Long Layover in San Juan - What to do?

[Nismo]

Hopefully this is in the correct spot. Tried a search and couldn't really find what I was looking for.

We have a 6 hour layover heading to Bonaire. We are using AA. I found a little on the net about using storage at the San Juan Airport for a small fee then going into town. It seems like since everything is checked and we would already have our boarding passes, we do not have to go through the same security check point coming back into the airport. Can anyone go a little deeper for me on this topic? We have an even longer layover returning so we can do multiple things. Thanks

 

[diversteve]

We did the same thing two years ago. 10 AM arrival and the 6PM flight to Bonaire. Not sure about bag storage as we took our carryons with us.

You still have to go back through security once you leave the airport though. But as I recall it wasn't much of a delay.

If the storage is inside the security point you won't have to have your bags rechecked but I thought I'd read that it was outside across from the AA ticket counter - unless there's another area.

We had time to go eat at one of the resorts/casinos in Isla Verde and then took a cab downtown. There's an old fort and an interesting outdoor market area near the cruise port. The couple of souvenir shops we stopped in all seemed to sell the same trash.

One other thing, the Bonaire plane is tiny. It's a twin turboprop with really small overhead bins. But no one at the gate mentions it. So they'll let you board the tram with your bigger carryons then take them from you at the plane and load them in the front cargo bay. So take out anything you want on-board prior to leaving the terminal.
They tell you to recover them at the plane on Bonaire, but they brought ours in with the luggage. Bonaire has a pretty small airport...

 

[Tom Winters]

I recommend playing pinball in the San Juan airport, if they still have machines there. When I was a kid and my parents and I were flying home from there, we were bumped off our flight into JFK. We had to kill six hours there, so I found a whole cool section of pinball machines and whiled away the hours there.
The flight we were bumped from crashed in Jamaica Bay in Queens on final approach.
Have fun.

 

[driftwood]

Hopefully this is in the correct spot. Tried a search and couldn't really find what I was looking for.

We have a 6 hour layover heading to Bonaire. We are using AA. I found a little on the net about using storage at the San Juan Airport for a small fee then going into town. It seems like since everything is checked and we would already have our boarding passes, we do not have to go through the same security check point coming back into the airport. Can anyone go a little deeper for me on this topic? We have an even longer layover returning so we can do multiple things. Thanks

Not much help for this trip but, after diving Bonaire you will going back. Next time try the Continental red eye flight from Newark, its a direct flight. I will not fly AA to Bonaire again. No problems with AA but Continental is much easier and the San Juan airport has the reputation as being "the eater of cameras".

You can probably get more info at Bonaire Talk - The place to discuss everything and anything about Bonaire!. Great site with everything you need to know about Bonaire and locals to answer questions not already asked. This is where all the Bonaire fanatics hangout.

BTW, if its your first trip there, get a copy of "Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy", BSDME. I know that it sounds kinky, but a gold mine of info!

 

[Allison Finch]

I would stay in the airport and GUARD YOUR CAMERA EQUIP!!! So much of it gets stolen at that airport.

 

[RS]

So much for the 51st or 52nd state.
Which state are they supposed to be??