Herman et al...
As many of you know I work with the flights that come int Bonaire often. Below are the good, bad and ugly of what I see most often (in no particular order)
American: Sometimes a long layover in San Juan. That can be a good thing or a bad thing on how you look at it. Ed and I have had both. Our 7 hour layover was fine as we went to the tourism board office at the airport, they got us a safe, reliable taxi ($20 each way) and we spent the day in old San Juan...my husband had to pull me out of the Coach Outlet (leather handbags and such). Our biggest concern with American and the ATR they use is weight. When the flight arrives in Bonaire, many times either luggage or people are left behind. Also, they tend to have "mechanical problems", either making the flights late or not going at all.
Air Jamaica: The planes are not great at all. They are safe, but the seats are extremely uncomfortable and they don't have the great "Champagne" service they used to have. The benefit is the layover in Montego Bay for just over an hour that let's us pick up duty free items!
Continental: They can be costly, but if you REALLY watch the website you can get good deals. On Christmas Eve I booked my parents from Newark to Bonaire Jan 27 for one week. $413.00 r/t pp included taxes! The Red Eye can be tough, but definitely think its worth it. My parents said they did get a little breakfast going back to the US. Oh also, the flight times are correct on the Houston flight, but for the Newark flight...you don't arrive in Bonaire at 5:40 am (now at 4:40 am - spring ahead)...you actually arrive earlier, so flight time is less. I have NEVER seen a Newark flight arrive after 5:15 am.
Dutch Antilles Express: Actually, we are very happy with the service they have been providing. They have been flying all prop planes with 40-50 seats. Their on time record is good. They just introduced one jet (for the St. Maarten flight) and are in the process of getting a second one ready. They have actually changed their flight times to be more consistent. Downfall is that they are EXTREMELY strict with weight for luggage and will charge you. Hint....they tell you no more than 10 kilos for your carry on. Put as much on your carryon as you can. They do not weigh your carry on. The cost for a RT flight Aruba/Bonaire is just over $200.00 pp
Spirit Airlines: No they do not fly into Bonaire, but I mention this, because we have flown them to San Juan, then caught the American Flight. I like them for the following reasons: Good prices, you need to watch sometimes you can upgrade to first class for $80.00 RT per person or so. Also, they have GREAT specials. Ed and I had to fly to the US in October 2006. We got a BOGO (Buy one, get one) ticket. We went back to the US for 5 days for free in February! Also, if you take them from the US to San Juan, the layover time is less. It was 2.5 hours last time. They fly airbuses. Downside is that you have to change planes. We flew from Atlantic City NJ to Fort Lauderdale, then to San Juan, but we think it was worth it.
Jet Blue: No they don't fly to Bonaire, but to Aruba, where you can catch a DAE flight. We have had a few guests do this. I haven't got much feedback on this, but I understand the pricing is very good. My son has flown Jet Blue from JFK 2 times and connected with DAE in Aruba. There is a long layover in Aruba, approximately 5 hours or so.
Divi Divi: If you don't mind a very small plane, they are very reliable, and very good. They fly at about 1800-2000 feet, so you get great views of the Caribbean Sea. They are often booked, but ask about going on standby, they do have open seats at times. They do not require payment up front, so sometimes locals will make reservations then not show. They don't have any real luggage weight restrictions, but if the plane is full and there is a lot of luggage, if it overweights the plane, they will send it on the next flight.
Curacao (Hato) Airport. It is EXTREMELY important that you be sure you leave enough time to change planes. Since they have built the new airport, which is very nice, they have a problem with "security". The problem is that they only have 1-2 x ray machines and the line to get through security can be long. If you are taking afternoon - evening flights, you need to be at the airport 2 hours minimum prior to your flight. I normally travel to Curacao for shopping every 3 months or so. We usually take the 5pm return Divi flight back to Bonaire. We find that if we arrive at the airport around 3 or so, it takes between 40 minutes to one hour to just get through the security lines. With the check in and the security lines, you can have about 20-30 minutes of time to browse the shops (you cannot buy duty free in the airport in Curacao if you are coming over to Bonaire), sit, read and relax before you have to start boarding. There is a nice little sports bar where you can get a drink and a snack.
Hope this helps.
Liz
