Good 'Ol American Airlines!

Okay thank you! The AA flight is in one day too. Just trying to decide between delta connecting through ATL, or AA connecting through CLT. Both are the same price and about the same times.

Done both, flying out of ATL last year and can't say I noticed we difference with the SXM leg. Our problem was the <1 hr "layover" and the fact Delta kept tinkering with the incoming flight times. Ended up landing in the southwest corner of ATL and departing from the northeast corner. The underground train was the only reason we made the flight. Couldn't imagine the same scenario snaking through CLT. This year we did Tradewind. Fortunately we have a direct flight to SJU, so the premium we paid wasn't too bad. Stress level was almost non-existent and making it all worth it.
 
Okay thank you! The AA flight is in one day too. Just trying to decide between delta connecting through ATL, or AA connecting through CLT. Both are the same price and about the same times.
Keep an eye on it if you book through CLT...they’ve (AA) cancelled the CLT to SXM flight on two of our last three bookings and routed everyone through MIA. The MIA flight usually arrives too late to make a comfortable connection to SBH unless you sprint and have no checked bags. We also tried PHL and the same thing happened. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon.
 
I probably shouldn't make this statement....I just know that I am jinxing our next trip!! In the 30 odd yrs we have been traveling to St Barts we have never had a problem with the flights from AA (USAir in it's previous life)….even after Irma we had to book via Miami (we hated MIA) but we didn't have any issues with AA. We normally fly thru Charlotte; we spend a night in Charlotte and then take the 9 am (ish) flight just to make the overall travel day to SB's a little less trying and tiring. We have had our share of issues in SXM including a last minute cancelled Winair flight that eventually ended in all of the passengers chartering a flight to SB's within 1 hr of the Winair cancellation and a flight cancellation resulting in taking the last ferry out of SXM in stormy weather that was a "sickly" experience for most of the passengers.
Have fun!!!
 
Imagine the surprise we got when we received notification that our WestJet flight from YYZ to SXM we had booked for 11/22 had changed to 11/21 - a FULL DAY earlier!! Thank goodness our villa is available that extra night - and we were able to make the change with Winair - but for a change fee of course :(.

But another vote vote for confirming your travel plans on a regular basis - I had another flight booked to Jamaica for a wedding that has been postponed. So when I called to cancel I was informed that there was a schedule change that I hadn’t accepted so therefore I was entitled to a full refund! I looked back in my emails and I don’t have anything telling me that the flight had been modified. So a good idea to log in every so often just to check your flight info hasn’t changed.

Can’t wait to get back on island after a two-year hiatus!

Sheryl
 
Is there any other destination other than St. Barts that people would put up with all the airline disruptions? St. Barts is heaven, getting there can be hell.
 
Imagine the surprise we got when we received notification that our WestJet flight from YYZ to SXM we had booked for 11/22 had changed to 11/21 - a FULL DAY earlier!! Thank goodness our villa is available that extra night - and we were able to make the change with Winair - but for a change fee of course :(.

But another vote vote for confirming your travel plans on a regular basis - I had another flight booked to Jamaica for a wedding that has been postponed. So when I called to cancel I was informed that there was a schedule change that I hadn’t accepted so therefore I was entitled to a full refund! I looked back in my emails and I don’t have anything telling me that the flight had been modified. So a good idea to log in every so often just to check your flight info hasn’t changed.

Can’t wait to get back on island after a two-year hiatus!

Sheryl

I would have challenged Winair on whatever the change fee was, not your fault that WestJet changed their schedule not you, sometimes you can bargain with Winair as I did a couple times in the past. You scored with the refund for the Jamaica trip ! So many times AA via CLT has changed our flights or cancelled them, was able to get refund since unacceptable changes for us, reworked via SJU instead of SXM. And sometimes SXM is more expensive.

Absolutely everyone should check their reservations often, sometimes weekly for schedule changes, cancellations. Used to be that carriers would change things with change of seasons & daylight saving time.
 
So maybe connecting through Miami instead of Charlotte might be the better option since it sounds like AA is doing that regardless? &#55357;&#56834; my only concern is the 1 hour 10 min layover, hopefully that’s enough time?
 
Not to be a downer, but MIA can be equally problematic. It’s always construction and last minute gate changes. Customs can be dreadful. And the flights arrive later, which reduces the options from SXM to SBH.
 
So maybe connecting through Miami instead of Charlotte might be the better option since it sounds like AA is doing that regardless? �� my only concern is the 1 hour 10 min layover, hopefully that’s enough time?

Miami should be your last resort. Check with those who have gone thru there.
 
So maybe connecting through Miami instead of Charlotte might be the better option since it sounds like AA is doing that regardless? 😂 my only concern is the 1 hour 10 min layover, hopefully that’s enough time?
If your CLT flight will stick, you will be fine. If you end up through MIA, you usually won’t arrive on SXM until 4 pm or later. You can’t fly into SBH after dark, so the last flights over are typically between 5 and 5:30 pm. If you’re even a little late, you’ll get stuck in SXM for the night. That’s why we swear by Premium IV...been there, done that! Plus, when we land in MIA, it takes forever to walk to the international part. Avoid MIA if you can. When AA switched us this time to go through there, we got our money back with no penalties and switched to Delta.

Once you go to the island, you’ll see why it’s worth the trouble (no understatement there!) to get there.

We’ve had good luck with the Delta ATL flight before, and praying that continues.
 
Airline drama = Extra night is my formula!

I plan for airline drama. I have the flexibility to plan in an overnight each way, and I do. I get to San Juan, and I plan to spend the night there. If I book it right, I can actually save a few bucks. If I book it wrong, it costs me a few bucks, which I mentally write off to cost-averaging over time, lol.
 
So bottom line I should just pick one and hope for the best!

Correct. You now have a better understanding of the US airline industry.

Based on past experience, with an understanding that DL's low season schedule appeared to me to sometimes be an estimation of an approximation of what they might like to fly, I would stick with AA. DL was more reliable with their schedule this year than they have been in past years, but I no longer trust them (and I was a Platinum level DL FF for years).
 
And now, our return flight has been cancelled and replaced routing through MIA with an overnight!

[FONT=&quot]Dear Valued American Express Customer, [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]There has been a change to your travel itinerary due to an airline schedule notification. Your flight times may have changed or it may just be a flight number change. Please review your new itinerary carefully. If you need more information, or this change significantly impacts your trip, please contact American Express Customer Service at 800-297-2977. [/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]option 1 Sat, 7 Dec - American Airlines 2219 - 3h 21m Departing: Princess Juliana Intl Airport, Philipsburg (SXM) at 5:17 pm Arriving: Miami Airport (MIA) at 7:38 pm --------Long Connection--Transit Time: 12h 10m-------- Sun, 8 Dec - American Airlines 4368 - 3h 10m Departing: Miami Airport (MIA) at 7:48 am Arriving: Austin Bergstrom Airport (AUS) at 9:58 am

option 2 refund




[/FONT]
 
I just checked on Travelocity and United has service on Dec. 7 from SXM to AUS through EWR. Leaves SXM 1:55 PM and gets to AUS at 11:18 PM. Price for one way is $287 p/p for what they call basic economy, but you only add $30 p/p for what they call economy. Don't know if this works for you, but you should check it out.

Phil
 
thanks Phil

i checked delta no luck. Got busy with work and hadn’t had a chance to check United
 
I just checked Winair and they have several flights that day that gets you to SXM when you need to be there. Price is $124 p/p, which is not much more that SBC. Worst case, you might have to eat your SBC tickets, but you get home the same day.

Phil
 
Top