News of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

Airline Adventures

As Steve Allen said, you can't make this stuff up: Airlines to begin selling ads on boarding passes

How to avoid airline luggage fees

Angry about the airlines’ new bag fees? Here’s a way to use some of those frequent flyer points to save some cash ... if you’re the type who plans ahead.

You can use Marriott Rewards points to get your stuff from here to there ... maybe.  A company called The Luggage Club will pick it up ... from roll-on's to surfboards and deliver them as soon as next morning. A 70-pound suitcase, picked up in Washington and delivered to Boston, delivered in three days, will cost about $80.  The 'next day" price is $301.

But you can avoid paying the fees if you’re a member of Marriott Rewards.  “This is a service that we think will be extremely valuable to our members who spend many of their days navigating airports," an executive with the hotel chain said.  Marriott Rewards members can pay for Luggage Club services at the rate of 10 points per dollar.

The only glitch maybe that this service doesn’t work to the VI's.  An “instant quote” test order, to Cruz Bay, Zip Code 00830, returned no price chart, but there is a phone number for international rates, 877-231-5111.

Here's the Marriott announcement: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080623/nem092.html?.v=48

Small airline plans big VI service boost

Cape Air plans to increase its daily service between St. Thomas and San Juan by 71 percent, according to a report by the Virgin Islands Daily News. (Read it here.) 

The small airline’s vice president of planning said increasing the number of daily round-trips to a dozen is a move to capitalize on the flight cuts being made by other, larger, airlines serving the Territory.  Cape Air is based in Cape Cod and its primary business is serving New England vacation spots like Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.  But it’s being flying in the Caribbean for nine years between Puerto Rico, the VI’s and Tortola.

The airline flies small planes.  So small, you probably never get to 5,000 feet.  It is a wonderful ride!  I took a flight from San Juan to St. Thomas a few years ago, and the plane probably held no more than a dozen people.  It flies so low, you have an unbelievable view of the coral reefs, sparsely inhabited islands and cays, sailboats and yachts, and so much more.  It is a lot of fun.

Cape Air’s decision to add service is one good thing that’s coming out of the current squeeze on airlines, fuel, and wallets. Here’s another reason to applaud Cape Air’s expansion.  It already has a co-marketing agreement with Jet Blue, transferring passengers from its own planes to Jet Blue from new England to the mid-Atlantic.  Oh, wouldn't’t we like to see Jet Blue see Cape Air do even better in the VI’s, and decide to make its own foray into the marketplace.

Some relevant airline items

• American adds $20 fuel surcharge
• Jane Packer floral displays at Caneel?
• Best Coach Class Award to American Airlines

American agrees to exempt liquor boxes

The territory’s largest airline has reportedly said it will not count a duty-free box of liquor as a second piece of luggage, and therefore will not charge an extra fee for them.  St. John Source reported that the exemption from AA came after Delegate Donna Christensen wrote a letter to an American Airlines executive.  She said taxing liquor boxes as luggage would have a “disastrous impact on the tourism economy.”

It’s good to see AA make this move and even better to see that the Delegate made her move.  Executives pay attention when they receive requests from Members of Congress.  The island’s economy is fragile enough without the kind of blow to retail sales the baggage fee would have been.  And a downturn in sales of rum would doubly hurt, because the VI’s receive as much as $80 million a year in excise tax rebates from the US government.  So the liquor box exemption by AA is a triple-A good thing.

Airlines drop 2nd and 3rd shoes

Two more airlines servicing St. Thomas have announced cutbacks. 

Besides American Airlines, which announced its moves last week, now United and Continental will lay of employees, mothball old airplanes, and reduce flight schedules.

Bloomberg News reports:

• Continental Will Ground 67 Jets, Eliminate 3,000 Jobs
• United to Cut Fleet, Shut Low-Fare Unit, Person Says

VIs trying to replace AA flights

While American Airlines has announced staff layoffs and flight schedules affecting Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands Governor is trying to soften the blow.  The Associated Press reported, “talks have started with small regional carriers to expand service to the U.S. Virgin Islands.”  The report said the Gov. John deJongh hopes that new airlines might begin service to the territory or expand existing flight schedules to lessen the blow reduced tourism would deliver to the economy.

