Airlines Flying to St. Maarten / St. Martin, and How To Get Low-Cost Airfares

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REVISED AIRPORT SECURITY MEASURES:

The TSA has revised its regulations regarding carrying on liquids or gels.

See the revised regulations here.

The New Princess Juliana Airport Main Terminal, now open.

American Airlines, US Airways, United Airlines, Delta Airlines, Continental, and Sun Country all serve St. Maarten (SXM) from the US.  Air Canada and Air Transat serve from Canada, and Air France and KLM from Europe. You can also connect in San Juan (SJU) with airlines serving the SJU-SXM route, which are American, American Eagle, US Airways, LIAT, Air Caraibes, and Caribbean Sun; American Eagle and Caribbean Sun have the most service.

About Getting Low Airfares

We are frequently asked how you can find the lowest airfares. We have one red-flag warning to everyone who is searching for the lowest fares: if possible, never search at the last minute. Hunting for low airfares when you have a tight short-term deadline is the worst way to buy tickets. Some people join JMB Website Supporters expecting to find low airfares overnight. If sales are underway [wholesale, retail, or unadvertised], they'll succeed. On the other hand, if sales are not underway when you are looking for fares, you will have to be patient to find the fares you want.

For example, early in June, 2004, on a Saturday morning, US Airways announced a remarkable sale which priced round trip tickets to St. Maarten from many US cities at around $200. Those fares were good for travel through May, 2005. As a result, many travelers to St. Maarten were able to make two, three, or four trips to the island for a fraction of what they would normally pay. Not much more than a week later, the fares were no longer being sold. The moral of the story: always start looking early.

Will this kind of sale happen again? Just possibly. But many fares (such as a 2006 $179 round trip from Chicago) are only available for a day or two.

In general, fares this low are unusual, but not unheard of. Travelers who were looking for tickets for fall and winter travel in June of last year made out like bandits through JMB Website Supporters airfare bulletins about the US Airways super-sale. By contrast, people who were looking late last year for $200 round trips for travel last January couldn't find any.

So, start looking early, preferably about a year ahead. Always remember that the lowest cost airfares are usually but not always offered for travel Mondays through Thursdays. And, in general, most of the best sales are offered at least a month before travel can begin -- often much farther in advance.

Low fares can be bought from a variety of sources -- they don't just come directly from airlines. They can come from ticket wholesalers, affinity organizations, charters, and elsewhere. Bear in mind that JMB Website Supporters is constantly researching fares in more than 100 US cities, many cities in Canada, and key cities in Great Britain and Europe. The easiest way to find the lowest airfares is simply to let us do the grunt work by joining JMB Website Supporters. We'll send you Airfare Bulletins that tell you when great bargains are available and how to get them. You'll waste far less time researching airfares, and you'll get results you can usually bank on.

Some general advice:

1. Where possible, deal with reputable travel agencies, NOT WITH AIRLINES DIRECTLY. Some travel agencies are charging service fees since the airlines have cut their commissions, but travel agents are worth every penny.

2. If you must buy tickets directly from airlines, use airline websites and join their frequent flyer programs. You may get some genuine bargains. Join our free mailing list, too; we'll tell you how to get truly low airfares, better in many cases than you're likely to hear about from the airlines. Sign up at Newsletter Subscription. More on this is below.

3. If you are age 62 or over, take advantage of programs for seniors IF they are available; many have been discontinued.

4. All of the above is why we repeat the suggestion: use a travel agent or a reliable consolidator/wholesaler.

About Security:

Get to the airport two hours before domestic flights, three hours before international flights. Have a valid passport even if you've been told a valid driver's license and a birth certificate with a raised seal are satisfactory. Don't take anything that could be used as a weapon -- not even scissors, knitting needles, screwdrivers, etc. (Those things can go in checked baggage, not on carry-ons.) Be prepared to spend a while going through security.

In St. Maarten, most luggage is hand-searched before it is checked. No pressurized spray cans (hair spray, bug repellent, deodorant, etc.) are allowed. Laptops and other electronics MUST be charged; you may be asked to turn them on.

The Key To Getting THE Lowest Fares:

We offer a premium information service called "JMB Website Supporters." Its members get exclusive access to frequent, specific, timely information on THE LOWEST airfares available. Detailed information about these low fares is never posted on our site and virtually nothing about rock-bottom "lowest" fares ever goes to our free list. IT WILL PAY YOU HANDSOMELY TO JOIN JMB WEBSITE SUPPORTERS, and the first-year cost is only $49. with renewals as low as $13/year. Details on joining are below...

Ticket Source Choices:

Need a package (air/hotel)?

Over the years, many of you have used airfare consolidator / wholesaler Jimmy Schwartz, who officially retired April 30, 2003.

You still want sources of low airfares and we're delighted to tell you that we have three of them, available right here.

