Arrival Survival

Picture this: A family of four eagerly boards their flight from Los Angeles, excited for their first trip to St. Croix in 13 years. Jamal and Anita Milligan grew up in Frederiksted but trace some of their family’s roots back to southern California and now live on the West Coast. Due to geographic constraints, they can’t afford to travel to the VI as much as they would like; however, enough time has elapsed to warrant a trip back to ‘Twin City.’ In addition, it’s important to note that the Milligans are proud parents of four-year-old twins who are making their first trip back ‘home.’ They have saved for years for this costly sojourn, spending $800 per airline ticket—$3,200. Add $400 a night per room for two rooms at the Buccaneer, totaling $5,000, and a rental car for $1,000. Altogether, they have spent nearly $10,000 for their weeklong trip before even setting foot on a beach. Making matters worse, the journey from Los Angeles takes 14 hours, each way with connections, testing their endurance and patience before arrival. It’s all good though. There is only one home. They cannot wait to visit with family and friends, grab a plate of food from the Chicken Shack, and, of course, hit the beach.

As the pilot calls for the flight attendants to prepare the cabin for landing, excitement sets in. They can see the picture-perfect Frederiksted coastline from the airplane window—the blue, tranquil water inviting them for a swim. Yes! We have finally made it back. 

As the family descends the airplane stairs, they are engulfed by the oppressive Caribbean heat. Jamal chuckles to Anita, offering an icebreaker, “I don’t remember it being this hot growing up. Is this global warming?” It’s August, one of the year’s hottest months, and he can feel the sweat trickling from his brow. “It’s okay,” Jamal reassures his two uncomfortable daughters. “It will be all the better once we get inside the terminal.”  However, they are perplexed once they enter the baggage claim area at Henry E. Rohlsen Airport.  The scene is anything but welcoming.  

There is no welcome cocktail to greet them, and there is no music. The family stands, silently waiting, hearing nothing but the rickety fans that offer no relief from the 98-degree heat. The room is crowded and stifling. The kids are agitated and becoming increasingly fussy. Why is there no air conditioning?!   

After a seemingly endless wait to retrieve their bags, the family is bewildered to see taxi drivers wearing St. Thomas-branded shirts – a curious fashion choice since they are 40 miles from our sister island. Imagine landing in Orlando and being greeted by taxi drivers wearing shirts that say Miami. That would be comical.  Where are we?!

Once outside baggage claim, the Milligans seek to claim their rental car, and the pothole-riddled parking lot offers more frustration. The ordeal that ensues can only be described as an obstacle course, having to roll your luggage across the poorly maintained asphalt, dodging potholes and loose gravel while simultaneously trying not to destroy the wheels of your bags. Unfortunately for Crucians, the challenges extend beyond the parking lot. After leaving the airport, travelers are forced to navigate hazardous streets and witness numerous blights, including a dilapidated racetrack fence and an unsightly landfill. On the highway, in either direction, chest-high, uncut grass further tarnishes the island’s image. As they weave across the island to their hotel, Jamal and Anita glance at each other, silently questioning if this is the right choice for their hard-earned vacation dollars.  

Crucian travelers and visitors deserve a different welcome.

Time for Change

This issue reminds me of one of my favorite classes from business school, Behavioral Economics. One of the key lessons I learned is that most people judge experiences based on how intense they are, their most extreme point, and how they end – also known as the Peak-End Rule.  The arrival experience is a visitor’s first impression of a destination, setting the tone for their trip. For St. Croix, that first impression is critical—not just for the satisfaction of travelers, but for the island’s reputation and ability to attract repeat visitors. Unfortunately, the current arrival experience on St. Croix falls woefully short, creating a stark contrast with other travel destinations, most notably its sister island, St. Thomas. Visitors landing on St. Croix are confronted by an airport that lacks the necessities and functionality of a proper gateway to paradise. From an absence of air conditioning in baggage claim to poorly maintained infrastructure, such as a pothole-riddled parking lot and pothole-lined streets leading to and from the airport, St. Croix’s first impression on travelers leaves much to be desired.

