Blasphemy?

[Aipotu]

So, after nine trips to St Barths through St Maarten, we finally listened to all the raves and took Tradewind through San Juan this time....

And we couldn't have been more underwhelmed. Maybe we misinterpreted all the incredible posts over the years, but I was expecting something more. Like a corporate jet type experience. A more private lounge in SJU. More than free Cokes and bags of chips.

It was fine, but to my mind, it was trading 10-15 minutes in a small cramped overheated noisy plane for an hour+ in a small cramped overheated noisy plane, and at 3x the cost of SB Commuter or Winair. Not to mention our pilot spent his entire time on his iPhone or some sort of device after getting to about 3000 feet...he could have at least pretended to look up once in a while...

Yes, the pre-flight customer service was more attentive -- well, other than having only one very slow person at the counter checking us in (at a pace of about once every 5-7 minutes) -- but where does all the love come from?

I get it -- Juliana sucks. But the SB Commuter team has always been super helpful to us, and if you do VIP services, it's generally pretty smooth and quick.

This doesn't even take into account the clustersf#@k that is SJU these days thanks to a petty man's inability to contain his tantrums. (And, boy, nothing I've ever seen at SXM compares to what we witnessed at SJU yesterday. EVER.)

Tell me -- what did I get wrong?

 

[Risa]

I'm so glad you posted this...validated my choices. Also, I never even use the VIP services at SXM. I've written to them a few times over the years and never felt any particular warmth from any response. I've always managed quite well at SXM, one way or another. I'd rather spend my money on the island. There are far too many ways to spend it there.

 

[didier]

I have used tradewind from the get go when they started the service to st. barths to san juan. you must have overlooked the amazing ham & cheese sandwiches in the fridge at the lounge plus all the fruit and coffees etc. you must be speaking of the chips soda and beer in the small cooler in the plane.

I love it, but understand if you prefer the overcrowded conditions at st. maarten. plus commuter only uses one pilot. although a ten minute or so ride from sxm to sbh, could you take over if the pilot became unable to fly? winair uses 2 pilots that makes it a much safer flight in my opinion, their prices are almost double to commuter prices, but 2 pilots is the reason for the extra fare charges.

Yes , the cost is more with tradewind, but I love the experience always. esp. the trip from sbh to sju. after arriving, there is no long wait to go through customs etc. you can get vip with tradewind, I never have used vip as they seem to offer it regardless. I was with someone that needed a wheel chair and the assistant pushed him all the way to the rental car place when we were staying in sju for a few days. we did give the assistant a tip.

 

[etx]

Having flown TW and WinAir once each, and flying TW again in a few months, the biggest draw for us is that flying TW cuts out a leg of travel that we would otherwise have if we went through SXM. Coming from Texas we don't have a direct flight to SXM. This leaves less room for screw-ups with delays and the like - I'm of the opinion that just about any time you can remove a flight leg it's worth it. We couldn't have been happier with our experience with TW a few years ago. And agree with @didier that the return through customs in SJU is also a big draw.

 

[PeterLynn]

We have direct flights into SJU and not SXM, so that was why we started going with TW, but the cost increases have us back at Juliana. The customs coming back through SJU is also a plus.

 

[cassidain]

In a number of ways the TW experience is first class. And it avoids the Carnival Cruise level SXM experience. The TW lounge, though quite comfortable, has admittedly gotten a bit shabby in its offerings, and I'm going to convey recent negative reviews to the boss.
Ignoring the political swipe, I would ask if you don't have CLEAR, or if you do, did it not resolve the TSA long line problem. BTW, SJU ALWAYS has crazy lines. Not just at the moment.
TW is quite pricey and not worth it for everyone. IMHO, on the return legs it's the ONLY way to go . . . especially if you have CLEAR.
And on the outbound legs, if thru SXM, Premium IV is absolutely essential.

 

[cec1]

So, after nine trips to St Barths through St Maarten, we finally listened to all the raves and took Tradewind through San Juan this time....

And we couldn't have been more underwhelmed. Maybe we misinterpreted all the incredible posts over the years, but I was expecting something more. Like a corporate jet type experience. A more private lounge in SJU. More than free Cokes and bags of chips.

It was fine, but to my mind, it was trading 10-15 minutes in a small cramped overheated noisy plane for an hour+ in a small cramped overheated noisy plane, and at 3x the cost of SB Commuter or Winair. Not to mention our pilot spent his entire time on his iPhone or some sort of device after getting to about 3000 feet...he could have at least pretended to look up once in a while...

Yes, the pre-flight customer service was more attentive -- well, other than having only one very slow person at the counter checking us in (at a pace of about once every 5-7 minutes) -- but where does all the love come from?