Sandy and Jim Molloy are "Molloy Travel," a company which specializes in discount packages to St. Maarten / St. Martin from many cities. They do not sell airfare alone, so please don't ask (stay tuned, we have that too). If you're looking for very reasonably priced airfare / hotel packages, they're your source. (They will not be selling Boston packages - - we have a separate source which specializes in Boston.)

You do not have to join JMB Website Supporters ("JWS") to use Molloy's services, but you can pocket an extra $25 if you belong. Plus, JWS members get immediate notification when special package offers become available from Molloy Travel. (By contrast, our free newsletter only comes out once a week - - low-cost packages could easily come and go between issues, so you might miss them).

Here's how you can pocket that $25. When you call or email Sandy or Jim, they will ask if you're a member of JMB Website Supporters. If you are, just tell them your username and password and you'll get a $25 rebate on your package purchase (air/hotel).

Suggestion: join JWS before you call Sandy. You can sign up quickly with your credit card using PayPal on our SXM home page, www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm.html . You'll then be able to get the $25 rebate from Sandy when you book a package with her (one $25 rebate per membership/family).

To get the outstanding packages that Jim and Sandy offer, contact them directly: Email Sandy Molloy at info@sxmtravelspecialist.com or call her at 704-567-6661. NOTE: They do NOT sell AIR only. See below...
 

Want air only?

Two wholesalers, Linda Freedman and Roberta Valins, are mentioned on our "secret" site.

Linda Freedman will supply wholesale airfares to SXM. She books on American and US Airways. You may purchase the tickets within one week of making reservations, or you may delay ticketing by making a $100 deposit (waived if you're flying within a week). This deposit keeps your reservation in the reservation system. You will not have to pay in full for your tickets until 30 days prior to travel. The tickets on US Airways and American require a rent-a-car reservation or booking accommodations which could be as few as two nights. In high season, and usually in low season as well, the car rental will be through the JMB-recommended source, Tropical Car Rental. If fares drop before you are ticketed, they can be adjusted downward, which isn't as easy if you pay for your tickets earlier. Linda also sells travel insurance with trip cancellation protection which is strongly recommended. Linda will also be selling low-cost charter air flights and air/hotel packages from Boston only -- she has a specialty on these. More on Linda is below.

Roberta Valins also is supplying wholesale airfares. She currently offers American, US Airways, and Continental. Her process currently requires no car rental or deposit. She sets a deadline for ticketing when she makes your reservation, usually six weeks prior to travel. You can ticket anytime prior to the deadline; ticketing guarantees the fare quoted. If the price goes down and you are already ticketed, there is an airline-imposed $125 per-passenger fee for any changes. If you are not yet ticketed and the fares drop, Roberta can lower your fare for only a $25 service fee if it is a published fare. There is no charge if there is a sale through the wholesale division. Ticketing is done Monday through Friday. All tickets require a signed charge authorization.

Both Linda and Roberta sell "wholesale" airfares which are lower than regular published fares. When airlines offer sales, sale prices sometimes are lower than "wholesale" fares. Both Linda and Roberta can and do adjust fares to the lower sale level (in most cases) if you have not yet ticketed, but you must then ticket quickly to lock in the sale fares. As noted above, there may be charges for ticket changes.

Our advice: if you plan to fly and do not have accommodations, use Sandy Molloy; her packages are excellent. If you plan to fly and you DO have your own accommodations (timeshare owners, for example), use Linda or Roberta. If you need a car anyway and want to follow our car rental recommendations, Linda is the best choice; if you either don't want a car or want to handle a car rental on your own, Roberta is the best choice. Both provide excellent fares and service and both also provide extensive villa rental services.

Accessing the low wholesale fares and fare guarantees offered by Linda and Roberta currently requires an inexpensive ($49 for a year, or two years for a few dollars more) JMB Website Supporters membership. You can sign up quickly and easily using your credit card (or do an e-check) at http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/Go/paypal.shtml .

There's contact information for Sandy, Linda, and Roberta on our "secret" JMB Website Supporters website, to which you will receive a username and password once your new JMB Website Supporters membership has been processed.
 

Here are other sources:

Internet travel sites (read all of this before you do anything):

1. Travelocity www.travelocity.com (Of all the online sites, they are still the easiest to use)

2. Expedia www.expedia.com

3. Orbitz www.orbitz.com This is the relatively new site by a group of airlines. It is supposed to have the lowest Web fares from all its participating airlines. To hear quickly about airfare sales, join JMB Website Supporters.

4. Trip.com: www.Trip.com Now being heavily promoted. Very easy to use, but we found that it didn't come up with fares that were all that low. You be the judge....

5. cheaptickets.com: We used this one for a domestic fare once and it worked fine: www.cheaptickets.com. On the other hand, their quotes don't always jibe with the schedule you might be after....

6. Priceline.com: used to be awful but has now improved, so you may actually see a choice of flights before buying. They're at www.priceline.com.  

This Emergency Medical Evacuation Insurance is Highly Recommended by this website:

Stay Current on Everything That's Happening on St. Maarten: Join Our FREE SXM Mailing List!

