Guides
Sunrise Airways: routes, baggage and how to book
The Haitian airline that has kept the US to Haiti market flying since November 2024. Where it flies from Cap-Haïtien, what the 23 kg baggage rule really means, how fares, changes and cancellations work, and what to expect on the day.
Sunrise Airways carries most of the people flying between the United States and Haiti right now, and it has the thinnest coverage online of any airline our customers ask about. This guide collects what you need to know before you book, as of September 24, 2026. Sunrise changes schedules with demand and season, so treat the search results as the final word on days and times.
Who Sunrise is
Sunrise Airways is Haiti's own airline, based in Port-au-Prince, with its international operation now centered on Cap-Haïtien. As a foreign carrier it is not bound by FAA NOTAM A0046/26, the order that keeps US airlines out of Port-au-Prince through March 2, 2027, but it has suspended its own Port-au-Prince flights for security reasons. It is the only airline that has flown the US to Haiti market continuously since the FAA order began in November 2024.
Where it flies
From Cap-Haïtien (CAP), Sunrise flies nonstop to Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boston and New York in the United States, and to Kingston, Punta Cana, Santiago and Santo Domingo in the Caribbean, mostly on Airbus A320 family aircraft. The Fort Lauderdale service started December 15, 2025 at three flights a week. The New York service is moving: Sunrise ends its Newark operations on October 25, 2026 and flies from JFK starting winter 2026; it has not yet published the first JFK date or terminal. New York, Boston and Fort Lauderdale are Sunrise-only nonstops today; Miami gets a second option when American Airlines starts its daily flight on November 1, 2026.
Routes run a few days a week rather than daily. Days of operation are confirmed at booking; search the route to see them: Miami to Cap-Haïtien, Fort Lauderdale to Cap-Haïtien, New York to Cap-Haïtien, Newark to Cap-Haïtien, Boston to Cap-Haïtien.
Baggage: the rule that catches people
International fares include one checked bag of 23 kg (50 lb). Extra pieces cost $40 for the first, $65 for the second, and $115 each for the third and fourth, paid at the airport in US dollars or by card. Sunrise does not accept any single bag over 32 kg (70 lb), and it does not combine allowances across passengers: an overweight bag is refused, not charged. Carry-on is one small bag up to 7 kg plus a personal item; the overhead bins fill fast on full Haiti flights, so anything valuable goes under the seat. Boxes, coolers and barrels are accepted only as checked pieces within the same limits and are subject to space on the day. Weigh everything at home. The comparison with American and JetBlue is in our baggage guide.
Fares, changes and cancellations
Sunrise fares are generally non-refundable. Date changes are allowed for a change fee plus any fare difference, and must be made before the original departure; a no-show loses the ticket. Because Sunrise is not a US carrier, the US DOT 24-hour refund rule does not apply to it directly, but Jetvala honors a 24-hour free cancellation on Sunrise bookings made through us at least seven days before departure, and refunds everything including our fee.
When Sunrise cancels a flight, it rebooks you on its next available service. On a route that runs a few times a week, that can be two or three days later. For a funeral or a fixed date, ask us to price the American option through Miami as a backup once that flight starts in November.
Booking through Jetvala
Seats are not assigned in advance on Sunrise bookings made through Jetvala; you get your seat at check-in, so arrive early if you want to sit together. Payment for Sunrise tickets is processed by Jetvala, and your e-ticket carries a Sunrise booking reference you can verify with the airline. We send the e-ticket on WhatsApp to you and to the traveler. Our service fee is $59 for the first passenger and $15 for each additional one, capped at $199 per order, shown on its own line before you pay.
On the day
In the United States, check-in for Sunrise at Newark is in Terminal B until operations there end on October 25, 2026; at JFK, Miami and Fort Lauderdale, follow the airport's terminal listing on the day, because assignments change. Counters open three hours before departure and close 60 minutes before. At Cap-Haïtien, check-in also opens three hours ahead and closes 60 minutes before, every bag is weighed and hand-inspected, and there are no jet bridges. Be at the counter when it opens; Sunrise will not hold a flight for late passengers.
Documents
The name on the ticket must match the passport letter for letter, with date of birth and gender as printed. Haitian citizens with a green card fly on the Haitian passport and show the green card returning to the United States; US citizens pay a $10 tourist fee in cash entering Haiti. Our documents guide has the details.
The honest note
Sunrise is the reason the diaspora has been able to reach Haiti at all for the past two years, and its flights are full. The trade-off is frequency. Book early for December, weigh your bags, arrive when check-in opens, and keep our WhatsApp number handy; when something changes, we are the ones who pick up. For the current airport and airline picture, see Haiti flight status, and for the airline page with live fares, Sunrise Airways on Jetvala.