An e-mail worse than spam

Last week, I urged you to book airline tickets for fall 2008 and 2009.  I figured the American Airlines announcement of layoffs and service reductions can only mean trouble for VI-bound visitors.  The number of AA flights to Puerto Rico is being cut in half, and there are undoubtedly cutbacks coming for St. Thomas service.

That e-mail header above is proof the VI's will be hurt. 

Following my own advice, I booked for next February, last week.  Within 10 days, I got the e-mail saying my return trip would now get me home two hours later than originally planned.  The connection also will not be through San Juan, but rather Miami.

Frankly, I expect more schedule changes before we take off in seven months.

Book airline tickets now

The Wall Street Journal couldn’t make it any clearer. “Crisis” is the word the Journal uses in its front page story about the airline industry.

“By slashing flights ... American hopes to significantly push up what it can charge for every seat the airline continues to sell ...”

The Journal story goes on to explain that while the price of a barrel of oil in the futures markets may have crossed $135 Thursday morning, the airlines are paying 20% more than that.  Refiners are charging $30-$35 extra to turn that oil into jet fuel. 

So, if you’re headed to St. John within the next year (airlines only book about 330 days out), buy your ticket now in hopes of beating the fare increases you know are coming.

To help, here are some good Web sites for airline ticket shopping.

• Hotwire www.hotwire.com
• SkyAuction www.skyauction.com
• Kayak www.kayak.com
• Priceline www.Priceline.com
• Orbitz www.Orbitz.com
• Cheapoair www.Cheapoair.com
• Expedia www.Expedia.com
• Travelocity  www.Travelocity.com

THIS JUST IN ... American to charge for ALL baggage

Joe Brancatelli, the savviest business traveler I know, runs a great blog and has just reported ...

     "American Airlines has announced that it will begin charging $15 to check ANY bag on a domestic flight. That's for checking the FIRST bag, folks, not a second bag. American already charges $25 for a second bag.    
    "This is a NEW fee to charge ANY bag on a domestic flight.The fee is effective for domestic tickets purchased on or after June 15 and will hit most travelers. The exemptions: full fare coach, business and first-class customers and AAdvantage Gold, Platinum and Executive Platinum members. Flights to Canada and U.S. territories are also covered by the new fee. International flights will not have the $15 first-bag fee,

    "Frankly, I expect the other Big Six carriers to match American's move with lightning speed."

• Read more from Joe at joesentme.com
• American - one of the VI's main air links, also an announced it it slicing capacity by 12%, according to this story from Reuters: http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/080521/amr.html?.v=4

Getting the best air fare

Just came across a neat feature from Hotwire.com.  It’s called Tripwatcher.  Similar to other services, I’m sure.  I like it because when I tell it the dates I want to travel, it watches airfares and alerts me when prices change.  I think Expedia has a similar service, but it seems to be more complicated to get an update.  With Tripwatcher, I just click an alert e-mail to gather the latest data.

Another good service is Airfarewatchdog.com.  If you ENTER your departure airport, it will show you the best deals of the day from various cities around the US.  Maybe even St. Thomas, in which case you can jump on a deal.  'Course, you have to check it frequently.

Do you have another favorite fare watcher service?

American Airlines tops for VI's

This week's poll about the best airline to fly to the islands produced a lopsided victory. Among six airlines serving the Territory, American was the choice of 41%.  US Airways, Delta and Continental were distant competitors with less than 20% of the 300 votes. Spirit and (surprisingly - it's a major!) United were deep at the back of the pack.

Reading the comments, choices didn't seem about good service.  None said they'd had some.  Several told awful stories about being grounded 5-6 hours on a US Airways flight in Philadelphia or stranded overnight at the San Juan airport.

