Best Airport

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mido

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May 18, 2002
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Name: Punta Cana International
Location: Punta Cana, East Coast
Reason why?: The last time I arrived there it took me less than 15 minutes from the gate leaving the plane to the parking lot.
Immigration is very fast and nobody bothers at customs.
When I pick up friends or clients there it is the same experience, everything quick and no hazzle.
 
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Jimmydr

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Apr 17, 2003
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www.insearchofchicas.org
mido said:
Name: Punta Cana International
Location: Punta Cana, East Coast
Reason why?: The last time I arrived there it took me less than 15 minutes from the gate leaving the plane to the parking lot.
Immigration is very fast and nobody bothers at customs.
When I pick up friends or clients there it is the same experience, everything quick and no hazzle.


Puerto Plata, Plane to gate, less than 15 minutes. (I have only carry-on)
 

NY1

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Feb 26, 2002
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I gotta go with Santiago. You're usually out in less than 30 minutes, but more importantly you're in the city in about 10 minutes. That's convenience.
 

A.J.

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Jan 2, 2002
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I second Puerto Plata.
In-out fast.

Santiago is nice too. as long as you do not arrive at night in the middle of a storm.
 

Corporal cod

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Jan 12, 2005
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I think Puerto Plata is the defiently the winner it is so fast and efficient it seams to run on real time not dominican!!!! :classic:
 

Jon S.

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Jan 25, 2003
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Punta Cana does it for me

Punta Cana Int'l, the plane landed and if it weren't for the luggage, I would've been out of there in 20 minutes flat. Great service - until a 747 lands from Europe or someplace. Even Herrera and their Customs guys don't get people thru that quick.
 
Jun 5, 2004
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No doubt Santiago

Nice personnel, no long waiting lines everything goes smooth best of all agter u get out of the airport you blink and you are in the middle of Santiago
 

Bob K

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Aug 16, 2004
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walk in the park

Our favorite international (Non-US) has to be Puerto Plata. Customs is a walk in the part. From baggage claim to rental car 2 minutes and just a wave through for customs check. Hope this pattern continues.

Bob K
 

Bob K

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Aug 16, 2004
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Just to put things in prospective. Just returned last nite from Aruba and spent 2hrs 15 mn checking in and getting to our gate. And that was going with first class check in line which was 10x shorter then the normal line. Give me POP any day.

Bob K
 
Sep 19, 2005
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well i realize that with no checked baggage the time can be short.....but i just dont see how 300 peopel can go through the immigration lines in 10-15 minutes alone... and that doesnt include getting from the plane to the line and then out of the airport after that

maybe the flights were not full and there were way less people on the flight............I know santiago has at least 4 or more lines that check you through immigrations and it still is a 20 minute line.....I went through sti with only carry onlast time and it was a huge difference....

bob
 

AnnaC

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Jan 2, 2002
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I've never noticed the time in POP, it's always gone fast enough for me but coming back to Toronto is a hoot getting through immigration with people arriving from all over the world.

It's all part of the traveling experience ;)

Don't hit me Bob :classic:
 

samanasuenos

Bronze
Oct 5, 2005
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Never been to Punta Cana. Hopefully I never will. Hoping to try Santiago next.

I HAVE been through both POP and the capital. I liked POP best because of the warmth of the staff there. However, I speak Spanish, with a Dominican accent and always address the employees there as "mi amor." It works for me, as Dr. Phil says, so I am going to keep on doin' it.

Last time I was there, I was late for my flight and luggin a big a$$ container of arts and crafts and coffee and cool stuff. And no tape for the top.

Using these two words - "mi amor" - got me through customs ASAP, they found tape for me, taped my container VERY well - like an anal German woulda, and they proceeded to check my OVERWEIGHT container without weighing it. Totally free.

Maybe it was the "Favor serias tan amable de ayudarme por favor...."

Maybe it was my very Domincan miniskirt and heels.

The best part was when the gate agent rushed me to my plane past a long line of folks and told his buddy at the door, "Aqui tenemos una amiga."

NO better feeling.


Going through the capital is just busier and more congested, especially if it is your first time.

Now, the real question here is: am I male, or female?
 

Tordok

Bronze
Oct 6, 2003
530
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I've used all major DR airports (except Barahona), in both commercial and private aircraft.

1. Clearly, arriving on a private jet @ the now reclassified Herrera airport with the driver of your own car waiting at the hangar is tops in terms of the moving-right-along-on- time factor. Short of that close-and-personal service available only on special occassions or for a lucky few, then Punta Cana, La Romana, Santiago and Puerto Plata are all equivalent in speed, from tarmac to the 1st roadside Presidente. SDQ is not that far behind in speed unless you're arriving from Colombia or Panama. Searches for contraband focus on planes arriving from those places rather than Miami, New York, or Madrid.

2. Flight safety. Most aviation accidents occur at landing. By virtue of its geography, STI would be less favorable than airfields set on ample, flat, oceanside areas with small populations (like in PP, LR, PC and even Cabo Caucedo's SDQ). Any pilot will tell you that emergencies are more easily handled away from a densely populated valley surrounded by high mountains, as in Cibao International. Otherwise lovely place.

3. Services. Like the people of any big town, the workers at SDQ seem to be the most indifferent to travelers' questions. Tourist area airports unabashedly cater to their visitor, as it should be, so that POP, LRM, and PUJ have an edge on SDQ and STI, although people are quite friendly even on these last two. Keep in mind, friendly is not always equate to effective/productive/useful/able.

4. Fundamentals: see Laszlo's post above.

cheers,
- Tordok
 
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