At the time I am writing this review, Sunrise Airways is the only airline carrier offering flights to Haiti from the U.S. due to the closure of the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince (mainly for international flights).
While Sunrise Airways typically has flights to Haiti from Florida, the airline is launching new routes in the Eastern U.S., with the latest one being from Boston International Airport.
Since I am based in D.C. at the moment, this was the closest airport to me at the time, so I took a flight from Boston to Port-au-Prince with a 17-hour layover in Cap-Haïtien.
Disclaimer: I was given a free round-trip flight by Sunrise Airways in exchange for this review.
Rest assured, all views in this post are my own and I do not lie or sugarcoat my opinions 🙂
Sunrise Airways Routes & Destinations
Sunrise Airways is a Haitian-based regional airline that mainly connects Haiti with key destinations across the Caribbean and parts of the Americas.
Many flights offered by Sunrise are domestic within Haiti and international to destinations such as the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Panama.
Booking with Sunrise Airways
My flight was booked through the marketing department at Sunrise Airways.
However, when testing the website’s usability for browsing flight options, I found it easy to navigate and to see what options are available.
It’s important to note that Sunrise Airways does not appear to have daily flights to Haiti, so flexibility is required if you’re planning to book with them.
You may have a specific travel date in mind, but flights might not be available that day, so it’s best to check the website before finalizing your plans.
Cost of Flights
The cost of flights on the Haiti routes is very high, given that the flights are 2-4 hours each way.
I did notice that the earlier you book (usually months in advance), the better your chance is of scoring a round-trip flight for around $500 – $600, but if you are booking within the same month or even weeks before, it can be as much as $1500 – $1800.
Checking in at the Boston International Airport
On the morning of my flight, I made my way to the Sunrise Airways check-in area, where four counters were open.
I was initially impressed, as I honestly didn’t expect that many; however, it didn’t make much difference in the end, since the line moved very slowly and many passengers were dealing with overweight baggage issues.
For this reason, I highly recommend arriving 2.5 to 3 hours before your flight. As someone who doesn’t usually like getting to the airport early, I was glad I did, since it took about an hour to complete check-in.
Baggage with Sunrise Airways
When selecting flights with Sunrise, you can purchase a ticket with a bag included.
However, if you don’t, Sunrise has its baggage fees listed on its website. It is more expensive to add baggage at the airport than online, so I would keep that in mind.
CarryOn and Personal Items
A carry-on bag is included in the baggage allowance for all international flights.
For domestic flights, only personal items are allowed in the cabin, as I experienced on my flight from Cap-Haïtien to Port-au-Prince. I would be sure to have all your essential items in your personal bag and not rely on your carry-on, just in case anything happens to it.
Flying from Boston to Cap Haitien
Seating
The seating on the plane from Boston to Cap-Haïtien was laid out in a 3-3 configuration, and I really liked the exterior appearance of the seats.
The middle seat was open on my side, so I could store my personal belongings under it, leaving me with extra legroom.
If it wasn’t for this I do think legroom would have been very tight.
The tray table, once pulled out, had drink stains and dirt, which was disappointing.
I believe there is a quick turnaround time between passengers deplaning and boarding the same aircraft, which doesn’t leave much time for tray cleaning.
However, I do think this is an area for improvement in the future. Given the price points for tickets with Sunrise, passengers should have clean tray tables.
Before I opened my tray table, I was extremely impressed by the plane’s cleanliness, as far as the seats, floors, etc.
Entertainment
There were no in-flight entertainment options on the flight, so you have to provide your own.
I came prepared, assuming this would be the case, with shows and music downloaded on my personal devices.
There were also no outlets at the seats, so I highly recommend bringing a portable charger or ensuring your devices are fully charged before your flight, as you will want to be connected once you arrive in Haiti.
Snack and Beverage Service
Once we were in the air, the flight attendants immediately began snack service, which included a bag of Cheez-Its, a choice of a cold beverage, and, later on, a water bottle.
There weren’t any other snack options or food available for purchase, so if you think you’ll be hungry during the flight, I would recommend eating beforehand or grabbing a bite to eat at the airport.
For the new routes to Haiti going from Boston or Newark to Haiti, I hope to see more options served for snacks.
Bathroom
There were three bathrooms onboard, which I thought was great, as there always seemed to be one available when needed, eliminating any long lines during the flight.
The bathrooms were pretty standard, with tissues and hand sanitizer inside.
Customer Service
I have to say, on this route from Boston to Cap-Haïtien, the customer service from the Sunrise Airways team was incredible.
From the airport to landing in Haiti, I really enjoyed my interactions with the staff and found them to be extremely patient, kind, communicative, and willing to help.
This isn’t always the case when I fly, and it can really make all the difference when traveling, so it was pleasant to see.
Landing at the Cap Haitien International Airport
My flight left Boston at 10:00am and landed in Cap-Haitien around 2:30pm. I’m going to be extremely candid and say that navigating the Cap-Haitien International Airport (CAP) may take some patience and is an experience you may want to mentally prepare for.
I have been to several airports throughout my time traveling, and, as much as it pains me to say this, the CAP airport is probably the most disorganized one I have ever been to.
I last visited the CAP airport in 2021 and don’t remember it being this way, so I’m wondering if the closure of Port-au-Prince International Airport and possible influx of flights to CAP could be the reason, but I’m not entirely sure.
Keep in mind, this was my experience. I am including this section because it is part of the travel experience to Haiti at the moment and I am committed to sharing all aspects of that experience.