I get it -- Juliana sucks. But the SB Commuter team has always been super helpful to us, and if you do VIP services, it's generally pretty smooth and quick.

This doesn't even take into account the clustersf#@k that is SJU these days thanks to a petty man's inability to contain his tantrums. (And, boy, nothing I've ever seen at SXM compares to what we witnessed at SJU yesterday. EVER.)

Tell me -- what did I get wrong?

As didier & etx have noted, there's enormous value in Tradewind on the SBH to SJU leg in the respect that clearing Customs & Immigration is through what is, in essence, a private screening process -- no waiting, no mess, no fuss . . . with Tradewind personnel guiding passengers -- at no additional charge -- from the Customs/Immigration area to the main terminal for check-in to domestic flights.

With respect to the TW lounge, I'm sorry that it was underwhelming for you. Personally, I find the quiet environment (as contrasted to the "the clustersf#@k that is SJU these days") and comfortable chairs -- not to mention the easy security clearance -- to be highly agreeable. With respect to your sense of lounge refreshments being centered on "free Cokes and bags of chips," it's too bad that you missed the wines (red, white, & rosé), beer, espresso machine, & numerous other beverages and snacks.

Finally, with respect to your assessment that a "pilot spent his entire time on his iPhone or some sort of device after getting to about 3000 feet," I'd suggest that you write to Tradewind about this situation . . . your comment suggests that the pilot was endangering passengers, & I expect that there's a prudent explanation.

Meanwhile, thanks for your input . . . it's always great to read views not usually seen here.

 

[cassidain]

Dennis, regarding the pilots, in my experience they’ve always been young but quite professional acting and capable seeming.

 

[cec1]

Dennis, regarding the pilots, in my experience they’ve always been young but quite professional acting and capable seeming.

Agreed! . . . I’ve never seen any behavior among the pilots that would suggest endangerment of passengers. Quite the contrary. Unfortunately, between issues described by Aipotu — Tradewind & sargassum at Saline — it sounds like the visit is off to a bad start.

 

[shihadehs]

Been flying Tradewind for many years.. pilots are are spot on professional..will be on one of their planes in 10 days..

 

[CaribbeanSoul]

One and done for us. Feel the exact same way but we are flying from the west coast with nothing direct to SJU so connecting through ATL/CLT/MIA to SXM makes more sense to us, fiscally and logistically. We were underwhelmed considering the cost associated. We can get SBC or Winair plus a VIP service for half the cost of TW Air. And flying to SJU vs SXM is typically the same from PDX.

 

[Aipotu]

I have used tradewind from the get go when they started the service to st. barths to san juan. you must have overlooked the amazing ham & cheese sandwiches in the fridge at the lounge plus all the fruit and coffees etc. you must be speaking of the chips soda and beer in the small cooler in the plane.

I love it, but understand if you prefer the overcrowded conditions at st. maarten. plus commuter only uses one pilot. although a ten minute or so ride from sxm to sbh, could you take over if the pilot became unable to fly? winair uses 2 pilots that makes it a much safer flight in my opinion, their prices are almost double to commuter prices, but 2 pilots is the reason for the extra fare charges.

Yes , the cost is more with tradewind, but I love the experience always. esp. the trip from sbh to sju. after arriving, there is no long wait to go through customs etc. you can get vip with tradewind, I never have used vip as they seem to offer it regardless. I was with someone that needed a wheel chair and the assistant pushed him all the way to the rental car place when we were staying in sju for a few days. we did give the assistant a tip.

Not ignoring the rest of your thoughts but for the record, yesterday getting through USDA and TSA was almost four hours. So it happens.

 

[Aipotu]

Been flying Tradewind for many years.. pilots are are spot on professional..will be on one of their planes in 10 days..

I'm not kidding, our pilot was not eyes up for 50+ minutes of the flight. The co-pilot even threw him some looks. I've flown on dozen of small jets over the decades and never saw such a long total disconnect.

 

[didier]

I'm not kidding, our pilot was not eyes up for 50+ minutes of the flight. The co-pilot even threw him some looks. I've flown on dozen of small jets over the decades and never saw such a long total disconnect.

I am a white knuckle flyer ever since I was in a plane crash at narita airport, Japan in the 90's. the plane was a 757 plane and of course you cannot see into the cockpit of the large plane. There were no cel phones when I crashed, they had the phones on the back of the seats, remember those? you needed a credit card to use them.

