Air Fare costs

KZ1300A1

SBH Insider
Just an observation for myself. Going through Houston in August we typically spend between 1800 to 2300 per couple. The cheaper connection is St Martin but arguably less convenient than SJU. Also our trip from Houston to SJU is a direct 4 hr flight. Then the connection is tradewinds for another hour. I'm just wondering what others are experiencing. Do you feel air is trending upwards? For us it appears to be slightly although we use points so that helps.
 
I just purchased tickets for Anita and I. We fly from Washington, DC. We are going through San Juan and Tradewind on the way down, SBC through St. Maarten on the way back. Return trip is way cheaper. Only reason we are not going through St. Maarten on the way down is that United is not offering non-stop at that Saturday, commences the following week. My take, is that even though travel to St. Barts is increasing, air travel through St. Maarten is still far away from Pre-Irma statistics. End result for us Washington residents, St. Barts is not an easy travel destination, as it used to be.
 
We flew through SJU on Tradewind this time only because SXM seemed untenable when we booked flights in late August. Tradewind definitely added to our cost - I doubt we go that way in the future. Since we fly out of SE Virginia we will always have to connect to somewhere pre-SBH, and the whole deal will be pricey. But we love the end result too much to stop! Cheers, Tom
 
Hi Tom,
We feel the same way, the end result, once we arrive in Paradise is to just sigh "AHHH St. Barts!"
 
$1,365.00 for my wife and I. That’s Pittsburgh to Philly, Philly to St. Marteen and then back. Figure another $350 or so for us to fly St Barth Commuter round trip.
 
We fly from the DC area as well and our tickets were horrible for this trip! On our other trips we have always been able to use miles but this time we are traveling the week before Easter so miles weren't an option and airfare was sky high. Right at $2100 for two going through SJU on United on the way down and SXM on American on the way home. Even when I book on miles I always look at airfare cost and have never seen it so high (of course those other trips were in a much slower time-July, October, November).
 
Factor in the 'cost' of going through SXM in its current state. Our return trip earlier this week included 1 hr 45 min of standing in snaky lines and watching our fellow travelers seethe at the inefficiencies and lackadaisical attitudes of the SXM staff checking passports, boarding passes and examining with one lonely little magnetometer, a device which might be able to detect a crowbar or pipe wrench. Maddening! SJU is much more efficient (and they got hit by the same hurricane). There. I am finished.
 
Factor in the 'cost' of going through SXM in its current state. Our return trip earlier this week included 1 hr 45 min of standing in snaky lines and watching our fellow travelers seethe at the inefficiencies and lackadaisical attitudes of the SXM staff checking passports, boarding passes and examining with one lonely little magnetometer, a device which might be able to detect a crowbar or pipe wrench. Maddening! SJU is much more efficient (and they got hit by the same hurricane). There. I am finished.

Sometimes it's not just the dollars & cents for a destination...more like common sense. As noted on another thread, AA put thru a sked change to our AA flights via CLT with longer layovers, then WM did their sked change, opportunity for change for us to do Tradewind this year too via SJU...in order to get the best price on Tradewind requires 2 overnites, so is actually costing more $'s. But not having to go via SXM as planned, will make a difference with better temperaments !
 
We just landed in SJU via Tradewind. Perfect flight and customs took 10 minutes. Checked Baggage was waiting and Tradewind escorted us to Ag check and on to AA. VIP is automatic from Tradewind on return- no charge. Now in AviancaGlobal Lounge. Full breakfast, nice refreshments and AA on time. Life is good but not as good as being in SBH!
it is more expensive but for us we don’t miss the SXM airport. Good to be in the US after the first flight and have customs behind you. Thank you Tradewind!
 
I think we might be on the same page. Return from st barts to sju was pretty high. The option to take the commuter to sxm was on the table for us as well.
 
Prices are higher this year compared to pre-Irma, but still substantially cheaper than last year. We were spoiled with direct flights when I lived close to EWR and PHL. Direct flight from Boston to SXM are scarce. We intentionally chose a two-hour layover in JFK on the way home because there was an $800 price difference. I figured part of that time would be clearing Customs which we'd have to do in Boston anyway, and the $800 would buy three nice dinners.
 
We just landed in SJU via Tradewind. Perfect flight and customs took 10 minutes. Checked Baggage was waiting and Tradewind escorted us to Ag check and on to AA. VIP is automatic from Tradewind on return- no charge. Now in AviancaGlobal Lounge. Full breakfast, nice refreshments and AA on time. Life is good but not as good as being in SBH!
it is more expensive but for us we don’t miss the SXM airport. Good to be in the US after the first flight and have customs behind you. Thank you Tradewind!

Hopper, agree about 1 flight to continental US with customs behind us. When doing the SXM/CLT/SAV run in past, so many island flights arrived within short time period, customs lines very long & many of us missing our connecting flites forcing an overnite. Looking forward to Tradewind in couple months.
 
I thought I remembered one time when I was researching flights that I saw flying to SBH through Guadeloupe was an option but I don't ever remember seeing anyone here talk about it. Is it indeed an option and has anyone done it? If I recall I came across it after seeing really cheap flights from NYC to Guadeloupe on Norwegian Air.
 
Norwegian Air recently announced that they're dropping their service to Guadeloupe and Martinique. There was speculation towards the end of last year that the airline was in financial trouble and might not survive, but they've recently raised new funds.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...r-caribbean-flights-not-returning/2849170002/
https://www.recordonline.com/news/20190203/353m-cash-infusion-for-norwegian-air

For me, what helps to balance the cost of the Tradewind flights is to overnight in San Juan. I used to do it for the popovers, lol, but that's not currently an option. I find that if I overnight in San Juan that my flexibility for BOS-SJU flights increases, and that I can find a lower fare on a flight a bit later than crack-of-dawn.

Also, taking the first flight of the day from SJU to SBH is significantly less expensive than the afternoon flights, with savings that exceed the cost of my hotel room. I plan to have breakfast at Le Repaire, drive around for a bit, get my initial grocery shopping done, and just hang out until my villa is available.

Same thing going home. The last flight of the day from SBH to SJU is significantly less expensive than the morning flights which most people take. Again, the savings exceed the cost of my hotel room. I also have more flexibility flying home, and often find a morning flight out of SJU which is less expensive than the afternoon flights.

It also helps that I have flexibility on my time, and that an extra day here and there doesn't really matter.
 
One day, I hope to have the same flexibility as Kevin and Dennis. For the time being though, I still have to work 80-hour weeks with brief week long vacation to paradise. For me, I need to be expedient with travel to capitalize on every valuable moment in paradise.
 
Looks like SBC raised their ticket price from $75 to $80. I think an extra $10 RT will be OK...
 
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