Comments on: Santiago International Airport Survival Guide

By: leonel

leonel — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 14:52:22 +0000

@Chris
With as many guys as you see here carrying side arms you could almost would almost think this is the wild west, John Wayne would feel right at home (i’m pretty sure yours was a John Wayne quote right?)

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 09:46:44 +0000

I flew out of Santo Domingo Airport three weeks ago. I didnt have a hair straightener with me and they didnt take anything. I am flying from Santiago next week. If those guys try to take anything from me, I’ll be all like, “HEY!! YUYUYOU BETTER LEAVE MY STUFF ALONE MISSY!” I hope that works. I’ll keep everyone posted.

By: Rose

Rose — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:56:00 +0000

Returned home to Canada from Punta Cana on August 24th, 2010 and had my hair straightener taken as well. I argued with security that I came into their country with it and used it for a week and no one stopped me but now I was leaving and they felt threatened? Just an excuse to steal people’s property. I had a curling iron and blow dryer in a second carry-on and they didn’t even check that so we just grabbed our bag and proceeded to the gate. Obviously this country makes their own rules. We were very happy to get back on Canadian soil.

By: Chelsea

Chelsea — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 04:06:44 +0000

My family and I just got back from Punta Cana today. It was a wonderful vacation, until we arrived at the airport to come home. I had my hair dryer and my flat iron confiscated while going through security. The guy was a complete a*hole. We traveled with apple vacations and the guy told me I would be fine with the two items in my carry on. Apparently I went through the wrong line, because the guy made me “throw” both away aka put them in a container so that they could take and sell them once everyoen was gone. After arguing with the guy for fifteen minutes, he told me I could go and check my carry on and keep it. The line was rediculous and doing that would result in me missing my flight, or my nice carry on staying in the dominican republic without me. My dad was about as pissed and I was, and knowing what their intentions were, he snapped my straightener in half and broke the blowdryer as well. At this point the security guy was pissed and demanded my dad’s passport and told us he needed us to go into a room to talk to him. We turned around and walked away and told him he got what he wanted. BE VERY CAREFUL with your carry on items. I am just very thankful I didn’t take my $200 hair straightener, or I’d be in a DR jail right now for killing the security guard!

By: Mary

Mary — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 15:52:44 +0000

Thanks for the info today i’ll be on my way to the Dominican so i’ll be careful on what to pack on my way back on my carry-on bag.

By: LIZ

LIZ — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 15:42:01 +0000

Went thru Puerto Plata Security yesterday. They took eyelash curlers from me and my daughter, there is no threat from an eyelash curler. They threw my eyelash curler, tweezers, toothpaste 3.5 oz, then they found my fat barrel curling iron and my daughters flat iron they thought they found pay dirt but we told them we wanted them back to check them. They wouldn’t give me my eyelash curler back because it had already been thrown in the trash even though it was on top of the other items that were confiscated that shouldn’t have been. I work for the airline I know what you can bring on board.

By: Joanna

Joanna — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:19:06 +0000

I had the same problem. They stopped my aunt and I, but not my cousin, who had a blow dryer and flat iron as well in our carry on luggage. When I asked why I can go to DR with it but not leave DR with it, the agent had no answers. When I told them that the items weren’t on the prohibited items on the screen at the airport, she said she didn’t know. She then said the law was in effect for about 15 or 20 days but had no list or paperwork to show me. I ended up checking it in, which wasn’t so bad because Jetblue allows you one bag to check in at no charge.

By: Dwayne

Dwayne — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:33:45 +0000

That’s an interesting question..
No, I’ve never been fingerprinted while going through immigration. My last time was about a week ago.

By: Leilei

Leilei — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:10:05 +0000

When returning to Santiago…did anyone notice whether or not immigration was taking fingerprints of travelers?

By: Dwayne

Dwayne — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 17:12:28 +0000

Unfortunately this seems to be a real problem while traveling to and from the DR.

Carry on luggage often gets things confiscated in the name of security and when you check your luggage in there is a real risk of having them go through and steal items. Usually they don’t steal too many from a single suitcase but I have had many things stolen during my travels.

Putting a lock on doesn’t really help much, if it is a TSA approved lock anyone can get a key to get in. If it is not an approved lock, that sends up a flag and they cut it off to see what is in it and then put a notice in saying that they did it for security reasons, after words of course, you now have an even higher risk of having something stolen.

Bottom line, it is a little difficult to travel here with anything you value highly.