I don't know what the pilots are doing behind a closed door when I fly from sju to jfk these days, I see a pilot going to the bathroom from time to time etc. but I know at least one of them will continue flying the plane. I have flown tradewind so many times that I have a couple of free flights as I am on their program which allows a free flight every 10 flights. ( I am saving the free flights for around the christmas season when they are so busy) I am relaxed as soon as I am onboard tradewind airlines, that is how much I trust the tradewind pilots. they are young and very receptive to any questions. You mention that one pilot was on their cel phone, well there are two pilots, so the other one was keeping an eye on things. that would not have bothered me. perhaps in the larger planes, they are doing the same thing, you just can't see them.

However, for sxm to sbh flights, as much as I like the people at commuter airlines, I don't understand having only one pilot, even for a ten minute flight. anything could happen and one pilot has no one to help in an emergency. If he has a heart attack, then the passengers are left without a pilot.

after my plane crash, when I eventually flew back to the states, I took flight lessons so I am more aware of how planes work. I could land a small plane if necessary, but not at st. barths, perhaps sxm. If it were me and I was coming from sxm to sbh or vice versa, my choice would be the boat, which takes less than an hour, or winair which has 2 pilots. when I go to sxm for shopping, I prefer the boat. no reservations if you decide to leave at the last minute, the boat always has room and customs at the docks are a breeze.

 

[Rocket]

In a number of ways the TW experience is first class. And it avoids the Carnival Cruise level SXM experience. The TW lounge, though quite comfortable, has admittedly gotten a bit shabby in its offerings, and I'm going to convey recent negative reviews to the boss.
Ignoring the political swipe, I would ask if you don't have CLEAR, or if you do, did it not resolve the TSA long line problem. BTW, SJU ALWAYS has crazy lines. Not just at the moment.
TW is quite pricey and not worth it for everyone. IMHO, on the return legs it's the ONLY way to go . . . especially if you have CLEAR.
And on the outbound legs, if thru SXM, Premium IV is absolutely essential.

"Carnival Cruise level SXM experience" captures it perfectly.

 

[jamiem4]

As didier & etx have noted, there's enormous value in Tradewind on the SBH to SJU leg in the respect that clearing Customs & Immigration is through what is, in essence, a private screening process -- no waiting, no mess, no fuss . . . with Tradewind personnel guiding passengers -- at no additional charge -- from the Customs/Immigration area to the main terminal for check-in to domestic flights.

With respect to the TW lounge, I'm sorry that it was underwhelming for you. Personally, I find the quiet environment (as contrasted to the "the clustersf#@k that is SJU these days") and comfortable chairs -- not to mention the easy security clearance -- to be highly agreeable. With respect to your sense of lounge refreshments being centered on "free Cokes and bags of chips," it's too bad that you missed the wines (red, white, & rosé), beer, espresso machine, & numerous other beverages and snacks.

Finally, with respect to your assessment that a "pilot spent his entire time on his iPhone or some sort of device after getting to about 3000 feet," I'd suggest that you write to Tradewind about this situation . . . your comment suggests that the pilot was endangering passengers, & I expect that there's a prudent explanation.

Meanwhile, thanks for your input . . . it's always great to read views not usually seen here.

I think this forum knows I'm also an original Tradewind flyer from back in the day for many reasons, one being traveling with two dogs, it is easier to fly through SJU versus going through SXM with pets. With what seems like a long time ago when we lived in Connecticut, it was easy to fly JFK - SJU - SBH but now living in San Diego and flying back and forth, it is more of a headache so we tend to stay on the island for long stretches of time, or one of us stays on the island and the other flies (such as tonight) but always fly TW. My husband is retired Air Force and our son is a Marine pilot so I do have to note a few flights ago on TW, the pilot sat on his phone almost the entire flight. I usually try to sit in the first row across from the entry stairs because if they don't pull the curtain, I like to watch the panel and there is a little extra space. I did take a few photos (I think the pilot was playing a game on his phone) and I was tempted to send them to the owners - who are good guys - however my son and husband both said that the plane is on auto-pilot regardless and the co-pilot is the one looking around for other aircraft and there are alarms for it. They also agreed the pilot should probably stay off his phone... All the pilot has to do is take off, snooze, and land. I said it's a lot safer if the pilot actually looks up from his phone or at least pretends he's the pilot. On that flight, it was bumpy arriving in SBH and finally the pilot disengaged from his phone just in time for a wobbly landing. I couldn't see the co-pilot easily but you know when you are descending and bouncing around, the co-pilot seemed busier than iphone pilot. Originally I decided against sending in the photos however after hearing this again, I'm going to look back at the photos, the date and flight and mention it to the owners.

