Flying To and From Dominica

We have wanted to visit Dominica since seeing the "Nature Island" episode of Ocean Treks with Jeff Corwin in early 2018.

When we saw that American Airlines added a reasonably priced direct flight from Miami to Dominica, we jumped at the opportunity to visit the "Nature Island" of the Caribbean.

Previously, there had been no direct flights from the United States to Dominica.

The flight from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Dominica's Douglas-Charles Airport (DOM) is approximately 3 1/2 hours in length.

The American Eagle flight to Dominica was full (approximately 70 passengers).

The runway was seemed fairly short for the size of the airplane, but the pilots managed to land us safely and without incident.

We were toward the back of the airplane, which meant we were toward the end of the line to receive the on-arrival COVID-19 antigen test administered in the small airport. Our temperatures were taken by a machine as we entered the airport extension area and we were asked to sanitize our hands.

This lengthy line and associated wait meant that we ended up being at the airport for well over two hours waiting in line and then waiting for the results of our test. It was really warm when we first stood in line, but they turned on a huge ceiling fan and that made it more comfortable.

The long wait in line allowed plenty of time to look at some of the artwork.

The airport employees seemed like they had not seen this many people at one time as they kept changing how the chains were structured and moving people in the lines around to try to get the lines to show paperwork to not go through the lines waiting for the antigen tests. After some confusion, it was eventually sorted.

By the time we were tested and our test results were available, the people in front of us were all gone and so it was relatively easy to show our passports to enter the main part of the small airport to claim our luggage. Most people walked out of that area to waiting transportation, but we had rented a vehicle, so we walked down the road to the small row of rental car agencies to pick up our rental vehicle.

Our flight out of Miami had been delayed for 2 hours while they figured out that the plane we originally boarded was not equipped for Dominica and had us board a different airplane. That 2 hour delay, combined with over 2 hours at the airport waiting to be tested and for test results, meant that we ended up driving in the dark to the Portsmouth area where we were staying. I had hoped to drive while there was still sunlight, but 4 hours of delays runied those plans.

The flight from Dominica back to Miami was less stressful, though we were not able to check in until after our departure COVID test results were available and so lost our originally selected seats. I also had the dreaded "SSSS" (Secondary Security Screening Selection) on my boarding pass, which meant that I could not check in until I got to the airport and that I got "special treatment" at the airport (pat-down search and searches of my carry-in and checked luggage).

We had a relatively long layover in Miami, which turned out to be a good thing because there was a lengthy TSA line to enter the Miami Airport from the baggage claim area in the international arrivals section. We saw some people who needed to go rebook their connecting flights due to the slow-moving TSA line.

The direct flight between Miami and Dominica is more convenient than the former ways to getting to Dominica, but it still seems a little bit more difficult to get to Dominica than to some other Caribbean locations such as Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, but it was worth it!