As you may be aware, Nassau has been selected as a homeport for two cruise lines beginning this month. Following the first 7-day cruise, the first movement of cruise passengers through LPIA will take place on Saturday, June 19th, 2021, with approximately 900 passengers departing Nassau for the United States. The airport anticipates heavy arrivals and departures of cruise passengers every Saturday and Sunday thereafter and for this number to grow to 3,500 passengers each weekend by July.
In addition, summer projections for land-based passenger arrivals and departures at LPIA indicate steady recovery from the pandemic and this could lead to a potential 4,500 additional US bound passengers between Saturday and Sunday each week.
The peak time for the majority of these travelers to transit through the airport this summer will be between 9:00am and 2:00pm. Airport stakeholders have put together a comprehensive plan to manage passenger flow and ensure passengers have a positive final experience of Nassau/Paradise Island.
Given the foregoing, NAD has put together the following travel tips to help passengers efficiently transit the airport and know what to expect on departure from LPIA. We ask that you share these tips via your guest communication systems and any social media platforms you may have. At this time the tips can be found on the airport’s official website at www.nassaulpia.com and we would be grateful if you could add the link to this important information to your website or other resources accessible to guests. Also attached to this email is a summer travel tips flyer that can be printed and placed in guest rooms and packages and the tips have also been formatted in the event you wish to send these to guests via their mobile devices.
For industry partners with guest video communication systems, NAD will make a one-minute travel tip video available on June 14, 2021, for you to upload to your systems to easily inform guests.
Important Tips to Know When Departing Nassau this Summer:
- Arrive at the airport 3 to 3.5 hours prior to your scheduled flight departure time.
- Whether you are vaccinated or not, a negative COVID-19 test result (PCR or Rapid Antigen taken not more than 72 hours prior to travel) and completed Attestation form (found on the airport’s website at www.nassaulpia.com) is needed for all persons travelling to the United States. This will be required for check in with your airline and tests should be completed prior to arrival at the airport.
- Checked luggage should be taken to your airline counter. Very Important:Please remove old luggage tags prior to placing a new luggage tag for your destination. If you are travelling to the United States, once you present your checked bag(s) to your airline, an image of your bag(s) will appear on the airline counter video screen to confirm each bag is checked in for your flight.
- After check-in, passengers may be directed by an airport ambassador to wait briefly in the airport’s Summer Garden Lounge prior to proceeding to airport security screening and United States Customs for processing. This wait is to allow passengers to be processed in order of scheduled departure time. The lounge is a beautiful and comfortable outdoor space with amenities like food and beverage, WIFI, entertainment and limited shopping.
- Passengers should have their passport and boarding pass available to enter the security screening process. Passengers will be required to remove jackets, belts, and shoes, empty pockets and remove laptops from carry-on luggage for the security screening process.
- As LPIA is a US Pre-Clearance facility, each passenger will undergo inspection by a United States Customs & Border Protection Officer prior to leaving Nassau. Family members living in the same household can be inspected together. Passengers departing Nassau will not have to clear US customs upon arrival in the United States.
- Once these formalities are completed you may proceed to your airline gate or enjoy the shopping and dining amenities available in the U.S. Departures Lounge. All gates are within a three-minute walk from anywhere in the Departure Lounge.
In summary, it will be important to ensure that communication reaches all travellers. Please visit LPIA’s website to download and use the resources we have prepared to support you:
https://nassaulpia.com/summer-travel-tips-2021/
Thank you, and we wish you a successful 2021 summer season.
