United-Winair Checked Bags Question

J

jvelardo77

SBH Member
Hello! Heading back next to continue a tradition since 1992!! With this, we were able to book United and Winair on one ticket. We plan on checking our bags straight through to the island (we have a 3 year old).

Has anyone done this? Will it work?

Also, what is the best way to get the Winair ticket so we can go straight through in-transit if we do not have to get our checked bags.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.
 
jvelardo77 said:
Hello! Heading back next to continue a tradition since 1992!! With this, we were able to book United and Winair on one ticket. We plan on checking our bags straight through to the island (we have a 3 year old).

Has anyone done this? Will it work?

Also, what is the best way to get the Winair ticket so we can go straight through in-transit if we do not have to get our checked bags.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.
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Unless Winair walks you straight thru you still have to go thru security and the immigration line. No more in transit.
 
Only with carry on only can you walk straight thru in SXM from your arrival gate to your SBH bound gate. Since you have all flights on one ticket and it is United, you can check all the way thru to your final destination on the return. You must collect your bags to clear customs and place back on the belt just outside customs.
A tip- we have often found it less expensive to purchase our SXM- SBH- SXM separate from our United, American or other airline flights. We now however fly thru SJU so don’t know the comparisons now.
 
stbartshopper said:
Only with carry on only can you walk straight thru in SXM from your arrival gate to your SBH bound gate. Since you have all flights on one ticket and it is United, you can check all the way thru to your final destination on the return. You must collect your bags to clear customs and place back on the belt just outside customs.
A tip- we have often found it less expensive to purchase our SXM- SBH- SXM separate from our United, American or other airline flights. We now however fly thru SJU so don’t know the comparisons now.
Click to expand...
Excuse me Bill I just did this last week. You fly thru SJU so how do you know? I had carryon only and had to go thru security and immigration even after St Bart Commuter met me. Concierge services were walking people to the front of the line if you want to go that route.
 
Andy, after you arrived in SXM, were you able to bypass the longer Immigration lines to the right and go up the stairs to the left? If so, it's still significantly shorter. I've done this the last two years flying St. Barth Commuter and they were waiting for us at the bottom of the steps. It took us less than 30 minutes going through Security using the "left stairs route." We went to the right once on our way home and Security/Immigration took at least 90 minutes.

We're flying Winair next week with carry-on only and if we have to go through the full Immigration and Security lines to the right, we're in trouble.

Jvelardo77 - my daughter is flying from EWR on United and checking a bag to SBH. I gave her instructions to go to the stairs to the left with her Winair boarding pass.
 
Andy has it correct. Hell, he is there. Exactly what we did with carry on last month with 11-people in our group.
 
stbartshopper said:
Only with carry on only can you walk straight thru in SXM from your arrival gate to your SBH bound gate. Since you have all flights on one ticket and it is United, you can check all the way thru to your final destination on the return. You must collect your bags to clear customs and place back on the belt just outside customs.
A tip- we have often found it less expensive to purchase our SXM- SBH- SXM separate from our United, American or other airline flights. We now however fly thru SJU so don’t know the comparisons now.
Click to expand...

Hopper, I corrected this information when you posted it a few weeks ago. While United lets you check your bags through to SBH, you can't (and could never) walk "straight through in SXM." You always had to go through In Transit security in SXM and post-Irma there is an extra stop for passport control. The trick is to stay to the left if you only have carry on. The lines to the right are hell.

Also, it always pays to check flight prices. It was cheaper for me to buy our United tickets with Winair bundled in, than if I bought them separately.
 
Rosemary said:
Andy, what a nice new picture!
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Thanks Rosemary.
Jeanette- SBC directed me to the left for security but the immigration line is all the same. It took me close to a hour to go thru. I asked the SBC gate agent where is intransit and he said no more since Irma. I hired PIV for my kids but not me going. Coming back we are all using PIV.
 
