Winair, short for Windward Islands Airways International, is a regional airline based at Princess Juliana airport in St Maarten in the Caribbean. They operate regional flights to 13 destinations using mostly Dash-6 Twin Otter aircrafts but occasionally also an ATR-72 or an MD-90.
The airline is famous among aviation enthusiasts all over the world for flying to some of the world’s most remarkable airports including Princess Juliana airport in St Maarten with its famous low approach over Maho Beach, Gustaf III airport in St Barts, famous for its steep final approach down a hill, and Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport on the island of Saba, which has the world’s shortest commercial runway, just 400 metres long with hills and cliffs on both sides.
Departure experience
I arrived at Princess Juliana airport just after 9 am with plenty of time until my departure at 10.45. The new terminal building is quite pleasant to use. It is tidy and modern but also very colourful. As there were no longhaul flights or flights to the US leaving during the late morning the terminal building was very quiet.
According to the departure screens there were two check-in desks assigned for Winair, desk 45 and 46, and they were supposed to handle all destinations. When I arrived both desks were empty but five minutes later a woman turned up and opened desk 46 and I was quickly checked in.
As I was only travelling with hand luggage, returning again in the evening, the check-in process was swift. My passport was scanned and I received a printed boarding pass. I was told there was free seating onboard but that there would not be a lot of passengers on the flight.
There were several regional flights leaving during the late morning. I could see four flights on the departure screen leaving for St Barths within an hour. But on the other hand the Twin Otter aircrafts used are very small.
Both passport control and security control were a breeze and the transit hall appeared to be just as empty as the departure hall.
Winair does not have a frequent flyer program and there is just one cabin class onboard, so obviously there is no lounge access included in any of the tickets. However the airport lounge at Princess Juliana airport is accessible using Priority Pass.
The lounge was almost empty when I arrived with just a handful passengers. There were still some breakfast items in the self service buffet so I got a cup of coffee and some pastries while waiting for the flight. Soft drinks were available free of charge while alcoholic drinks such as wine, beer and spirits were available for sale at the manned bar. Not that I was longing for a drink at 9 am anyway.
Read the full lounge review here!
About half an hour before departure the monitors indicated it was time to go to the gate, in this case gate C1. Ten minutes later boarding was announced for the 10.45 flight to St Barths and quite surprisingly I was the old person who got up and boarded the bus. We ended up waiting a few minutes, it seemed like we were missing someone. Eventually it turned out there was indeed going to be a second passenger, but she was connecting from another Winair flight and was taken to the aircraft on another bus, so we were free to leave the terminal.
The flight
St Maarten-St Barths
Winair flight WM 621
Departure: 10.45
Arrival: 11.00
Economy Class
Dash-6 Twin Otter
First impression
The aircraft was parked on the opposite side of the apron. The two pilots greeted us outside the aircraft and welcomed us onboard. The weather was really the best possible, just perfect for a a short scenic flight at a low altitude.
As we were only two passengers we were told we could sit anywhere we wanted. After we had taken our seats the first officer gave us a brief safety demonstration, showing us the location of the nearest emergency exits, where we could find the life jacket and he also checked that our seatbelts were fastened and that we had safely stowed away our hand luggage.
Interestingly there was no door between the cabin and the cockpit so we could see right inside and get the same view as the pilots. Even though there might be some security concerns with this setup it provided some wonderful photo opportunities.
We took off from runway 10 towards the east which meant a nice taxi past the famous Maho Beach where aviation enthusiasts gather to watch aircraft takeoff and in particular to watch the low-altitude landings, just metres over the beach.
The flight provided a scenic view straight after departure giving a wonderful view of St Maarten. After about five minutes the capital of St Maarten, Philipsburg, appeared outside the window with its nice beach and colourful houses followed by the port with several cruise ships docked.
Seat and cabin
The Dash 6-300 Twin Otter has seats for 19 passengers and two pilots. The cabin configuration is 1-2 except for the last two rows. The seats were in blue and made of some kind of fabrics. The legroom was somewhat tight but it really did not matter much for a flight of 15 minutes and in our case we were just two passengers onboard anyway so we got plenty of space.
Food and drinks
No food or drinks were offered onboard and there was no one working in the cabin during the flight.
Arrival experience
After leaving Philipsburg we flew out over water but just a few minutes later it was possible to spot Saint-Barthélemy, or St Barths, in the far distance.
The approach to St Barths airport is quite spectacular no matter from what direction you land. If you land from the west on runway 10, as we were going to to, the final approach is very steep and starts at a roundabout on a high hill with many cars passing just metres below. The aircraft then makes a steep approach down the hill to the runway. If the approach angle is not steep enough the aircraft will touch down too late on the short runway and will most likely not be able to stop before the end of the runway where there is a beach.
If the approach is made from the east to runway 28 the final approach is made over the small lagoon and right over the beach at a low altitude where people are sunbathing.
We were asked to hold a short while just outside the island as there was departing traffic on the runway before we were allowed to make our final approach into the famous runway 10. The approach was surely a fun experience, flying just metres over the cars at the roundabout and then the very steep approach down the hill.
It all went well, we touched down early enough, stopped well ahead of the beach and taxied back to the small apron and terminal building. As I had moved to the right side of the cabin during the flight (with approval from the captain) I also got a very nice view of the capital Gustavia during the approach.
The airport is called Gustaf III airport and is named after the Swedish king with the same name, just like the capital Gustavia. Saint Barthélemy used to be a Swedish colony from 1784 to 1878 and to keep its history alive there is still a Swedish flag flying at the airport and on the terminal building there is a sign saying ‘Välkommen’ in Swedish, next to ‘Bienvenue’ in French and ‘Welcome’ in English.
The passport control was basically just one small counter and with an EU passport the process was quick as the island is part of France. From the terminal building it takes just a few minutes to walk along the runway down to the beach. Gustavia is about 2-3 km from the airport and can easily be reached by taxi.
Final impression
Far from a premium experience. No premium check-in, no lounge (with the ticket), no food or drinks onboard, no inflight entertainment system and certainly no spacious business class seat. But an incredibly enjoyable flight, easily one of the most scenic in the world covering two of the world’s most spectacular airports during a flight lasting only 15 minutes. The flight was on time and both the pilots and the ground staff were friendly and helpful.
Be the first to comment