Review: Caribbean Airlines ATR72 Port of Spain (Piarco)-St George's (Grenada) Economy
Intro
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.
Route-Port Of Spain (POS)-St George's (GND)
Seat- 4A
Flight Number- BW432
Aircraft- Boeing 737 Max 8
Date- May 22nd 2024
Flight Time: 48 Minutes
Price Paid- 253$ (2 Legs)
How I Booked
How I booked was actually quite a weird, complicated process. 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.
I had the opportunity to visit the Caribbean Club due to my inbound business class ticket. I wrote a separate extract, which you can read about here if you are interested. Quite a good place!
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.
By 12:06 pm, we were airborne out of Piarco.
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.
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!
Final Thoughts
While not as good as the previous flight or the lounge, Caribbean Airlines did get me from point A to point B on their ATR. The legroom was relatively spacious for an ATR, but as expected, there was no IFE and no in-flight service. For a flight of this length, it certainly isn't the end of the world, especially with the views that the Caribbean offers.
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