The 3 hour recommendation is stupid. It took me less than 15 minutes from start to finish. Then I just had to wait. No good duty free shop. Food options limited. Also my luggage was mistreated. read more

Cyril E King Airport - Very small airport - Airports Near Me - St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

What a mess! If someone tells you to get to the airport 3 hours before your flight, listen to them! If you get here 2 hours before your flight, you might not make it. First thing you have to do is check in. They will weigh your bags, put on the luggage tags and give you your boarding passes. You then have to take your bags and wait on another long line to get through customs (even if you are traveling back to the mainland, you have to go through customs). This line can take an hour. After customs, you take your bags (including checked luggage) and wait on another line to get the bags to the X-ray machines. This is where your checked bags head to the plane. Then you go on another line for security, where you will wait and wait and wait. Once through security you will go into the smallest terminal you have ever seen. It is also HOT. There is basically no air conditioning anywhere in the airport, so dress appropriately. Once ready to board your flight, you will have to go outside to climb steps to the plane, as there are no jetways. There are also not a lot of food options in the terminal, so if you have a long flight, bring your own food. Another note - if you are dropping off a rental car at the airport, be sure you drop your party at the terminal first and then circle to rental car return (there are no signs, so good luck figuring out where to go). After you do return your car, you have to walk a good distance back to the terminal and there are also steps you need to go down. If you bring your family and luggage to rental car return, you will be hauling your luggage, in the heat, down steps to get back to the terminal. Not easy! read more

Too many miserable sour pusses working here with a hostile/negative attitude. Don't mess with my vacation high! Presently, there's no restaurant in the terminal (still under renovation), plan ahead and bring food if you'll be waiting for a departing flight--or you'll be paying $$$ read more

We really had no issues at the airport with the exception of a rude, nasty TSA agent. She apparently had some power and control issues and absolutely refused to take anything I tried to hand her for my husband. We were literally standing side by side and this tsa woman said "he needs to hand it to me". Are you serious? I'm carrying all of our tickets and IDs in my purse. She made us stand there and force me to hand each thing over to my husband and then hand it to her. If you want to catch your flight and go home, you have to take that crap from a pathetic little person like her. read more

I've been to Alaska, Montana, Georgia, and probably a good 40 airports. This is by far the worst US based airport. Security: lines upon lines, understaffed, they prioritize the TSA pre-check even when staffed with one person. We had to force our way and tell the dude we were going to miss our flight to get him to help. There is zero sense of urgency. Cosmetically, the place has dust and dirt everywhere, chairs are coming apart at their seams, hallways missing tile and bathrooms you want to wear hazmat suits in. The airport food is bland and overpriced. I completely understand this is an island and there is a cost associated with importing however based on other restaurants in the island, comparable food nearby is much cheaper than at airport. $42 for one entree of tenders and a cheeseburger entree together. Want fries? Add another $4 to each entree. Taste was awful. The crowd here are old folks that run at a snails pace, taking forever to take their ID's out or put stuff on security line. Just be sure to come a few hours early! The air conditioning is hit and miss in certain areas. Crowds are large and not adherent to your personal bubble. We loved the Island but this airport is a hot mess. read more

Very small airport but extremely busy/full of people. Only one bathroom so there's always a long line. Desperately needs a remodel to add more bathrooms, food places, and seating space. read more

