Cape air

At check in counter in San juan.
We booked our flights month ago.
Confirmed in the last few days.

We have been sitting in the airport for a few hours.

The counter tells us we don't have seats and they want to send us on a later.

We have a taxi meeting us at eis.
I have insisted that we get on the confirmed flight. Standing my ground. Let's see what happens.

No luck so far. At the checking counter they put us as standby.

The next flight is not so much later. But that's not the point after hanging around this airport for several hours we just want to get to our destination.

I hope that they don't screw up anything further.

As it was their fault, it should be their issue and not mine

The flight left without us. One party tells us the bag were on that flight and another tells us that they were on the flight. I called cape air. They said that it was due to a schedule change. Supervisor says that not true. What can we trust about. Not much it seems

Feel really sorry for you. They need to step up and find a away to make things right. Where are you stayng tonught?

We were fans of cape air for years. There were quirks and hiccups but overall we were loyal.

Then on our last trip, they left us sit at sju forever. After waiting for hous, My husband arranged for a charter to take us to VG. Cape air wouldn't give us out checked bags, saying the bags were already loaded on the plane. This was a total lie because when we boarded an hour or so later, no ones bags were on the flight because of weight restrictions. Obviously. I don't want to fly on an unsafe flight but don't lie to me and refuse to give me my checked bags when I want to take a different flight on my dime. Our bags arrived two days later, a major unconvincence that was totally avoidable had cape air just given us our bags in sju when we asked for them.

Same [censored], different day on the return. We checked in at the VG airport and noticed way too many people sitting in and around the terminal. After talking to people, it was determined all the days flights were delayed and the volume of passengers could not be accomadate on the the remaining flights to sju.

I got on line and could see the flights were delayed yet the counter agents claimed all was ok and we would get to sju on time.

I get take stuff happens and irregular pops happen but don't bs me. I could see on line cape air was way behind schedule that day and we would miss our connection yet the employee kept saying all was ok.

We called island birds and got a charter within 20 minutes to sju. It was a holiday weekend and I knew if we missed our sju connection, we might be stuck there for a day or two. The charter was our only way to make our connecting flight home.

We are going back to VG in February and my husband flat out
Said no to any cape air connections because th past two attempts to fly with them were such a disaster. It was the lack of real time info that bothered us, and having to work Around the roadblocks when we were willing to solve our own travel challenges at our cost yet they still won't tell us the real truth.

What a nightmare

It's the lies that get me. Equipment issues happen. That's life. Little choice but to roll with it.

Anyway our bags went on the scheduled flight. I don't know how that's possible. The bags all arrived before us. The flight was fine.

If you fly cape air, you need to make sure that your boarding pass has a bogus seat assignment on it. The real assignment takes place when you get on the plane.

Our boarding passes had no seat assignment. We will be smarter on the way back. Hopefully we will have a better experience.

Totally sucks Warren... We fly cape air all the time and have not had these issues before . Sounds Ike things have gone down hill...
Here's hoping we make out ok in March.
Now that you are there enjoy

The only airlines I never had a problem with is Cape Air and Seabourne.
I was under the impression that bags had to be on board with the ticket holder.
Better luck next time

Bad start to the trip but hopefully thats all that goes pear shaped. Never used Cape Air and never will.

Cape Air was always fine with us until last May. Stranded in SJU. Just got back again this past week -- flew Seaborne this time. Will not use Cape Air again.

Out of curiosity did you book directly with Cape Air or as a code share with another airline?

We've had problems with Cape Air as well - most recently had an 8:30 flight out of VG and got to the airport early only to find out that the flight was cancelled - even though confirmed the day prior - had to catch a ferry to Beef Island to catch a flight leaving from Tortola. Prefer to fly Air Sunshine or charter.

Our flight was booked direct with cape air.

This could explain the differences in experiences everyone is reporting. Booking a code share with say United protects you with United's contract of carriage while booking directly with Cape Air leaves you to their policies.

I think that their policies includes who cares. That's why I started this thread. So maybe they will find out that we care.

Ours was a code share with US Airways. Like warren said, equipment issues happen, that is understandable.

On both legs of our last cape air tickets, we were willing to get there on our own expense and cape air still gave us a hard time. If it matters, our cape air tickets were full fare no restrictions.

When trying to leave VG, the counter employees kept insisting the flight was in route from sju yet I was showing her my phone with the flight aware app showing the flight hadn't even departed sju. She did not want to give us our luggage back until I pointed out the fact that if she gave us our luggage back and let us go on our way, she had space for three other people out of the 30 or so sitting in and around the terminal to get on the flight. Then it was "no problem, here's your bags"

We were freeing up space, leaving room for other passengers and not expecting anything but to be let to go on our own way. Why the push back?

As it relates to the delayed luggage - not one passenger on our flight had their luggage, all checked bags were left behind. Since then, I learned that the planes flying to VG do not have the weight capacity to carry passengers AND luggage so if the flights are sold out, bags get left behind.

I travel enough to know stuff happens yet when my vacation enjoyment is impacted because I can't snorkel or need to wear dirty clothing for two days, that bothers me enough to make different choices going forward.

I'll bet Cape Air hired some ex American Eagle employees for the ground crew and that's why the service went south.

Not sure if this was a factor, but I suspect it may well have been. Last February I went through a bit of an ordeal with a Cape Air flight, in fact we were half way across the tarmac when they pulled us out of the line and sent us back inside. The computer "system" they use is actually a couple different systems that have the unique ability of not interfacing with each other. The check in desk uses one system, the desk at the actual departure gate uses another and operations uses a third. That's why they all run around with a walkie talkie on their hip.
Our whole issue? Operations didn't get the weight of our 2 carry on bags when check in desk changed our flight. Guy from operations who pulled us from line could have looked at the weight written on the tag, but that isn't his job.
Go back to check in desk and girl there says "What are you doing back here". Tell her what happened, go through entire process again, go back down to the gate and figured I'd ask them to double check it. Nope, can't get into that info from here. Go back upstairs, girl gets on her radio to operations, operations says they have it. Go back downstairs. Just before the next flight boards, name is called, need to go upstairs and have bags weighed. Uhhh, weight is written right on the Cape Air tag. Finally get that all cleared up, go out to board, operations guy takes our bags, "they can't go on this flight, we don't have the weight on our manifest". Got to go on flight and watched as they threw bags into another plane.

What charters are there from San Juan to Virgin Gorda and approximate cost....roundtrip....may think about that for our next trip down.

On Nantucket, Island Air just went belly up.
Cape is adding flights.
Will some of the twins they send south be affected?

I sent cape air a link to this thread so they could see how people felt.

I received an email back with a thank you for bringing the matter to their attention.

I was impressed with the email because they had a lot of information and even dug into our arrival time in sju.

They advised that they are reviewing it at a high operations level.

They concluded with an apology.

Just goes to show how the power of a connected group of customers with similar issues might actually make a difference. Thanks to TTOL!

THIS is the Cape Air I remember. I visit Nantucket periodically and the BVI and SVI frequently. I typically fly with whichever service maximizes my vacation time. While Cape Air's fares are a bit higher than others, I have found them to be highly competent and professional.

The recent deterioration is uncharacteristic, and my money is on glitches due to staffing too quickly from a poorly trained labor market, rather than management indifference.