A round trip from the United States to Aruba can cost less than a flight between Aruba and its neighbouring islands Curaçao and Bonaire, according to a comparison of fares published on international booking platforms that NoticiaCla carried out on November 13.
The comparison followed a Thrifty Traveler publication, reproduced by InsideFlyer, advertising promotional round-trip fares to Aruba from several US cities — including Rochester, Syracuse, Providence and Buffalo — from just USD 295.
What NoticiaCla found
Checking fares published online, NoticiaCla found that Expedia advertised a round trip between Aruba and Curaçao for December 17 to 22, 2026 at USD 312. For Aruba–Bonaire, the same platform showed a ticket at USD 537 for November 26 to December 3, 2026.
Measured against the USD 295 US promotional fare, that means a passenger could pay USD 17 more to fly to Curaçao and as much as USD 242 more to fly to Bonaire, even though the three ABC islands lie relatively close to each other. Another comparison showed a round trip from Miami to Aruba advertised at USD 369 for November 29 to December 9 — higher than the Curaçao fare found, but considerably lower than the Bonaire fare.
Fares vary, causes unstudied
NoticiaCla stresses that the comparison does not mean every inter-island flight costs more than a flight from the US: prices vary by date, airline, availability and booking conditions, and not all fares necessarily include the same services or baggage. Its editorial note adds that the comparison is based on fares advertised online on November 13, 2026, which are subject to change and are not quotations for identical dates.
The investigation also does not establish why the difference exists. Factors such as competition between airlines, the number of seats available, airport taxes and operating costs would need to be examined to determine the causes, NoticiaCla says. The outlet notes the issue matters for connectivity between Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire, particularly for residents who travel for family, medical, educational or business reasons, and it leaves the question open: how can a round trip from the US to Aruba cost less than a ticket between the three ABC islands?
Source: NoticiaCla (November 13, 2026)