This airport is a hellscape. I literally mean that people probably have nightmares about it. For arrival, Delta can't bother with their 30-minute bag guarantee or whatever it is. It takes an hour. Period. At least, if not more. The car rental situation is dismal. There aren't enough cars, the lines are long, service is slow, cars are expensive, and the rental car staff are generally a hot mess. See my upcoming Avis review for more details. Departing really pulls this down into the rarefied world of the single star reviews. Luckily someone told me the morning of my departure that there's an insane line. I've never seen anything like it in my entire life. And I've stood in some lines. So you go to your airline counter to get your checked bag tag. THEN you walk back away from the entrance towards the way back of the airport to wait in the customs line. Not even the security line. There's no Precheck way to avoid this. The bopping islands music adds a special insult-to-injury feeling to the whole thing. Theoretically this has something to do with renovations. But no one seems sure to what. And i don't really see what space has to do with it. Either you have enough customs agents, or you don't. I arrived 2:45 early. It took about 75 minutes to get through customs. It took about 85 minutes to get into the terminal. The TSA agents are particularly ill informed and on different pages. After customs, there's one line, so I got in it, assuming I'd be checking my bag. Then some guy was taking people out of that line if they had precheck. But then some lady by the beg check was saying that was wrong, and sending people to the back of the bag check line. It was literally a Sisyphean task to check a bag. And the TSA manager, although mis-manager would be more appropriate, was unbelievably rude. There were a bunch of TSA agents bumming around the bag scanners apparently not doing much of anything. They had 2 people checking IDs as far as I could see, so event after the customs line there was more ID check line. They play pre-recorded announcements bragging about how one doesn't need a passport. Yet before customs the agents were announcing that people should have their passport out if they have it because it makes the check much faster. They can't have it both ways. This was so slow and poorly run I was half waiting for someone to come around seeking bribes to get people through like in some kleptocracy. And on top of it all when you get to the front of the line they let people cut if they came late and don't have enough time. There's a special place in hell for the people who cut and the people who facilitate them doing it. read more

Tiny airport with very limited seating anywhere and everywhere. Please don't let me talk about the disgustingly expensive food and plain nasty food served there. $18 gross pre frozen burger and fries is just plain ridiculous. But honestly the whole island is so greaover priced I feel bad for the people who live there. read more

My husband and I were warned about long lines while departing so we arrived three hours prior to our flight boarding. To our surprise, we made it through boarder control and security in 20 minutes, even despite us flying out on a busy Saturday. If you are a US citizen a passport is NOT required to re-enter the states. Knocking a star off simply because this airport is tiny and crammed, so it's impossible to social distance. Pro tip: if you can DO NOT check a bag on the flight home. Baggage lines are ridiculously long and I bet we saved 45 minutes by carrying on. We also had TSA precheck which helped us zip through security faster, which likely saved us another 20-30 minutes. read more

I'm pretty sure that the people here strive to be rude. I'm serious. I hadn't made it inside and was still on the tarmac and had already encountered two rude people. Actually 99% of the locals that I encountered in St. Thomas were rude. I hated to wish away my 11 night vacation, but it was great to get home. There aren't any covered walkways, you get on and off outside... which was a bit weird considering it was raining today. The baggage claim and arrival area is like night and day compared to the departure section of the airport. After we arrived inside, on the first day, there was rum samples, there was at least one bar restaurant. It had a tropical feel to it. The baggage claim process was sllllloow. If I do it over again, I'll fit everything in a carry on and not check baggage. Check-in was different than any other. You don't check your luggage at the entry, you do it after the customs process. So, you can't drop off your luggage and head back out. The customs agent asked for our passports, despite them not being required, so we were a bit annoyed that we had to dig them out. He gave us the lecture that they'll be required next year... well, it's still 2017. The cafe in the departure area was horrible, so eat before you arrive. Even though there are several network portions, the wifi is basically non existent. So, my plan of checking my bag and then leaving, didn't work and I was also stuck here for over six hours without wifi or cell service. read more

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*This review is based on arriving to the airport during the pandemic* Arrived during the pandemic and also at the start of school vacation week. It was seamless deplaning from our JetBlue flight and our stroller that we gate checked was already out. We had to make our way over to the area in which our COVID 19 negative test results needed to be reviewed and temperature taken. The airport staff and what I presume to be the national guard were very pleasant and we were directed to someone who reviewed both and our passports. Other passengers were in the way as we were trying to get through as we were all set. My initial thoughts would have been to space this out a bit better but also, once you get your stuff reviewed you just walk on off there's no sort of verification on your person as you leave and I can imagine someone getting missed somehow. They do scan your QR code that is in the VI portal so I'm sure something happens on their side, but we just walked on off to claim our checked bag. It was a very busy arrival time, people all over the airport and we were meeting family who had their cars and they were readily waiting and in good view. Overall, you can't really have a bad time upon arriving to such a beautiful place from winter storms. Just be respectful to the people of the island "good morning/afternoon/evening" and follow protocols set in place during these strange times. read more

