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Getting to Bonaire: BonairExcel - Aruba / Tickets & Check -In
Bonaire Talk: Getting to Bonaire: Archives: Archives 1999-2005: Archives - 2004-02-01 to 2004-08-15: BonairExcel - Aruba / Tickets & Check -In
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kevin (BonaireTalker - Post #20) on Saturday, April 3, 2004 - 11:55 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

purchasing tickets and checking luggage is done at the same time and same counter in Aruba?

Any comments Gregg?

Thanks as always

Kevin

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By gregg brewer (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #506) on Sunday, April 4, 2004 - 9:19 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

simple answer: the ticket counter and check in are two different places

Unless they have changed things since January, you will purchase your ticket at the BE kiosk. When you exit the customs area (with luggage in tow), exit the bldg to the side walk and turn right. The BE ticket counter is in a small building which houses the DCA, KLM ticket counters. Once you get your ticket, you enter the building adjacent to the ticket counter and enter the "check in" line...

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tom Cousino (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #504) on Sunday, April 4, 2004 - 9:21 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

And if you are really lucky, you will be made to purchase a departure tax ticket.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By gregg brewer (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #509) on Sunday, April 4, 2004 - 12:04 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

The check in counter people often tell you that you have to pay a departure tax and a few people will cough up the cash. YOU are NOT required to pay the departure tax since you are a transient traveller (just passing thru Aruba). If they request that you pay the tax, immediately ask for a supervisor and explain that you just arrived on the Delta flight and are leaving for Bonaire. Show them your ticket to Aruba. Since you have to pay the tax in cash at the check in counter, I am not sure whether the agents just don't know the rule or are simply pocketing the money. I think the official rule is that if you spend an overnite in Aruba, you have to pay the tax. There is no tax on the return. That tax is built into your U.S. carrier ticket.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kevin (BonaireTalker - Post #21) on Sunday, April 4, 2004 - 10:20 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Gregg,
Thanks for being so nice and helpful. I appreciate all your efforts.



 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jay Hinze (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Monday, April 19, 2004 - 7:07 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

My wife and I will be traveling to Bonaire in mid-May. We are excited about our first time to the island although we are "Caribbean veterans". We will be traveling on Delta through Aruba and picking up the 4:30 PM flight to Bonaire on Bonaire Excel. I haven't seen any posts lately about BE service. Is no news good news?? Maybe I don't want to know!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kevin (BonaireTalker - Post #22) on Monday, April 19, 2004 - 10:17 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jay, my wife and I will be on that Delta flt from ATL to Aruba on May 11. Hope to make the connection with Bonairexcel at4:30. From the posts Gregg has left, it will be very tight to make. Other than that
I'm trusting Greggs info. I think he is is up to speed as to what we can expect.

If you hear anything new, please let me know.

Kevin

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By gregg brewer (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #511) on Monday, April 19, 2004 - 10:23 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Kevin,

tks...

Nothing would give me greater pleasure than for someone to report that BE corrected their deficiencies...I support what BE is doing but think they could do it better. Kevin, I assume you were unable to get BE to mail you a ticket in advance (my experience is they would not). If BE would do this, it would solve most of the problems in Aruba. Unfortunately, Aruba has to fix the problems with redundancy in their customs/immigration process. I doubt if they will ever fix it...they would prefer you stay in Aruba

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kevin (BonaireTalker - Post #23) on Monday, April 19, 2004 - 10:28 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Gregg,

The only thing I have been able to get BE to do is send me a reservation confirmation via e-mail.

Thanks again for all your help. I'll let you know how things work out when I get back. If I decide to come back.

Kevin

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jay Hinze (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #3) on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 - 5:03 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I've been communicating with Mariela Jonis with Bonair Exel. She has been very responsive and pleasant. The flight schedule has changed for summer. The flight from Aruba to Bonaire now departs at 1:30PM instead of 2:30PM. This will be a tight connection based upon what I've read in earlier posts. According to Ms Jonis this is a "legal connection". Oh well, if Kevin and I miss our flights, at least we'll be in the sunny Caribbean! The return flight to Aruba now departs earlier. Check out the BE website for the new schedule.

Kevin, hope to see you on the flights. You'll recognize me by my amazing good looks and charm! If that fails, I'll be wearing my sun faded red shirt.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By gregg brewer (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #514) on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 - 7:33 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jay,

Are you sure your times are correct for the new schedule? I check with the bonaire exel web site and the schedule pages is not working. Last summer the afternoon flight left at 3:30 which made it possible to catch if you arrived on the delta flt at 1:50 (possible but difficult). The winter hours flight left at 4:30 which was also possible but somewhat difficult). I am not sure what the agent meant when she said it was a legal connection. Do you have tickets which show you all the way from the U.S. to Bonaire? If so, where did you get them? Usually legal connection is 45 min for local flights and 1.5 hrs for international connections. It would be virtually impossible to connect with 45 min allowance. It will take you an hour to get thru immigration, pick up your bags. Then you have to go check in the BE flight at least 30 min in advance of the flight. If you have carry on bags only, you have a chance...slim

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Linda Richter - NetTech (Moderator - Post #1763) on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 - 8:09 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I just got a schedule from BE a couple weeks ago for the summer and I don't see a flight near 1:30 at all. I show the 3:30 as Gregg mentioned.
see: http://www.infobonaire.com/airlineinfo.html

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By gregg brewer (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #515) on Thursday, April 22, 2004 - 7:26 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I suspect it may be the flight from Bonaire to Aruba that leaves at 1:30. Last year the flight left at 1:15

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jay Hinze (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Thursday, April 22, 2004 - 9:39 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Oops! I typed the times in wrong. I must have had a senior moment. The flight to Bonaire departs at 3:30. The BE website only has the schedule on their Dutch language version of their website. Again sorry for my confusion.

 


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