Cayman Airways starts the first nonstop route from the West Coast to the Caribbean

Cayman Airways new route from Los Angeles to Grand Cayman shaves off hours of travel time for West Coast passengers.

This year, West Coasters will have easier access to even more sun and sand—and not just California’s beaches. Thanks to a recently launched route from Cayman Airways, between Los Angeles and Grand Cayman, the West Coast now has nonstop flight access to the Caribbean for the first time ever. The new route, which began in November 2022, flies nonstop from LAX’s Tom Bradley International Airport into Owen Roberts International Airport on Grand Cayman. Currently running the year-round route once a week in each direction, the airline plans to eventually add two to three weekly services.

By eliminating a connecting stop, the new route saves vacationers anywhere from an hour and a half to several hours of travel time. Flights leave out of LAX on Sunday at 8 a.m. and return to LAX on Saturday at 5 p.m. With a flight time of six hours, the route is almost the same amount of time it takes to fly from L.A. to Honolulu, Hawaii. With the new launch, Los Angeles becomes the fifth U.S. city from which Cayman Airways provides service, joining existing flights to Cayman from Miami, New York, Tampa, and Denver.

Earlier this month, I was able to try out the historic new route on a trip to Grand Cayman, and I found that it was a fairly relaxing flight with only a few bites of turbulence. The staff was very friendly and accommodating and the seats were comfortable for such a long journey. It’s worth booking for the convenience and for the price alone. Here’s what it’s like to fly the new route.

I arrived around four in the morning to the Los Angeles International Airport. After a short walk, I cleared airport security at Terminal 1 and was shuttled to the Tom Bradley International Terminal. With my business-class ticket in hand, I was scanned through and arrived at the cabin doors of a Boeing 737-8 Max. The upbeat sounds of Caribbean steel drums and island music were playing overhead, and I was greeted by three friendly flight attendants wearing red pants, blue vests, and scarves with the Cayman Islands’ coat of arms displayed that matched the plane’s colors.

I took my seat in the third row, right next to the window, of the 16 business-class seats, which were laid out in a two-by-two configuration on each side of the plane’s single aisle. While this meant that not every seat had direct access to the aisle, I didn’t mind too much, as the seats felt spacious enough—there was enough room in between the seats to place items without taking up too much space for my neighbor. Each business-class seat is 21 inches wide, has 38 inches of pitch, and a six-inch recline. Almost every business-class seat has a power outlet, with a total of 14 available throughout the cabin. The seats were a bit basic compared to business class on other international airlines, but is on par with some domestic carriers on routes of similar lengths.

The economy class cabin is directly behind business class, with 144 seats in rows of three seats on each side of the aisle. Economy seats have 32 inches of pitch, are 17 inches wide, and offer a three-inch recline; there are no power outlets in economy. All seats feature blue synthetic leather upholstery and adjustable padded headrests. Although there were no seatback screens in either cabin, the flight is equipped with Airfi in-flight entertainment that provides a selection of movies for passengers to stream on their own devices, and it offered many recent releases.

Food and beverage service began shortly after takeoff. As we were slightly delayed, our captain assured us we’d arrive on time. Meal options include a selection of chicken, beef, or vegetarian sandwiches that came with an assortment of fruits and chips. I ate the fruit and chips, but the sandwich provided wasn’t all too appetizing. After taking some videos of the beautiful landscape below us, I settled into my seat and watched movies during the fairly smooth ride to the island. Sure enough, we landed right on time.

The overall experience in Cayman Airways business class was comfortable, and it’s well worth booking for the convenience of the new nonstop route. Cutting out a layover allows travelers to start their vacations even sooner without having to stress about a potential delayed or canceled connecting flight—an all-too-important factor in today’s air travel environment.

Fares on the new route typically range from around $400 to $600 round-trip for regular economy and around $2,000+ for round-trip in business class. To celebrate the new route, the airline is offering a sale until Jan 31, 2023, featuring roundtrip flights starting as low as $402 USD through April 30, 2023.

Grand Cayman is known for its pristine beaches as well as home to over 365 dive sites. One of the best things to do is relax on the award-winning, Seven Mile Beach. Stingray City, a group of sandbars located 25 miles off the shore of Grand Cayman, offers you a chance to snorkel and be among docile stingrays. The island is dotted with boutique luxury resorts like The Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa, Kimpton Seafire Resort and Spa, Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman and Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort.