Flights to Key West International Airport (EYW)
EYW is 3 miles from downtown Key West. American, Delta, United, and JetBlue serve EYW. Miami (MIA, 160 miles north) is an alternative for more flights. FareOptic compares all carriers to find the cheapest fare for your Key West trip.
Flights to Key West (EYW)
*All above fares are one way/round trip. Fares incl. all fuel surcharges, taxes & fees and our service fees. Displayed fares are subject to change and cannot be guaranteed at the time of booking. See all booking terms and conditions.
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Why Visit Key West?
The Conch Republic 90 miles from Cuba, nightly Mallory Square sunset ritual, Hemingway's cats, Dry Tortugas by seaplane, and the most unique island city in America
The Southernmost Point and the Conch Republic -- America's Most Iconic Geographic Marker and the Micronation That Seceded from the US in 1982
90 Miles to Cuba, the Continental US's Southernmost Latitude, and a 1982 'Secession' That Became Key West's Most Valuable BrandThe Southernmost Point Buoy (at the intersection of Whitehead Street and South Street in Key West's Old Town) marks the southernmost point of the continental United States -- 90 miles from Cuba and further south than any other point in the 48 contiguous states. The buoy (a cement bollard painted with the Cuban flag, the American flag, and the buoy's statistics -- Southernmost Point, Continental USA, Key West, FL, 24°32'N 81°48'W, 90 Miles to Cuba) was installed in 1983 and is the most photographed spot in Key West -- typically surrounded by a queue of 20-100 visitors waiting for a photo. The Conch Republic connection: on April 23, 1982, Key West's mayor Dennis Wardlow declared Key West's secession from the United States, forming the 'Conch Republic' as a protest against a US Border Patrol checkpoint on US-1 at the Florida Keys-mainland boundary (set up to intercept drug and illegal immigrant traffic) that was causing massive traffic backups and damaging Key West's tourism economy. The secession was a staged theatrical protest -- Wardlow 'declared war' on the US, then immediately 'surrendered' and requested $1 billion in foreign aid. The checkpoint was eventually removed; the Conch Republic has become Key West's most successful brand identity.
Why Key West Is 90 Miles from Cuba -- The History of the Florida Keys as a Contested Maritime Zone and What the Cuban Proximity Actually Means for Key West Today
Key West's 90-mile proximity to Cuba (specifically to Havana's province of Artemisa) is the result of the Florida Keys being the exposed ridge of an ancient coral reef platform that extends southwest from the Florida peninsula -- the only part of the continental US that reaches below the Tropic of Cancer. The Florida Straits (between the Keys and Cuba) are 90 miles wide at their narrowest and are navigated by the Gulf Stream, one of the most powerful ocean currents in the world (4-5 mph, 30-150 km wide, moving north from the Caribbean through the Florida Straits). The Cuban proximity has defined Key West throughout its history: Cuban cigar makers (tabaqueros) established Key West's dominant 19th-century industry in the 1831-1920 period, making Key West the wealthiest city in Florida for decades; Cuban exile politics have been central to Key West's social life since the 1959 revolution; and the Straits remain the route of choice for Cuban rafters (balseros) attempting to reach the United States, with Key West Coast Guard station one of the primary interception points. Today, the Cuban proximity is commercially significant as a tourism hook and culturally significant as a genuine influence on Key West's food, music, and social character.
Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum -- The House Where Hemingway Wrote 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' and the Six-Toed Cats That Have Defined the Museum Since 1935
1851 Spanish Colonial Home, 47 Polydactyl Cats, 'A Farewell to Arms', 'To Have and Have Not', and the Most Visited Literary Site in the Southeast USThe Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum (907 Whitehead Street, Key West, purchased by Hemingway in 1931, now a National Historic Landmark) is the most visited literary site in the Southeast United States -- the house where Hemingway lived from 1931 to 1940 and wrote some of his most important works, including 'Death in the Afternoon' (1932), 'Green Hills of Africa' (1935), 'To Have and Have Not' (1937), 'The Snows of Kilimanjaro' (short story, 1936), and parts of 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' (1940). The house (an 1851 Spanish Colonial limestone structure, one of the first private homes in Key West to have a swimming pool) was given to Hemingway's second wife Pauline Pfeiffer in their 1940 divorce and eventually became a museum in 1964. The six-toed cats: Hemingway was given a white, six-toed (polydactyl) cat named Snow White by a ship captain in the 1930s. The current resident cats at the Hemingway Home (approximately 40-50, all descended from Snow White) are approximately half polydactyl -- the polydactyl trait is genetically dominant, explaining its persistence in the colony. All cats are named after famous people (Mark Twain, Simone de Beauvoir, Winston Churchill).
Hemingway in Key West -- Why He Chose Key West, How the House Changed His Writing, and the Decline That Sent Him to Cuba and Idaho
Ernest Hemingway arrived in Key West in 1928 (his second wife Pauline was recovering from a difficult birth) and was immediately drawn to the isolation, the fishing, and the community of writers and artists that Key West attracted. He purchased the Whitehead Street house in 1931 with $8,000 provided by Pauline's wealthy uncle Gus Pfeiffer. The Key West years (1931-1940) were among the most productive of Hemingway's life: he wrote in a second-floor studio built above the property's carriage house (the studio is still intact and shown on tours), fished for marlin in the Gulf Stream (the basis for the deep-sea fishing themes that run through his Key West-era fiction), and drank at Sloppy Joe's Bar (then at its original Greene Street location, moved to its current Duval Street location in 1937 -- Hemingway followed the bar to its new location). The marriage to Pauline deteriorated as Hemingway's affair with Martha Gellhorn (whom he met in Sloppy Joe's in 1936) developed; the 1940 divorce ended Hemingway's Key West period. He moved to the Finca Vigía outside Havana with Gellhorn, then eventually to Ketchum, Idaho, where he died in 1961.
Mallory Square Sunset Celebration -- The Most Atmospheric Daily Event in the United States
Every Evening at Sunset: Acrobats, Escape Artists, Cat Trainers, Magicians, and 2,000 Spectators on the Key West WaterfrontThe Mallory Square Sunset Celebration (Mallory Square waterfront, Key West, nightly, starting approximately 2 hours before sunset and continuing until after dark) is Key West's most famous tradition and one of the most distinctive recurring public events in the United States: a spontaneous-feeling but highly organized gathering of street performers (acrobats, escape artists, cat trainers who perform circus routines with domestic cats, magicians, musicians, jugglers, fire eaters) and 1,500-2,500 spectators applauding each performer's climax as the sun touches the horizon. The tradition began organically in the late 1960s as Key West's hippie counterculture began gathering at the waterfront to watch the Gulf of Mexico sunset -- a genuinely spectacular event due to Key West's western water exposure (most of the Florida Keys face either north or south; Key West's western waterfront faces directly into the Gulf sunset). The Mallory Square Celebration has been formally organized since the 1980s with permitted performers, a sunset celebration authority, and crowd management. The 'green flash' (a brief optical phenomenon -- a flash of green light visible at the moment of sunset under specific atmospheric conditions) is enthusiastically reported by sunset watchers at Mallory Square, though it requires specific atmospheric conditions (no clouds on the horizon, clear dry air) and is rarely seen on humid summer evenings.
The Green Flash -- The Atmospheric Optics of the Most Sought-After Sunset Phenomenon and Why Mallory Square Is One of the Best Places to See It
The green flash (or green ray) is an optical phenomenon that occurs at the moment a clear-sky sunset's upper limb touches the horizon: for 1-2 seconds, the last visible light from the sun appears bright green rather than orange-red. The physics: as sunlight travels through the atmosphere near the horizon, the atmosphere acts as a prism, refracting different wavelengths of light by different amounts. Red light is refracted least; blue and violet light are refracted most but are also scattered by the atmosphere before reaching the observer; green light is refracted significantly but not fully scattered, making it the last visible wavelength from a clear-sky setting sun. The conditions required: absolutely clear horizon (no clouds or haze); dry, stable air (humid, turbulent air scatters the green wavelengths before they reach the observer); and an observer at or near sea level looking at a water horizon (land obstacles block the precise geometry). Mallory Square satisfies all three conditions on clear winter evenings better than most US locations -- the Gulf horizon is unobstructed, winter air is drier than summer, and the crowd's attentiveness means confirmed sightings get announced. The flash lasts 1-2 seconds and requires eyes adapted to the bright pre-sunset sky -- most first-time observers miss it by blinking or looking away at the critical moment.
Dry Tortugas National Park -- 70 Miles West of Key West by Ferry or Seaplane and the Most Remote National Park in the Continental US
Fort Jefferson (the Largest 19th-Century Fortification in the US), Crystal-Clear Snorkeling, and 100,000 Nesting Seabirds on a Remote Coral AtollDry Tortugas National Park (64,701 acres, 70 miles west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico, accessible only by boat or seaplane) is the most remote national park in the continental United States -- a cluster of seven small coral islands and the open water surrounding them, dominated by Fort Jefferson (Garden Key, the largest of the islands). Fort Jefferson (built 1846-1875, never fully completed, constructed of over 16 million bricks -- the largest 19th-century masonry fortification in the United States) is a hexagonal coastal defense fort covering nearly the entire surface of Garden Key. The fort was used as a military prison during and after the Civil War; its most famous prisoner was Dr. Samuel Mudd (convicted of conspiracy in Lincoln's assassination for setting John Wilkes Booth's broken leg, though the conviction was controversial). The park's snorkeling (around the fort's moat wall and on the coral patches in the surrounding shallow water) is among the best in Florida -- crystal-clear visibility due to the distance from mainland runoff. Loggerhead Key (the westernmost island) hosts a NOAA research station and the park's lighthouse. Bush Key hosts approximately 100,000 nesting sooty terns (Onychoprion fuscatus) annually -- one of the largest seabird colonies in the eastern US.
Fort Jefferson's Unfinished State -- Why the Largest 19th-Century US Fortification Was Abandoned Before Completion and What the Switch to Rifled Artillery Made Obsolete
Fort Jefferson's construction began in 1846 as part of the US Army's third system of coastal fortifications -- massive brick forts intended to defend strategic harbors with hundreds of cannon. Construction continued for nearly 30 years, consuming 16 million bricks and enormous quantities of iron and mortar. The fort was never completed: the same technological change that made Forts Pulaski (Savannah) and Sumter (Charleston) militarily obsolete also doomed Fort Jefferson. The transition from smoothbore cannon to rifled artillery in the 1860s rendered brick masonry fortifications vulnerable to a new class of explosive projectiles: rifled guns could fire conical shells with far greater accuracy, range, and penetrating power than the smoothbore cannon that brick forts were designed to resist. The Union siege of Fort Pulaski in April 1862 (which reduced its 7.5-foot-thick brick walls to rubble in 30 hours using rifled artillery from a mile away) demonstrated conclusively that masonry forts could not withstand modern artillery. The Army Engineering Corps immediately recognized that completing Fort Jefferson would produce a fortification obsolete before it was finished. Construction slowed and eventually stopped in 1875; the fort was decommissioned as a military installation in 1874. The remaining incomplete walls, some barely above their foundations, are still visible today.
How to Find Cheap Flights to Key West
Key West Has Limited Flights -- Book EYW Well in Advance or Compare Miami (MIA) + Drive
EYW is a small airport with limited capacity. Nonstop flights sell out quickly, especially in peak season (January-March, Fantasy Fest in October). For travelers who can't find EYW flights, flying into Miami (MIA, 160 miles north) and driving the Overseas Highway (US-1) -- the most scenic drive in Florida -- is a popular alternative. The MIA-to-Key West drive takes 3.5-4 hours and is an attraction in itself.
Peak Season Is January-March -- Fantasy Fest (October) Is a Secondary Price Spike
Key West's peak season is January-March (snowbirds, perfect weather, 75-80°F/24-27°C). Fantasy Fest (10-day festival late October, the city's largest event) causes a secondary spike. Book 8-12 weeks ahead for January-March; 3-4 months for Fantasy Fest week. September-October (outside Fantasy Fest) is the cheapest window.
The Overseas Highway Is Worth Driving Even One Way -- Consider Fly-Drive Routing
The Overseas Highway (US-1, 113 miles from Florida City to Key West, crossing 42 bridges over the Florida Straits) is one of the most dramatic drives in the US. The Seven Mile Bridge (7 miles over open water between Knight's Key and Little Duck Key) is the highlight. A fly-into-EYW, drive-out routing (rent car in Key West, return to MIA) allows you to experience both the flight into the island and the epic road out -- highly recommended for first-time visitors.
Dry Tortugas Reservations Must Be Made Months in Advance -- Ferries and Seaplanes Have Limited Capacity
The Yankee Freedom III catamaran ferry (Key West to Dry Tortugas, 2-hour crossing, $210 adults) and Key West Seaplane Adventures (20 minutes, $400-600 roundtrip) have very limited capacity. Dry Tortugas campsite reservations (10 sites on Garden Key, $15/night via Recreation.gov) book out months in advance. Book ferry, seaplane, and campsite together as far ahead as possible.
Airlines Flying to Key West (EYW)
American Airlines
MIA, CLT, DFW, and ORD Connections to EYW -- American's Dominant Key West Network via Its Hub SystemAmerican Airlines is the dominant carrier at Key West International Airport (EYW), operating the highest number of routes through its Miami (MIA), Charlotte (CLT), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), and Chicago O'Hare (ORD) hubs. MIA-EYW is the shortest and most frequent route -- American Eagle regional jets and Silver Airways connect Miami to Key West in approximately 35-40 minutes, making Key West practically a Miami suburb by air. For travelers from the Northeast, Midwest, and West Coast, American's CLT and ORD connections are the primary Key West access points.
