winair cancllations

[JeebusLives]

ive heard some redonkulous rumors about winair canceling many flights due to wind. has anyone else heard of this and know if there is any truth behind it or not? i definetly heard about it from some people working at the school and some students. are they full of poops?

[golfman]

My landlord works in the tower at the airport. Yes some flights have been cancelled and some are flying. Just depends on how the wind is at the time the plane is suppose to land. They are strictly inforcing the 22kg total weight for bags right now. If your bag weighs more than 44 pounds they won't take it. Not sure if that is per bag or for all of your luggage. Hope this helps.

[ol' man]

It would not be suprising if they cancelled some due to flatulence. Not the most reliable mode of transport in the Caribbean ...

[sheikh1]

something is always going on with Winair.......

[thedirtychemist]

Yep. Actually, the wife just called and they said that it's 44lbs TOTAL (luggage and carry-on). Who really knows though.. they change policy every 2 hours it seems like.

Flights have been canceled due to the crosswinds, but some are able to fly out. The problem is that it's such a hassle (and expensive!) to re-schedule your flight from sxm-usa or canada in the case that your winair trip is to be canceled or delayed. They won't tell you until minutes before you take off.

A lot of people are taking the ferries since they go no matter what the winds are like.

From when we spoke with them, WinAir is allowing ticket transfers for future use for a $25 transfer fee.

Pending on your schedule, it's probably more reliable to take the ferry. However.. most, if not all the ferry rides/private charters are full.

Best of luck!

[JLea]

Winair had the school post flyers all around campus that said that the winds were not good and that they would not take any excess baggage.

A couple of days ago, the Dawn II people posted flyers around campus that said that Winair would be cancelling flights and that the ferry would be running extra trips.

As for Winair not flying with the winds wrong, SAB is the shortest commercial runway in the world and if the winds are in the wrong direction or if they are too light, the plane can not take off. Its a matter of aerodynamics and physics, not a matter of Winair's stupidity. (We could, however, have a huge thread about their stupidity...)

Hopefully they will be flying on Friday and Saturday!

[icssaba]

Since Saba has the shortest commercial runway in the world, the rules that Winair (the only airline that has planes capable of landing on Saba) maintains are very strigent. They have a flawless reputation where safety is concerned and they will not change that for students that are eager to leave the island immediately with more luggage than is normally allowed on the plane to start with. If you can not fly out because of the weather, they will not charge you $25 to change your flight.

I have been living on the island for 15 years now and when I need to get a connecting flight in St. Maarten, I normally fly out a day in advance. One night hotel stay in St. Maarten beats the stress and costs of not making your connection on time. And then there are the boats: they allow you to take more luggage than Winair does. Why not get students together and charter the Edge or the Dawn for the day you want to leave?

Bottom line: Winair's service and Winair's safety regulations are 2 different things. Thank God at least one of them is commendable.
Alida

[JeebusLives]

they shud xtend the runway :D

[rdecastro]

they shud xtend the runway :D


Brilliant!

Where?

[GFLIP]

they should extend it like the glass walkway at the grand canyon... they should also put a helipad.

[rdecastro]

they should extend it like the glass walkway at the grand canyon... they should also put a helipad.

There is a helipad. And I'm sure they'd be glad for someone to put in a glass runway - just as soon as the engineering problems are overcome, and you pay for it.

[GFLIP]

no dude... i can't pay for it... i'm a medical student.

[JeebusLives]

i dunno if med students shud pay to improve the infrastructure of the island. and i dont know if the end of a cliff was the brightest place to put a runway.

[rdecastro]

It was the flattest place on the island - it's called 'flat point'.

As far as paying for it, I get a chuckle out of naive people who claim that some phantasmal 'they' should pay for something.

There is no 'they'. There are only people who get to pay taxes, one way or another, or invest in businesses with a hope of earning a profit.

[GFLIP]

i dunno if med students shud pay to improve the infrastructure of the island. and i dont know if the end of a cliff was the brightest place to put a runway.
dude... did you see the glass walkway?

[JeebusLives]

It was the flattest place on the island - it's called 'flat point'.

was? so is there a flatter place now? lol how hard would it be to move the hut that is the airport?

There is no 'they'. There are only people who get to pay taxes, one way or another, or invest in businesses with a hope of earning a profit.

consistent air traffic might be a good investment for the island.

[GFLIP]

i heard that with the increase in air traffic... saba was going international

[Experienced]

Brilliant!
Where?

Always enjoy reading your posts, man. I know you're a pilot so you may enjoy this one: right after I got to Saba I sent a pic of our runway to a bud who flies a Hawker 800X (and gets paid for it) and asked if he'd drop the old man off in Cayman and come land here. 4 word reply: "Homey don't play that!"

E.

[rdecastro]

Always enjoy reading your posts, man. I know you're a pilot so you may enjoy this one: right after I got to Saba I sent a pic of our runway to a bud who flies a Hawker 800X (and gets paid for it) and asked if he'd drop the old man off in Cayman and come land here. 4 word reply: "Homey don't play that!"

E.


I'm with Homey. 11K hours flying, and I wouldn't try it in anything bigger than a Cessna 182.