The bottom line advice: get a direct flight - tough to do if you don't live on the east coast.  "Because we live in northwest Arkansas, getting to St. John in less than three hops has been our biggest challenge," said Julsdd.  "Travel from Seattle is a journey," added Angie.  "We left on a Saturday night red-eye to Philly ... with a nonstop to STT ... and just barely made the 4 p.m. ferry on Sunday."

Pick the best airline

There are half a dozen ways to fly to St. Thomas from the mainland.  Prices can vary, and so can your experience.  Some airline trips are good, some you don’t want to remember.  If you were asked which is best airline to fly to the island, what would say?

Yapta: your new best online friend

About a month ago, I signed up with Yapta.com, a free service which watches airfares and alerts you when they change. 

Its main claim to fame is alerting you when the price of a plane ticket you've already bought drops enough that it makes sense for you to rebook the trip and get a refund, even though you'll have to pay a "change" fee.

So, I was watching Washington/Dulles to St. Thomas for next winter and Yapta e-mailed me when the fare dropped - to a price $100 less than I paid last winter.  I jumped on the deal. 

This weekend, just for grins, I checked Yapta to see where the price is now.  Whoa!  The graphic, at left, tells the story. The price more than doubled in less than a week.

If you haven't booked for next winter, but perhaps even more importantly, if you already have ... it's a good idea to put Yapta to work for you now.

Airline plans for more flights?

In Miami, Monday, the Governor spent time with executives of an airline now serving the territory.  "The closed-door meeting between (Gov. John deJongh Jr.) and the airline's principals ... center around the carrier's present level of service to the territory and the long-range plans for its continued presence in the Virgin Islands," a news release from Gov. deJongh's office said, according to the St. John Source.

The airline was not identified, but the Governor's office described it as major. American, Continental, Delta, Spirit, United and U.S. Airways currently have service from the mainland to the islands.  The news release said 533,000 passengers used those carriers' flights in 2006, down 10,000 from 2005.

Consultants suggest palm trees, music at airport

What could make a visit to St. John more pleasant?  Greeters in uniform at the St. Thomas airport and courteous taxi drivers who say a few words and don't cram 11 people in their vans would go a long way to improving tourism, according to two experts.

Judy Randall and Berkeley Young, US-based travel consultants, recently spent some leisure time on island and have been telling local business groups their impressions, according to the Virgin Islands Daily News.  "You are so rich in potential here with what you have in natural beauty and heritage and craft," Randall told the newspaper in an interview.  "Just listen to what the customers are saying."

Her recommendations:

• More greeters on hand at the airport to answer questions.
• Taxis should be clear about where they are going.
• A few words of greeting would make taxi rides more pleasant and increase drivers' tips.
• Street corner barkers in St. Thomas should wear uniforms and guide visitors to all shops on a street, not just the ones paying them.

Improvements like these, she said, would make visitors happier and likely to spend more money.

VI government offers airlines freebies

Fly to the islands, land free.  That's the offer being made by the V.I. Port Authority to airlines which begin new flights to the territory between Dec. 1 and March 31.  "It will give the airlines an opportunity to test the waters," a spokesman for the Authority told the St. John Source.  Both airports - on St. Thomas and St. Croix - are included.  It typically costs an airline $562 in fees to land a Boeing 767 in the VI's.  The spokesman said "We put the offer out to all the current  carriers and those that don't fly here."

Changes possible for airport taxis

The Virgin Islands Port Authority is on record endorsing an end to the exclusive taxi franchise for the V.I. Taxi Association at Cyril King airport.  Their decision was unanimous, citing a controlling regulation by the Federal Aviation Administration which prohibits such awards.  Darlin Brin, executive director of the Port Authority, told the Virgin Islands Daily News he would consider opening up for bid the rights to pick up passengers. The Taxi Association’s control of taxi services at the Airport has been contentious, and the subject of several lawsuits by tourism groups.

Get to the airport early

If you were traveling from Cyril King airport on St. Thomas with the Governor of the territory, get a head start.  He issued a statement in the wake of last wek's terror alert suggesting travlers give themlseves 2 1/2 hours to get through the increased security procedures.  The Governor issued a statement also asking travelers for "patience and cooperation".  New rules at the airport include no curbside parking, and that all liquor and perfume purchases be in checked luggage.  That's going to require some extra effort for lots of people, from visitors to merchants.  Sara Tieben of A.H. Riise said her company’s stores will be including more cardboard in packaging to protect the bottles in airplanes' cargo bays.

