U.S. Departures from Aruba’s airport require an early check-in, but the benefit is that you then skip immigration and customs after arriving at your destination.
We often receive inquiries from our American guests asking why it’s necessary to arrive at the airport three hours in advance, in comparison to the two hours required in the U.S. The answer is simply that our Queen Beatrix Airport provides full pre-clearance to the U.S. While this may seem like a bit of a hassle at first glance, it actually offers a great benefit to the traveler.
Bucuti understands that our guests dread going home after spending time relaxing here at our tranquil resort, and trust us we’re sad to see you leave. Even thinking about vacation coming to an end, including the hassle of packing and the series of immigration and customs lines that await you is enough to begin to stress guests out. Most of us wish we could just snap our fingers and be home sweet home, magically avoiding the travel process altogether. However, while our guests are always sad to leave, we find that upon check out they feel refreshed with momentum and high energy. As the travel day progresses this energy is slowly diminished, so getting home as quickly and efficiently as possible, after landing at your final destination, is the ultimate goal.
As many of you know the process of immigration and clearing customs can be quite lengthy on both the arrivals and departures side. Fortunately here in Aruba, visitors can take care of both before departing, as you will pass through U.S. Immigration and Customs, after passing through Aruba Immigration before you board the plane. While this does mean that you will need to arrive three hours prior to departure in order to: check in, pass through Aruba immigration and security, retrieve your luggage and then get through U.S. Immigration and Customs, the upside is that when you land at your U.S. destination all you have to do is pick up your luggage and go home, with no hassle, no lines and no delays. This is especially useful to those guests who are making a connecting flight. With average wait times in popular airports such as MIA and JFK around 45 minutes, the stress of making a connection can be overwhelming. Luckily for those visiting Aruba that is not the case.
We know it’s tough to leave Bucuti’s magnificent beach views, stunning tropical sunsets and peaceful environment, but we hope our guests understand that arriving at the airport a bit earlier prior to departure is worth the wait in Aruba. Best of all, when you are back at home, your next trip back is a simple reservation away!
