TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands SJU/Seaborne connection time

AA changed the departure time of our SJU/ORD flight so we now only have an hour from the time our Seabourne flight lands in SJU. I always like 2 hours to do this but wondering if we can do it. We have Global Entry and TSA Pre check and won't have any checked bags. Last year we left customs and had to go way out of our way to get to a security checkpoint. Anyone done this recently and can advise if we will make it? It's Monday but it's also Presidents Day. Our alternative is to rebook with connecting flights in Miami that get us home 5 hours later.

No one can give you any guarantees. We have Global Entry and TSA-Precheck (you do know that Pre-check is never guaranteed). We've made a 1 hour connection in SJU (coming back from the Caribbean) a few times and missed it a couple of times.

The point is 1 hour it is cutting it very close and if you encounter even a slight delay all bets are off. What happens the day you travel will depend on what Murphy's Law of Airports has in store for you. Murphy clearly states the shorter your connecting time the greater the chance your inbound flight will be delayed, you arrival gate will be "occupied", there will be multiple jumbo jets arriving in the immigration/customs hall the same time as you, the immigration computers will crash or your Global Entry will flag you for further review, you'll be singled out for a thorough customs inspection, the TSA lines will be extra long and the Pre-check line will be closed and the gate for your connecting flight will be at the farthest reaches of the terminal.

On the other hand, if you opt for the longer connection you'll be virtually assured , your inbound flight will arrive early, there will be virtually no lines and/or waiting at immigration, customs & TSA, your gate for your connecting flight will be right opposite the TSA checkpoint and your connecting flight will leave the gate 30 minutes late.

All I can tell you is if you stay with the 1 hour connection time expect the "best" - prepare for the "worst". Good luck!

Agree with Fletch that there is no guarantee. However, if both your flights are on the same ticket, what do you have to lose? If you miss the first flight, they will have to re-book you, and you stand a good chance of getting home at the same time as you would taking the later flight. We have had very good luck with AA customer service people in San Juan helping us to change flights and make connections.

Another trick is to go on line as if to book the later flight out of SJU and check available seats. If the later plane is only half full > "no problemo" on getting re-assigned, if need be. But, if the later flight(s) are near capacity > might want to think it through. You might not be the only one on Seabourne scrambling for that last seat on AA.

If your ticket is booked on American for both segments you can relax. If you miss connect the problem is on them. 1 hour will be fine in that case.
If on the other hand they are booked separately you could have a problem. If the seaborne flt is late and you miss the American flt they likely will not rebook you. They will however usually let you standby for a later flight as a courtesy.

Thanks. You all pretty much have said everything we were already thinking so thanks for the confirmation. I was hoping for some magic answer that just isn't there. We are booked on American for both flights but they are 2 separate tickets. I think we are still ok if we miss the flight and that AA will help us get on another flight, and like you said probably the one we would change to. Probably worth the gamble.

If your flights are on 2 separate tickets and you miss your connecting flight AA will consider you a "no-show". That could present some problems.

While there is a good possibility AA will try to accommodate you on the "next" flight they have no obligation in that regard. Since you have separate tickets it is YOUR responsibility to get to the airport/flight on time and you DO NOT have the same rights for a missed connection as you would if your trip was booked on one ticket. If booked on one ticket, the responsibility for the missed connection and getting you to your final destination becomes AA's. with separate tickets the RESPONSIBILITY to get the connecting flight is ALL YOURS.

You could be charged a hefty "change fee" or worst case scenario (if you purchased a non-refundable ticket) you could be asked to pay for a new ticket. So think it through carefully BEFORE deciding to "take the gamble".

Thanks for all the advice. We played it safe and changed to the connecting flights. If all goes well and we do make it through quickly we will try to standby on the direct flight. The stress wasn't worth it after a relaxing vacation.