Upon arrival, we were greeted by a band right outside of the Arrivals area that welcomed us to Haiti with Haitian rhythms, a refreshing touch to the airport experience, because as soon as you step inside, it is another world.
For starters, there were several different lines in one small area that no one seemed to be keeping track of, but once inside, passengers were being informed about a form that needed to be filled out online that no one had been informed about beforehand, which could have saved a lot of time and disorganization at the airport.
I wish this was mentioned when I was also given the customs and health form.
If your phone is working, you’ll be asked to fill out the form, which will then give you a code you’ll present to the immigration officer. If not, you’ll be waiting for an employee to help you fill it out, which could take a while.
My phone was having connection issues when I landed and I had to wait in another long line before one of the employees were available to fill out the form for me.
Planning Tip: If you can, before boarding in the U.S., I would ask one of the employees for the link to the online “KitoIT” form, then screenshot the code it gives you when you’re done, as you’ll need it.
But between people getting frustrated with the wait, confusion among passengers, it being super crowded, and it being hot because the AC isn’t really circulating in this room, it can be a lot.
Planning Tip: If you are a foreigner, you will have to pay a $10 tourist fee, so I recommend having exact $10 cash on hand to make this a speedy process. I came prepared, and it was the quickest part of the process.
After you’ve paid your $10 fee and your passport is stamped by the immigration officer, you’ll grab your bag at baggage claim, then enter customs, which is also very crowded and may require you to open your luggage for the officer to review.
Keep in mind, during this process, you are almost shoulder to shoulder with the person next to you, having to lift your 50 lbs+ luggage onto a platform to be searched in a cramped space, all while you are likely sweating 🙂.
After this, you will finally make it out to a crowded waiting room and eventually out to the streets of Cap-Haïtien, where many taxi drivers will be waiting to try to convince you to be their next customer.
Flying from Cap Haitien to Port au Prince
My final destination was Port-au-Prince, and the next available flight was scheduled from Cap-Haitien for 7:30 am the next morning.
This meant that my friend and I had a 17-hour layover in Cap-Haitien, which we spent taking a stroll on the Boulevard, settling into the Retrouvailles Hotel, and having dinner at Cap Deli before heading back to the airport the next morning.
Since this was now a domestic flight with Sunrise Airways, there were some differences.
Checking In
The only airline counter at the airport when I flew out was Sunrise Airways, and we were the first ones in line as we arrived very early, so it was a fairly quick experience.
We were then told to go to another building, just a 1–2-minute walk away, for a security check, where we had to open our bags and have them searched before boarding our flight.
The waiting room was the same one we had passed through on our way out of CAP airport the day before, which I found interesting.
Flight Delay
While we were scheduled to depart at 7:30am for an 8:00am arrival in Port-au-Prince, we had a flight delay and ultimately left at 9:45am.
It was raining very hard earlier that morning, so I’m not sure whether the delays were weather-related, since communication wasn’t the best at that point, but I was grateful the flight wasn’t canceled.
The main issue was that the waiting area we were all in did not have enough seating for the number of people waiting, since other domestic flights were scheduled that morning, and the delays caused a ripple effect across all departures. It was hot, but eventually it was time to board.
Boarding
We were led to the plane and, while in line, our carry-on bags were taken from us and stored under the aircraft, as carry-on bags are not allowed on Sunrise Airways’ domestic flights.
For these flights, Sunrise uses smaller planes, and on this one, the seat configuration was 2–1. The seat numbers on boarding passes didn’t exactly match those on the plane, so people just sat wherever they could, which worked out well.
We ended up sitting in the very front row, and the legroom was tight, but I did have a small corner that was perfect for storing my personal belongings, which was great.
The Flight
The flight from Cap-Haïtien to Port-au-Prince is only about 30 minutes long, so there isn’t much to do besides maybe listen to music or read, and before you know it, you’re landing in the capital.
The views coming into Port-au-Prince were absolutely breathtaking, with this picture being one of my favorite shots:
Landing in Port au Prince
Thirty minutes later, we landed at the Guy Malary Terminal, which serves domestic flights in Port-au-Prince.
The airport experience here is much calmer and easier to navigate, with baggage claim in a small, tucked-away area where you simply wait for your bags to be unloaded before collecting them, and the exit is nearby.
Final Thoughts on Sunrise Airways
My flights with Sunrise were comfortable overall, and I would be willing to fly with the airline again, but what stands out most to me about my experience with Sunrise Airways is the cost of travel.
Although my ticket was comped, I found that traveling with Sunrise Airways—especially if you are not living in a city where one of its flights operates—requires a lot of logistics and extra planning for transport, hotel stays, etc.
For example, I came out of pocket about $550+ between all of the transport and hotels I had to book to get to Boston, while in Boston, and in Cap-Haïtien before arriving to Port au Prince.
Factoring this in with the prices of round-trip flights to Haiti for a 2–4 hour flight, it is extremely expensive for what you are getting, and I don’t think the flight experience makes up for it in terms of snack options, entertainment, etc.
I would love to see Sunrise offer more same-day flights to Port-au-Prince to eliminate the need for long layovers in Cap-Haïtien, as it costs travelers additional money for drivers and hotels, which, while great for the local economy, are still added expenses for passengers.
All things considered, it is nice to see Sunrise continuing to expand their flight routes from the U.S. to Haiti and I’m grateful that it is still an option to continue visiting Haiti during these times.
