TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Departing BVI via Cape Air

Sorry for duplicate questions but travel plans for 2 of our crew leaving tomorrow are in flux. We were going to our them on a shared water taxi (Dolphin) but that’s scuttled. (This is the 2nd set of kids leaving). Thought we’d try the public ferry bec that worked yesterday for the other 2 kids. Ferry tickets are sold out for tomorrow. Ugh!
Just booked them 2 tickets on Cape Air for tomorrow

Question: is the Covid departure procedure the same if you’re flying as it is if you’re departing by ferry? Negative Covid test taken today, upload to USVI travel portal with vax card.

Thank you!

Ps: I’m sorry for not searching for this - I’m doing all this on my iPhone. Ugh!!

God love you my dear !
Mama bear will make it work and it will all be a funny memory when you are all back home eventually looking at the beautiful pictures .
Cape Air to the rescue

CottageGirl - Slightly different process for leaving by air from BVI, if memory serves. Neg test required...they'll ask for this when you check in at the airport. I think we may have also been asked for proof of vax.

When you arrive in PR you'll need to collect your bags and go thru customs. On your way upstairs to the departure level you will be asked for the PR QR code, but tell them you are just connecting and won't be leaving the airport....show your tickets or boarding pass. Then you have to the USDA? bag scanning area and they'll put an inspection sticker on all your bags (carry on and checked). Once you've got that done you can proceed to the airline check-in counter to recheck your bags. Then thru airport security to your gate.

CottageGirl, what you said above is all correct regarding testing and the USVI portal.

Husker- are you referring to PR as Puerto Rico?
Kids are flying Cape Air to St Thomas and then Delta out of st Thomas.

Whoops, I assumed your kids were flying thru Puerto Rico. Sorry about that.

Test for the US needs to be the day before.

Thanks all! Kids got their negative Covid result and are just waiting on their green QR codes now.

The adventures of traveling! Our kids, even though adults, rely on us. And in this case, our TTOL family shares knowledge which is acquired through experience as often the government sites are confusing.

We’ll the two kids leaving today got off just fine. Cape air was on time & they made their connections in STT.
Time for this mama to relax a bit :-)

How will you keep them down on the farm, now that they've seen Paris! That's a very nice flight. Will be interested to hear how they compare it to taxi, ferry, taxi.

Husker, can I jump on...is the process the same for EIS>STT>Stateside? I thought I read that CapeAir had complementary check all the way thru to the states on partner airlines (if you are on 1 ticket)...but I want to make sure of it.

STT was a madhouse last Saturday. And I'd love to get off the EIS plane, show my card, and go right to the Global Entry line (and yes, I have my card!)

Thanks!

Techie - That's a good question and I can't answer. I have never flown from EIS to STT. Hard to imagine they wouldn't make recheck and you haul your bags thru customs at STT. However, the Global Entry line does make the process much quicker.

STT is your first port of entry into the US. You will need to clear customs with your bags.

Thanks @MIDiver

Do they have a carousel for connecting destinations...or do I have to stand in the gawdawful line that I saw stretching around the airport?

Tx

Techie - I think you can skip the customs line with Global Entry. I've heard, and seen, people hire a porter to get them thru that line quicker.

My experience from other global destinations is that GE is for immigration, but one still has to pick up their bag and clear customs. Question is whether or not STT has an airside connection so that I don't have to exit the secure area.

Or, if I at least I can clear customs, drop my bag airside (for continuing flight) so that I don't have to stand in line to check bags.

Redcoats are basically fastpasses, IIRC, and if one has Global Entry, you don't need to redcoats. But I'm open to all suggestions.

It's just frustrating that this airport is so hard to navigate, but SJU is, at least to me, MUCH easier.

If there is an "airside" at STT, I'm not aware of it.

Last time we flew EIS to STT (Island Birds Private) we cleared in in a separate area with our bags. We then took bags to Delta to check in. I think you will likely need to take them to check in yourself - it was bare bones in the “international arrival” area.

No carousel. Get a Red Cap porter.

The Red Cap porters are turning down passengers unless you have a lot of checked bags if busy. The Whole porter thing is a scam.

I'm quite sure nobody is turning down a few $20 bills presented correctly. They aren't there for their health.

All airports have 2 sections:

1. Landside area, defined as pre-security, typically where the airline counter are situated
2. Airside = inside security, where the gates are

So MI, I think what you are saying is that I have to reclaim baggage and exit the secure area of the airport...then go to the counter to check bags then reclear security. That suxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

Jason, I have Global Entry and am a Delta Platinum, so I shouldn't need a porter.

Anyone know if DL has a Medallion lane at the STT counter? Normally I don't check bags so it's a rare one for me.

I am Delta Platinum, million Miler (a few times), and have Global entry. The Delta people in STT don't care. If there's a line to drop a bag, you will wait. A porter helps skip that and will also walk past the line of people on the "landside" area waiting to get into the Customs area. I usually watch the traffic flow for a few minutes and decide if I think I need help

Delta actually has their own customs line now. Not sure how they worked that but I guess it’s not any different than the porters using the global entry line. If you have global entry you are in line with the porters. They don’t like global entry people using the global entry line and were aggressively challenging those in the line not using a porter to produce a global entry card. Not sure when that became a porter responsibility.

Techie - Arrivals at STT do not de-plane into the "air side" of the terminal. STT is a small airport. You de-plane directly to the tarmac and walk around the exterior of the air-side terminal and into the baggage / main terminal area. Last time we went through it there was no line at the bag drop....but, that was on a Thursday. Weekends are the big travel days.

Our experience two weeks ago with Delta. Husband is Diamond medallion. No issues at the ticket counter to check in using the priority line.
The customs lines are another thing.
Delta will tell you they have their own line - line #4. Lines #3 and #4 feed through the double doors single file which makes the Delta line pretty useless. We jumped out of the Delta line and into the line for non-passport holders - just drivers' licenses - even though we had our passports. We beat the people who were just in front of us in the original Delta line.
The global entry line was really short - but specifically states you need to have your physical card (I had my global entry card, but husband didn't bring his card with him)

Use your passport or drivers' license or global entry card and pick the shortest line.

FWIW - As for the red caps - our kids went through a few days before us and tried to use one. They were told the service was only for those checking bags.

When we fly EIS to STT on Island Birds (small equipment like Cape Air) we deplane and take our luggage to the International customs area. We were required to handle our own luggage - not certain what Cape does. Once you and your luggage are cleared you are released into the outside main airline check in area.

Like Jason I have significant status with Delta. We have used porters in the past with a larger group of travelers but when it is just my husband and I the Delta line works well. If you do expect to use Global Entry make sure you have the actual card. No go without it.

Thanks all. Due to my travels (and a dose of reminders from this forum) I do have my GE card....so now I know what to expect and where to go. Much appreciated