“Very interesting , it was my first international flight.”
by cptk7 on May 23, 2011
Flight from New York City to Santiago
- Airline:
-
JetBlue
- RT/OW
- Round Trip
- Number of Stops:
- No stops
- Date of Flight:
- July 2010
- Seat Class:
- premium
Jet Blue was an excellent airline.Seating was comfortable, and finally found an airline with enough seating room.It was great to be able to check the plane's altitude and location.
Attendant service was excellent.The Blue potato chips were great!!
We arrived in Santiago and I realized for sure that I was in another country!! My first impression was the heat that hit me when we got off the plane.They have A/C in the DR, but it seems they never shut doors!!!
I had to buy a tourist permit immediately, and was processed thru that and my passport check in a timely manner.
When we got to the luggage pick-up area, all our luggage was there. Nothing was lost!!!!
Cibao Airport is very small, but certainly adequate for that size city. The lines were short.
You simply go down one floor,and the pick-up area is right there. Car rental places are right there also (we did not use them,someone picked us up). We were out of the airport in less the 30 minutes after we landed!!!
It was a bit of a culture shock to see the armed guards at the airport, but they are all over, and the country is perfectly safe.
My return flight was a bit different,however.
I flew back alone, without my "native tour guide".
Of course, everything is in Spanish, and I am conversant in that. I processed thru rather quickly.The airport waiting area is small, but very comfortable. While waiting,I looked at the only Flight Status TV.It showed a storm delay.
The Public Address system was HORRIBLE, and very static-y . I did not here them boarding my flight,and went for a coffee.I kept checking the TV. which still showed as delayed for an hour or more.
Then I heard several unintelligible announcments.
Then, I heard my my name !!!!!
They actually held the plane for me !!!!
I dashed to the waiting plane, and settled in. I saw that they used dry ice to cool the plane, rather then run the engines, wasting fuel, and fuming up the inside.
The flight back was great, with good service.
Coming and going, it was great to have a Jet Blue exclusive terminal. That made all the difference.
I certainly would recommend Jet Blue, and the Dominican Republic! Santiago is a very cosmopolitan city, steeped in history. Make sure you stop at the "Momumento" !!!