Key Routes
MIA to EYW (35m nonstop via American Eagle/Silver; CLT to EYW (2h nonstop, seasonal; DFW to EYW (via MIA; ORD to EYW (via MIA or CLT; BOS to EYW (via MIA
Delta Air Lines
ATL Hub Connections to EYW -- Delta's Key West Service for Southeast and East Coast Travelers via AtlantaDelta Air Lines connects Key West via its Atlanta (ATL) hub, providing access to Delta's domestic and international network from EYW. ATL-EYW is operated seasonally (peak winter and summer) with regional jets. Delta SkyMiles awards for Key West are priced at the low end of domestic redemptions (EYW is a small market with limited Delta capacity), making it a good SkyMiles target for award travel.
Key Routes
ATL to EYW (1h 40m nonstop, seasonal peak; DTW to EYW (2h 30m nonstop, seasonal peak winter; MSP to EYW (3h 15m nonstop, seasonal peak
United Airlines
EWR and ORD Connections to EYW -- United's Key West Service for New York and Chicago TravelersUnited Airlines connects Key West via Newark (EWR) and Chicago O'Hare (ORD), primarily with seasonal service during peak winter travel. EWR-EYW operates nonstop during the January-March peak snowbird season when New York area travelers seek Key West's winter warmth. The route has been one of United's most consistently popular seasonal additions in the Southeast Florida market.
Key Routes
EWR to EYW (3h nonstop, seasonal January-March; ORD to EYW (via MIA or EWR; DEN to EYW (via MIA or EWR
JetBlue Airways
BOS and JFK Nonstops to EYW -- JetBlue's Key West Service for New England and New York City TravelersJetBlue Airways operates seasonal nonstop service from Boston Logan (BOS) and JFK (New York) to Key West International (EYW), primarily during peak winter season (November-April). JetBlue's BOS-EYW and JFK-EYW routes are popular with New England snowbirds and New York City leisure travelers seeking direct access to Key West without a Miami connection. JetBlue's Mint business class is available on select EYW routes.
Key Routes
BOS to EYW (3h 15m nonstop, seasonal November-April; JFK to EYW (3h 5m nonstop, seasonal; FLL to EYW (35m nonstop, seasonal via JetBlue
Things to Do in Key West
Essential Info for Your Key West Trip
State
Florida
Airport
EYW -- Key West International Airport (3 miles east of Old Town)
Alternate Airport
MIA -- Miami International (160 miles north; drive the Overseas Highway US-1)
Currency
USD -- US Dollar
Time Zone
EST (UTC-5) / EDT (UTC-4) in summer
Dry Tortugas
Yankee Freedom III ferry ($210/adult, 2 hours) or seaplane ($400-600 roundtrip, 20 min). Book months ahead in peak season.
Fantasy Fest
10-day festival late October. Key West's biggest event -- hotels 3-5x normal price. Book 4-6 months ahead.
Emergency Number
911
Most Popular Airlines
Best Airlines for Domestic & International Routes
Frequently Asked Questions on Flights to Key West
Everything you need to know about booking cheap flights to Key West International Airport (EYW)
What airport serves Key West, Florida?
Key West International Airport (EYW) is 3 miles east of downtown Key West. American, Delta, United, and JetBlue serve EYW with nonstop and connecting service. Miami International (MIA, 160 miles north) has far more flights; many visitors fly MIA and drive the Overseas Highway (US-1) -- a 3.5-4 hour drive that is itself a major attraction. Fort Lauderdale (FLL) is also 170 miles north and often cheaper than MIA.
What is Key West known for?
Key West is known for: (1) the Southernmost Point (90 miles from Cuba, the continental US's furthest south); (2) the Mallory Square Sunset Celebration (nightly street performers and sunset ritual); (3) the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum (six-toed cats, his 1930s writing studio); (4) Dry Tortugas National Park (70 miles west by ferry/seaplane, Fort Jefferson and pristine coral reefs); and (5) Duval Street's bars and nightlife (a 1-mile entertainment strip from Gulf to Atlantic).
When is the best time to visit Key West?
Best weather: November-April (75-82°F/24-28°C, low humidity, dry, sunny -- peak season). Best value: September-October outside Fantasy Fest week (warm, cheapest prices, smaller crowds, but peak hurricane season). Avoid: July-August (90-95°F/32-35°C, high humidity, hurricane risk, most expensive summer rates). Fantasy Fest (late October) is Key West's biggest annual event -- extraordinary cultural experience but peak prices.
Is the Overseas Highway drive better than flying into Key West?
Both are worthwhile but serve different purposes. Flying into EYW is faster (skip 4 hours of driving), and the landing approach over water with the island below is spectacular. The Overseas Highway drive is one of the most scenic in the US -- the Seven Mile Bridge over open Gulf water is unforgettable, and you pass through the Florida Keys ecosystem (mangroves, wading birds, fishing villages). The best option if time allows: fly into EYW, return via the Overseas Highway drive (rent a car in Key West, drive back north).
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