Below are some important travel tips and information to help make your trip with Tradewind seamless and stress-free.
- Booking Your Travel
- Passport and Visa Requirements
- Minimum Connection Times
- Airport and Check-In
- Check-In Locations
- VIP Experience Add-On
- Luggage Policy and Guidance
- Flight Experience
- Arrival Experience
- Hotel Partners
- Contact Us
Booking Your Travel
Tradewind flights operate from two primary connection hubs, San Juan (SJU) and Antigua (ANU).
- If you are traveling from the U.S., San Juan features hundreds of airline options from all over the country. San Juan also features direct service from Madrid and points in Central and South America.
- If you are traveling from or through the UK, British Airways provides daily service from London to Antigua. Antigua also features direct flights from the U.S.
- If you are connecting with a private jet, San Juan, St Thomas, and Antigua are excellent transfer points.
Tradewind flights are available as separate flight(s) in conjunction with a commercial flight, or combined with one of our interline partners, American Airlines, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways, and British Airways.
- Book with our interline partners for the convenience of a single reservation and, for connections through San Juan to Tradewind, your luggage will be transferred automatically from your airline to your Tradewind flight. Note that all luggage must be retrieved on the return to SJU from other islands.
- Book your Tradewind and airline flights separately, and be sure that the minimum connection time guidance is followed.
Tip: Check all airline flight options on their websites or travel websites such as Kayak or Google Flights. You might be surprised to see how many connection options exist!
Tip: To optimize your time, book a late arrival to San Juan and take an early morning Tradewind flight to the islands. Rates are typically lower on these flights, and you will not miss a full day for travel. San Juan has many great hotel options near the airport – check out our preferred partners here.
Passport and Visa Requirements
All guests traveling internationally are required to travel with a valid passport. Citizens of some countries are required to have a visa to enter St Barths, Anguilla, Virgin Gorda, or Tortola. All passports must have a validity period greater than 6 months at the time of entry.
For St Barths: While France is a member of the European Union and the Schengen Area, the overseas departments and territories of France are not part of the Schengen area and apply their own visa policies.
Please click this link and fill out the visa wizard to see if a visa is required for St Barths: https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en/web/france-visas/home
Minimum Connection Times
If you book your Tradewind and airline flights separately, please be sure that your connections follow our minimum-time guidance.
Connecting to Tradewind from your airline arrival:
- Domestic arrival: 90 minutes
- International arrival: 120 minutes
Connecting to your airline departure from Tradewind arrival:
- Domestic departure: 120 minutes
- International departure: 150 minutes
Tip: If traveling with only a carry-on or with our VIP Experience add-on, the recommended time from a commercial airline to Tradewind can potentially be reduced.
Airport and Check-In
All guests must check-in before departure, regardless of ticketing method. Please plan to arrive by the times below.
| Airport | Arrive Before | Check-In Close |
| San Juan | 60 minutes | 45 minutes prior |
| St Barths | 45 minutes | 30 minutes prior |
| Anguilla | 45 minutes | 30 minutes prior |
| Antigua | 60 minutes | 45 minutes prior |
| Tortola | 60 minutes | 45 minutes prior |
| Virgin Gorda | 60 minutes | 45 minutes prior |
| St Thomas | 45 minutes | 30 minutes prior |
Check-In Locations
San Juan: Terminal A, to the left of the JetBlue check-in counters.
St Barths: St Barth Services, located on the left side of the check-in counters.
Anguilla: Lloyd’s Aviation, located in the center of the check-in counters. After check-in is completed, a Lloyd customer service agent will direct you to the Departure Tax window on the opposite side of the check-in counter. Cash and credit card are accepted. In addition, there will be a screening fee of $6 per person, which is cash only.
Antigua: Main terminal. British Airways connections will be greeted in the arrivals hall. Please be sure to provide your airline connection details.
St Thomas: Signature Flight Support. A Signature agent will meet guests in the main terminal.
Tortola: Platinum BVI Services, located in the main terminal.
Virgin Gorda: Platinum BVI Services, located at counter #1.
VIP Experience Add-On
For an elevated transfer experience from your airline arrival to Tradewind departure at San Juan, you may opt to purchase our VIP Experience. With VIP Experience, a member of our team will meet you at your arriving gate and escort you through the airport to the Tradewind private lounge. If you have checked luggage, our team will retrieve and check it in for you.
To book, select the option during booking, or contact our team to add it on to an existing reservation.
Luggage Policy and Guidance
All flights are operated in our modern fleet of Pilatus PC-12 aircraft. As a smaller regional aircraft, the Pilatus luggage capacity is limited by space and regulated weight and balance limitations.
Each seated guest may travel with 50lbs/23kg of total luggage weight, inclusive of carry-on sized luggage and personal items. For example: a 30lb check-in, 15lb “carry-on,” and 5lb personal item.
Guests are allowed one personal item, which must measure 6 inches x 9 inches x 17 inches or less in order to be taken into the passenger cabin. Items that exceed these dimensions will be loaded into the luggage compartment of the aircraft.
Tip: If your personal item exceeds these dimensions, we recommend taking out any belongings you wish to keep with you during your flight prior to boarding.
Tip: You can ship your luggage ahead of your trip with our partner Ship&Play if you plan to bring more than 50lb of luggage or any oversized items. Learn more here and redeem a 50% first-time discount!
Tip: Some more options for additional luggage include purchasing another seat (if available at the prevailing rate) or flying on a private charter. Private charters provide more flexibility for larger parties or those traveling with additional luggage and/or non-standard items. Contact our charter sales team at 203-267-3305 option 2 or sales@flytradewind.com to inquire!
Flight Experience
All flights are operated in our modern fleet of Pilatus PC-12 aircraft, flown by two pilots at all times. The Pilatus is the most advanced aircraft in its class with the technology, reliability, and safety of larger aircraft.
Our Caribbean aircraft are configured with 8 forward-facing seats, each with a window view for checking out the beautiful scenery along your flight. The aircraft is pressurized to fly at high altitude, providing added safety and comfort.
Arrival Experience
Guests arriving in San Juan from a Tradewind flight will be escorted to and through immigration and customs by our staff. After customs, you will be guided to the airline check-in area. (For San Juan transfers back to the U.S., be sure to stop at one of the agriculture inspection stations for a quick luggage scan. This is required for all flights to the mainland from U.S. territories.)
Guests arriving in Antigua from a Tradewind flight will be escorted to and through immigration and customs by Signature Aviation services. All airline check-in counters are located just beyond customs.
Tip: To expedite your transfer from Tradewind to your airline connection, Global Entry, CLEAR and TSA Pre-Check are available in San Juan. We recommend joining these programs before your travel.
Hotel Partners
Tradewind has curated lists of recommended hotels at each of our scheduled service destinations, as well as partner experiences to help complete your ultimate getaway. Click here to view our current partner experiences.
Visit our destination pages to view recommended hotels: St Barths, Antigua, Anguilla, Tortola, Virgin Gorda
Questions?
Our reservations team is standing by to answer your questions. They can be contacted at scheduledservice@flytradewind.com or 203-267-3305 option 1.
We look forward to serving you and providing you with a seamless travel experience.
