Hi there, I've been lurking on this forum for some time but this is my first post. The forum has been super helpful in planning my family's first sailing trip to BVI, so thank you for everyone's posts and great advice.

I'm looking into airfare from San Diego and wanted to know if anyone has thoughts on flying in/out of San Juan vs St. Thomas. SJU seems to offer more flexibility with puddle jumper flights to Road Town, where we'll board our charter. But from STT, we.also have the ferry option. I'm undecided on ferry vs flights to/from RI, so any thoughts or suggestions on that as well are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I have found flying from the West Coast..first LAX for years and now SFO...that flying to St Thomas the ferrying is much cheaper. I used to fly into San Juan when American Eagle was there and tied to American but..with that gone..the current airlines from San Juan to Beef Island ,Tortola , (not Road Town) seem quite $$$$ and not very reliable.Others will disagree but that's what I've found from owning a home there and going back and forth at least three times a year since the late 80's.

We used STT/ferry for a long time and now exclusively use SJU. More options to get to the mainland, STT airport is not fun going home, and there is a nice DCA to SJU flight in. We also use Island Birds private charter from SJU to EIS as we usually have 9 which is plane max. We fly during weekdays so customs SJU is a breeze.

You will find varried opinions here and there are other threads on this you can search. Here is one

http://www.traveltalkonline.com/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/270102/Searchpage/1/Main/36897/Words/%2Bsju+%2Bvs+%2Bstt/Search/true/re-decisions-decisions-bvi-via-stt-or-sju-eis.html#Post270102

We come from the west coast as well and go through STT about two thirds of the time. Like Manpot, we prefer the SJU/EIS route when it works out.....the variables being cost and if we have the flexibility to deal with potential flight cancellations on the short hop from SJU to Tortola vs the hassle of the ferry options. Private water taxi is a nice alternative to the ferries if you have a big group....otherwise its pretty pricey.

Starting this June, AA will have a direct flight to and from MIA and Tortola (EIS)....which means I can get all the way to the BVI in one stop. Game changer! Fingers crossed the new route works out.

We have had a few nightmare experiences via SJU from lost luggage to repeated cancelled flights so stick to STT now. Water taxi or fly STT to EIS via Island Birds (more cost effective than water taxi when it is only two of us). AA rates from MI are a stupid level of ridiculous.

Thanks for sharing, everyone. Very helpful!

What it comes down to is SJU is a easier experience but a bit more money and less reliable than STT. If SJU goes well it’s really nice. If it goes bad it’s really ugly. STT gives you many options to get over to the BVI.
G

Agree. The fares for the MIA-EIS route have changed significantly since first being introduced. SFO-MIA-EIS RT quoted back in December was about $900pp compared to SFO-STT at about $600. Factoring in the cost of ferries it was a pretty easy decision for me. Now Kayak is showing $2000 or more for SFO-MIA-EIS RT. The STT rates have increased, but not to that degree.

Since I live near Charlotte I am pretty much stuck with AA. I have been watching that MIA-EIS leg since it was announce. I sure wish I had pulled the trigger back then. Travelling 06/17 to 06/24 CLT-STT is $1700 each RT. CLT-MIA-EIS is $3500 each RT. Going through SJU isn't much better. I realize weekend travel is higher. But until I retire, it is what it is. Looking ahead to November the MIA-EIS flight isn't even listed. I am hoping that that leg is good for AA and they add more flights in the near future.

I purchased the new AA EIS-MIA-MCO route as a one-way return for our June trip (6/14) shortly after they were made available. Our flight into EIS on 6/4 was booked through JetBlue MCO-SJU-EIS codeshare with Silver b/c we could get in at 11:30 am and get off the docks the same day. We paid $312 per seat for the return AA leg. Looking at AA website over the last several days, those same seats are now over $1000 one-way. I too hope this leg works well for AA, and that they add more capacity. A $2000 RT price point is a non-starter for me, however, given available JetBlue codeshare alternatives.