V.C. Bird International sits on the north-east side of Antigua, about eight kilometres from St John's, and it is one of the few Caribbean airports where the local operator is actively trying to sell you a plan on arrival. inet Mobile, the brand of the state utility APUA, advertises a booth in the terminal selling visitor plans from US$16 for 10 GB over seven days, each including a free SIM or eSIM. That is cheaper than any travel eSIM for the same data. So the honest advice here is different from most airports: if the booth is open when you land and you are staying a week, buy there. The travel eSIM earns its place as the plan that works before the jet bridge opens, for arrivals when the booth is shut, and for anyone who would rather not hand over a passport at a counter. The transfers are short, 15 minutes to St John's and about 40 to English Harbour, so either choice leaves you little time offline.
What This Guide Covers
Jump to the section most relevant to you
Terminal A, the ArriveAntigua QR Code and the Queue
All flights use the terminal that opened on 26 August 2015, a 23,000 square metre building with four jet bridges, 46 check-in counters and five baggage carousels, described by CARICOM at the time as the most modern in the region. The old building next door, now called Terminal B, was refitted for cruise home-porting and ground transport, and plays no part in the arrival itself.
The step that needs your phone comes before landing. Antigua and Barbuda has replaced the paper immigration card with an online form at ArriveAntigua.com, which can be completed within 72 hours of your flight. It reads your passport from a photo, asks a few customs questions and issues a QR code that officers scan at the desk.
Fill in the form at home
Complete ArriveAntigua.com before you leave for the airport at home, while you have reliable WiFi. No app is required.
Keep the QR code offline
Save it as a screenshot or add it to your phone wallet. The confirmation also arrives by email, but opening email at the immigration desk depends on having a connection, which is exactly what you may not have yet.
Pick the visitor line
Immigration runs separate lines for residents and visitors, and mixed parties may queue in either. If you booked the airport's Fast Track service, a representative will be holding a sign with your name or hotel.
No currency exchange in the terminal
The airport's own FAQ says there is no money exchange operator at V.C. Bird. Taxi drivers take US dollars, and inet quotes its visitor plans in US dollars as well as EC dollars, but carry a card or some US notes rather than counting on changing money on arrival.
Buying a Local Line Before the Taxi Rank
Neither Digicel nor Flow runs a store at V.C. Bird, and their nearest counters are in St John's. What the terminal does have is inet, reached two ways, and they are not the same deal.
| Where | What is sold | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| inet Mobile booth | Visitor Plan 7: 10 GB and 500 local minutes for 7 days, with free SIM or eSIM | US$16 (EC$43.75) | inet's visitor plan page, September 2026 |
| inet Mobile booth | Visitor Plan 14: 16 GB and 900 minutes for 14 days | US$31 (EC$85) | inet's visitor plan page |
| inet Mobile booth | Visitor Plan 30: 22 GB and 1,200 minutes for 30 days | US$37 (EC$100) | inet's visitor plan page |
| Shop inside immigration | inet SIM cards with a small data bundle | Around US$30 for 1 GB, as reported | A traveller's account from April 2026 |
The difference between those rows is large. A travel writer who passed through in spring 2026 found inet SIMs sold at a duty-free style shop after immigration and before the carousels, at roughly 30 US dollars for a single gigabyte. The airport's shop directory lists a Sicon outlet in arrivals inside the immigration area, which matches that description. inet's own visitor plans, advertised later in the year for the Commonwealth summit the country hosts in 2026, give ten times the data for about half the money. If you are offered a card before the baggage hall, ask whether it is a Visitor Plan before you pay.
What we could not confirm
inet does not publish the booth's opening hours or its exact spot in the terminal, and we could not verify whether it staffs late evening arrivals. It also presents the visitor plans as tied to the summit, so they may not last into 2027. inet takes sign-ups by email at inetretail@apua.ag, which lets you ask about the booth or the eSIM option before you fly. You will need government photo ID either way.
Terminal WiFi: Conflicting Reports
V.C. Bird does offer WiFi, but the published accounts disagree about how it works. Some travel guides describe free access in the departures lounge. Others describe a paid service with a 15 minute free trial that asks for your full name and email address before it connects. We could not confirm the network name the terminal broadcasts in 2026, and we would rather say so than print a guess.
Look for the airport network after the carousels
Scan for an open network carrying the airport's name. If a portal asks for registration, the free window may be short, so have one job ready.
Use a trial window for one task
Fifteen minutes is enough to activate an eSIM you installed at home, email inet about its booth, or tell your villa you have landed. It is not enough to research and buy a plan from scratch.
Do the heavy lifting on departure
The executive lounge, bookable through the airport, is the calmer place to handle large uploads before an evening flight home.
In practice the WiFi question matters less here than at a remote airport. The taxi rank is just outside the terminal, and a guest at a Dickenson Bay hotel can be on the resort network within 20 minutes of clearing customs.
Terminal B's Rental Hub, Set Taxi Fares and the Bus That Stops Short
In February 2026 the Airport Authority opened a ground transportation hub in the refurbished Terminal B. It houses four car rental firms, Bigs, TG, RL and Chase, with a combined fleet of 315 vehicles, plus nine tour operators and destination management companies that used to be scattered around the arrivals hall, and a live flight information display. Taxis wait just outside the main terminal, supplied by the United Taxi Association and the Mill Reef Taxi Association, with drivers in uniform and badges displayed in the windscreen.
