BLU,

I say this lovingly...yes, you are spoiled. To catch a plane where I live, Corpus Christi...45 minutes and not a lot of flights, San Antonio...2 hrs, Houston...3.5 hrs, Dallas...6hrs. So, I had to laugh when you said driving 1.5 hrs. is too long. We're headed to St John on June 7. We got lucky with AA reward miles and we are flying out of Corpus Christi, but with connections in Dallas and San Juan. Oh well, they were free. I will post a trip report when we return.

I hear you Mountaineer Girl. I've sat on the tarmac in line for take off for a while but dont let it bother me. As far as I'm concerned, once I go through airport security I am on "island time". All I need is a good book and I'm all set.

Darlene, I totally missed your post on my first reply. You are are going to be in the VI at the same time. End of June is nice - still not too hot, in my experience. Yes, $550 seems to be a decent airfare now....shocks me.

Coco, USAir is only running non-stops on Sat and Sunday now. And, from what I can see, only ONE non-stop each day on those days (used to be two). Like you, I've never flow to STT and had to connect....after ALL these years of going...NEVER a connection. Now, this year, I'll be connecting in CLT. And, like you, I worry. PHL is notorious for late departures, so I worry that the connection will be missed 🙁

Ron, I know...LOL. I am thankful for the ease of getting to STT...even with the recent changes that are causing me the one connection in CLT. I know some folks who are going down on AA with FF miles and I can say that AA has MANY more FF options than USAir. I saw that AA's FF itineraries and cheaper ticket options force travelers to make 2 stops - MIA and SJU. The connections seem a little tight....but I've never heard of anyone missing one, so that's a good deal if you have miles for it. I also saw where AA was, in some cases, starting travel on one date and you had to overnight in MIA and then depart for SJU the next morning. Lots of options on AA...but much cheaper tickets than USAir.

Spirit is still the winner of the lowest fares from the PHL area (Atl City). If you come and go on the right days, the fare is as low as $149 each way. I was close to doing this one, but the return would have put me into Atl City at close to 11pm on a Sunday night and then a 1.25 hr drive to Philly. That was the only downside. Plus, my daughter is 2k miles away from the 30,000 mark on USAir, so it paid for me to spend a little more and get a free STT ticket out of the deal.

Hey Blu....if you ever want to drive just 1/2 hour to Wildwood, I have a really nice, clean condo in Angelsea/Wildwood that you could use if it helps.

We don't rent to anybody. it has 2 BR/2 BA and it's right on the water overlooking Stone Harbour.

If you run into a problem..or if you need it, let me know.

Connie

Connie,

That is really, really good to know! Thanks so much for passing that along. Souns like Spirit Air might also be a good option for you, given that you have a place nearby.

Very strange....

I booked travel for August on USAir out of Islip, Long Island, connecting to that one Saturday non-stop in Philadelphia and got a rate of $454 rt (taxes and fees included). If I were to go directly from Philly it would cost almost $100 more. You'd think because I'm actually taking two flights my flight would have been more expensive than just going from Philly, but it's cheaper. I've always enjoyed going out of Islip because it is 15 minutes away from home and has free parking. However, for the last several years fares have always been more than $800. I was so surprised to see it come in cheaper than AA out of JFK, which is running about $550. Of course I'm trading off a direct flight, but oh, how I love the convenience.

Gerie

Gerie,

Someone from the airlines needs to explain that ridiculousness....makes no sense to me.

It is good for you, however...so that's a consolation for the rest of us here 🙂

I was just cking out going from STT to Elmira, NY in July, always via Philly and got a $572 fare with US Air which is less than what I usually pay, BUT 4 planes up and 3 back. NO WAY! I should be able to do it in 2 legs and don't even get the option!!!!! Whats up with this?

Blu,
I missed your letter saying that the non-stops are only on the weekends! I will ck that out as I simply do not like flying! That makes alot of sense huh? Live in STT and the only way out is to fly! lol! I love it here, what can I say! I will also ck out Spirit, but I too, have US Air miles so have to try that first!

Connie & Blu:

We like Spirit......we've used them3 times to STT and have always been pleased with the service and equipment. The most we ever paid for a trip was $89. (each way) plus taxes & fees. So, if you're flexible, watch for their sales. It might be worth the 1.5 hour drive to PHL.

F.I.

I thought Spirit only flew out of Atlantic City not Philly? We too are headed to STJ on June 7. Ended up on American with 6 people at $482 tax incld, sadly with a stop in san juan but no plane change on the way down just one on the way back. Any advice from you seasoned travelers? Last time I was in San Juan was for an overnight on the way to a cruise and it was horrible.

WOW....I guess we got a pretty good deal....we're non stop outta Clt for 324 per person....June 16th - 25th.with United via Us Air, However the last time I checked it had gone up considerably

We also got $325 from Charlotte to STT on USAir booked through United (for November) but it was interesting in that on the same day I checked the flight on the USAir site and could have bought seats on the same flights for ~$800. I needed to check seating configuration and couldn't do that on the United website. This seemed so crazy but made me feel like I was getting a good deal :).

Mominlaw:

Spirit flys out of Atlantic City....not Philly. But it's only a 1.25 - 1.5 hour drive....so if the price is right it might be worth the drive. Even where we live at the Jersey Shore it's an hour drive to ACY or Newark. Spirit also runs some very good sales (if you're flexible on dates). But be aware you do connect in Fort Lauderdale.

F.I.

i booked for my trip to STJ at the end of april cause the prices kept creeping up! the route i'm taking is Dublin-London-Miami-STT-and finally ferry over to st. John!! (getting jetlagged just thinking about it!)

the price including taxes etc worked out at €780 or so which is equivalent to around $1050 i think. I thought this was a good enough price (tho i had hoped to get flights for nearer the €600 mark )