Air France continues to operate an unusual service connecting Miami International Airport with Guadeloupe using the Airbus A320, as reported on May 29. The flight is part of a regional network that links the United States with three French overseas departments in the Caribbean and extends onward to Brazil.
Miami International Airport, heavily dominated by American Airlines, also hosts Air France’s Airbus A320 arriving from Guadeloupe. This service forms part of an island-hopping route that includes stops in Martinique and French Guiana before reaching destinations in Brazil. The Miami–Pointe-à -Pitre service operates up to five times weekly during peak season and now flies direct after Air France suspended its stopover in Port-au-Prince due to security concerns and a Federal Aviation Administration ban on flights to Haiti.
Guadeloupe, Martinique, and French Guiana are all overseas departments of France. Residents hold French citizenship, use the euro, participate in national elections, and are represented in the French Parliament. Air France maintains daily long-haul flights between Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and these territories using larger aircraft but relies on two dedicated Airbus A320s for its Caribbean regional operations. These aircraft offer business-class seating with blocked middle seats for additional comfort along with economy class accommodations.
The route enables passengers to travel from Miami through Pointe-à -Pitre (Guadeloupe), Fort-de-France (Martinique), Cayenne (French Guiana), and onward to Belém or Fortaleza in northern Brazil. While not the fastest way between Florida and South America—taking over eight hours including stops—the journey provides insight into how Air France connects disparate regions under French administration across two continents.
For travelers interested in aviation experiences or those seeking unique airline journeys, this network offers opportunities such as affordable mileage bookings for SkyTeam flyers. Other airlines operate similar services; for example, United Airlines runs its own Island Hopper across Micronesia linking Honolulu with Guam via Pacific islands.
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