I fly back tonight (SAN - ATL - SJU - SBH) so I'm curious how it will be. I have CLEAR+ and digital this and that, touchless and TSA pre check etc however it is the redeye flight so TSA may be easier to get through security at night. Last week in SJU, the TSA line was long, as was the USDA line, but with CLEAR it was a breeze. I will see how it goes on Tradewind tomorrow! I do have to say that the TW pilots have always been professional and 'looking up' except that one flight.

 

[cec1]

I think this forum knows I'm also an original Tradewind flyer from back in the day for many reasons, one being traveling with two dogs, it is easier to fly through SJU versus going through SXM with pets. With what seems like a long time ago when we lived in Connecticut, it was easy to fly JFK - SJU - SBH but now living in San Diego and flying back and forth, it is more of a headache so we tend to stay on the island for long stretches of time, or one of us stays on the island and the other flies (such as tonight) but always fly TW. My husband is retired Air Force and our son is a Marine pilot so I do have to note a few flights ago on TW, the pilot sat on his phone almost the entire flight. I usually try to sit in the first row across from the entry stairs because if they don't pull the curtain, I like to watch the panel and there is a little extra space. I did take a few photos (I think the pilot was playing a game on his phone) and I was tempted to send them to the owners - who are good guys - however my son and husband both said that the plane is on auto-pilot regardless and the co-pilot is the one looking around for other aircraft and there are alarms for it. They also agreed the pilot should probably stay off his phone... All the pilot has to do is take off, snooze, and land. I said it's a lot safer if the pilot actually looks up from his phone or at least pretends he's the pilot. On that flight, it was bumpy arriving in SBH and finally the pilot disengaged from his phone just in time for a wobbly landing. I couldn't see the co-pilot easily but you know when you are descending and bouncing around, the co-pilot seemed busier than iphone pilot. Originally I decided against sending in the photos however after hearing this again, I'm going to look back at the photos, the date and flight and mention it to the owners.

I fly back tonight (SAN - ATL - SJU - SBH) so I'm curious how it will be. I have CLEAR+ and digital this and that, touchless and TSA pre check etc however it is the redeye flight so TSA may be easier to get through security at night. Last week in SJU, the TSA line was long, as was the USDA line, but with CLEAR it was a breeze. I will see how it goes on Tradewind tomorrow! I do have to say that the TW pilots have always been professional and 'looking up' except that one flight.

Good to note your experience, Jamie . . . and though everything probably was safe, with secure coverage, as you describe, it’s a ba d look to have a pilot playing games on his phone.

 

[bobrosen]

So I have no idea what THAT pilot was doing on his phone - maybe he WAS playing games or catching up on his Insta (in which case, IMHO, his employer should be aware!). However, as a pretty experienced recreational pilot (who has been certified to land in SBH since 1999!) it's worth mentioning that nowadays, a surprising amount of aviation info flows through the phone - from weather updates to clearances and such. That's not so relevant for the 10-minute hop at 1500 feet from SXM to SBH, but it likely IS relevant for the SJU-SBH flight.

 

[cec1]

So I have no idea what THAT pilot was doing on his phone - maybe he WAS playing games or catching up on his Insta (in which case, IMHO, his employer should be aware!). However, as a pretty experienced recreational pilot (who has been certified to land in SBH since 1999!) it's worth mentioning that nowadays, a surprising amount of aviation info flows through the phone - from weather updates to clearances and such. That's not so relevant for the 10-minute hop at 1500 feet from SXM to SBH, but it likely IS relevant for the SJU-SBH flight.

Valuable input . . . thank you for this perspective!

 

[jamiem4]

So I have no idea what THAT pilot was doing on his phone - maybe he WAS playing games or catching up on his Insta (in which case, IMHO, his employer should be aware!). However, as a pretty experienced recreational pilot (who has been certified to land in SBH since 1999!) it's worth mentioning that nowadays, a surprising amount of aviation info flows through the phone - from weather updates to clearances and such. That's not so relevant for the 10-minute hop at 1500 feet from SXM to SBH, but it likely IS relevant for the SJU-SBH flight.

Oh! I totally agree. I have seen the pilots use the iPad and now iPhone (or phone) when flying. That’s why my husband and son weren’t thinking this was too crazy. The only part that I could see was what was on his phone and I think it was the game Tetris. I’m going to check back on the photo, but that was the part that was bugging me. On the other hand, like you have said, important updates could be coming across and he was just monitoring it the entire time on the phone. We did have a really windy approach and that could be one reason why the pilot stayed on his phone the whole time. I do think occasionally the pilot should look up and out the left side of the window because there is just so much that the copilot can see… although I am guessing these days that the visual is not as accurate as the instruments that warn you about close aircraft.