Freeport (FPO): a short taxi, no airport jitney, and a terminal Dorian wrecked
Ten to fifteen minutes to Port Lucaya for around twenty dollars. The cheap jitneys do not serve the airport, and the building you arrive in is a post-hurricane rebuild.
- The airport is about 7 km, 4 miles, north of central Freeport.
- Port Lucaya is 10 to 15 minutes away, and downtown Freeport less.
- A taxi to downtown or Port Lucaya runs about USD 20 to 25. Fares to most resorts land in the USD 15 to 30 range.
- Taxis wait outside the terminal building and you can also pre-book a private transfer.
- Jitneys, the shared route buses, cost USD 1.25 to 2.50 per person but have no direct airport route and no fixed schedule. Not an airport option.
- Avis and Hertz are on site, with short and long term parking.
- Sources disagree on the terminal count. One describes a single rebuilt terminal handling everything, another two terminals within walking distance of each other. Either way it is a short walk.
- There is a US pre-clearance facility, so a flight to the States clears American customs here and lands as a domestic arrival.
- Hurricane Dorian did colossal damage to the terminal and the runway in 2019, and the airport has been in the largest reconstruction of its history since.
- Bahamasair, Western Air and American Airlines carry most of the traffic.
Getting to Freeport and Lucaya
- 7 km north of central Freeport. This is a short run by Caribbean airport standards.
- Port Lucaya, where most of the hotels are, is 10 to 15 minutes.
- A taxi is about USD 20 to 25 to downtown or Port Lucaya, and USD 15 to 30 covers most resorts. Metered rates start low and add by the mile, with extra passengers charged individually.
- Grand Bahama taxis work on both zoned flat rates and meters. Ask which applies before you set off, because the zoned fare is the one that stops the meter being a surprise.
- Taxis are outside the terminal. A pre-booked transfer through a reputable company is the alternative and the better bet for a late arrival.
The jitneys, and why they do not help
- Jitneys are the island's shared route buses and cost USD 1.25 to 2.50 a person.
- They do not run a direct airport route and they have no fixed timetable. For getting around Freeport and Lucaya once you are there they are excellent; for the airport run they are not an option.
The terminal, and the hurricane
- Hurricane Dorian in 2019 did colossal damage to both the terminal and the runway. The airport has been through the largest reconstruction in its history since, with a wholly new and more hurricane-resilient terminal planned.
- What that means in practice is that descriptions of this airport age badly. One guide reports a single rebuilt terminal handling international and domestic together; another reports two terminals within walking distance. Expect a short walk either way and expect signage to have changed.
- ATMs are in both terminals, with a restaurant and bar on the international side, duty free and gift shops, a business centre in the lounge and wifi.
- Hurricane season runs 1 June to 30 November, and Grand Bahama is on the front line of it. Residents book flights out well ahead of any evacuation order because cancellations are the bottleneck.
Flying to the United States
- FPO has a US pre-clearance facility. You complete American customs and immigration before departure and arrive in the States as a domestic passenger.
- Build in extra time for it. Pre-clearance is a full immigration process on the departures side.
What flies here
- Bahamasair, Western Air and American Airlines are the names to look for, mixing domestic island-hopping with the Florida routes.
- Nassau is a short hop and the Out Islands are reached through it rather than direct.
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