I don't know what you mean by "primitive," but it's a typical Caribbean international airport, meaning it's much smaller than a stateside airport but has most of the basic amenities you would expect from an airport. You deplane by stairs (no jet bridges), and a lot of the airport is open-air. It is not a long walk from the plane to the taxi. The airport in St. Thomas is very crowded during the afternoon as well.

They break up the walk by offering you a free rum punch on your way to baggage claim!

We were never offered punch! 😉

The airport is small enough so that nothing is too far away from anything. It's pretty convenient in that sense. 🙂 Have a great trip!

Just as you exit from deplaning and going into the "main" terminal area, there is a stand with free rum punch but it is only staffed during peak arrival times so if you arrive after approx 5pm (evening flights on AA from PR for example) it will be closed 🙁

The rum punch may be free, but they also demand a tip. When I approached the stand, they were actually pretty rude about it. I said "Good Afternoon" first , before I even reached for one. All I got was a one word response..."TIP"...said in an unnecessarily loud voice.

WW

It is always a good idea to down lots of rum punches before
your jammed packed into the waiting taxi van! 🙂

You should be so happy to be travelling to the Virgin Islands, that you would gladly offer a TIP for a free drink! Doesn't seem that hard a courtesey to offer for the hospitality.

I've stood waiting for an arriving friend on several occasions, right next to this stand, and I NEVER heard any of them grumble or even voice the word TIP. I did suggest they include the word FREE when offering the drink, so folks really knew that part.

I also noticed that most arriving passengers pass on by without accepting the free drink.........somehow feeling there must be a catch somewhere! It's a refreshing FREE way to start your island adventure..........go for it!!!!! And drop a tip in the bucket along with a smile and a thank you.

Island Paul-so true.

And just for the sake of nostalgia, I really do miss that primitive airport. An old WW2 hangar, goat-dem wandering. Now it's just yet another mass-produced and regulated airport terminal. How things change!

But Ashley's is still there on the perimeter of the airport and on the left as you make the right to enter the airport parking lot.

The BEST local food and I crave the conch paté!!!

wooga2: I have never heard them ask for tips, either. I thought that they work for either Cruzan or Tourism. Hmm, I'll bet someone will get to the bottom of this.

There's a gift shop which was useful for last minute inexpensive souvenirs. I got some cute Caribbean-themed tableware--made in China!

I just got back from St.Thomas tonight (spent the last week there).

the airport there absolutely sucks.

check in is outside... where it's about 2 million degrees and the lines are 50-60 people deep and maybe 1 ticket agent working at island pace.

then you get to walk out on the tarmac and up the roll up stairs to get on the plane. which is another long wait in the heat.

so yeah.. prim for sure.

however, coming in isn't too bad, short walk to baggage claim and the cabs are right outside.

Wow...that was a bit harsh. It's an islands airport. My first time there, it was exactly as expected. I "know better" this time not to fret about the interminable wait for the bags to arrive.

The lunch counter is an adventure down Customer Service and Gastronomy Lane. I suggest it. 😉

"I got some cute Caribbean-themed tableware--made in China!"

Ha!! 😀

I had totally a different experience than DC did. My check in at the outside counter (Delta) took about 5 minutes, and then I went inside to go thru customs, which took another maybe 10 minutes. Mind you, this was at 12:30 in the afternoon for a flight leaving at 2:30 p.m., which is supposed to be the busiest time of the day. The airport waiting/gate areas were basic but comfortable enough, with the nice gift shop everyone has mentioned, and an outlet to plug in my laptop to play with my vacation photos. I was happy I'd brought a sandwich from St. John, though, as the food in the adjacent snack bar looked scary. When it was time to board my flight, I simply walked out the door and up the stairs onto the plane. Exactly the same as when I board a plane out of Burbank, CA. It was a completely easy and painless process, and a whole lot better than some crowded mainland airports that I've experienced.

The worst thing about arriving in St. Thomas is the cab ride to your final destination. Most cabs are 12 passenger vans and the driver likes to wait till he has a full load. Then he'll hit a half dozen or so hotels dropping off his fares till you get to yours. Be patient and enjoy the ride or make arrangements to rent a car or have a private pick-up

Just know they will charge you $90 for a private pick up.

dc,
You sure you were on the islands for a week? I've never seen anyone who had been here a whole week as wired and uptight as you seem to be. You need to work on relaxing or you're going to pop.

Ric

I think dc is P#$%^ Off because he had to leave. How could he complain about the heat while in the line outside if he had been on STT for a week? At least it was shaded.

HOW DO I GO ABOUT GETTING A PRIVATE PICKUP TO TAKE ME TO MY HOTEL?