Had no idea airport is closed to arriving passengers!

We arrived on Thursday to a nightmare, the airport to arriving passengers is closed so they built a “shed”!! You stand in line by airplane you arrived on and they let a few people through at a time when luggage is finally unloaded, what a mess and terrible experience. The airport 30 years ago when it was a shed ran a thousand times better!! See photos, and god help the people coming in on a Saturday or Sunday,,,

Welcome to St. Maarten where the airport is going on 7 years of "reconstruction", all under the same leadership that has totally bungled this project. Temporary arrival facility is a joke, departures are hit or miss and very little food options. BUT, under the same leadership, it is just slightly behind schedule and SUPPOSED to be completed by fall. Good luck with that!

I have 4 friends arriving today and have tried to forewarn them. I arrive tomorrow and am expecting the same cluster you experienced.

Of one goes to the PJIA facebook page, they are breaking their arms with all the patting themselves on their backs for the great job they are doing!

The shed/roof didn't exist around Thanksgiving last year, so that's a plus (was hot as hell outside). 🤣

We come twice a year and this is our 29th year of doing so but why someone’s head is not on a platter is mind boggling!

WVT--I guess you haven't been online in the past few months, as it has been that way for quite a while. How long did it take you to get through the lines?

JD--so Jill and Charlie arrive today? If you talk to them, wish Jill a happy birthday for me!!

Yes, they are in ATL now and arrive around 4:00pm. They are hoping to get Charlie wheelchair assist but due to the seating (exit row), they could not do it ahead of time. I guess they got one in ATL and their first-timer young guest is pushing Charlie around.

I warned them to prepare for a cluster upon arrival but to hope for the best.

Will do.

And, what WVTCTE stated is accurate, someone's head (the local CEO) should have been on a platter a long time ago. No excuse for the ineptness and timeframe.

I hope things go well for them.

Supprised the airline would allow someone that needs a wheelchair to be in an exit row.

And that was the problem. He is physically fit to handle the door but has a bad knee and the wheelchair was pretty much for the anticipated long wait upon arrival in SXM.

I just talked to them, passed along your birthday wishes and they should be in the boarding process now.

OK. That makes more sense. Hope he does well at arrivals.

I hope to know if about 5-6 hours.

Our friend had to give up the exit row because he requested wheelchair service with American. Arrived Thursday. Arrival was ok but had to wait 45 min for luggage because Spirit arrived ahead of them and the one carousel was used by that flight before their luggage was available.

And posts like this are exactly why it is good to keep this in the forefront on forums.
Many people DO know about the cluster that is airport arrivals but apparently not everyone.

I am so grateful to have known ahead of time when we arrived in December.
Others may see it as useless complaining, but I see it as helping the word get out there. If you don't want to read another post about airport arrivals, just don't open the thread.

And you can probably count on some push-back from some island residents as some see nothing wrong with how things are going. It is NOT a good first impression, whether you are a first-timer or have been going for 30 years like we have.

I find some people only get on the message boards or facebook group pages when they have a trip approaching while others read much more often. Nothing wrong with being informed. After a 4 hours or more flight, the last thing most people want to do is stand in a line for 2-3 hours for a project that is approaching 7 years in the works.

JD--thinking good thoughts for them. Let me know how they do!

I just talked to them. Lots of arrivals around them but they were through in about 75 minutes but Jill said the luggage area was a mob scene.

OK, glad it wasn't TOO horrible for them. Hope your trip tomorrow goes well!!!

J.D., safe travels today. I hope your trip and arrival today go smoothly. Here's hoping you have a great vacation.

Thanks. I am in ATL right now, hoping the next leg and arrival go smooth. I fly out of DAY and while it is a very small airport, it is 15 minutes from my house. I was shocked this morning when I got to the gate. Delta had complimentary coffee and other hot beverages along with breakfast bars and a few other light snack items. Very unexpected.

Sounds like a great start to a travel day. Wishing your good fortune continues. Safe travels.

In heavy traffic at MIA, good we have time. Arrive SXM at about 3pm and not looking forward to the line. But will surely survive!

Well, we just got a message from Delta that we are going to be delayed about 40 minutes. The plane we are supposed to be on actually left MCO slightly early and is scheduled into ALT about 10 minutes early. Not sure how this translated into a 40 minute delay. Maybe to relieve congestion of arrivals into SXM due to the unfinished airport project??

The second flight from ATL yesterday had to circle here for 30 minutes because the airport was full, no please to put the plane. What a mess they have on their hands here!

I had friends on that flight and noticed it went off the usual course a couple of times. They said the luggage area was total chaos. Oh, what fun!! Brian Mingo is probably in hiding.

JD, hope you luck out and have a short wait!

Thanks! We will see how it goes.

Yes, for sure, always odd when an airline treats you WELL. Hopefully you are boarding by now..

We got off the ground about 10:55.

Best wishes for a relatively quick arrival.

Looking at the PJIA website, they are still showing your flight on time, although Delta says about 15 minutes late. There are a ton of big planes due to come in around 3, so hopefully you should be ahead of all those guys.

Hope things go well for an easy arrival and airport experience with no specific issues. Good luck on that……🙂🙂

We are supposed to land about 2:10. We must have hit some wind as we were 650-700 mph for a while but have backed down now to about 575. Thanks!

J.D. has landed. Hopefully a quick passage through immigration and luggage. Enjoy your stay.

After sitting 15 minutes, we deplaned and I was out in about an hour. I had wet pants and a somewhat damp laptop as the moron sitting in the row ahead of me had an unsecured water bottle overhead and with the pressure change and the top not being on tight, I had a nice shower about half way through the flight. I asked her for her contact information in case the laptop was damaged but she refused and whined about her wet backpack. She never even offered to clean up the mess and called the flight attendant to do her dirty work. I told her I would take it up with Delta using her seat assignment. A real genuine person would have apologized, she did nothing of the sort and never said she was sorry.

On to bigger and better things.

THANKS!

Doesn't supprise me at all. Some people are only concerned about themselves and can care less about any aound them. Guess you encountered such a person. Hopefully karma will carch up to her. Enjoy your stay.

J.D., I'm glad that you are firmly ensconced on the island. Get settled in and spend the rest of your time relaxing and enjoying the company of good friends. I hope the best of today is the worst that you experience the rest of your trip.

Wow, hope the laptop is OK. Glad you arrived OK.

Thanks everyone. It is working now but electronics sometimes take a few days to show a problem. I know from a cell phone a couple of years ago. It worked fine after a little splash at Mullet Bay but 2 weeks after going home, it took a crap.

Salt water can do that.