TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin About checking bags early

Based on our experience, I would not even think about it now. We did not even consider it, but after going thru the process I would not consider it as a possibility currently.

If I remember correctly here is the process.

Pull into the departure area. You go into that area from the round a bout, instead of turning into the parking lot you turn left. Where the rental car shuttles would stage. That is the drop off area for departure -- no parking, just drop off. The parking lot is open as it was before.

You go into the first tent area to tables. The table has the name of the airline (removable name tags for the airline, approx. 4 tables). There you give them your passport and they check your name off on their passenger manifest. (They actually mark you name off with a pencil). Then they give you a plastic cc size entry pass. You still have your luggage at that point in time.

You go to the next tent area, where you hand that plastic pass to security and go to the weight station with your luggage. Two weight stations there. They weight your luggage, put a sticky type tag on it with the weight of the luggage.

Then you proceed to the next tent area where the airline counters are located. Check in there were they take your checked baggage and issue the boarding pass. Thinking maybe 6 to 8 counters there, again with removable airline signs.

Once completed then you go thru security into the departure hall. A total of seven gates. Depending on where your plane is parked you either walk to the plane or take a bus. Ours was the only big plane still there so we walked to the plane.

So as you can see from the procedure, I do not see how you can drop off bags early and return -- thinking it could and would create an issue that you would not want to even deal with.

I check my bags early and it was not a problem. After checking in and receiving my boarding left the airport. I ate lunch and returned car to Affordably Rent a Car. Was dropped off at airport, and re-enter tent area when you show security your boarding pass, bypassed suitcase weighing station and then just went straight to security.

Ok, seemed like it would be a problem. We were not there long anyway so it did not make any difference.

I talked with a few people outside in the tent area that had already checked their bgs and wanted to sit out in the fresh air rather than proceeding to the departure area. Was told by security we could do the same but we elected to proceed through to departures.

OK, thanks. Unless a person is a smoker, not sure I would do that and stay there in that area. I can see doing it if you're going to leave and come back. There is no smoking lounge at the moment, like before.

So my question is where are your bags after you check in & then depart the airport? They aren't on the plane yet & I didn't see where they were corralled in a secure location? We stayed with ours to be sure they would be on our plane with us. But that's just us, no stress on my way home. Glad it worked for you.

That I don't know. We left the bag there at the ticket counter and just walked away. I didn't even think about it. We never have anything of any value in a checked bag anyway. I would have to assume, for TSA purposes, that the bags would have to be kept in a secure location, once they are checked. ...although I can't imagine SXM security is that tight regardless..

I can assure you that checked bags at any airport are never in a secure location. :-(

Yep. Only as secure as the luggage handlers are vetted. And not even then.

Huh, OK, shows you what I know!