Which Flight to Choose??

[vanduse1]

van....

We get a lot of guests that have used both flights. Here are the "pros and cons" that we hear most often:

Continental: Couldn't sleep on the red eye, seats were tight. (We have done this flight). Agree seats are tight. We make the following suggestion: Go to your resort/hotel, have breakfast, and a copy of coffee or tea. Go directly to your checkout dive. Go back take a 2-3 hour nap (don't sleep past 11- 12 noon). Get up do your second dive in the afternoon. Go to bed early that night, you will be good. Love the fact that we can dive when we arrive, almost like getting an extra day of diving. Avid divers LOVE the Continental choice for this reason.

Delta. Only complaint we have heard is that it gets in later so you cannot dive that day. By the time you get out of the airport and to your resort, checkin, etc. It is usally close to 4pm, so no diving that day. Most people, that stay with us (we have apts. with full kitchens), go shopping for groceries for the week and any other small things they need. The get their gear ready, sit by the pool had have a beer, then head out to dinner, or cook at the BBQ area. This flight is perfect for the "casual diver", who doesn't want to do 3-4+ dives a day.

Hope this helps with your option.

Liz

Thanks Liz!!! I think I will lean towards the Continental option.. Now, gotta get my dive buddy to commit..

 

[phelana]

IMHO the red eye really drains some folks and makes the first day miserable. I know when I take the red eye I am a mess all day...even when I sleep if you call it that..

Follow my Bonaire Bliss

 

[helimvee]

The Continental redeye is great as you get diving the first day - but don't forget that the return trip means a VERY early morning. After a week of diving, sun and Brights it is tough getting out of bed to get to the airport that early. I have done it five times and am looking at the Delta option for the next trip.

Also, if you do take the redeye, make sure that the place you are staying will allow you to get into your room early.

 

[chauncy19]

Tough choice flying through Atlanta for me. Its an extremely busy airport that can have a lot of delays. Also the return through Customs could be interesting. Although I have no first hand experience with it. Have no experience with Houston. Although I am not a fan of red eye flights and short ones at that. I am taking the red eye out of Newark this summer. For me its avoiding hurricane delays or atleast minimizing them that lead to the selection. I am also looking forward to my first direct flight to Bonaire.
I just happen to be in the area as Newark is not local to me.
I'd lean toward Houston but its really my dislike of Atlanta's airport more than anything.

 

[ronski101]

The only bad part about the red eye and arriving early in Bonaire is waiting for checkin at your resort which usually is in the early afternoon. While we are waiting for our room we eat breakfast, do the orientation, and get in a dive. Once checked in, we take a short nap if needed and have a leasurly afternoon at the pool or go into town. Of course you can always get in a second dive or do a night dive that first day also. This is a great way to start your vacation. Bonaire is the easiest place to get in multiple dives effortlessly. If you are doing a kick back type of vacation you can always wait until the next day but why waste a precious dive day?

 

[Waterskier1]

One other thing to consider is getting home. I can't make it back to Denver via ATL on the afternoon flight out of Bonaire. It gets into ATL late enough, and with 2 -4 hours to get through Customs/Emigration I can't make the last 9:30PM flight out of ATL. So, I have to overnight there (and I'd much rather overnight in BON).

That said, there is a new flight starting (not sure when, but it's in place in Oct 09 when I plan on going back). It leaves at 4:00PM on Fridays, arriving BON at 8:05PM. So, there is plenty of time to get to ATL without doing a red-eye. Then new return leaves BON Saturday morning at 8:00AM arriving ATL at 12:25PM allowing for plenty of time to catch a connecting flight home.

It's too bad that Contential won't be running the Sunday morning flight through ERW in Oct, since that was the best of both worlds, I got to dive Sat - Fri, take the following Sat as a no-fly day, and still make it home by Sunday night.

One last thing I look for...using the same airline the whole way. If you do take extra baggage (like I do) you only have to pay for it once each way. If you take different airlines, you pay the extra fee to each airline, each way. That can add up to more than the savings by using different airlines.