Review of Caribbean Airlines flight from Port of Spain to St. George’s in Economy

Intro

Welcome to the first report to Grenada, and the first report of a Caribbean Airlines ATR! Additionally, welcome to the first report of the Caribbean Club from what I can tell.  

With a short stop in Trinidad and Tobago, enjoying some coffee, and visiting the Caribbean Club Lounge in Piarco, I would be heading off on my next adventure to a country that I was unbelievably excited about. Having flown ATRs around the world in the likes of Bora Bora as an example and experiencing the amazing product Caribbean Airlines offers on the 737 Max 8, I was excited for this flight. 

Well, after the unbelievable flight last time out on the 737 MAX 8, this flight was vastly different. For starters, the block time of this flight is 40 minutes, and the distance is only 101 miles. The hard product is good, but soft product-wise, there was no IFE, no in-flight service, or anything of the such. It was a nice point A or point B flight, but nothing more, really. 

How I Booked

The original ticket was booked from Georgetown-Port of Spain-Grenada in economy, all for 253$, which I found to be reasonable.

Check-In

Caribbean Airlines has a couple of dedicated desks for check-in at Piarco Airport. Seeing as my boarding passes had already been issued in Georgetown, I headed straight through security and immigration and off to the lounge. 

Caribbean Club

Access

There are multiple ways to access the lounge, and all of them follow right along the lines of what any access would entail into a US Club. These are as follows:

Caribbean Club members (1 guest included)

Caribbean Club day pass holders (cannot find how much it is)

Business Class ticket holders (no guests from what I read)

Connecting passengers with inbound leg in Business Class

Access is only granted within 3 hours of scheduled departure time, and seems to be quite strict.

The first thing that stood out to me about this lounge is how small it is. At just over 3500 square feet, it felt more like a restaurant (size-wise) than a lounge. However, seeing as Caribbean Airlines doesn't serve that many markets, it does make sense. In addition, what Caribbean Airlines has done with the space is remarkable, with countless different elegant designs for seating and booths for families if needed. The main room, located to the right is where you find all of the nicer areas to sit…

However, on the left, when you walk in, is the "dining room" area. There are about 10 tables to choose from, and it is located right next to the buffet, as one would imagine😉.

For a lounge, and considering it was breakfast, I found the food that Caribbean Airlines provided wasn't too bad at all. Located in the back of the lounge lay 4 hot options to choose from. After the previous flight I wasn't too hungry, but it was nice to see everything kept neat and tidy. 

I also appreciated the individual ketchup packets and butter (looking at you, Polaris lounge, cough cough). 

Another aspect where Caribbean Airlines really shined brightly was the drinks offerings. Whether it be fresh juices you are after, sparkling wine, red wine, white wine, local rum, local beer, or even sodas, they have it all. Freshly brewed coffee was also available to take when needed… aka CHAMPOFFEE TIME!

It's a sad day to see a Caribbean Airlines lounge offer more alcohol selection than the Malaysian Airlines Flagship Lounge…

The Caribbean Airlines Club Lounge (Business Class Lounge) at Port of Spain is quite a nice place to relax and catch up on some emails. As long as you miss the busy bank of international departures, which is up until about 9:30 am, it is relatively quiet from my experience (9:30 am-midday is empty). If you don't need a shower, this is a lounge I could recommend spending a couple of hours in, with a decent selection of food and drink, along with comfortable seating.

Boarding

Today, our gate was right across from the Caribbean club, and the gate number was 14. Boarding commenced at 11:30 am for our midday departure, but I was one of the last to board. Oops😂.

Well, when I saw that we were assigned a gate number, I thought there would be a jetbridge. Oh, was I wrong…

Moments later, a little minibus appeared, and we were instructed to get on board. I've been out to planes walking, on a bus, and in a van, but never on a minibus. Gotta love the Caribbean. 

It was quite comfy, to be honest. 

Moments later, we arrived at our ATR72, which took us over to Grenada this morning. A ground staff member did tell me to stop taking pictures, but I managed to get this shot off right before she said it😌.

The Seat/Cabin

The Caribbean Airlines ATR is arranged in a 2-2 configuration with decent seats. It's all pretty much the same across carriers on this aircraft, but I did think the legroom was on the better side I've experienced on this aircraft.

Considering these planes are only used around the Caribbean, and the Caribbean has some of the nicest views during flying, I don't see this as the end of the world. 

There is also a tray table that pops down, not that it would be needed this flight 😒.

Departure

The captain came on to inform us of our flight time of 35 minutes with an Eastbound departure imminent. Moments later, the engines started revving up as we headed up to the runway. 

Clearly, we were extremely light as we didn't even head to the furthest point of the runway to take off. 

Airborne!

The views out of the dirty windows were gorgeous. Yes, the windows were filthy. Being next to the engines and hearing them motor is truly one of the most incredible moments of my aviation life. 

The Flight

For the grand total of 8 minutes that we were at cruising altitude, I gazed out of the beautiful window and read the magazine that the airlines provide. Ever since I used to watch Chris Gayle slog sixes on TV, the Caribbean has always fascinated me. Now that I am a bit older, it tends to lead towards rum a bit more (both of which were featured in the magazine).

Arrival

Well, about 23 minutes after takeoff, we had begun our descent into Grenada, the land of under-the-counter (which you will read about soon). As always, there are more beautiful views overlooking the Caribbean waters. If I lived 300 years ago, Jack Sparrow would have a competitor as ruler of the high seas. LOOK AT THAT WATER!

We touched down 36 minutes after departure, at 12:40 pm local time. It was a very short taxi off to our remote gate, and the stairs were attached by 12:45 pm (5 minutes behind schedule). 

The crew bid us farewell as we walked over to the main terminal to undergo the immigration process. 

Thank gosh, we landed before the B6 flight from JFK. Honestly, being stuck behind 180 people with 3 counters of immigration doesn't sound very fun. Grenada has implemented electronic arrival, but it seems to only be for people with local passports and not the US. However, I was through within minutes. 

The airport at St George's is so small that it almost blew me away. Considering there are flights from Miami, New York, and Boston, to name a few, it's really quite tiny. However, I kind of like the small and chic vibe to it, and there is a bar right outside if you are ready to begin the party early😉.

Just like that, my host from Glamping Grenada came to pick me up, and it was time to explore the island of Grenada!