The Best Way To Fly To Anguilla

 
 

As long-term lovers of Anguilla, first as vacationers and now as residents, we had long taken an early discovery we made for granted. It is both simple and important... The best way to fly to Anguilla (airport code "AXA") is actually to fly to St. Maarten (code is "SXM").

From Montreal, it took us 14 hours to finally arrive for our first vacation in Anguilla.

After our 2nd trip, that journey was getting "tired."

We love Anguilla, we thought, "but 14 hours?"

Then we discovered a non-stop flight to St. Maarten. It had never occurred to us to search for "SXM" as our destination until we had become comfortable with the ferries.

Suddenly, a 3-flight journey, with connections in an East Coast US city and Puerto Rico (usually with a long wait) became a 4.5 hour non-stop flight to Princess Julianna Airport in St. Maarten.

And if you are flying from the East Coast US? You can make it in 3.5 hours or less.

Princess Julianna Airport Tarmac

Arrival in St. Maarten is followed by either...

• a quick boat ride from a dock near the airport to Anguilla
  
  or
• a quicker flight to Anguilla (no need to even cross St. Maarten immigration)

What a difference! We still had a good part of the day in Anguilla ahead of us, after arriving!

Anguilla Air Services' Flight Coming Into Anguilla From St. Maarten
An Eight Minute Flight!

The Typical First-Time Reaction To Getting Here

We were reminded of this important point recently when my Dad's company held a conference in Anguilla for its customers. After announcing it in his company's forums, the thread on the conference was swamped with comments about the cost and time it took to fly to Anguilla.

That is when my Dad announced... "Don't fly to Anguilla. Fly To St. Maarten" (exceptions below).

After researching that option, the attendees posted back about how much faster and cheaper it was to reach Anguilla by flying to St. Maarten. Suddenly, those who had said that they were unable to attend (due to cost and inconvenience) were coming.

(The Anguilla Conference, by the way, was a big success. Anguilla is an excellent location to hold a convention, conference or even trade show.)

The Reason For This Aberration

We are creatures of habit. We reflexively enter our destination when we research flights. So do our travel agents. Instead, enter "SXM" as your ultimate destination or tell your travel agent to do so.

Enter SXM

Anguilla happens to be a small Caribbean island that is only a few miles north of another island (St. Maarten) with a major international hub. Like other smaller islands, it has its own regional airport, the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport.

Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport, Anguilla

The airport's runway length is 5,461 feet (98 feet wide) (with 4,968 feet of landing distance available). That is long enough for props, regional jets, and the large private jets that flock to Anguilla like the G5. If you happen to have a G5, fly direct to Anguilla!

New Private Jet Parking at the Upgraded Anguilla Airport

But if you don't own a G5 (yet), St. Maarten's airport accommodates the largest jumbos...

From SXM, Anguilla's extreme proximity to this major hub makes it a snap to reach quickly.

When we arrive in St. Maarten now, we feel that we're already home, being closer to Anguilla than JFK is to Manhattan. It's basically a taxi ride.

Who Is This Tip For?

If you are flying from a major city on the Eastern seaboard of the U.S or Canada (ex., New York, Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami, Toronto, Montreal), you will likely find this travel tip to be invaluable. Most cities offer the non-stop to St. Maarten option, some year-round, others in season as charter flights (such as Montreal).

Flying from the West Coast, this tip may not make much of a difference. But do explore the SXM option.

From Europe, you have two choices to reach Anguilla via SXM...

• KLM from Amsterdam
• Air France from Paris

There are two additional "direct to AXA airport" routes that are worth checking out...

First, Tradewind Aviation offers comfortable and conveniently-timed flights daily from San Juan to Anguilla December through April. Details here.

Second, American Airlines now offers daily direct flights into Anguilla (AXA) from Miami International Airport (MIA).

American Airlines Arriving in Anguilla

American Airlines departs from the Miami International Airport at 10:30am everyday and arrives in Anguilla at 1:30pm. Depatures from Anguilla begin at 2:30pm.

Be sure to compare those two routes against traveling via SXM to see which prices out better!

Please comment on how well this works for you, or add your own best tip from your location, in the comments section below.

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