We did private charter booked thru Isle De France our first two years and at least then our memory is we literally walked from plane to plane as was our baggage. Thank you for the correction Jeanette again and Andy. We realized the prices we paid were ridiculous and never have done that again.
 
Thanks, Andy. I am glad I asked. We have a 1 hour 13 minute connection time next week. My next email will be to Premium IV.
 
Jeanette said:
Thanks, Andy. I am glad I asked. We have a 1 hour 13 minute connection time next week. My next email will be to Premium IV.
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Jeanette, that was not our experience. We had no problems using the transit desk (over the last few weeks). On the way, once entering the door, we stayed to the left, up the stairs, past the SBC rep, to the SBC transit desk (with our Delta boarding passes), were given our SBC boarding passes (after they physically weighed us - we each stood on the scale!!), then went through the one person customs desk, through a separate, short, security line (on the left), then to a multiple station immigration line that moved quickly - done in less than 15 minutes. We were then put on an SBC flight an hour and a half earlier than expected.

On the way home, arriving on WinAir, with our Jet Blue boarding passes in hand, we again went to the left up the stairs, past the transit desks to the one person customs desk, through the short security line on the left, quick immigration, and on to the gate (less than 15 minutes).

(please know though that we had allowed time cushions on both ends, just in case)
 
debd said:
Jeanette, that was not our experience. We had no problems using the transit desk (over the last few weeks). On the way, once entering the door, we stayed to the left, up the stairs, past the SBC rep, to the SBC transit desk (with our Delta boarding passes), were given our SBC boarding passes (after they physically weighed us - we each stood on the scale!!), then went through the one person customs desk, through a separate, short, immigration line (on the left)- done in less than 15 minutes. We were then put on an SBC flight an hour and a half earlier than expected.

On the way home, arriving on WinAir, with our Jet Blue boarding passes in hand, we again went to the left up the stairs, past the transit desks to the one person customs desk, through the short security line on the left, and on to the gate (less than 15 minutes).

(please know though that we had time cushions on both ends)
Click to expand...

We must have been in 2 different worlds.
 
andynap said:
We must have been in 2 different worlds.
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We were quick off the Delta flight, on arrival, so maybe, with our carry ons and using the transit desk, we just happened to be lucky (on both ends), and missed out on full plane crowds? I do recall seeing a lot of people, in the other lanes to the right, waiting to get through security, but we zipped right through in what appeared to be a separate in transit security lane.
 
debd said:
We were quick off the Delta flight, on arrival, so maybe, with our carry ons and using the transit desk, we just happened to be lucky (on both ends), and missed out on full plane crowds? I do recall seeing a lot of people, in the other lanes to the right, waiting to get through security, but we zipped right through in what appeared to be a separate in transit security lane.
Click to expand...

Hubby is sitting here telling me to report that the line to the left, into which we were fed from the transit desk, pushed us to the head of the security line, so when we were then quickly fed into immigration (yes, even with transit), there were only two others in line and four stations. Presumably, it backed up after that?
 
debd said:
Hubby is sitting here telling me to report that the line to the left, into which we were fed from the transit desk, pushed us to the head of the security line, so when we were then quickly fed into immigration (yes, even with transit), there were only two others in line and four stations. Presumably, it backed up after that?
Click to expand...

Yes. I did the same for security to the left but immigration was packed for me. So we had the same line experience except that there was no one in line for immigration for you. That explains the difference. We have a full plane going home so I expect a long line in immigration. I did engage PIV going home.
 
Safe travel, uneventful travel, wished for those coming or going this Valentine’s zday.
 
The staff at SXM are of no help whatsoever as we asked 3 people last time and got 3 different answers.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but the key to saving time if you are (1) in-transit, (2) have carry-on only and (3) a pre-printed boarding pass seems to be: as soon as you enter the terminal doors go up the stairs on your left instead of through the immigration line on your right. Correct?

Secondly if you don't meet all 3 of those requirements you need to always go through the immigration line on your left

Both of the above seem accurate?
 
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