Flying Delta Airlines Out of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

April 26th, 2010 was sort of a bittersweet day for my husband Bill and me. We had just enjoyed ten glorious days in the Caribbean, half of which were spent on a luxury mega yacht cruise. Though we were ready to go home to the continental United States, it was sad to leave the tropical paradise that is the U.S. Virgin Islands, which was where our cruise had ended. We spent one night in Saint Thomas, then headed to the airport for an afternoon flight back to Atlanta, Georgia. Our flight on Delta was scheduled to depart at 2:50pm. We were fortunate enough to be ending our journey in Atlanta.

I recently opened a SkyMiles account with Delta, mainly because my husband travels a lot for business and we like to take leisure trips whenever we can. Being a member of SkyMiles allows me to board in the same group as my husband does. My husband flies Delta fairly often, so he's getting close to having gold status. Generally, we've been pleased enough with Delta; it's not so bad for an American carrier.

Our taxi dropped us off near the Delta check in area at the Cyril E. King Airport in Saint Thomas. Bill went to the check in kiosk and used it to check us in. But then there was some confusion about where we needed to drop our bags. Bill got in line to speak to a Delta representative. There were several Delta employees standing behind the counter, but apparently the counter wasn't open. Just when a lady cut in front of us to talk to one of the Delta officials, I missed a call on my cell phone. The phone rang again; lo and behold, it was a Delta airlines recording calling to let me know that our flight had been delayed until 4:30pm.

Bill spoke to an Delta official, who confirmed that the flight had been delayed, then told us where customs was. Apparently, though the U.S. Virgin Islands is a United States territory, it's considered an international flight. I started thinking wistfully about the nice cool swimming pool we'd left behind so we'd be at the airport nice and early. Now that we were delayed, I'd be missing that pool even more.

A long line...

There were many people in line, waiting to go through customs and check their bags. Once again, Bill and I watched in dismay as people blatantly cut in line. The customs officials were very efficient; we'd seen several of them the day before on our cruise ship.

Once we passed customs, we had to stand in line again to deposit our bags and get through security. This part of our experience was a real mess. There was one man working two x-ray scanners for the luggage. He didn't appear to enjoy his job, but I could hardly blame him for that. The collective mood in the airport was tense and irritated.

Several groups of passengers asked the security officials if they could cut in line because they had flights that were about to leave. The security officials told them they'd have to ask those they would be cutting in front of if that would be okay. Fortunately for them, most folks seemed to be benevolent, probably because they'd been courteous enough to ask if cutting was okay rather than just blatantly doing it.

At the gate...

Getting through security took some time, though we seemed to be arriving at the airport before the real crowds hit. The terminal has one restaurant/bar, a couple of gift shops, and several duty free jewelry counters. Aside from that, there's a sea of seats where people can sit and wait. When we first arrived, there were plenty of seats, but within the hour, they would all fill up.

Bill and I decided to have some lunch. The restaurant/bar was very crowded with people, so I snagged us a table while Bill bought some food and beer. The sandwiches we had at the restaurant were okay, though they were quite overpriced.

We made our way over to the Delta counter, where the sign for our flight had been updated to show that our 2:50pm flight that had been pushed back to 4:30pm was now delayed until 5:17pm. Meanwhile, the 4:00pm flight out of Saint Thomas was right on schedule.

Many disgruntled passengers...

It turned out our flight had been delayed because of a mechanical problem. Delta was sending another airplane to us, but apparently, the alternate airplane had also been delayed. Consequently, we were going to be sitting around the Cyril E. King airport for an extra three hours. Luckily, the area around the airport is very pretty and there are lots of windows.

Lots of folks on the 2:50pm flight crowded around the Delta agents, either trying to get on the 4:00pm flight or hoping to get bumped into business class on the delayed flight for their inconvenience. One guy in shorts and a t-shirt was rather insistent about being bumped to business class, so much so, that he annoyed another passenger who loudly invited him to kiss his ass.

At the same time, people were gathering for Delta's 4:00pm flight, so most of the seating near the Delta gate was fully occupied. I noticed many people searching for outlets so they could charge their cell phones or use their computers. The noise level was getting higher and higher.

Bill and I were seated near a lovely couple from Saint John who were headed to Atlanta to see their brand new grandson. They were very laid back folks who seemed amused by all the commotion. The wife took a sympathetic look at my sunburn and advised me to get an aloe plant when we got back home, then break a leaf and apply it to the burn. The husband came back from the restaurant/bar with a 12 ounce plastic bottle of water in his hand. He gave Bill a disgusted look and said, "Jesus Christ! This cost $5.50!" Bill told him he could have had a beer for just 50 cents more.

