Connections to St. Barts

stevems2002

stevems2002

New Member
We will be arriving at SXM at 2:15 on December 4th on American Airlines. St. Barth Commuter has a flight from SXM to SBH at 3:15. Our seats on the incoming flight will allow us to disembark quickly and we will have carry-ons only. Is 1 hour sufficient time to make the connection? The next (and last) SBC departure from SXM to SBH after the 3:15 flight is already booked. We would have to consider Winair (much more expensive), taking a taxi to Grand Case to take a 5:15 SBC flight to SBH, or take the Voyager ferry out of Oyster Bay. Thanks to all for your help!
Steve
 
In a perfect world, 1 hour with carry-ons should work. You can skip the immigration lines and go to the transfer counter, get your SBC boarding passes, go through the much smaller security area and then up to the SBC gate. But, if AA gets in late, the stress level increases. If you're a gambling man, you play the odds and go for it. If not, book with Winair. They are more expensive, but have many more flights, giving you more peace of mind.

Phil
 
Even as a "gambling man" you might want to investigate Premium IV or AirSXM for "VIP" transfer assistance. Not inexpensive, but helpful in time-crunch situations.
 
cec1 said:
Even as a "gambling man" you might want to investigate Premium IV or AirSXM for "VIP" transfer assistance. Not inexpensive, but helpful in time-crunch situations.
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They have carryon only. How much faster could a transfer service be?
 
Agree its possible but the recommended transfer time for both airlines is 90 minutes. Any delay that causes them to miss the flight will means it will cost them. Plus if the last flight is full, what would SBC do with them except rebook them the next day? Even making it to the Grand Case flight is tight and dependent on many variables. How much more is Winair, than paying for another flight, and/or a cab, and/or a night in a hotel? I say book with Winair.
 
Time is too precious to give up on the island. Don't worry, be happy- you will stress all the way to SXM with every little delay- why agonize yourselves- book WinAir- don't take the chance.
 
We always use Winair. If you arrive early, you can usually get on an earlier flight and vice versa. We also use Premium IV each trip to eliminate the stress of arriving really late (after dark thanks to fog and delays) and getting stuck on SXM for the night...been there, done that. They were a lifesaver for us on that trip.
 
andynap said:
They have carry on only. How much faster could a transfer service be?
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Understand and generally agree, Andy. However, if time becomes very "tight," Premium IV and other transfer folks are valuable in buying, so to speak, a few extra minutes to make it to a flight.

Personally, I'd use the money to pay the additional cost of WinAir so as to eliminate the stress that would go with worry and rushing to make the SBC flight.
 
Thank you all for your replies. St. Barth Commuter contacted me after I posted a query with them, and they're going to open up a new time slot to depart SXM at 4:15. I think I could still make a 3:15 departure, but they just took all the risk out of it at a price much lower than Winair. My best to all!
Steve
 
We have nearly a 3 hour SBC layover in SXM in August. Very few afternoon flights on our airline of choice. But We would rather do that than stress all the way down if we are running behind. Plus SBC will leave early if everyone is ready and waiting.
 
stevems2002 said:
Thank you all for your replies. St. Barth Commuter contacted me after I posted a query with them, and they're going to open up a new time slot to depart SXM at 4:15. I think I could still make a 3:15 departure, but they just took all the risk out of it at a price much lower than Winair. My best to all!
Steve
Click to expand...

Michael is the hero, once again!
 
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