March 22, 2026
You’ve probably seen the photos by now. People lined up outside of the airport in St. Thomas and out onto the sidewalk. The lines were so long yesterday that they were actually down the side of the road that leads to the airport. It was absolutely nuts. I flew out Friday, and here is what I learned and witnessed firsthand.
For starters, it is not uncommon to have lines at the St. Thomas (STT) airport. Travelers have always been told to come three hours before your flight. Checked bags need to be tagged 90 minutes before your flight. You not only have to go through TSA security, but you also have to go through customs and then through agriculture. It’s a multi-step process. Add that to the fact that this is the one of the busiest travel months of the year in the Virgin Islands, and you are guaranteed to have long lines. Now add that to the fact that our TSA agents are not being paid, so some are calling out (rightfully so), and you get major overcrowding. It’s a mess.
Go Four Hours Early
The Virgin Islands Port Authority said Sunday that travelers should get to the St. Thomas airport four hours early. I did this Friday and was thankful I did. I had ample time to indulge in a cocktail at the bar inside of the terminal and was happy to have spare time, rather than stress out in line.
Steps to Get Through
- Go to the counter to get your bags tagged. The airline does not take your bag at this time. If you are not checking a bag, go directly to the customs line.
- Customs
- Agriculture
- Drop off your check bag. If you are not checking a bag go directly to TSA.
- TSA security. There is a pre-check line to the far right against the wall.
- Enjoy a cocktail inside, because it’s a hell of a journey to get into the terminal these days.
Global Entry
If you have Global Entry, you can go directly to the front of the customs line. You must have your physical card with you to do so. Only people with Global Entry can do this. If someone in your family/group does not have Global Entry, they cannot join you. You still have to wait in the bag check line and the TSA line as normal. You do get to skip the agriculture line if you have Global Entry.
Red Cap/Red Shirts
These men and women are there to help people who have more luggage than they are able to carry themselves. They are not there to help people cut lines. They charge a small fee per bag and will help get you to customs and then they will help drop off your checked luggage.
They now have a desk that you have to line up to in order to use their service. You can no longer just flag someone down with a red shirt. They were turning away single travelers and couples on Friday when I flew. They were mainly helping families who had a lot going on – luggage, strollers, etc. – and also elderly people.
If you are able an able-bodied individual, they will not help you when the airport is as busy as it currently is. So please do not count on using one. I watched them tell several people no on Friday. One person offered them a considerable amount of money, and the woman in charge still said no. At one point, they closed the line down and were not accepting anyone else for this service. Again, do not count on using this service.
Customs
The reason you have to go through Customs when leaving is because you left the United States customs zone. This is a quick process once you get to the agent. On Friday, the customs area was empty. They were lining people up outside and letting in groups at a time. So the line outside looks much longer than it actually is considering that there is no line inside. Typically there are two lines inside and both wrap around at least twice inside.
Agriculture
Everything you are carrying goes through agriculture. They are making sure that you are not bringing in plants, pork products or certain types of fruits and vegetables.
TSA Security
Finally, the final step! Pre-check is against the wall.
What I Learned Firsthand
- DO NOT count on using a red cap/red shirt to get through faster. It is not a guarantee that they will accept you.
- People are not listening to the Port Authority’s advice to get to the airport 3-4 hours early, and they are missing flights.
- The airlines will not hold a plane for you.
- It’s hot. Lines are miserable. People are doing their best. Just be kind and roll with it.
I want to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who was working at the airport on Friday. They hustled! I have never seen the airport run so smoothly once I was inside. Yes, it was chaotic outside, but TSA was on point Friday. And there were so many of them working! I even saw people who appeared to be supervisors working the lines on Friday. Thank you all so much.
Let’s be honest, not many of us would go to work if we were not being paid, so I would like to thank and recognize everyone who is.
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