mergers.
In short, Americans don’t have as many choices when it comes to buying airfare. That limited competition has led to steadily rising prices, from tickets to baggage fees to seat selection. If you feel like you can’t find a true budget carrier anymore, you aren’t alone.
But there’s one way that Americans can lift the burden of high airfare prices when vacationing in the Caribbean or Mexico. Rather than booking with international airlines like Delta or United, go for a smaller, regional airline that has more reasonable prices.
You can book flights to and from places like Ciudad de Mexico, Cancun, Punta Cana, Kingston, Nassau, and more without overspending. You just need to know which airlines serve the places you want to go, and how to find routes.
Here’s my first tip: Skip the third-party booking sites, which heavily skew toward major airlines like Delta, United, and American. You need to head straight to the airline’s website to look for routes and book a ticket directly—you’ll save more and remove the middleman.
4 cheapest airlines for flying to Mexico from the United States
Volaris
Volaris is an ultra-low-cost airline serving the United States, Mexico, and Central and South America. The airline is available at 74 airports in seven countries, including almost 60 US airports. Volaris offers flights from smaller regional airports, too, like Madison, Wisconsin, and Saint Louis, Missouri. They offer flights to dozens of Mexican cities, along with Lima, Bogota, Guatemala, San Jose (Costa Rica), and San Salvador.
Viva Aerobus
Similar to Volaris, Viva is a low-cost carrier serving the United States, Mexico, and parts of Central and South America. It’s one of the most popular airlines in Mexico with flights from 40 cities. Currently, Viva offers nonstop service to/from 17 US destinations, from Oakland to DFW to Newark. Additionally, Viva offers service to/from Colombia, Costa Rica, and Cuba.
Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines has a network with over 80 destinations in the United States alone, but it also operates flights to and from Mexico. You can catch a Frontier flight from a major hub to Mexican destinations like Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, San Jose del Cabo, Guadalajara, and Ciudad de Mexico. You’ll likely catch these flights from Denver or Las Vegas.
Sun Country Airlines
Sun Country Airlines is a small regional carrier that operates out of St. Paul-Minneapolis, followed by DFW and Las Vegas. The airline covers around 140 routes across North America, including to destinations in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America. For those heading to Mexico, look for low-cost flights to Cancun, Cozumel, Ixtapa, Los Cabos, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta.
7 Cheapest airlines for flying to the Caribbean from the United States
Frontier Airlines
As mentioned above, Frontier Airlines has a large domestic US network of flight routes, along with select hubs in Mexico. Aside from flying to/from Mexico with Frontier Airlines, you can also head to other Caribbean hotspots like Punta Cana and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and San Jose in Puerto Rico, along with Central American countries like San Jose, Costa Rica. They offer select flights to/from Jamaica, as well.
Sun Country Airlines
Similar to Frontier Airlines, you can book Sun Country Airlines flights to head to the Caribbean. There’s just one difference: Sun Country Airlines has one of the most expansive route networks in the Caribbean amongst any international low-cost carrier. You can reach Aruba, Belize, the Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Turks and Caicos, St. Maarten, and the US Virgin Islands with a Sun Country Airlines ticket.
Caribbean Airlines
Caribbean Airlines is the flagship carrier for both Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago. The airline serves over 25 destinations across 20 countries, including the US. Airports in New York, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Orlando offer Caribbean Airlines routes. You can fly to over 20 destinations in the Caribbean, from Jamaica to Grenada to Guyana to Cuba. If you want to visit a smaller island, Caribbean Airlines likely has a route for you. Just know that it’s not a low-cost airline, though it does offer competitive pricing.
Avelo
Avelo Airlines, headquartered in Houston, Texas, was launched in 2021. It’s a newcomer in the ultra-low-cost scene, with many routes available across the United States and into the Caribbean. The airline provides service to Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. Many of these routes are newly launched in 2025 and 2026, meaning you can find some steal deals.
Copa Airlines
Copa Airlines is a Panamanian carrier based in Panama City, founded in 1947. It’s not an ultra-low-cost carrier, but uses a low-cost structure that keeps airfare and fees in check. It serves some of the largest cities in the Americas, letting you visit just about any Caribbean destination. There are 12 total destinations to choose from, including Aruba, the Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad & Tobago.
Arajet
Arajet is the national carrier for the Dominican Republic, offering easy and affordable flights from across the United States to the Caribbean. Their flights head to Punta Cana and Santo Domingo from places like Orlando, Chicago, Miami, New York, and Boston. You can also book a flight to other Caribbean hubs, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Kingston, Jamaica, to Aruba.
Bahamasair
Lastly, we have the national airline of the Bahamas. The airline offers affordable flights to and from 30 destinations around the United States, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. You can fly in and out via Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando, and West Palm Beach, along with select routes from Raleigh, North Carolina. You can visit Nassau, Freeport, and Marsh Harbor in the Bahamas, along with islands like Long Island, Spring Point, and Inagua.