TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin When will airport reopen

Is the St. Maarten airport open for commercial flights now?

No

There are rumors that it may reopen for limited flights on the 16th.

American just told me they have flights scheduled on Sept 15th!!!!!!!!!

The flight tracker sight that listed the SP plane said PJA would be open at 9:00 Thursday. Whoa!

Posted on their Facebook page two hours ago:

UPDATE: Due to Hurricane Irma, all commercial flights in and out of Princess Juliana International Airport are currently suspended. Until further notice, the airport is serving as a dedicated hub for emergency and evacuation flights only. We thank you for your patience and understanding and look forward to welcoming you back to St. Maarten soon. Please check back periodically for updated status reports.

there are those and us who have property that question when we can return to access damage... when and how and who will be let in is another story. I believe they will let residents in ahead of anyone else, but that could be a long time coming.. Flights will not resume with no one to fly in... tourist surely will not fill a plane. Owners on Island are surely stressed to the limit...we are for sure...

Our St Maarten friends that live on island and staying with us were able to get their flight confirmed on Delta to arrive Sept 17. Their original flights were cancelled as they were to arrive Sept 9 after Irma and have been here since. We'll see if it happens but they need to get home. She is a nurse, helped in other crisis situations and can be of great help.

I had seen a recent quote from a St Maarten official that they wanted to have the airport open for commercial flights in one week. Either way, the sooner SXM airport is functioning, the better for the Island economy. PJIA is a very busy hub for connections in the Caribbean. Those connecting flights are important as well, as they support jobs etc on the island. The airport opening will be just one step on a long road to recovery for SXM. It will be good news when it happens .

Can I just say this? There is not enough food or water for the people already there. Aid that has arrived is sitting on the tarmac as there is no plan to distribute it. Long, long lines in the heat just to get water that you can not drink.

I personally hope they keep the airport closed until they can replenish supplies and not further burden the people of our island.

IMHO

jetBlue is posting 9/28 on their reservation system

I agree completely, Elaine. They have to stabilize everything before they start allowing people to arrive, even if the early arrivals are island owners. The health and safety needs of the people there need to be met first before others, whatever their status, are allowed to return. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Does SXM have electricity yet?

Supposedly it is slowly coming back but two local friends I spoke with personally are still without power.

Finally a post from someone who knows what they are talking about. Posters please read what Elaine is saying, she lives there and is not just guessing, she knows the facts. It's time to realize that your vacations are up in the air. Let's let the residents get their lives back together. You want to help, send money to the relief funds that are available. Let the vacations go. All this worry about your vacations. Think hard about what these people are going through!

Another voice of reason. Thank you, thank you!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

I agree 100 percent with you elaine.....good grief, they all need time to take care of the ones that are already there and get them the basic needs of life....

even if Jet Blue does start flying to SXM, what will be open? I would think 6 months would be optimistic time table for any kind of normalcy.

You have spoken wisely Elaine and I sincerely hope everyone heeds your advice. I went to the island in April 1996, 7 months after Hurricane Luis and it was still a big work in progress. I would suggest to those thinking of returning in early 2018 that perhaps they should reconsider. Support the island we all love from a distance and return only when we will be welcomed back as tourists. The people must be given the time to mend their lives and heal from this disaster!

SXM will unfortunately not be ready for tourists for an extended period of time. Looking at the damage that has occurred, the infrastructure must be rebuilt. Tourists would be in the way of reconstruction efforts. The demands for rebuilding materials will be great and will be competing with Texas, Florida, and the other islands hit by Irma. Remember all the materials as well as food and fuel must be brought in by ship (you can't drive a semi convoy to an island like in Texas or Florida). Our friends on SXM need to rebuild their lives and businesses before they are ready for tourists. I suggest that we all contribute to a recognized relief agency serving SXM an amount equal to what we would have spent on the island during any vacation we had planned there for the next 6 - 8 months. This would be a small repayment for the times we enjoyed on our favorite island. Remember it is the people of SXM who are important now. Let's give them a helping hand and a chance to rebuild.

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

No airport needed... beam me up!

Exactly!! Great post.

It is true no one should want to be in the way of the relief or reconstruction efforts for the islanders. They need to have their lives restored first and foremost.
But the reality is the economy is based on tourism, and without it people will suffer more.
And for us personally, we intend to be start spending our USD's there as soon as the time is right.
It does not need to be four star for us; two beach chairs with an umbrella along with alcohol and food with a comfortable room nearby and we are GTG.
Ideal can come later. Spending money there is a moral thing to do.