San Juan or Miami Aiport?

mrsb · Post by **mrsb** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 6:55 pm

I won't be booking our air tickets for a little while yet. We will be flying American. On our last two trips to STT/STJ we were detremined to avoid San Juan airport because of all the negative comments from several different sources including my friend and her husband who is Puerto Rican. Still, both years we were delayed by hours on our connecting flights, once in Charlotte for 2 hours and then last year in Miami for 8 hours. So, my question is just how bad is San Juan with losing luggage? Should I continue to avoid this airport and hope for no delays this time in Miami? I always buy trip insurance but I still would not want to have my luggage lost.

mbw1024 · Post by **mbw1024** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 7:40 pm

have never gone through Miami but flew out of San Juan once and vowed to never do it again!

nascarfan59 · Post by **nascarfan59** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 7:51 pm

Miami, the lesser of two evils

canucknyc · Post by **canucknyc** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 7:55 pm

I flew through Miami once. There were mice in the terminal. They kept venturing over to us... we were eating cheese pizza. And yes, this is a true story! Other than that, no issues. Then again, we had no issues with San Juan either.

Jumbiegirl · Post by **Jumbiegirl** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 8:48 pm

The good thing about San Juan airport is that there are more flights to St Thomas per day than Miami. So if you have flight trouble you have more opportunities to get on another flight to STT. Miami is a much more pleasant airport, though.

Jerseyboy · Post by **Jerseyboy** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:28 pm

Jumbiegirl wrote:The good thing about San Juan airport is that there are more flights to St Thomas per day than Miami. So if you have flight trouble you have more opportunities to get on another flight to STT. Miami is a much more pleasant airport, though.

Absolutely agree with Jumbiegirl. We used to fly AA to STT via San Juan before a direct Continental flight was available. One time I recall sitting on the plane and seeing our luggage still on the tarmac as we took off for STT.

We had to wait for the next flight from SJU to arrive in STT get our luggage. Don't know about Miami but from SJU it was always a loud prop on American Eagle.

nothintolose · Post by **nothintolose** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:56 pm

Okay - now ya'll are freaking me out.

I HATE to fly but do it because I LOVE to travel. I just take drugs to do it

We are flying from San Juan to Miami and back to New Orleans on the return leg of our flight. On the way there we are just flying from New Orleans to Miami then to STT.

On all previous trips except one, we have flown through Miami and have never had a single problem (watch me have just put the bad gris gris on myself).

Last trip, a hurricane was headed towards Miami so my SO decided we would fly from New Orleans to Dallas then on to San Juan then to STT. The flight from San Juan to STT was delayed, but I can't remember how long. It was not obvious to us that our plane was boarding either. We almost missed the shuttle to the plane because we never heard them call for it, and we were sitting right there. It had been a long day and we were just glad to end our trip and happy to be almost on STJ so we didn't stress about it and probably didn't think about it anymore after the we got to STT.

We are gonna be spending a night (and most of a day) on San Juan the last night of our vacation. I hope we don't miss the flight back to the US but things could always be worse.

I hope some of you can put my mind at ease that we didn't make the wrong decision. I would like to have my luggage when we get home too.

nothintolose

CShell1019 · Post by **CShell1019** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 11:22 pm

Much prefer San Juan - sometimes the departing/connecting times are more convenient but when I stop and think carefully I can count quite a few times that I've gone thru San Juan with an unexpected overnite or the bags following the next day (what about the rule that pax can't fly without their luggage but then why isn't it on the plane when we land?) but I cannot count one time going thru MIA that it was an easy comfortable switch whether coming/going from the Caribb or the Turks and Caicos with an unexpected overnite or long delay. I do most anything to avoid that zoo - and there is no better word for it! It has to attract the rudist (most rude?) staff and travelers (with the exception of anyone here, of course!).

Besides, I always enjoyed it when the SJU carryon was the roosters ... seriously, but haven't seen that for awhile. We used to travel on a late Friday nite out of NYC and people were going for the weekend's "chicken fights" and had their birds in cages!

lpowmacback · Post by **lpowmacback** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 6:53 am

Jerseyboy... Continental NO LONGER HAS DIRECT FLIGHTS TO STT!

We had reservations to STT out of Newark with them for quite a while, I'd just arranged for the limo company for our pickups - and an hour later, Continental called to tell me that they no longer offered direct flights and now we have to go to and from San Juan... I don't mind San Juan - it's just now we have a longer travel days.

Noreen · Post by **Noreen** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:04 am

I just priced a direct flight from EWR to STT yesterday. This was Sat. - Sat. Was it a different day of the week, Lisa?

lpowmacback · Post by **lpowmacback** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:06 am

Ahhhhh, maybe so Noreen

- we are going on a Tuesday.

ENJOY!

Noreen · Post by **Noreen** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:09 am

We've gone through San Juan before, too. I'm sure you'll have no problem, Lisa. Have a great trip. If it's as cold down by you as it is here, you're sure going to appreciate the island!

canucknyc · Post by **canucknyc** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:31 am

lpowmacback wrote:Continental called to tell me that they no longer offered direct flights and now we have to go to and from San Juan

Ipowmacback,
Continental actually called you?! Lucky

. I only happened to find our direct flight had been cancelled because I was online checking flights for someone else. Turned out Continental had put us on a flight the next day! And didn't call us. No big deal, right? We're just going to St John to get married..... Argh. Since then Continental has changed our flights 3 times. We now check our reservation online pretty much every day - and we don't go until May!

Sorry, folks. Had to vent.

Jerseyboy · Post by **Jerseyboy** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:35 am

lpowmacback wrote:Ahhhhh, maybe so Noreen - we are going on a Tuesday.

You scared me there for a minute. We always fly Sat-Sat direct from EWR with Continental. Mary Beth didn't know about the direct flights on Saturday's either.

lpowmacback · Post by **lpowmacback** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:41 am

canucknyc. I had filled out an online alert form a long time ago with Continental - so they call me with delays, changes, etc. HOWEVER, with any flight change, they should contact you regardless of some form you may or may not have filled out- they have your phone number & all contact information at their disposal! Shame on them!!!

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