Transfers To/From Airport/Pier and San Juan Hotels/Pier

A smooth arrival and departure process is a key element to the success of any program. To ensure this success, we moved our operations office inside the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. This physical presence at the airport gives GSI the ability and flexibility to respond to your group's needs and last minute request with the utmost expediency and efficiency.

Our attendees will be met by friendly uniformed bilingual staff at the entrance to the baggage claim areas of the respective terminals. GSI staff will display tasteful computer generated signage, pre approved by the group. Once we have welcomed and identified our guests we will either escort them or direct them to the belt where additional GSI staff is waiting to help them retrieve their luggage, procure porters and escort them to the awaiting transportation. We also provide VIP Gate Meet Services for those attendees that need to be singled out.

Prior to your group's arrival, during our pre-planning stage, we discuss your group's arrival and departure with the Porter's Cooperative so that they are aware of the arrival pattern and staff with additional group porters accordingly (we have a strong working relationship and easy access to the Porter's Cooperative, their offices are across the hall from our operational offices at the Luis Muñoz Marín Airport). We also discuss baggage handling logistics with our bonded luggage truck operator to determine the most efficient method of pickup and delivery of luggage to the cruise line upon arrival and to the airlines upon departure.

GSI schedules a team of dedicated staff for your group on your arrival and departure days. The Supervisor and staff assigned to your group, verifies the estimated time of arrival of flights on an ongoing basis to give us an accurate picture of the arrival pattern.

Misplaced baggage can inconvenience our guests and cause friction all around. Here's how we handle the situation. Once it has been determined that the luggage is not arriving, our staff will escort the guest to the respective airline's missing luggage claim counter, to start the process and will stay with the guest until the supervisor in charge of missing luggage arrives. Our supervisor will stay with the guest to assist and answer any questions, and to receive a copy of the lost luggage claim form for the guest and our airport operations office. We then escort our guest to the awaiting transportation for their transfer to the pier. Our supervisor will then call the GSI Account Manager handling the program and give details as to who, how many pieces are missing, when arrival is expected, etc. Our Account Managers relay this information on to you, the client; so that when the guest arrives at the hospitality desk you are aware of it and on top of the situation.

Another situation which is common to the arrival process is no shows and cancelled flights. We will check with the airline to ascertain if any additional rescheduling was done, inform you and meet the flight.

We communicate all of this information through radio and cellular links between airport baggage claim staff, airport supervisors, our airport offices and our GSI staff at the pier to ensure the accurate flow of information pertaining to your group's arrival and departure logistics.

All transfers are exclusive to your group on our modern air conditioned Sedans, 14 and 24 passenger vehicles and Motor Coaches.

The process of transferring luggage from the airport to the ship can be accomplished by differing methods, depending on variables such as the size of the group, arrival pattern, previous arrangements made with the cruise line and whether you want attendees to identify their baggage at the airport prior to loading on to luggage trucks. The actual logistics of the entire process that best suits your requirements will be discussed further and in detail once we know the basic parameters of the program.

On disembarkation day most major airlines are present at the pier and on the ships to conduct pier side luggage check in and boarding pass procedures. With this service guest will have their luggage checked through to their final destination at the pier. Whereas access to the customs area is restricted, guests would be responsible for paying the pier porters. GSI can handle this separate porterage for the group by making arrangements with the head porter in advance of the movement.

A full compliment of GSI staff, with proper signage, will be based at the pier outside of customs area and at the airport on disembarkation/departure day. Their primary duty at the pier is to guide our attendees to the correct luggage check in areas for the respective airlines and on to our vehicles for the transfer to the airport. Once our busses departs for the airport, our pier supervisor will radio the airport staff as to the vehicle number and member of attendees on board.

When the busses arrive at the airport, our staff will assist and direct the guests to their respective airline check in areas and concourses (most passengers will not need to check in because they already have their boarding passes and can proceed directly to the gates).

This is the standard procedure for checking in luggage at the pier. These procedures are subject to change as per FAA and Port Authority Rules and Regulations.


* Due to the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the FAA has restricted and disallowed some of the pier side luggage check-in and boarding pass procedures that were in place. Until further notice, all luggage must travel on the same vehicle with the passenger from the pier to the airport. At the airport, passengers are required to stay with their luggage through the agricultural clearance and then go to the respective airline check-in lines. This situation is in a state of change from one week to another and we will have updates as the procedures vary.