Air Travel: Departure Information

A guide to checking in for your return flight from Tobago's Crown Point Airport

Most long-haul flights to Europe leave Tobago in the late afternoon or early evening. To optimise your last day on this beautiful island, a little planning is advisable.

Virgin Holidays have introduced an excellent 'Check In Chill Out' system allowing guests to check-in for the return flight at the hotel, rather than at the airport. Let's hope that other package holiday companies and airlines follow Virgin's excellent example.

Most hotels ask you to check-out by late morning. However, most will make special arrangements for departing guests, on request, either allowing them to stay in the room until late afternoon, or by making special day rooms available. The vital thing is to make arrangements with the hotel early in the holiday. Do NOT leave it to the last minute or you may find yourself having no facilities for those final few hours.

Most airline check-in desks open three or four hours before departure. Times vary, and you must alway double-check the following times, but it's worth getting there as early as possible. Apart from anything else, you will have best chance of being seated together if your airline does not pre-allocate seats. This is particularly important with flights that pick up passengers elsewhere (e.g. Grenada) before coming to Tobago.

• British Airways: check-in opens 3pm for 7pm departure
• Condor: check-in opens 3pm for 6pm departure
• XL Airways: check-in normally opens around 2pm, but it is best to check with the local agent on (868) 639-2285.
• Virgin Atlantic: check-in opens at 4pm for 8:50pm departure (Morning Check-In & Chill-Out at some hotels)

Before checking in, make sure you have completed one of the Immigration exit forms that will be available in the check-in area. If travelling with a package holiday operator, your holiday rep will probably provide you with an exit form and you will have no need to queue.

Before March 2008, it was necessary to pay a TT$100 departure tax at a kiosk between the check-in desk and departure gates. The kiosk consisted of a small cut-out 'hole' in a large screen of black glass. It was impossible to see or hear the person you were dealing with. The departure tax is now collected by the airlines.

Formalities over, you will be free to enjoy the rest of the afternoon with only light hand (cabin) luggage. You can then return to the Departure Lounge 20-30 minutes before boarding time.

Finally, don't forget that many of you will be returning to a cold/colder climate. You obviously won't want to travel or lug around winter clothing, but equally don't want to arrive back in Europe/North America with tropical clothing. We always favour trousers (pants) with zip-off lower legs for each leg of the journey. You can wear them as shorts until you leave, keeping the bottom legs and a light pullover or sweater in our hand luggage, then put them back on during the flight and add the sweater as appropriate. Our heavier coats are packed at the very top of our largest suitcase. As soon as we get the luggage from the baggage carousel, we can quickly unlock, partially unzip and grab the coats without having to go through the whole palaver of fully opening the cases.

    

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