Last week, Governor Albert Bryan Jr. announced plans to pave the East and West Airport Roads, a long-overdue improvement for a critical part of the island’s infrastructure. While this announcement is fantastic news, it begs the question: how did the situation get so bad in the first place? The Henry Rohlsen airport has endured years of neglect, raising concerns about the lack of intra-Virgin Islands equity, timely investment, and adequate maintenance on St. Croix.

St. Thomas: A Model of Warmth and Efficiency

Landing at Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas is always a pleasure. From the moment the plane touches down, visitors are met with friendly greeters who offer a warm welcome. The baggage claim area, equipped with effective air conditioning, provides a refreshing respite for travelers after their journey. In addition, a restaurant and bar in the arrival area blasts smooth reggae music, further cementing that you have arrived in a Caribbean paradise. Once outside the terminal, the airport’s newly opened parking garage, with clear signage and ample spaces, ensures a seamless transition from the terminal to the rest of the island. When you leave the airport, you soon connect to the recently completed, remarkable Veteran’s Drive.

This positive first impression sets the tone for the entire visit, highlighting St. Thomas as a destination that values its guests and takes pride in its hospitality.

Addressing Critics

Critics may argue that the disparity stems from the financial realities of airport operations, as the St. Thomas airport operates at a surplus. In contrast, St. Croix’s airport has an estimated $2 million annual deficit. However, such arguments fail to account for the shared finances of the Virgin Islands, where resources should benefit the entire territory equally. When the government’s pension system (GERS) was saved, $4 billion of funds from St. Croix were used to benefit all Virgin Islanders. The same principle of equity should apply to infrastructure investments, including improving the St. Croix airport. Treating a single government agency like the Port Authority as a profit center and rendering single-island decisions in a vacuum is inherently unfair.  If there is no difference in the quality of pension plans based on one’s district, then why should the quality of the airports differ?  

Let’s set the financial argument aside for a moment. While it’s true that St. Croix’s airport operates at a deficit, some of the most glaring issues don’t require substantial investments to address.

Take the example of the taxi driver’s St. Thomas-branded shirts. St.Croix-branded shirts would hardly break the bank and could be implemented with minimal expense. Similarly, creating a curated playlist and installing a few speakers in the baggage claim area would come at a negligible cost but significantly enhance the airport’s ambiance and ameliorate first impressions.

The lack of these basic elements suggests that the problem isn’t just about funding—it’s about motivation. It raises the question: Why is there such a glaring lack of effort and care regarding St. Croix’s arrival experience?

Where Are St. Croix’s Elected Leaders?

The lack of a quality arrival experience at St. Croix’s airport highlights a more significant issue: why aren’t St. Croix’s elected leaders advocating more effectively for their district? Former St. Thomas Senator Janelle Sarauw recently took Crucian senators to task in a viral Facebook post, pointing out their failure to speak up for St. Croix during discussions on the recently approved GARVEE bonds. According to Senator Sarauw’s analysis, of the $156 million raised, $73 million was allocated to the St. Thomas-St. John district, while only $28 million was allocated to the St. Croix district.

It’s important to acknowledge that St. Thomian senators are doing their job—they are successfully advocating for projects and funding that benefit their constituents. The disparity in allocations doesn’t reflect negligence on their part; instead, it underscores the need for Crucian senators to fight just as hard for St. Croix. Senator Sarauw’s critique resonates deeply with Crucians, who often feel their island is overlooked. But the real question is: why didn’t a Crucian senator raise this issue themselves? Why wasn’t there a stronger push to ensure equitable funding for St. Croix in such a significant bond measure?  

The Elephant in the Room

It’s hard to believe that the same Department of Tourism and VI Port Authority are responsible for such drastically different outcomes. How can one island provide a first-class experience while the other struggles with basic amenities? A lot of thought was given to the St. Thomas landing experience. Why isn’t St. Croix afforded the same level of thought and care? This disparity speaks to a deeper issue of inequity that must be addressed before we can realize our vision of One Virgin Islands.