Join our free mailing list for all the latest SXM news, info on how to get deals on airfare, and much more. We'll cover new restaurants, cruise info, hotel deals, and much more. WE WILL NEVER SELL OR RELEASE OUR MAILING LIST TO ANYONE. How often will we mail? Usually every Monday. It depends on when there's news. We won't waste your time. Just type in your email below, then click the button to sign up.

One Important Final Word About Getting the Lowest Airfare:

If you want to ensure that you are getting the absolute LOWEST airfares we know of, look into joining JMB Website Supporters. Membership is only $49. You get access to a members-only site crammed with low-fare info for many cities coast-to-coast and in Canada and occasionally in Europe as well. Complete info on joining is here or read below.

You might also want to download and buy one of our ST MAARTEN SCREENSAVERS, even if you're simply getting ready for your first trip to the island. This site can save you hundreds of dollars AND make your vacation more enjoyable -- help us by downloading at download. We need the $ to keep this SXM info coming to you...

Why Join JMB Website Supporters?

Get Great Deals on Airfare Year-Round, Deep Discounts on Car Rentals, Phone Calls Home, and Hotel and Timeshare Stays, More SXM Info & Lots of Freebies for Just $49 for a year (or two years for just a few dollars more).

Nearly five thousand people have joined JMB Website Supporters since it was founded in 2002. Here's what they're getting:

• SUPER LOW-COST AIRFARES: We monitor airfares to St. Maarten every day from more than 100 cities in the U. S., Canada, and Europe, and whenever we hear about good airfare sales --scheduled or charter-- we send JMB Website Supporters members Airfare Bulletins with all the details, so they can get the travel dates and seats they want. Sometimes we unearth exceptionally low fares, after a lot of digging -- like about $200 for Winter round-trips to SXM from several U. S. cities (offered in June, 2004), and other low fares from many cities coast-to-coast. Low airfares alone are worth the price of subscribing!
   

LOTS MORE BENEFITS:

• MORE THAN TWO DOZEN SOURCES OF LOW AIRFARES: Sometimes there aren't any low "sale" airfares. No matter. There are other ways to make sure you fly for less than most other people. We now show you more than TWO DOZEN different sources of low airfares!
   
• WHOLESALE AIRFARES: Our wholesaler will reserve your seat but you won't pay for it until a few weeks before your flight. That way, if lower fares become available, she can lock them in for you without you having to pay any "change fee."
   
• LOW-COST SXM (St. Maarten) AIR/HOTEL PACKAGES: You will not find lower package prices anywhere. We beat Travelocity, Expedia, and everybody else every day.
   
• RENT OR SELL YOUR SXM TIMESHARE FOR FREE through our weekly newsletters (about 40,000 readers) and online (over one million visitors) -- no charge, ever. Our audience goes to the island and needs accommodations, making our "for rent/sale" listings especially effective. (Use of this service requires membership renewals to be current.)
   
• ULTRA LOW-COST CALLS HOME: We tell you how to make calls for pennies a minute using your hotel phone or your cell phone. You won't find this info anywhere else. (Hotels charge about $5/minute for calls home. How does about 30 cents a minute grab you?)
   
• DISCOUNTED PLACES TO STAY: We give you a source for rooms at top hotels and timeshares for $449 per week, per room (not per person), far less than you'll pay anywhere else. That's even less than most timeshare maintenance fees.
   
• CAR RENTAL DISCOUNTS: Members-only discounts give you $15 off the regular non-discounted rack rate of the island's best car rental company. Available year-round.
   
• MEMBERS-ONLY SXM PHOTO GALLERY: Post your favorite SXM photos online, free.
   
• MEMBERS-ONLY MESSAGE BOARD: Ask questions and get answers from other members and from Jeff, Susan, and other JMB Communications' knowledgeable, experienced staff.
   
• MEMBERS-ONLY TRAVEL CALENDAR: Meet other members from around the country or around the world and make new friends on St. Maarten.
   
• FREE ST. MAARTEN SCREENSAVERS: Just-for-JMB Website Supporters, we offer totally FREE St. Maarten PC screensavers with a number of our best pictures. Passworded web access lets members download these special, members-only screensavers for free. And now there's a downloadable St. Maarten movie, too -- with more coming.
   
• HEAVILY DISCOUNTED EMERGENCY AIR AMBULANCE INSURANCE: Should you become ill and require an emergency air ambulance home, the cost is usually over $20,000. Our members get $60 off annual plans good for emergency travel home from virtually anywhere in the Western Hemisphere: short money for real peace-of-mind.
   
• HEAVILY DISCOUNTED ST. MAARTEN SOUVENIRS: T-shirts, tank tops, sweatshirts, jumping-dolphin baseball caps, colorful Caribbean-color hair or wrist "scrunchies," hand-painted porcelain refrigerator magnets, and lots more. The lowest prices are always offered to members only. Meet other members when you wear SXM Euro-oval logo merchandise!

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