flights.. why so difficult?..

Hi all!
i'll start traveling in Mexico in January. I plan a laid-back backpacking and have no itinerary.
Guess i'll fly from (1) Cancun to Havana and travel to (2)Santiago De Cuba and try to fly from there to Jamaica and from (3) Jamaica to Guatemala.
After a lot of searching and no results, i turn to you, friends:
Are there direct flights between those cities and how much should a flight cost if i don't book in advance?
I know you may not know about cuba, but still...?

THANKS!!

It is the Caribbean. That is why flights are so difficult.
I seriously doubt that you will find direct flights between the cities you listed.
Your best bet would be to try from Miami to Cancun, Jamaica, and Guatemala.
For Havana try Miami to Mexico City to Havana.
Any route that you find is going to cost you alot of money for those flights.
Good Luck !!
ONE LOVE !!
Mike

On the difficulty of flights in the region: Look at the populations and per capita GDP's of the places you are visiting, and consider the fact that both tourists and locals tend to need flights TO and FROM the Caribbean much more than they need flights between places in the region. Add to this the fact that the vast majority of Cubans aren't allowed to go anywhere, ever, and couldn't afford to even if they were.

What are your starting and ending points, i.e., where are you actually coming from at the beginning of your trip, and where do you intend to move on to at the end of it?

I can't imagine not booking most of these flights in advance- that alone could easily double or triple the cost of them.

As for Guatemala, it seems like you'd be better off traveling there from Mexico.

I don't know much about Cuba, but my guess is that you'll end up having to fly in and out of Havana.

I'd suggest researching routes and fares, and then figuring out your trip from there.

Edited by: damiongraves

Thank you guys, for replaying.

I don't have a US visa, nor the time or money to try and get one (it's a mess!) so a flight from or through Miami is not possible..

I'll start from Israel to Mexico city. then, I know i can get a relatively easy-to-book flight from Cancun to Havana.
The fact that I am going to be traveling alone is why i don't want to book to much in advance.. from experiance i know how easily plans can change.. especially on a budget and alone. Itinerary sucks.
So i guess i'll go all the way back to Havana to catch a flight to Jamaica.
But seriously you don't think i can find a direct flight from Jamaica to Guatemala? or even back to Mexico? that's my main concern.

P.S- i'm listening to the radio and somehow right now the have playing Marley's "Don't Worry, Be Happy".. :)

But seriously you don't think i can find a direct flight from Jamaica to Guatemala? or even back to Mexico? that's my main concern.

.... ah no. I had a look at Kayak for Kingston to Mexico City - best is one stop through Panama, feel free to try other cities in Mexico - approx $500
Flight Information – Tue Feb 8 2011

Copa Airlines

Flight 417 Departs: 6:01p
Norman Manley (KIN) Arrives: 7:56p
Tocumen Intl (PTY)

Embraer 190 (Narrow-body Jet) | 1h 55m | 636 miles

business | Fare code: C/SR | 9+ seats remain
economy | Fare code: N2/SR | 9+ seats remain

Layover in Panama City, Panama (PTY) for 0h 56m

Copa Airlines

Flight 194 Departs: 8:52p
Tocumen Intl (PTY) Arrives: 11:42p
Juarez Inter­national (MEX)

Boeing 737-800 (Narrow-body Jet) | 3h 50m | 1497 miles

Kingston to Guatemala
best is one stop through Miami $450

Flight Information – Mon Feb 7 2011

American Airlines

Flight 1504 Departs: 7:20a
Norman Manley (KIN) Arrives: 9:10a
Miami (MIA)

Coach | Boeing 737-800 (Narrow-body Jet) | 1h 50m

Layover in Miami, FL (MIA) for 3h 25m

American Airlines

Flight 983 Departs: 12:35p
Miami (MIA) Arrives: 2:20p
La Aurora (GUA)

I'm not sure what your travel plans in Mexico are, but:
What if you traveled overland down to Guatemala from Mexico City, and then came back up to Cancun, maybe even stopping off in Belize? Or, if you are just interested in the Caribbean, traveled to Cancun from Mexico City, went down to Guatemala, and then came back to Cancun? If you were interested in flying any of these routes, that might be doable last-minute, but of course using the bus system would still be cheaper and more flexible. BTW, the first-class and business-class buses in Mexico are ridiculously nice and luxurious.

If you do that, now you know you can get from Cancun to Havana relatively easily, so that's covered, though you may want to check and see if you'll need a return/onward ticket in order to get into Cuba.

Now, you know you can get to Jamaica from Cuba, so now you just need to sort out your trip back to Mexico, which I guess is still you're biggest headache. It looks like a r/t Cancun-Havana with a r/t Havana-Kingston in the middle of it may be the best way forward.

Also:
I'm assuming you already have a round-trip ticket to Mexico, but if not, then you might look at flying back home from Cuba or Jamaica. Flights from Jamaica to the UK, for instance, are obviously in demand.

http://www.cubana.cu/home/?lang=en will show options for flying out of Cuba. Lots of Cubians travel - usually for work or to immigrate to non USA destinations

5107, that's interesting, I didn't know that. I've only ever met one Cuban citizen, in France, and she was participating in an official exchange program.

So, I'm curious: have they been relaxing restrictions on issuing passports recently, or have I just been woefully uninformed all along?

Looks like Cubana de Aviacion does direct flights to Guatemala, too... learn something new every day!

Damiongraves, you are right about my main problem (serious headache!)
I wasn't clear about the rest of my trip plans- after Jamaica i want to get to Guatemala or back to Mexico (a little less conveniete) and from there i'll bus my way down to South America, staying a month or more in each country, so i'm trying to do a rout that will include the minimum amount of airplanes.... :)

I have done a lot more research after your last responses and i guess there is a chance i will get a flight from Jamaica to Guatemala with a layover in Panama.. funny rout but at least i know it's a possibility.
so Cancun-Havana-Kingston-Guatemala city or cancun-kingston-havana-guatemala. whatever is cheaper.

checking few airline sites; taca (long shot), cubana (can't really check their website but should be usefull) and copa (they have flights from each city i need) are my best or only options. guess i have to put aside at least 1200$ for those 3 flights.. auch.

thank you so much for you help!!!

sadly flying around the Caribbean is not cheap ~ Happy Travels!

Check COPA Airlines www.copaair.com for Cancún CUN - Havana HAV, HAV - Kingston KIN + KIN - Guatemala GUA.

For different fares (maybe cheaper) check departing and returning from the same airport: CUN or GUA. Alternate for GUA, use San Salvador SAL.

Cubana may be able to fly you from México or Guatemala all the way to Jamaica via Havana.

Im in Jamaica just now trying to get to Cancun. Very little to help anywhere on the net. Getting flight from Jamaica to anywhere exept Europe or Us is nightmare. Also BECAREFUL. If you enter Jamaica without a forward ticket or return, you will be forced to buy one back to you home country there and then. Cost me £700 , $950. Landed at 11pm. Only Virgin there to sell me a ticket. Got screwed. Still tryin to get a flight out. But this has helped , thanks.

Note that flying Copa will almost always involve going via Panama City. There are almost no direct flights. The itinerary my travel agent worked out involved, I think, 5 transits through Panama. This is to island hop countries right next to each other.