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STT - how early do you need to be there? American Airlines #265794
10/14/2021 03:43 PM
10/14/2021 03:43 PM
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 434
Northern IL
bagsarepacked Offline OP
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bagsarepacked  Offline OP
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 434
Northern IL
HI!
Traveling back from the BVI flying out of STT on Sat 11/13 on American Airlines 3:30 flight. Debating between the 9 am or 11:30 ferry from the BVI.
How early are they saying to be at the airport these days? In the past I have heard anywhere between 2-over 3 +hours.
I usually fly out of Tortola to SJU but that doesn't work this trip so I am out of the loop on departing STT.
I will have a checked bag and have TSA precheck (though I know there it doesn't help as much as in the states)


Thanks!

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Re: STT - how early do you need to be there? American Airlines [Re: bagsarepacked] #265807
10/14/2021 04:45 PM
10/14/2021 04:45 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,951
St. John, USVI
RickG Online content
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RickG  Online Content
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,951
St. John, USVI
I do this flight about ten times per year. On weekends you'll need three hours. I generally take off 30 minutes for each of carryon only, Global Entry, and TSA Pre-check. AA cuts off bag checking 90 minutes before the fight is scheduled. I would arrive at the airport at least two hours and thirty minutes before your flight is scheduled to take off. Me? I'd take the 9AM and enjoy a decent meal before your flight.

Cheers, RickG


S/V Echoes, 2003 Beneteau 423
Grenada
Re: STT - how early do you need to be there? American Airlines [Re: bagsarepacked] #265821
10/14/2021 09:10 PM
10/14/2021 09:10 PM
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 663
Vail, CO/St. Thomas, USVI
caribbeangirl13 Online content
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caribbeangirl13  Online Content
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 663
Vail, CO/St. Thomas, USVI
Definitely take the 9am ferry. Doing BVI to STT via ferry is a big PIA. You have to go through customs/immigration as you disembark the ferry and then you get to do it again at the airport!
American Airlines is notorious for long lines and their self service kiosks rarely work. If you are checking bags, you have to wait in their lines to get your bag tags, even though you bring your bags with you through customs/immigration. If you are not checking bags you can use a mobile boarding pass which will save you time. The next line you will get in is to go through customs/immigration. That line can wrap around the entire front of the airport on a busy day which is typically weekends between 1:30-4:30 but it can be any day at any time depending on the departure schedule. If you have Global Entry you can skip this line and go to the front of the line where the porters go in. You can also skip this line if you get a porter (red cap). Once you go through customs/immigration you get in the line to drop your bags. If you don't have any you can go right to the TSA line. Precheck helps some here but honestly not a ton. There is a restaurant and bar inside the terminal and you can get decent food there and cold beverages.


Sue
s/v Ripple
Leopard 40

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Re: STT - how early do you need to be there? American Airlines [Re: bagsarepacked] #265823
10/14/2021 09:24 PM
10/14/2021 09:24 PM
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 850
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Cleobeach Offline
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Cleobeach  Offline
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Posts: 850
Listen to the above advice. STT is a sh!tshow that defies logic.

If you have GE, take your cards. STT Requires the cards to use GE, the only airport I ever transited thru that required the card.

Re: STT - how early do you need to be there? American Airlines [Re: bagsarepacked] #265824
10/14/2021 10:05 PM
10/14/2021 10:05 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 833
Houston, Texas
louismcc Offline
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louismcc  Offline
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Posts: 833
Houston, Texas
Besides the above mentioned issues about STT, the whole customs / immigration / TSA area is poorly laid out and when we went in July, was manned by the least friendly people I encountered in our trip.


Louis from Houston
Re: STT - how early do you need to be there? American Airlines [Re: bagsarepacked] #265829
10/15/2021 08:49 AM
10/15/2021 08:49 AM
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 788
Kannapolis, NC
ndfaninnc Offline
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ndfaninnc  Offline
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Posts: 788
Kannapolis, NC
Agree with the above as well. Is working for Customs/Immigration/TSA that horrible of a job to create such nasty attitudes?


Go Irish!!