New air service from Detroit

Northwest Airlines will  begin a non-stop Saturday flight from Detroit to Str. Thomas January 6.  "The timing couldn't be better, said Pamela Richards, the Tourism Commissioner, according to the St. John Source.  "It's coupled with projections for another robust winter season."  Northwest's Web site, nwa.com, prices the flight at $414.50.  Other airlines flying to St. Thomas include American, USAir, United, Delta, and Spirit.

Airport AC troublesome

The waiting area at the King Airport has been unpleasant, off and on during the past week.  The air conditioning has failed intermittently, despite repair efforts by service people from Puerto Rico. 

"This is an ongoing situation that happens quite often" said Bob DeLugo, the station manager for Delta Airlines. "It's something we've brought the attention of the Port Authority many times," he told the Virgin Islands Daily News.

Airport baggage is a mess

Half the baggage conveyor belts at St. Thomas's King Airport have been inoperative since late January.  That means only one is working.  That also means there has been near-chaos on busy Saturdays during the season, when various airlines, simultaneously, have just landed flights and are trying to off load suitcases and people.  On those days, as many as 9 flights arrive within an hour of each other. 

Desperate passengers have been seen climbing through openings above the belt to the other side to try to offload their own bags from the airline's carts, according to the Virgin Islands Daily News.  "It has passengers literally climbing all over each other and employees getting verbally assaulted, said Joanne Bohr, manager of cargo, ramp and passenger services, for Worldwide Flight Services.

We got here

Landed Monday afternoon, 5 minutes late, via Spirit's all-new-looking, spiffy A-321 from Fort Lauderdale.   

84 degrees and clear :)

Leftovers from the northeast snow storm were slowing operations down a bit in Florida - LaGuardia in an air traffic control hold until 1pm, for instance - but Spirit handled us fine.

I gotta tell you, the operating people on Spirit - attendants, ticket agents, baggage handlers, pilots - were fine. They were victims, too, of the screwy events of Saturday.

But ... the plane coming down from DC was an MD80-series aircraft. The same as we had Saturday, the equipment that the co-captain said wasn't suitable for us.

Was there more baggage on board Saturday? Did the slight mist from the incoming storm change the flight rules for balancing of the airplane or runway requirements?

I don't know. One day the MD80's no good, two days later, it's OK. Any pilots out there?

Spirit's numbers didn't add up

We were supposed to be arriving on island Saturday.  But a miscalculation of the number of people our Spirit Airlines plane could accommodate began tumbling dominoes that resulted in our being grounded, just as a 10-12” snow storm hit Washington, DC.

Two hours after we were supposed to take off for Fort Lauderdale, the airline bumped 25 passengers from the flight, including two guys who said they would miss their cruise sailing.They even offered $400 if two other people would agree  take their place in  getting bumped.  No takers.

After Spirit had unloaded all the baggage of the bump-ees, then the airplane intercom system failed.  Security regulations require it be in order.  The airline saw that there was no way they could find us all hotel rooms in Fort Lauderdale, since all of us with connecting flights (us, to St. Thomas) were going to miss them.  They told us to leave the plane, offered us a refund or re-booking a day or two later.

The airline had a couple of standout staffers in the mess. Carlos, one of the pilots, was helpful, and embarrassed as he could be. It was he who explained that someone in charge of scheduling airplanes had made a big mistake by assigning an MD-80(81-82-83)-size plane to our flight instead of an Airbus 319.  The former cannot handle the number of passengers and baggage and still meet the operating safety requirements of Washington's National Airport.

At the ticket counter, after we got off the plane, the customer supervisor on duty, Curtis, could not have been more helpful - or embarrassed, too.  He helped us and gave us his card and invited us to call 24/7 if there were more problems.  There were.  And we did.  Curtis is a keeper.

