Grand Cayman to Little Cayman layover, how much time?

[orionnt]

Im going to be heading to LCBR at the end of October and am Curious about the Layover in Grand Cayman. How much time do I need to make my Connecting flight? I will mos tlikely be on the 3:00pm Flight from GC to LC, but I dont know how much time I need to have between flights to clear immigration/customs, get bags, recheck bags, and checkin with Cayman Airways.

I will be arriving either on US Air at 1:12 or on Delta at Noon. The US Air flight is about $400 less than the Delta flight, I just don't want to miss the 3:00 Flight to LC and be stranded on GC and miss my first day of diving.

Any sugestions?

 

[knotical]

Not so much suggestions as thoughts:
If all goes well there is probably enough time – but don't dally. Fortunately, it's a small airport.
If the big on-line booking sites like Expedia offer the USAir itinerary as an option, it should be OK.
Cayman Air has some incentive to get you on their flight. I have seen them ask "who in this check-in line is scheduled for flight X?"
Your bigger worry might be "what is the chance that either my Delta or USAir flight is delayed?"
You could consider calling Cayman Air and asking them.

 

[fisheyeview]

We went down to LC last June. We had concerns about the connection, and made sure we had plenty of time between flights. IMO we had too much time in the GC airport. To me an hour and fourty-five minutes is enough time to make the connection.

 

[BDSC]

To me an hour and fourty-five minutes is enough time to make the connection.

Totally agree. We are going to LC this Saturday and went a couple of years ago and I think we cleared customs and were checked in for the LC flight in under an hour. We are flying Delta this time into GC and I'll see how much time it takes us to get checked into the LC flight and report back. But you should be just fine.

 

[Rand]

I had a similar experience last November, de-boarding and clearing customs in under an hour.

The Otter (the prop plane island jumper) makes several back and forth trips through the three islands per day, so I wouldn't worry if you miss your scheduled flight. They will just have you wait for the next arrival. In fact I think my Otter ticket didn't even have a scheduled flight time. It was more like they just put me on the next plane after my arrival.

They do have to shut down operations to Little Cayman when it gets dark because the runway has no lights. But if you get in around noon or 1, there will still be several shuttle flights after that.

Also, just a heads up for you, you can only carry on items on the Otter that fit under your seat. They are bench seats, much like those in a school bus and there's not a lot of room. The rest of the luggage goes in forward and aft compartments on the plane. It's not a big deal as long as there are not a lot of people on your flight. If the plane is full (like 15 passengers) your luggage may have to wait for the next flight, which could mean an hour or more sitting on the tarmac. Just keep that in mind. I would consider putting locks on my carry ons and keeping anything that is temperature sensitive (like computers, camera gear) in small bags with me just in case it doesn't make it on your flight.

When you get to LCBR, try to get on the boat with DMs Neil and Sharron. We were on two different boats last year with different DMs and Neil and Sharron were by far the best.

Let us know how the resort is looking. We were evacuated from there 2 days before the end of our trip due to Hurricane Paloma. I know the Brac got hit really bad and LC took a beating too. We also had an issue with our luggage not making it on the Otter on the way out during the chaos of the evacuation and were without all our dive gear and clothes for 2 weeks. We got everything back in the end though.

Have fun and feel free to PM me or ask here with any questions.

Oh, and here's a shot from inside the Otter to give you an idea of what to expect.

 

[BDSC]

Gotta love the twin otter don't you! I've been on it a few times and it's not to bad. I got to play flight attendant on one trip and pass out the water that is in the cooler at the back.

If I remember correctly, I also think we had to pack our luggage the day before we left and we sent it on to GC on the friday evening otter flight . We kept out what clothes and such we would need for the Saturday morning flight to GC. When we got to GC our luggage was waiting for us and then we checked it all through with the airline we flew out of GC on.

 

[carriemak]

Part of the intrigue of Little Cayman is the trip on the Otter and the great runway on Little Cayman!

 

[Rand]

What cracks me up about LC is the airport. For whatever reason, they felt they needed to post a map of the airport/fire station/post office.

And here's a picture of all three facilities:

I think that if you can see the entire facility from the area where the map is posted, you probably don't need a map of the facility.

 

[carriemak]

At least there isn't a line to check in at the airport. How about that security checkpoint, oh yeah, you can bring your drinks on board. Only when leaving LC however! All part of the adventure.

 

[orionnt]

Thanks for all the input guys, and especially the photos! I booked the Us Air flight that lands in GC at 1:15 or so, and the 3:00 flight to LC, Hopefully it all works out.