This airport is okay. I wish it had air conditioning in the check-in area, but I understand. Workers were helpful and friendly. After getting through TSA, it's been great. read more

So, arriving at this airport is great. You walk off the plane and get a free rum shot and baggage claim is RIGHT there. Along with several rental car companies. So the process of getting your stuff and rental car and/or a taxi is pretty seamless. We got through customs and TSA pretty quickly for our flight back to the states. However, because this is such a tiny airport there is literally ONE food option. They sell sandwiches, salads and some chicken/rice/cabbage dishes. That's the only choices you have at these concession stands. Also, they are still recovering from the 2017 hurricanes so the souvenir shop was boarded up. They had a little booth set up with a very select few souvenirs and a few snack selections. I was disappointed because I had to settle for some rice and no snacks while we waited for our departure. We were lucky enough to get to the airport a few hours before our flight took off so we got seats. But the amount of people standing and sitting on the floor as the airport filled up was crazy. This is a small island with a small airport. Do not expect a luxury wait time for your flight. Eat before you go! read more

Arrival to STT airport was unlike anything I've ever experienced, there wasn't a jet bridge so we deplaned directly on the ground level and upon entering the airport sounds of Caribbean music filled the air. We were then greeted with free shots of rum! What a way to start vacation! There were several air conditioned mini van taxis lined up outside to take us to our destination. Tiny airport with only one ATM which was inoperable. Now to the departure experience. We were told to arrive 90 mins prior to departure in order to safely make our flight home. We were wayyyy behind schedule, arriving 15-20 minutes before departure(long story). The American Airlines staff and TSA agents we encountered were extremely accommodating and pleasant, they practically allowed us to run through pre-check, and checked our bags at the gate. So this were the story goes south! In the rush, our bags were tagged incorrectly and as I'm typing this review we still don't have both bags. They're currently in Miami and it's been 2 days since we filed the claim for our delayed baggage. Fingers-crossed were able to be reunited with our luggage. read more

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The waiting area looks like a former gymnasium or high school cafeteria. Far too small to be servicing over 2 million people a year. TSA was a bit skeptical about my intentions for the dime-sized piece of coral I was bringing back home and the gate employees for American Airlines had the personalities of rattlesnakes. The bathrooms were in a trailer! I love the VI but this airport gets worse every year. I thought the hurricanes may have spurred a renovation. Nope. Overall I think the spirits of the people living there are beat down, and it shows. A lot of sad and angry faces, both on St Thomas and St John. read more

As a visitor, we had a great experience at the Cyril E. King International Airport! You take stairs off the plane to exit on the runway. I can't speak for every day of the year, but today, they had greeters, a guy on stilts, a guy playing steel drums and rum tasting! It was all very unexpected and totally welcoming. Our baggage arrived quickly so let the vacation begin! read more

Cyril E King Airport - I'll take two, please. - Airports Near Me - St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

Arrival was smooth Leaving is a different story Lots of different lines to stand in. Over 1 hour and we didnt even have a big line to get luggage tags! Ticket for luggage Customs. Now they were friendly at this spot. Then line to drop off checked bags. Lines like Disney twisting and turning! Hot area. Lots of people in lines and no fans (February). And of course no water to drink Then finally another long twisting line for Regular airport security Once through lines you now get to be in one area with everyone waiting forflights. Hot. All seats takes and you've arrived 3-4 hours early to get through lines read more

