Checking bags back to the USA

tim

tim

Moderator
Does anyone have recent experience checking bags when flying back to the USA via St. Barth Commuter and American Airlines in the following scenario:

I print my A/A boarding passes before leaving St. Barth. I check my bag with SBC to St. Martin. Upon arrival in St. Martin, I go through immigration into the baggage claim area where I reclaim my bag. Now I need to recheck the bag with A/A.

Is there a recheck facility for A/A bags in the baggage claim area, or do I have to schlep it out to the A/A ticket counter and deal with all that entails?
 
I don't believe there is an AA re-check facility in the baggage area, so you will probably have to go upstairs. We use PremiumIV and they handle all of that for us. I believe you can just buy their St Martin outgoing service, but you should shoot Vincent an email and check.

See you soon.

Phil
 
phil62 said:
I don't believe there is an AA re-check facility in the baggage area, so you will probably have to go upstairs. We use PremiumIV and they handle all of that for us. I believe you can just buy their St Martin outgoing service, but you should shoot Vincent an email and check.

See you soon.

Phil
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Actually Tim may have to go outside to the ticketing area to check his bags and then upstairs thru customs and immigration.
Coincidentally I emailed Vincent this morning about the same thing and he said sometimes his agent can check us thru but normally he will take our bags to ticketing and then it's up to us.
 
Tim . . . in my recent experience (last six months), there generally has been an AA Rep in the baggage claim area to whom you can pass your luggage for AA check-in -- avoiding the schlep outside. Each time I've needed it, the Rep has been standing at one of those high "stands" on the perimeter of the baggage conveyor belt area -- sometimes down near the restrooms, sometimes just around the corner from the WinAir & SBC luggage check area. They sometimes don't even have a sign . . . but when I ask a porter, the AA Rep has been pointed out to me.
 
Just did this on Sunday and for many years in the past. Came in on SBC from SBH, went thru passport control, down to baggage claim to get bags, walked 50 ft over to the AA desk next to Winair and SBH and re checked bags and got boarding passes. Then up stairs in elevator to security and the American gate. Done. Total time, maybe 30 minutes at the most. Guess we are lucky there has always been an agent at that desk for American.
 
csordas95 said:
Just did this on Sunday and for many years in the past. Came in on SBC from SBH, went thru passport control, down to baggage claim to get bags, walked 50 ft over to the AA desk next to Winair and SBH and re checked bags and got boarding passes. Then up stairs in elevator to security and the American gate. Done. Total time, maybe 30 minutes at the most. Guess we are lucky there has always been an agent at that desk for American.
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Did you go thru the small security next to the Transfer Desk??
 
OK, let me add our twist: this trip we are returning on Delta. So, what Tim said, but substitute Delta for AA. Any help with that would be much appreciated! Tom
 
Get luggage from baggage claim. Take to ticket counter. Check bag. Go upstairs.

St least that's what we did in December.
 
Return trip to the USA yesterday, all worked perfectly.
Checked bag on SB Commuter to St. Martin. SBC operating on schedule.
Arrived at SXM and there was no line at Immigration control, but this could vary significantly depending on arriving big jets.
Checked bag was on baggage carousel waiting for us in SXM.
American Airlines had an agent inside the baggage claim area at the counter to the left after one passes through Immigration.
We checked bag through to Richmond. We printed our boarding passes before leaving St. Barth, but it could have been done by A/A agent that checked our bag.
Took elevator directly from baggage claim area to security checkpoint on the top floor.
A/A was late departing SXM but early arriving to CLT. Immigration hall was jam-packed, but we breezed through using Global Entry.

Footnote - While waiting in the St. Barth departure lounge, Tradewinds announced that their flight departing to San Juan was going to be at least 1.5 hours late due to a mechanical issue. Several folks started scrambling in attempt to rebook missed connections.
 
Thanks, Tim! Hope we fare as well as y'all did. Enjoy a hopefully early Virginia spring!

UPDATE: Returned home yesterday :tongue:! Smooth on Winair, arrived SXM, bags arrived as we did. Then we had to go upstairs to ticketing to recheck bags. No worries as we were ahead of any crowds, but it could get dicey depending on day of the week and arrival time. I saw no options for AA or Delta within the baggage area. That may differ on any given day. Bottom line, things went as well as they could throughout. The only glitch was that we ended up at HOME, where the temp is upper 50's today and cooler for the next 3. At least the Sun was out...
 
Home at last. Vincent from Premium IV took our bags from the villa and met us at the airport with our SB Commuter boarding passes. In SXM their rep met us at the Transfer Desk took our passports and claim checks and checked our bags thru on AA. We went thru security downstairs next to the Transfer Desk.
 
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