A private charter toward Islas Secas is quoted on request for the whole aircraft, not per passenger. But before the price there is something more important: Islas Secas is a private archipelago with no public airstrip, and reaching it is not settled by a single flight.
Start with the geography, not the fare
Islas Secas is a luxury resort on a fourteen-island archipelago in the Gulf of Chiriquí, on Panama's Pacific coast. It launched in December 2018, comprises eight casitas accommodating up to eighteen guests on one of the islands, and sits near Coiba National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
It lies 33 nautical miles from the town of Punta Tierra, Chorcha, on the mainland coast. In a straight line from Panama City the archipelago is 158.5 nautical miles away.
That figure is the distance to the archipelago, not to a runway. The difference matters: the final leg to the islands is not conventionally an air leg.
How the final leg is handled in practice, and which mainland field is used: We confirm the mainland connecting field in the quote, because it changes with the date and the operation.
We coordinate the final leg with the resort
Quoted per aircraft, not per seat
The air fare covers the entire aircraft and does not vary with passenger count. With 4–12 seats, the cost per person depends on how many travel.
At this destination the split matters especially: the resort houses up to eighteen guests in total, which means groups tend to be small and closed — families, celebrations, private trips. A flight split among six or eight produces a very different per-head figure from a couple's.
Aircraft assigned on confirmation · 4–12 seats · baggage confirmed at booking by weight and volume
The cost has two components, not one
This is what sets this destination apart from everything else in the catalogue.
Component one: the flight to the mainland connection point. That is what we quote and what the from-fare covers.
Component two: the final leg to the island. That leg is normally coordinated by the resort itself and is not our service, so we do not quote it. Ground transfer is not included in the fare: your accommodation or a local operator arranges it.
A traveller comparing only the Islas Secas air fare against another destination in the catalogue would be comparing different things. We say so here rather than in the small print.
Why the resort shapes the booking
Islas Secas operates as closed-access private property, not as a public destination where you arrive and then look for lodging. Coordinating your resort reservation with your flight is not optional: it is the only way the final leg exists at all.
In practice that means the flight date is set after the accommodation is confirmed, not before. And a last-minute schedule change has less margin here than at any other destination in the network, because it affects a chain of three links rather than one.
Empty legs
When a repositioning sector coincides with your route and date, the air fare can drop. At a destination with chained access, the flexibility to use them is lower. We work with empty legs: they arise from operations already confirmed, are listed at short notice and are not guaranteed. Ask us what is available that day.
On confirmed weather-related closures: Several fields in the network operate in daylight and visual conditions, and close when the weather does not allow it.
What the fare does not include
It covers the flight we quote. We do not quote third-party services: resort accommodation, the final leg to the island, Coiba excursions, whale watching or archipelago activities.
Frequently asked questions
Does Islas Secas have an airport?
There is no public airstrip on the archipelago. Access combines a flight to the mainland with a final leg normally coordinated by the resort. We confirm the mainland connecting field in the quote, because it changes with the date and the operation.
How much does the flight cost?
On request for the whole aircraft, for the leg we operate. The final leg to the island is not our service and we do not quote it.
How far is the archipelago?
158.5 nautical miles in a straight line from Panama City, and 33 nautical miles from Punta Tierra, Chorcha, on the mainland coast.
Can I book the flight before the accommodation?
Not advisable. The final leg depends on coordination with the resort, so the flight date is set after the accommodation is confirmed.
How many guests does the destination take?
The resort comprises eight casitas accommodating up to eighteen guests on one of the archipelago's fourteen islands.
What is nearby?
The archipelago sits close to Coiba National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Excursions are not our service and we do not quote them.