This is by far the worst airport I have ever traveled through. TSA needs to step in and fire every single one of the staff they hired here. The blatant harassment and ridicule of travelers is unacceptable. Fear of not getting through customs and arriving home safely was heavy on my mind as I watched this team of misfits take turns mistreating and degrading every traveler trying to gain entry into the port. Such a sad ending to a fabulous BVI journey. #tsa read more

Though we were headed to the British Virgin Islands (BVI), the prices to fly into Tortola were ridiculous. Enter the St. Thomas Airport (STT), only a few miles from a ferry terminal that would take us to our final destination. And flights here from Miami were $200 cheaper per person than to the BVI. WTH? Like many small, tropical airports, there were no jetways at STT. So we exited the plane into warm sunshine via a stairway; a nice start to our vacation. It was also a short walk to baggage claim, where we were offered complimentary micro-shots of local rum. Things were getting better by the minute! Sadly though, my bags didn't make it from Miami. That was American Airline's fault, not STT per se. But it turns out this is a fairly common occurrence for this airport, since paid freight to the islands wins out over passenger bags every time. Let's just say I was not the only one in line at the AA bag claim. (I eventually got my bag a day later). Word to the wise: pack a swimsuit and extra pair of shorts in your carry-on, just in case. The return trip wasn't nearly so quick as the arrival. First, we had to go through several lines just to get bag tags. Then we had to go through U.S. customs, even though we were supposedly on U.S territory. Next, we had to navigate a maze to drop the bags, then another maze to get through security. When we finally entered the main gate area, it was chaos. As in: super crowded; long lines; no seats available; lots of cranky tourists. Not the ideal setting for a vacation closure. Tips and tricks: - When departing, leave extra time for U.S. customs - To avoid the departure crowds, make base camp at the Gate 2 area just after security. No food options here, but there are bathrooms and more peace and quiet. - A taxi to or from the local ferry terminal is $10 per person and about 10 minutes. Every taxi charges the same price, and it's been that way for the last 10 years (per our driver) Dan's Airport checklist: -- Free Wi-Fi: Nope! (1) -- Logistics and getting around: Easy for arrivals; a long maze for departures (3) -- Shops and amenities: One food option (sandwiches), but three locations; One large shop for very touristy souvenirs (2) -- Beauty and art: Utilitarian (2) read more

Cyril E King Airport - Very crowded with irritable tourists - Airports Near Me - St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

Absolute worst airport experience. It's beyond packed- with very little food/drink options (lines are insane). Air conditioning was broken and all charging stations on chairs taped over. But there is a jewelry sales counter?!!! So much could be done to make this a great entrance/exit experience for the USVI. Currently a 1 rating is a gift. read more

A lot of people hating on this place - must be a mad house during peak tourism season. That complimentary solo rum shot isn't soothing enough! It's a modest airport on an island - those expectations! For departure, first you go through customs. Fill out the customs form before jumping in line. There's a counter area in the lobby to do so. Having a US passport gets you out quicker through customs, but not necessary. Next is TSA screening. Same setup just like the main land: shoes off, liquids out, etc etc. I was warned to go 2 hours before departure, but was fine with just 1 hour for a slow day. Make sure to get window seats for your flights, because you will get some nice photos of the island from above! read more

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be prepared to wait outside at arrival and departure for hours - it is typically very hot. workers are somewhat friendly. customs has been easy for us. airport itself is small and a bit dirty. read more

The porter's were good and relatively cheap. It will charge you two dollars per piece of luggage. The porter pushed me quickly through all of the different long lines. My wife and I were charged $6, I paid the porter $20, the $14 tip was well worth i! Food is awful here. read more

Cyril E King Airport - Not so easy to find a chair - Airports Near Me - St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

