Flights to St Barts: wherever you are coming from, if you are taking a plane, you will have to experience the impressive landing on St Barts’ tiny airport strip.

Everybody knows about THE landing. Your friends have told you about it. You know that you will have to go through it. Actually, it is not that scary.

The chic thing to do is too seem blasé by the whole experience. For instance, I usually pretend that I am reading a book when onboard a plane to St Barts. But believe me, I do check out whether the pilot is flying the usual way.

Pliots need a special permit in order to land in St Barts. Why? Because the landing strip is very short, stuck between a hill and a beach. Your plane will come over a hill, on top of which there is a roundabout, with cars a few dozens of feet below you. Gawkers are taking pictures of your plane landing, so keep smiling. Then, the plane has to dive swiftly onto the landing strip, and then brake as fast as possible, otherwise you will arrive into the sea. Hold on to that Vuitton handbag, ma chérie.

If there is absolutely no wind, you will be landing from the opposite way, i.e. from the beach toward the hill. It is a much less impressive.

Take-off in St Barts

St Barts landing, from inside a plane