A Bold Solution

We need policies promoting equal opportunities and access across districts to strengthen our unity. One potential solution is to make inter-island travel free. Such a program would serve as more than just a convenience for residents—it would foster greater connectivity, understanding, and collaboration between the islands. To facilitate this, the government could establish an annual $20 million travel fund, buying 100,000 roundtrips at $200 each – one per year for each resident, but likely two since a sizeable amount of folks will opt not to travel. Free airline travel between the islands would enable all Virgin Islanders to experience the full breadth of opportunities, culture, public infrastructure projects, and services across districts.

The principle is simple: there is no separate but equal. If Crucian money is used to enhance St. Thomas and St. John, and vice versa, then equal access is the foundation of a more substantial, unified Virgin Islands. Having a wide gulf between the quality of airports would not matter as much if there was equal access. Likewise, if residents throughout the Virgin Islands had access to all carnival celebrations, each district’s carnival lineup would be immaterial.

A Call to Action

Improving St. Croix’s airport experience is about more than aesthetics. It’s about the message we send visitors and our pride in our island. We need greeters, air conditioning, better lighting, paved parking lots, well-cut grass leading to and from the airport, and, at the very least, St. Croix-branded attire for our taxi drivers. By making these changes, we can improve the St. Croix arrival experience, ensuring visitors start their journey on a high note and, equally important, welcome travel-weary Virgin Islanders home.

Let’s embrace the idea of One Virgin Islands—a territory where resources and opportunities flow equitably across all districts, fostering unity and pride. Together, we can ensure that every Virgin Islander feels valued and every visitor feels welcomed.

Conclusion

I hope the disparities between the St. Croix and St. Thomas airport experiences can spark a meaningful conversation about equity and advocacy in the Virgin Islands. While it’s easy to place blame or highlight shortcomings, real progress demands that we approach these differences with constructive dialogue and a shared commitment to the future of our islands.

As we reflect on the challenges, let’s take a page from the management experts at Northwestern University on how to disagree better. Rather than focusing on who is at fault, we should identify common goals and work collaboratively to achieve them. While acknowledging the efforts of St. Thomian senators to advocate for their district, we can also challenge St. Croix’s leaders to rise to the occasion—not as a point of division, but as a call to unity. Advocacy for one island should not come at the expense of the other; instead, we must adopt a mindset that uplifts the entire territory.

Government agencies also have a critical role in creating consistency across islands. Whether it’s the arrival experience, road infrastructure, or public amenities, the government must work toward delivering a high standard of service and infrastructure that reflects pride across all islands. Uniformity in the quality of public services fosters a sense of unity and ensures that every resident feels valued regardless of where they live.

What unites us is far greater than what divides us. We all want a Virgin Islands that thrives economically, culturally, and socially. Improvements to St. Croix’s airport are not just a local concern but an opportunity to enhance the experience for residents and visitors, ultimately benefiting the entire territory. Let us turn this conversation into action, using disagreement not as a wedge but as a tool to spark better ideas and stronger solutions. We can ensure that government agencies, elected leaders, and residents work together to deliver consistent, high-quality products and services across all islands, creating a future we can all be proud of.

If you have made it this far, I would like to thank you for your time and patience while I opine on what ails our territory.  Discussions like these are not easy, but they are necessary for us to grow.  Peter Bromberg eloquently said, “When we avoid difficult conversations, we trade short-term discomfort for long-term dysfunction.”

This marks the final Business Monday piece for 2024. Next year, we’ll dive deeper into topics that shape our beloved Virgin Islands—from innovative solutions to revitalize the economy to actionable steps for tackling the rising cost of living to exploring how we can better prepare the next generation of leaders.

From Yellow Cedar, we wish everyone a happy holiday season. I look forward to continuing these critical conversations with you in 2025.

JohnHope out.