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I have never had a bad time at this airport. You have to love an airport where you can buy a cheap bottle of rum and a beer and pop open the beer and walk out of the airport. It is also one of the coolest airports to land at, it sticks out into the bay and when you are landing in a jet you can not see the runway and it looks like you are going to land in the water. Cyril E. King Airport (STT) is a public airport located two miles west of central business district of Charlotte Amalie. It is currently the busiest airport in the United States Virgin Islands, and one of the busiest in the eastern Caribbean. The airport also serves nearby St. John and is often used by those traveling to the British Virgin Islands. It was known as Harry S Truman Airport until 1984, when it was renamed to honor Cyril Emmanuel King, the second elected governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands. A new airport opened in November 1990 and retained the name. The airport operates one main runway, around 7,000 ft long. The terminal operates 11 gates. read more

Cyril E King Airport - Airports Near Me - St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

Extremely slow at security & extremely rude workers at baggage in security. We stood still for 10 minutes at security in an hour line, arrive earlier than you'd expect you'd need to. One of the workers pushing the luggage through security would just stand there and wait, holding up the line when we could've been moving. When I asked for a tray to put my luggage in since there was a lot of room in front of me, she said, "what's the rush?" I responded that our plane leaves in 10 min.. since security took so long. Then like at any other airport, I helped guide my luggage through towards the belt and she said "don't, or it's going to be longer than 10 minutes"...everyone else had. And then she told only us to not leave our luggage as it went through security. read more

First you checkin, then customs, then check bag, then tsa. A long set of lines overall. For customs watch for left shorter line, bring carry on and skip one line. Stark once past security some food and drinks and shops. Dress for very hot conditions in lines and once through. Also no power to be seen for charging. read more

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Small, hot, overcrowded, understaffed, and basic. Expect long waits and meditate before coming- if you are in the right mindset- you should be fine. In summary, come early! read more

Now this may just be because the airport was near empty but we had a very easy experience at the airport. The customs agent was funny and easy to talk to. The check in agents were very helpful and accommodating. And the gate agents made sure our wheelchair bound mother was taken care of the entire time. I hope the next time we travel to the islands is just as smooth and easy. read more

The airport is one terminal but very very busy. Be there at least 3hrs before your flight. It's like traveling overseas, you get questioned by border patrol. If you have one take your passport to make the process smoother. The airport has one restaurant and bar and one small snack store but the lines move surprisingly quick. The bathrooms are clean. Overall good experience just not much to do. read more

arriving wasn't too bad although be ready for the heat...it really hits you as you cross the tarmac on foot to exit the airport...there's plenty of taxis so you don't have to order one ahead of time although the fees don't seem to line up w. the ones posted online and in the travel guide. That was VERY irksome. leaving was a longggg wait in the open air to check-in which was really uncomfortable but customs was quick and efficient. the security check for carry-on wasn't bad and went pretty quick. read more

This is the worst airport in the United States. Period. Believe the 1-star reviews. STT is awful. Arrival is fine. Departure does not match the basic standards of the developing world. If you are considering a visit to the US Virgin Islands, the airport should cause you to reconsider. read more

I've been to a lot of small airports, Honduras, Belize, St. Lucia, Turks and Caicos, Cayman (which is also a US island) but I have never experienced anything like this!! This is also the first review I've ever written. I write this as I look out over the beautiful view here in St Thomas because after standing in line for 2 1/2 hours we missed our flight. We went on the recommendation of people whom I thought would know how to navigate travel here, Dolphin, our hotel etc. But when you read be there three hours early, don't think its like the US, give yourself 4 hours. TSA (which means "thousands standing around") and this entire airport is made up of a porter scam and a rude employee power trip. No one cares if you miss your flight. TSA was unorganized, lazy, rude, and the airport cannot handle the amount of people they are trying to put through. Delta actually bought their own TSA line so I learned after I was told the porters will help you get through the line faster and after checking in to Jet Blue with no line, I tried to hire a porter. I found out the hard way you can't do this after you are issued tickets. I then watched as people with porters went through quickly so again money talks and the airport is playing that game. After seeing our situation I went to JET BLUE and expressed my concern over missing the flight, talked to airport personal also and was told once you check in they will not leave you. Yah ok. So our vacation, the five of us, was extended for 2 days. We sat in the hot airport looking for hotels on our phone for 3 hours. I guess, unlike the US , they don't think about your jobs, school and responsibilities. Get a porter before you check in, pay them how much? I'll find out tomorrow when we leave, fingers crossed, give yourself 4 hours then hopefully you will get to your flight in time. read more