Taxi fares in Antigua are set by the government rather than metered, and drivers are meant to carry the rate sheet. Published 2026 guides give these ranges per vehicle for up to four passengers:
| From ANU to | Drive time | Typical fare |
|---|---|---|
| St John's | About 15 minutes | US$12 to US$20 |
| Dickenson Bay and Runaway Bay | About 15 minutes | US$15 to US$18 |
| Jolly Harbour | 25 to 30 minutes | US$30 to US$38 |
| English Harbour and Nelson's Dockyard | About 40 minutes | US$35 to US$45 |
Expect small surcharges for a fifth passenger, extra luggage or a ride after 10pm, and confirm the fare before loading bags. Budget travellers should know that Route 42 runs along Airport Road through Coolidge but does not enter the terminal, and minibuses stop around 6pm, so for almost every arrival a taxi or rental car is the realistic option.
Signal on the way out
The run to St John's and the north coast stays in strong coverage the whole way. The longer drive south to Falmouth and English Harbour crosses the central plain with a usable signal throughout, handy for telling a marina office or a villa manager exactly when you will arrive.
Booth Prices Against an eSIM You Installed at Home
Here is how the arrival options stack up in US dollars, using inet's published prices and the travel eSIM prices checked in September 2026.
| Option | Network | What you get | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| inet Visitor Plan 7 | inet | 10 GB, 500 minutes, 7 days, free SIM or eSIM | US$16 |
| inet SIM from the arrivals shop | inet | About 1 GB, as reported | Around US$30 |
| Nomad | Flow | 1 GB for 7 days | US$7 |
| Nomad | Flow | 5 GB for 30 days | US$19 |
| Airalo | Digicel | 5 GB for 30 days | US$30 |
| Holafly | Digicel | Unlimited for 7 days | US$36.50 |
Why the travel eSIM still suits some arrivals
Where the booth wins
A workable plan covers both: install a 7 dollar Nomad gigabyte at home so the phone is live at the gate, then take an inet Visitor Plan at the booth if it is open, or from the inet store on High Street in St John's the next weekday if it is not.
Onward Hops to Barbuda and the Leewards
V.C. Bird is the hub of the northern Leeward Islands, so many passengers are only changing planes. The airport lists ABM Air, Caribbean Helicopters, Fly Montserrat, St Barth Commuter and Trans Anguilla Airways among the carriers serving Barbuda. Its Barbuda page describes a 500 metre runway at Codrington and a much larger airport being built, and newer sources name Burton-Nibbs International as the island's public airport, so check which field your flight uses. Scheduled regional flights also leave for Montserrat, Dominica, Barbados and beyond on carriers including LIAT20 and Sunrise Airways.
Which plan follows you
Barbuda is part of Antigua and Barbuda, so any plan bought for the country, local or eSIM, keeps working there, with coverage mostly around Codrington. Montserrat, Dominica and St Kitts are separate countries with separate networks, and an Antigua plan stops at the border. For a connection that runs through several islands, our guide to an eSIM for Caribbean island hopping compares the regional plans that include Antigua.
If you are only transiting, do not buy a local line at all. Use the terminal WiFi or a small travel eSIM for the layover, and buy for the island you are actually visiting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the inet booth at V.C. Bird open for late flights?
We could not confirm it. inet names a booth at the airport on its visitor plan page but does not publish hours or a terminal location, and airport counters across the region often close before the last arrivals. If you land after about 9pm, assume you will buy from the inet store in St John's the next day, and have a travel eSIM or the terminal WiFi to cover the evening.
Why was I offered a 30 dollar SIM before the baggage carousels?
A shop inside the immigration area has been reported selling inet SIM cards at around 30 US dollars for about 1 GB. That is far worse value than inet's own Visitor Plan 7, which is US$16 for 10 GB and 500 local minutes with the SIM or eSIM included. Ask specifically for a Visitor Plan, and if the shop cannot sell one, wait for the inet booth or a store in town.
Do I need data to get through immigration in Antigua?
Not if you prepare. The ArriveAntigua.com form replaces the paper card and produces a QR code that officers scan. Complete it within 72 hours before your flight and save the QR code as a screenshot or in your phone wallet, so it opens without a connection. Relying on the confirmation email means relying on terminal WiFi or a roaming connection at the desk.
How much is a taxi from ANU to English Harbour?
Published 2026 guides put it at about US$35 to US$45 per vehicle for up to four people, for a drive of around 40 minutes. St John's is about US$12 to US$20 and 15 minutes, and Jolly Harbour US$30 to US$38. Fares are set by the government rather than metered, so agree the price before your bags go in, and ask about surcharges after 10pm or for extra passengers.
Can I pick up a rental car at the airport?
Yes. Since February 2026 four rental firms, Bigs, TG, RL and Chase, operate from the new ground transportation hub in Terminal B, the refurbished old terminal beside the main building, along with nine tour operators. If you are driving yourself, download an offline map of Antigua before leaving the airport, since signal fades in a few spots along Fig Tree Drive and out toward the east coast.