Tradewind from sju for first time. Question about connection times

italyhound

SBH Member
Hello all

for the first time ever, we are aiming to avoid our annual treks through the gauntlet of SXM and want to book tradewind from SJU to SBH.

We need to book flights from philly to SJU and wanted to know a reasonable connection time to preserve between mainland and tradewind flights. If we chose VIP on the outbound leg, does that change the recommended time window? We always opt for vip from sxm and don’t know of it’s worth it from San Juan as well

eg, the connection we see now is just over an hour. So I figured I would get good advice here. Thanks in advance.

Merci!
 
I would definitely take the Tradewind VIP service if you're going to have checked bags, and even then one hour may be tight. If your incoming flight is even slightly delayed, one hour doesn't leave much wiggle room. We normally fly JetBlue from New York because the gates are in the same terminal as Tradewind. and we still try to leave about 2 hours between flights. I would give the Tradewind folks a call and get their advice.

Travel these days is tough enough without having to worry about connection times.

Phil
 
I agree with Phil. Give Tradewind a call. They know better than anyone what will work. When you call, you’ll be talking to a Tradewind employee in CT, not to someone in a huge airline call center.
 
We are also trying Tradewind next month for the same reasons and have a bit over an hour as well (with checked bags). I called them prior to booking and they thought we should be fine with the VIP service, which we added. They were very helpful, so definitely give them a call.
 
We are flying from Philadelphia through SJU next month...arrive at 11:59am connecting to their 1:30 flight over to SBH.
We opted for VIP for peace of mind...if there is any delay they will track your flight and meet you at gate and whisk you over to Tradewind check in...plus it is a bit of a hike from American to Tradewind check in and it nice to have agent see you through.
And they will retrieve your checked bags if need be...
other options we have done coming down from Philadelphia was get the evening flight into San Juan and overnight in airport hotel and get the very early flight over...depending on your schedule and when you want to fly.
 
We're flying from SAV via CLT to SJU in less than 3 wks with overnite @ SJU to take 1st Tradewind flite to SBH instead of original plan via SXM...AA schedule changes via SXM good reason to make the change, @ no expense to us. Tradewind very easy to work with, do ask them. Old tv show Father Knows Best...when it comes to SBH knowledge/advice, Phil Knows Best ! Heed the warning re: connecting time & err on side of caution, less stress !
 
Nancy, if you’re on the 06:45, their ticket counter opens “just before 6”. We were there at about 05:45, they were open, and 3 people had already checked in. The other 3 weren’t far behind us.
 
Anita and I fly through SJU on Saturday. We are growing tired of the SXM route with all the Airlines modifications and re-routing. I always thought vacation was supposed to be enjoyable, so enjoy we will, on Tradewind.
 
wow. Thank you all for the detailed and rapid responses. I have a feeling I should have flown tradewind long ago!

i will give them a call today and ask their opinion; especially in those case since our best option is that shorter connection.

Evan
 
Nancy, if you’re on the 06:45, their ticket counter opens “just before 6”. We were there at about 05:45, they were open, and 3 people had already checked in. The other 3 weren’t far behind us.
Good to know, thanks Kevin S ! was going to call TW to ask about counter opening time. Last yr we were on the last flight over so no need for overnite. Appreciate the info.
 
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