But whom ever couldn't do the math in Logistics or Facilities, or whatever department, ought to be fired.

The snowstorm that it the Capitol canceled our flight Sunday.  We’ll try again Monday.

Why Pet owners pay more

If you bring your dog or cat to St. John, be prepared to pay up to $120 to get from the airport to Red Hook.   The main reason for the high price is a $90 fee for an "exclusive taxi" plus kennel fees to make up for luggage the drivers miss by carrying fewer people.

The president of the V.I. Taxi Association said there is no policy requiring pet owners to travel alone with their pets. "People can talk with the driver and try to work out something," he told the Virgin Islands Daily News.  But taxi drivers and dispatchers told the newspaper requiring exclusive taxis is not negotiable because other passengers might be allergic to animals.   

Andrew Rutnik, Licensing and Consumer Affairs Commissioner, told the paper he brought complaints about the policy/non-policy to the taxi group several weeks ago.  He was told the association does have an exclusive taxi policy.  "They felt their insurance policy would be jeopardized if someone had an allergic reaction," Rutnik told the Daily News. "I asked if it was a little dog under someone's arm, was it OK?, and they said no."

Remote parking at airport

The executive director of the Port Authority wants to move rental cars at the St. Thomas airport from right in front of the terminal to land further away.   The current rental lots would then be open for public parking, according to the Virgin Islands Daily News.  "I can see the lot from my office," Darlan Brin explained.  "I've been observing people who are coming to pick up people who can't find a parking place.  The circle around or double-park." 

Spokespeople for the airport's three rental companies had few comments. The local manager of Budget Rent a Car said, "Some port authorities pay for running a shuttle bus, but we haven't sat down with them, so I cannot say where it's positive or negative."

Caribbean air fare sale

Spirit Airlines is offering great air fares to St. Thomas.  But you have to act fast.  "Warm Up Winter Sale" fares end Monday night. 

Flights from Atlanta to STT, $99 one way; New York Laguardia, $179, and Washington National, $129. Details here.

VIs get Spirit

Spirit Airlines has landed. The low-cost airline began offering nonstop service from Fort Lauderdale to St. Thomas last week, funneling island-bound passengers from its other airports including Washington/Reagen and New York/LaGuardia.

One-way coach seats start at $99.

The first plane was met by government officials, and a mocko jumbie on stilts. Spirit operates Airbus 319 equipment, two classes of service, all leather seats. The new flights are scheduled to arrive daily at King Airport at 2:35pm and depart at 3:35pm, according to the Virgin Islands Daily News.

Spirit cuts air fares to Virgin Islands

On the heels of adding service to St. Thomas, Spirit Airlines has kicked off a wintertime sale which includes the Caribbean.

Advertised prices include Washington National to STT for $159 each way. (I tried but couldn't find it ... probably you have to fly Tuesday night and come back the following Thursday Monday at midnight or something).  Similar deals from Atlanta, Chicago, Providence, and others. I'm sure if you hunt and are flexible, you can save a bunch.

Sale fares must be booked on spiritair.com by 11:59PM ET on October 9, 2005!  Travel dates for this sale are Monday through Thursday between October 11, 2005 and March 31, 2006.

Darn, it's San Juan

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2005/09/26/daily31.html

Dare we hope for new VI flights?

Independence Air, a low-fare airline, is making some adjustments to its flight plan and is reportedly considering adding service to an unnamed Caribbean destination.   

The company’s CEO, Kerry Skeen, said the current business strategy for the Washington, DC-based company is to increase total Airbus departures by serving more East Coast destinations and fewer cities in the West. “The Airbus jets used on the West Coast routes will be redeployed on flights to Chicago O'Hare, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville and to a city in the Caribbean that will be announced this week,” the Washington Post reported. The Web. site is http://www.flyi.com

New air service to VIs

United Airlines has added mid-week direct flights from Washington and Chicago to St. Thomas, while Spirit Airlines plans new service from Fort Lauderdale.  United's flights include new Tuesday and Thursday service direct from Dulles International airport in the nation's capitol.  Spirit Airlines will fly a daily Fort Lauderdale non-stop to St. Thomas.  Spirit operates flights from 11 cities, including Atlanta, Chicago and Providence.

