Because Honduras is fairly small, flying between destinations in most of the country is not really necessary, with a few exceptions.

Two areas where it’s not a bad idea to arrive by plane are the Bay Islands and the Mosquitia. The islands are serviced by a less-expensive ferry, but plane flights from La Ceiba are also cheap and quick. Isleña (tel. 504/552-9910, www.flyislena.com) charges US$37 to Roatán and US$52 to Guanaja, one-way, while Sosa (tel. 504/550-6545 in San Pedro Sula, aerososa [at] psinet [dot] hn) charges US$56 to Roatán and has service to Utila and Guanaja as well. In January 2009 they also initiated nonstop service between San Pedro Sula and Roatán on Saturday and Sundays. A new airline, C.M. (tel. 504/234-1886, cmairlines [at] yahoo [dot] com) has nonstop service between Tegucigalpa and Roatán.

Flying cuts travel time between La Ceiba and Brus Laguna in the Mosquitia from 12 hours to 90 minutes. Round-trip flights are US$225, departing Mondays and Fridays with Sosa. Flying saves about two days of travel time by bus, pickup truck, and boat between La Ceiba and Puerto Lempira (again with Sosa), although most tourists won’t have reason to go there, and if you have a group of seven or more, you can also charter a flight with Sosa to a number of the other villages. Based in La Ceiba, SAMI (tel. 504/433-8032), also known as Honduras Air, has flights to a number of villages in the Mosquitia, although it is famously unreliable (a five-hour delay is not unusual). C.M. has nonstop flights between Tegucigalpa and Puerto Lempira, and can be chartered.

If you’re in a rush or absolutely hate buses, flights between the two main cities, San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa, cost US$66 one-way on either Isleña or Taca (tel. 504/550-8222 in San Pedro Sula, 504/234-2422 in Tegucigalpa, www.taca.com). Central American Airways (tel. 504/233-1614) also services this route on weekdays (it is their only route), and typically has fewer delays. Flying between La Ceiba and Tegucigalpa can save a couple of hours of travel time, and is possible on both Isleña and Sosa.