"DIRECT" Flights Are NOT Usually "Non-Stop&qu

[Rory McEvoy]

The term "DIRECT FLIGHT" seems to be somwhat misunderstood by some travellers.

A flight classified as "direct" generally has one or more stops before reaching the final destination. Americans often use the term "through" (or THRU!) for such flights.

What you really need to look for is "Non-Stop" in a flight description.

If your flight to Tobago stops in Port of Spain you will have to go through customs and immigration there IF your flight has traffic rights between POS-TAB.

This is being posted to help folks ask the right questions and avoid unpleasant surprises!

[Louise Richards]

I was really interested, and a little worried, to discover that direct flights are not always non stop. I am travelling from Gatwick with Excel airways on what I hope is a non stop trip. If anyone knows different, I would be very interested to hear about it!

[Steve Wooler]

Hi Louise

Simply check out our Air Travel page - all the information you need is there.

You do not say what date/day your Excel flight is, but if you're out on a Thursday flight, it will be non-stop. Monday flights (next Winter) are via Grenada and Saturday flights are via St.Kitts.

[Steve Roughley]

We flew with Excel on a Saturday and as Steve says it was via St Kitts, the good thing though is that the return flight is direct !, hope you have as good a time as we did.

Steve & Hilary

[Paul J Corney]

What is acceptable in my view is Excel's definition of a direct flight which goes from point to point via somewhere else stopping only to let off passengers and let new ones from that destination on. They stop briefly (no more than 1 hour) at the back end of the Tobago flight in either St Kitts or Grenada and the final "leg" is only 40 minutes maximum.

What is unnacceptable is a 90 minute disembarkation at Antigua in both directions - which used to be BA's policy.

[Rachel Harries]

Ours was direct, non-stop, both ways.

Fantastic

Rachel