Air fares spike due to Hurricane Melissa
Published:Sunday | November 2, 2025 | 12:10 AM
Airfare from Jamaica to some top destinations in the United States has spiked temporarily, as travellers scramble to rebook cancelled trips in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, according to data from flight aggregators such as Kayak and Expedia.
The advice to book early still holds, but travellers stranded at home or abroad due to cancelled flights may face higher fares. Round-trip flights from Kingston to Atlanta are currently priced near US$1,000, with fares expected to dip to US$500 by mid-November and remain steady through year end.
Fares to Florida have also surged.
“We expect prices to rise US$120 in the next five days,” said Travel site Kayak, regarding routes to Miami and Fort Lauderdale. In contrast, fares to New York and from Montego Bay to Atlanta have remained largely unchanged.
Both Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston and Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay were gradually reopening after days of closure to ride out Melissa. The closures disrupted passenger travel and cargo operations.
“I’m stuck here until next week; there are no flights available,” a Jamaican businesswoman stranded in Miami told the Financial Gleaner. She had planned to return home last Tuesday, but her flight was cancelled due to the storm.
As of Wednesday, round-trip flights from Kingston to Miami and Fort Lauderdale were priced between US$500 and US$600 before taxes. Prices are expected to remain elevated until November 8, after which they may drop to US$250.
“We are currently assessing the damage to restore operations as soon as conditions allow,” said Raúl Revuelta Musalem, CEO of Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, which operates both major airports in Jamaica.
JetBlue expects 2.6 per cent of its scheduled traffic, from October to December, to come through Jamaica, which equates to more than 230,000 seats.
“It’s too early to decide the impact of Hurricane Melissa on our operations in Jamaica, so our guidance did not contemplate any impact,” said JetBlue President Marty St George in an October 28 earnings call.
“We are focused on caring for our crew members and resuming operations when we can safely do so,” added JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghty.