Departing Grenada in Style

The more air travel becomes like mass transit, the more I seek out any reasonably affordable way to make the experience slightly more pleasant. As I recently discovered, the IAM Jet Centre in Grenada’s airport makes waiting for a flight much more agreeable.

I learned of the IAM Jet Centre from the Calabash Luxury Boutique Hotel, which offers access to it for $130 per person for those arriving and $90 per person for those departing. The main benefit for arriving passengers is bypassing lengthy immigration lines. Silversands includes access to a fast-track line as part of its complimentary transfer service, but for guests staying at other resorts, the Jet Centre seems worth the money.

We tried it on our departure. After our driver dropped us off at the airport, I spotted a woman wearing a yellow Jet Centre vest. She looked at me and asked, are you Mr. _? She was already expecting us, and after we checked in at the airline counter, she led us straight to the Jet Centre.

We passed through its private security screening, akin to going through precheck security in the U.S., and were then taken to a private lounge stocked with snacks and nonalcoholic beverages. An employee gave us the Wi-Fi password and offered to bring some rum punch. “And would you like the plate of sandwiches and cake now or later?”

A short while after we’d finished our punches, he returned to alert us that our plane had landed, telling us that we would board in about 20 minutes. When it was time to depart, he led us past a larger lounge with the capacity for about 50 people (I’m not sure how we ended up with a private room) and loaded our carry-ons onto a golf cart. We drove right up to our airplane and were the first to board it.

This service is available to anyone willing to pay the $90 per-person fee, whether you have a business-class ticket or not. It was worth every penny. IAM Jet Centre has additional lounges in Barbados, Montego Bay in Jamaica and Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.