TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Update pls on Airport Improvement

Your comments please on recent arriving and departing at the airport. For example, wife disabled, does one still have to go down the stairs from the aircraft and into buses or can you go straight from the plane to the arrivals area inside the terminal? Usually arrange a wheelchair for her anyway and returning, presumably by now, we done with the tent? Leaving Tomorrow. Thx.

The tent has been gone for some time now. Pretty sure you will have to use stairs and buses. I did see several wheelchair assist departing but the people still had to use stairs to enter the planes. I traveled 2 months ago but I do not think much has changed.

bran--are you on Jet Blue? Apparently Jet Blue and possibly one of the Canadian airlines, actually have a ramp going to the plane. NOT a jetway, but an angled ramp. Obviously easier than stairs, but not as easy as a jetway. If you're not on Jet Blue, it is stairs, which can be a big hassle I know.

AA from Miami.....just confirmed on time and no as yet last minute changes...thx.

We were on AA coming down in April and it was definitely stairs, which, btw, I hate because of my phobia of heights. Going home we were on JB and boarded using the ramp Carol spoke of - sort of like the mazes inside the terminal but on a slant, allowing them to maximize the number of people compacted into a small area.

Pretty sure they have carry chairs they can use to get you out if you can't do the stairs or ramp. I use wheelchair due to the potential longs walks, but can manage the jetway stairs and they had wheelchair waiting. But I think I did see the carry chair somewhere along the way.

Flight back to island 2 weeks ago was Jet Blue - stairs front and back but have had ramp in the past.

When we arrived we had stairs front and back on AA from CLT. Flight attendants offered to assist passengers that needed help.