An small airport a little unorganized. When we arrived they piled 3 Or 4 flights together in one belt to collect the luggages during the high season!!( summer). Taxi is an adventure. A bunch of Vans, the put you inside, you don't t have a chance to ask of the price , the driver are very honest !!! read more

Small and easy. Easy to get in and easy to get out. Small and well run and decently clean. Good border cops and TSA people. Decent little tiny Cafe to get a small snack with decent portions (get the chicken fingers and fries), and tiny little gift shop with reasonable prices. All good for what it is. read more

The latest horrible experience at this airport! I get it you don't like white people! Racist delta employees were a rude joke. I was 80 mins early for my flight and I was told to DISPOSE of my luggage because I was not 90 mins early!! WOW!! Then I get to wait in the long hot customs line to get harassed. (Which I still don't understand.. I'm in the US and traveling in the US) Then get to sit in the nasty hot smelly airport!! read more

This is your only choice if you are flying into or out of St. Thomas. After almost 2 years, they just got the AC up. There is one restaurant which is cafeteria style and extremely mediocre. If you fly American, check in is required 3 hours in advance. I suggest you bring in food from somewhere close by, like Nisky Center. There are no dedicated charging areas and if you can find one of the three wall outlets, you can sit on the filthy floor while you charge. I fly in and out of here a lot. You also have to clear customs even though the USVI is part of the US. Leave a lot of time. Finally, the bathrooms are disgusting, although they supposedly plan to renovate them. read more

Departing from Cyril E. King Airport was easy thankfully, because reading some of the reviews about this airport had me nervous. We got our tickets quickly and made it through customs in about 5 minutes (we got to the airport at 711am). TSA was a easy as well since we were TSA Precheck. The gift shop here at the airport is crazy overpriced so if you are like me and forgot to get a souvenir, be prepared to cough up a nice piece of change for a magnet. We didn't eat at the airport so I can't comment on the prices or taste of the food. I will say they only had one food eatery place open, Hibiscus Café & Bar, so your options are limited. All and all it's an OK airport, that could use a deep cleaning. I don't ever plan on visiting St. Thomas again so this airport will only have 2 check-ins from me. read more

No water fountains anywhere to be found... Asked the guy in the airport bar if he could fill my water bottle from their tap water and was told "no, we only sell bottled water"...... I can't wait for this 3.5 hour flight on Spirit air with no water leading to a grand total of 6.5 hours without any hydration. Fly here if you want to travel through a 2nd world dump.... PSA for the airport staff - if you're going to make us empty our liquids despite your atrocious TSA audit stats, at least add a water fountain.... Rental car companies here on site are also awful, rent offsite if you don't want to wait around for 3 hours for a car that you reserved to be available... They know the pickup/dropoff dates/times, how hard could it possibly be to tell people that a rental is unavailable on the date/time requested before confirming reservations? Still have us the wrong car despite there being 2 of the exact car we reserved sitting in the lot.... Fail... read more

I know it's not the richest area/place but this is bad, the place was completely dated and run down. I get its not a super rich community but it's a tourist destination. And after all that there's barely any shops. As a aviation geek I've visited many airports and this one is not great especially because it's in the USA. You'll have great trip in this paradise but don't be excited about the airport. read more

This airport is a mess for departures. When we arrived, we just kind of breezed through (grabbed a free shot of rum) on our way to paradise. On our way out through.... Ugh! It's bad enough you're there to leave the Virgin Islands, but heap on the fact that check-in is outside, yet baggage drop is inside, the waiting area is way too small for the number of people the airport serves, there is only one (incredibly overpriced) place to eat, and shopping is the pits, and you might just curl into the fetal position and cry. We seriously contemplated grabbing our bags and making a run for it. I think we would make great, full-time islanders. read more