American cuts fares to St T

Buy your ticket by midnight next Tuesday (March 2), and American Airlines will fly you for a cheaper fare than usual. Sample ticket prices, good for travel Monday through Thursday: Boston-St.T., $339 and San Francisco to St Thomas, $437.  The round trip fares are available on the airline's Web site, AA.com.

Jet Blue hears VI supporters

The effort begun by Mark and Nanci Shekleton to encourage people to send e-mail to Jet Blue urging them to begin service to St. Thomas has had some impact.  One the readers of NewsofStJohn said he got a cordial, if uncommitted reply.  "we appreciate your interest in St. Thomas,  USVI as a future JetBlue destination," the message to Franco Fellah read. "As a growing airline, JetBlue is continuously evaluating  new cities to serve."  Another reader commented on the item, saying that he sees Jet Blue flying NY to San Juan for less than $100. "If Jet Blue offers fares for under $200 to STT, I can come down four more times a year," he said. That, "would be quite a boost to the economy." Contact Jet Blue at http://www.jetblue.com/speakup/questions.asp

Jet Blue, fly on down!

An island couple is doing their part to encourage Jet Blue to begin service to the islands.  The low-cost/high-service airline announced plans last year to acquire more planes and increase service to the Caribbean, but didn't get specific.  Now, Mark and Nanci Shekleton are suggesting an e-mail campaign to persuade the airline to put St. Thomas on its route map.  "We've blitzed them with e-mails the past week. although it's a long shot," conceded Nanci who, with her husband, own Sea View Vacation Homes, a villa management agency.  Contact the airline at http://www.jetblue.com/speakup/questions.asp.

(This story's getting comments.  Add yours, and we'll send 'em all to Jet Blue.)

Islands frozen out of airline fare cuts

Last week's price cuts by Delta Airlines apparently won't benefit Virgin Islands residents or vacationers.  The new pricing, matched quickly by  American and U.S. Airways on competitive routes, applys only to flights in the 48 states.  A spokesman for Delta Airlines told the Virgin islands Daily News there are no plans to expanding its new price program to the VIs. Both American and U.S. Airways are already offering some limited price reductions to the Virgin Islands. 

Virgin Voice lands at airport

The five-year-old free monthly VI "Virgin Voice" has won a deal to be distributed at the Cruzan Rum tourist welcome booth at the St. Thomas Airport.  The publication regularly includes feature stories about St. John.  The Web site is VirginVoices.com.

AA - do it yourself and save

American Airlines has introduced a new feature on its Web site which, business being business, could be copied by competitors.  Go to AA.com and shop for the best fare to St. Thomas, and if you're flexible - you can see what's the best price on fares a month out.  With a click, you can also search for cheaper fares at nearby airports. Online travel services Expedia and Orbitz also offer the flexible search within-a-month feature, too. Details on American's new features.

US Airways slashes (some) prices

Sept. 19 -- US Airways announced at about Noon Tuesday it is offering special sale fares throughout its system for two days only. Roundtrip prices start as low as $179 for Caribbean travel - but it may not include OUR Caribbean. An initial search of fares found no discount to St. Thomas midweek from LaGuardia or Washington National - tickets about $450. (I did find a deal for about $200 from Nashville!) Special fare offerings are for Monday-Thursday, and travel must be completed by Dec. 16. Purchase tickets no later than Wednesday.

ATA, US Air add direct flights

During the fall season, there will be almost 50 direct flights to St. Thomas from the mainland. The newest scheduled routes are a second nonstop Saturday flight from Charlotte, N.C. by US Air and the first nonstop Saturday service from Indianapolis by ATA. "We look forward to one of the best fall/winter seasons in recent history," said Pamela Richards, USVI Tourism Commissioner. "With increased airlift to St. Thomas and the Territory’s new 'Fall Into America’s Caribbean' seasonal promotion, the outlook for the fall and winter travel seasons is good," she added."