5:17pm

Most of the people who tried to get on the 4:00pm flight out of Saint Thomas were unsuccessful, so our flight was pretty full. Bill and I shared a row near the front of coach class with a young woman who sat by the window. She boarded after we did, so we had to hold everybody up so she could be seated.

After everyone was settled, a Delta agent came onboard and offered a single business class seat to a married couple. They didn't want to split up, so the obnoxious guy in the t-shirt and shorts was ushered into business class. It was interesting to watch this guy work the flight attendants. He had started flirting with one of them as soon as he got onboard. I was impressed by the friendly and good-humored way she put him in his place. On the other hand, I hate to see guys who act like that get what they want.

Rough air

At last, we were airborne. Unfortunately, the air was very rough and the captain kept the seatbelt light on for a good portion of the flight. The flight attendants did their best to serve everyone their complimentary drinks and snacks, even though the captain was ordering them to sit down, too. Delta was actually offering three kinds of snacks, which I thought was pretty generous. But instead of having a soft drink, I decided to have a margarita. It wasn't bad at all. Nowadays, pretty much everything purchased on a Delta flight has to be paid for with a credit card.

After awhile, several people got out of their seats, even though the seatbelt light was on. A couple of kids went to the lavatory and a flight attendant sternly admonished them to sit down. They ignored her.

Happy landings

We arrived in Atlanta at about 9:00pm. Everybody was thrilled to be on the ground, although a number of people on the flight would have to race to make connecting flights. The young woman who was sitting by the window in our row had slept through most of the flight, but she woke up as we were landing to tell us that she was one of the people who had a tight connecting flight. Delta had requested that those of us who didn't have connecting flights wait in our seats so that people who had to get off the aircraft quickly could do so.

Since our seatmate had told us she needed to deplane quickly, Bill and I moved out of our seats to help her get her carry on bag and allow her into the aisle. As I was reaching into the overhead compartment, I heard a woman's voice say, "Excuse me, Ma'am, I need to get past you." Then, instead of giving me a chance to respond to her request that I move, I felt her and her two adolescent aged boys literally shove me into a row of seats.

Naturally, that assault made me very angry. And since I'd pretty much had my fill of this odyssey to get home again, I started to complain fairly loudly about rude people who think they're the only ones who need to disembark quickly. The rude woman and her boys were near the front of the line to get off the plane, but the officials were having a hard time getting the door to open and it took about ten minutes to start the exit process. Though I, too, was impatient to deplane, I couldn't help but feel a little satisfied that the karma bus was catching up to this inconsiderate lout and her kids.

When the doors finally opened and passengers started filing off, I noticed the strong smell of urine. An elderly gentleman walking in front of us had apparently urinated on himself during our flight, no doubt because unlike several other passengers, he had obeyed the captain's seatbelt sign. The inconsiderate lout and her kids took off running for their next gate as an announcer was making last call for a flight that was about to pull out of Atlanta. I know it's not very nice of me to think this, but I really hope she missed it.

Aftermath

Bill and I went to the luggage claim and picked up our bags. We ran into the lovely couple from Saint John, who shook Bill's hand and bid us farewell.

We went home and put the flight behind us... until last weekend, when Bill and I each got letters from Delta Airlines. It was from a customer service representative, who offered an apology for the delay and had awarded us each 1,000 bonus miles to our frequent flier accounts. That was unexpected, since we didn't complain to Delta. I was somewhat impressed that they took the initiative.

Overall

That particular flight on Delta wasn't among the best I've ever had. However, I have flown Delta several times over the past few months and have generally been satisfied with Delta's service. What is less satisfying and somewhat disheartening is watching how other people behave when they travel. People cutting in line, pushing and shoving, ignoring or harassing flight attendants, and generally being rude and inconsiderate is a good part of the reason why air travel sucks so much these days.

Bill and I did enjoy Saint Thomas, but we were not very impressed with the airport. While it has most things a traveler might need, including duty free liquor and jewelry shops, a gift shop, and a small restaurant and bar, it doesn't seem to be designed to handle as many travelers as it does. We thought it was a bit of a zoo. On the other hand, I can think of worse airports... the Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris and Miami's International Airport immediately come to mind.

Sources: http://www.saint-thomas-airport.com/
www.delta.com