Insel Air reliability

[Hintermann]

I have a complicated dive trip itinerary in May 2015 that includes first a liveaboard trip to Socorro on board the Rocio del Mar and then going to Bonaire for a week of diving. Since the liveaboard trip ends on a Monday, I have to fly in and out of Bonaire on Tuesdays. This cannot be altered now.

On paper I have relaxed flight connections. After disembarking the boat, I take the Delta flight the same afternoon from Los Cabos to Atlanta, spend overnight in a motel near the airport and catch the morning Delta flight to Aruba. From Aruba I have to catch the Insel Air flights (via Curacao) to Bonaire. The same route on the way back.

I have allowed over 4 hours in Aruba between the incoming Delta Flight and the connecting Insel flight. I understand that I can book my luggage through from Aruba to Bonaire and so the 1.5 hour changeover in Curacao should be enough. The times are even better on the return leg.

My concern is whether Insel Air are a stable airline, knowing the topsy-turvy fortunes of airlines in the Caribbean. My original plan was to use Tiara Air but they seem to be going under and so I had to switch to Insel. Given my itinerary, I do not appear to have any other choice.

 

[drbill]

I did the same route roundtrip back in June. Given my experience Insel Air may eventually get you (and hopefully your luggage) there eventually, but most likely not according to schedule. My Aruba-Curacao-Bonaire trip took a total of about 11 hours due to delayed or cancelled flights and luggage that was lost in Curacao and finally made it to Bonaire on the very last flight (forcing me to wait hours in the open-air airport in Bonaire). At least the return trip was not as bad. I heard locals refer to it as Insult Air.

 

[dfx]

Same experience here. Plan for several hours of delay.

 

[Hintermann]

Oh dear. It is not as though I have a choice, because I don't. I guess I'll have to keep my fingers, toes and legs crossed and hope that everything gets there on time.

 

[Alvida]

Does anyone have any input on Insel's baggage allowance? Their website said to notify the airline when making a reservation if you are a diver and you will be allowed a greater weight allowance. My first call to them was frustrating because I booked through Expedia and hadn't received my ticket numbers yet. The operator said something weird about they usually just work with travel agents, which seemed a bit archaic. So I called back with my ticket numbers to again try to report ourselves as divers and was told I needed to supply the dimensions of our bags. OK, when we purchased my husband's new bag, I called back a third time to say we're divers and these are our bag sizes, and was told I need to also supply the weight of the bags. Mind you, the website only says to notify them that you're hauling SCUBA gear. So, today's project is to pack our bags, weigh them and make phone call number four. I'm wondering what new requirement someone will dream up this time.

 

[dfx]

Does anyone have any input on Insel's baggage allowance? Their website said to notify the airline when making a reservation if you are a diver and you will be allowed a greater weight allowance. My first call to them was frustrating because I booked through Expedia and hadn't received my ticket numbers yet. The operator said something weird about they usually just work with travel agents, which seemed a bit archaic. So I called back with my ticket numbers to again try to report ourselves as divers and was told I needed to supply the dimensions of our bags. OK, when we purchased my husband's new bag, I called back a third time to say we're divers and these are our bag sizes, and was told I need to also supply the weight of the bags. Mind you, the website only says to notify them that you're hauling SCUBA gear. So, today's project is to pack our bags, weigh them and make phone call number four. I'm wondering what new requirement someone will dream up this time.

Their allowance seems to be on par with standard airline practices, meaning one 50-lb bag per person plus carry-on/personal item. I'd say you only need to make special arrangements if you exceed that.

 

[Hintermann]

OK people. Based on what you have said, I tried to find an alternative and by some fortune, might have done. If it works out, it is not going to cost me any more, maybe even a few dollars less. But it all depends on the last leg - getting from Curacao to Bonaire. In this plan, I have eliminated Aruba altogether.

In this alternative plan, I use Delta as before LHR-ATL-SJD on the first part. On the second leg, instead of getting off at Atlanta to spend overnight ina motel as I planned to, I connect to the 22:00 delta flight to Miami and spend overnight in the MIA Hotel within the airport, something that I am very familiar with. Next morning I take American Airlines AA 1639 to Curacao; from Curacao I may have the option of Divi Divi or EZ Air flights to Bonaire the same evening. On the return leg I follow the same route.

Divi Divi and EZ may not be any more reliable than Insel Air but I understand there are several daily flights between Curacao & Bonaire and if I book with say Divi Divi, surely I must succeed in catching one of those flights?

Another reckoning is that in this plan there is only one regional return flight involved instead of two.

 

[diversteve]

Why not Fly Insel from Miami instead? 3PM flight stops in Curacao and arrives on Bonaire at 8:45PM. If you miss the connection in ATL you'd have all the next morning to get to MIA.

For purposes of this example I used Sept 2014 Tuesdays since they don't show Sept. 2015 on their website yet. I didn't get the dates right but all month they were around $250-290 for each flight.



Now about the luggage.

Divi Divi and EZ Air both fly small planes. I'd be more concerned about my luggage making it with them than with Insel.
Divi also has a 10x10x14 carry-on restriction. And:


Here's a Divi plane. I think they have 3 more like it and one twin-prop Cessna. And an EZ Air plane landing in Curacao. I know nothing about EZ-Air.




Here's an MD-83 Insel flies. (going into St. Maarten just over the beach) They use one from MIA to Curacao/Bonaire. Some flights you switch to a Fokker F50, others the MD-83 stops in Curacao then on to Bonaire. So if your bags get on in MIA, there's a high likelihood they get to Bonaire.




I don't know if it still happens but I've seen several older mentions in the Bonaire forum of Divi not having room to get bags to Bonaire till their first flight the next day. Either way, you roll the dice...

Is this your final dive trip? And yes, I did have too much time on my hands tonite...

 

[Hintermann]

No Diversteve, this is not my final dive trip. I am going to Bali & Wakatobi in Set-Oct 2015 and Utila-Roatan in April 2016. That Bay Islands visit will be my last dive trip.

That Insel from Miami plan will not work out because of three reasons; first, If I am using Insel Air, I do not have to go to Miami but can stick to the original plan of going via Aruba. Second, I was looking for an alternative to Insel because of the bad reports that the airline is getting. Lastly, I am flying out of Los Cabos to Atlanta on Delta on Monday 18th May and if I connect to the 22:00 Delta flight to Miami, I will get to Miami by midnight. That is OK as far has overnight stay goes because of the MIA Hotel but I have to get to Bonaire on Tuesday, 19th May. The only way I can do that (other than the original plan) is to take to AA flight to Curacao on 19th morning and connect to one of the two Divi Divi flights left for the day.

I am aware of the luggage limitations imposed by Divi Divi but their website says that with prior arrangement an extra checked bag might be allowed. I don't know what else to do.

 

[dfx]

Divi Divi and EZ may not be any more reliable than Insel Air but I understand there are several daily flights between Curacao & Bonaire and if I book with say Divi Divi, surely I must succeed in catching one of those flights?

There's numerous flights between Curacao and Bonaire each day, not only on these airlines but also on Insel. Definitely a better option than going through Aruba. (Our original flight from Curacao to Bonaire on Insel was cancelled by them without anyone telling us and they just booked us on the next one, which then was also delayed by an hour.)