Bill

[Linked Image]
Re: STT - how early do you need to be there? American Airlines [Re: bagsarepacked] #265834
10/15/2021 09:32 AM
10/15/2021 09:32 AM
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 434
Northern IL
bagsarepacked Offline OP
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bagsarepacked  Offline OP
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Posts: 434
Northern IL
Thanks everyone....LOL....now I know why I usually fly out of the BVI thru San Juan!

Re: STT - how early do you need to be there? American Airlines [Re: bagsarepacked] #266595
10/22/2021 04:32 PM
10/22/2021 04:32 PM
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 31
Tryon, NC
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Dirk Lovelace Offline
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Dirk Lovelace  Offline
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Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 31
Tryon, NC
Hi Everyone,

Glad I found this thread on STT airport. We will be tight coming out of YVD through Tortola then to STT as there is an 1130 am ferry that arrives at 12:20 near airport. Our flight departs at 2 pm. I have GE/TSA-pre but my fiancé only has TSA-pre. As far I can see on the ferry schedules there is not anything earlier out of Tortola unless I missed an update (we leave out on 11/5). Any ideas?

Thanks this has been a great forum to get answers on getting there and around as covid has screwed up everything that was once easy.

Dirk

Re: STT - how early do you need to be there? American Airlines [Re: bagsarepacked] #266750
10/24/2021 10:11 AM
10/24/2021 10:11 AM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 6,993
GA/NC
GeorgeC1 Offline
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GeorgeC1  Offline
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GA/NC
There should be a 7:30 ferry from Tortola. You won’t make a 2 PM flight normally. You won’t get off the boat until 12:30 and customs can take from 5 minutes to an hour depending on load and when you deplane. It’s then 15 to 30 minutes to get a cab and arrive at airport. Then you have to reclear customs and go through airport screening.
You might and I do mean might have a chance if you have no carry on bags and check in for the flight online. Your global entry pass should get you both into that line. They don’t seem to care. Since it’s a early flight customs should not be horrible. Every star will have to align to make it work. I have done it solo but I make sure I am off the boat near the front and have a driver waiting to run me to the airport. My ferry left on time that day. That’s unusual for the ferry.

Re: STT - how early do you need to be there? American Airlines [Re: GeorgeC1] #266758
10/24/2021 11:44 AM
10/24/2021 11:44 AM
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 31
Tryon, NC
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Dirk Lovelace Offline
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Dirk Lovelace  Offline
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Posts: 31
Tryon, NC
Hi GeorgeC1,

Thanks I will see what other options I can find but my issue is getting to Tortola from YVD since the earliest ferry is 7 am and is an hour. Appreciate the input.

Re: STT - how early do you need to be there? American Airlines [Re: bagsarepacked] #267506
10/31/2021 08:50 AM
10/31/2021 08:50 AM
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 7
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sambagirl07 Offline
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sambagirl07  Offline
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Posts: 7
We are transiting in STT from Cape Air to American, all on one ticket, on a Friday. Our 4+ hour transit time just got changed to 2:26 thanks to an AA schedule change. Will getting a porter as soon as we can after disembarking Cape Air help us make the connection? We will both have checked bags, but also both have GE/Nexus.

Re: STT - how early do you need to be there? American Airlines [Re: bagsarepacked] #267512
10/31/2021 09:50 AM
10/31/2021 09:50 AM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,951
St. John, USVI
RickG Online content
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RickG  Online Content
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Posts: 1,951
St. John, USVI
sambagirl07 - you will be fine. If your bags are not checked through, the porter may be able to get you through the AA check-in line faster.

Cheers, RickG


S/V Echoes, 2003 Beneteau 423
Grenada
Re: STT - how early do you need to be there? American Airlines [Re: RickG] #267513
10/31/2021 09:52 AM
10/31/2021 09:52 AM
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 7
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sambagirl07 Offline
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sambagirl07  Offline
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Originally Posted by RickG
sambagirl07 - you will be fine. If your bags are not checked through, the porter may be able to get you through the AA check-in line faster.

Cheers, RickG


Many thanks for the reassurance! We weren’t sure if the 3 hour AA check in deadline applied to us since we were transiting, although ostensibly we’d already be checked in.


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