Review of Air Caraibes flight Pointe-à-Pitre → Grand Case in Economy

Hi there,

Welcome to a new traduced report serie to Washington state.

intro

I didn't want to traduce all the introduction, it's avalaible  on my reports in french.
The routing (we chose AA because of the attractive prices with miles)

Finally with this rounting I'll try Alaska and Omaha airport. Moreover, it's 6 exclusivity on 7 for the data base.

flight

Air Caraïbes  isn't that much reported (only once from PTP-SFG by kosny).
We left our house nearby 5:45 am and arrived at 6:30am at Pointe-à-Pitre international airport.
Terminal 2 from outside

We cross the customs and then on our right

T2 airside is very modern, clear. There are many power outlets and wi-fi is working well

Flight to Saint-Barthélémy

some pics of the terminal

Boarding started at 7:45am

It's F-OIJK which will operate our flight today. It's  a 72-500 whereas the line is often operated by -600

little walk on the parking

pitch

i'm  close  to the propeller

travel docs

chaplain

PSU

We push-back at 7:55 (instead of 8)

Network : Air Caraîbes simply's hub is PTP.

Two Air Antilles Express ATR : one with the old livery, one with the new.

We usually take-off face to the east in PTP, but this morning it'll be facing west. A short take-off so.

Penitentiary center of Baie-Mahault

We're leaving my island flying over Ste-Rose

We pass Montserrat Island by the east.

Then it's Nevis

After, St-Kitts

Our descend over St-Martin began at 8:35am, 10minutes after reached our cruising altitude

We reach St-Martin by the south. It's rather Sint-Maarten. St-Martin island is divided  in two parts : Saint-Martin, the french part, and Sint-Maarten, the dutch part. French part is located on the north, and dutch one's on the south. St-Martin's only 93 kilometers square., and inhabited by 75,000.

Oyster pound (French side, we go around the island by the east)

Etang aux Poissons, Quartier d'Orléans behind et Orient bay on the right (all in the french part: here, cities and towns have dutch, french, english or spanish names : it's doesn't matter at all)

Orient bay with Grand-Case town and SFG airport (where we go : the French Airport). On the right : île caye-verte (french)

On the right : Ilet pinel

On the right of the propeller, the french cul de sac (there is a dutch one too). In the foreground, Grand Cayes bay.

Anse Marcel

We see Sandyground and Terres-Basses on the french side of the border. Behind, on the second isthmus, we can see LowLand Maho (dutch part), where is located Dutch Airport : Princess Juliana (SXM) : the international airport of the island which link St-Martin to Europe (AMS;CDG) and USA. SFG (Grand Case french airport) only has flights to Guadeloupe and St-Barthélémy.
I advise you to inquire about St-Martin island and its situation very specific.

We move away from the "inland" to make a turn-over, tight and eventful as usual in Grand Case approaches.

On the right, again Sandy Ground (you see, english name for a french territory) and behind LowLand Maho.

Grand Case short runway

Anguilla, only a few kilometers away from St-Martin, separated by the Anguilla Channel

A rapid boat between Blowing Point (Anguilla) and Marigot (St-Martin french side's capital city, and also the biggest town on the island : 5700 inhabitants. Dutch side's capital, Philipsburg is inhabited by 1330 people, edified between the sea andd a pond).

Then we have the strongest braking I've ever seen, the plane just fell, many people started to yell in the plane.

5 sec later we're a way more lower

We flying-over Grand-Case . as u can see, the house on the right testifies of Irma's passage 1 year and a half ago, who destroyed the island, simply.

And the runway : touchdown at 8:42, forty minutes after took-off from Guadeloupe

Powerful braking, the runway only measures 1100meters.

turn-over

We  come-back to the airport building. Vegetation is totally different as in Guadeloupe (less beautifu), but omg, beaches are a way more  beautiful here in St-Martin!

All these building have been built after Irma.

After a passport control, even if we came from a French Department to a French Collectivity, we're allowed to enter in St-Martin. The airport has obviously  been rebuild after Irma

We're outside at 8:55 (less than an hour after leaviing PTP). I love Dutch license plates.

Then we walk till Grand Case town center to take the bus to Marigot (I remind : French side Capital), then we take an other bus to Koolbay (dutch side, no need to cross border : welcome to European union !!!), and finally a third bus to Juliana.  It costs us 3x$1,5 = $4,5/ person , instead of $40 in taxi. You just have to manage your time.
If you have the time, I really recommand this way to go from an airport to an other, it's cheaper, and you can see how St-Martin mixity is beautiful. I did live here, and it's one of the better place to life, without a doubt.




Also, as you can see, I used the $, cause in St-Martin, even if it's a french/dutch island, we pay in american dollars (instead of euros, here 1€=$1)… capitalism..
Actually, St-Martin is divided between french and dutch, nobody speak really dutch; You speak french, spanish and english, and a few speak dutch, but evereybody here is bilingual, love that.
Dutch part  is totally "americanised" so the island is more divided between french and usa than dutch.

/!\
SFG : Grand Case airport, regional airport located in french side, where we land.
SXM : Princess Juliana int'l airport, located in the dutch side, where we'll take-off




Stay tuned for the next flight to Philly!
Sorry for the mistakes I could make.