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Getting to Bonaire: BonairExel Question
Bonaire Talk: Getting to Bonaire: Archives: Archives 1999-2005: Archives - 2004-02-01 to 2004-08-15: BonairExel Question
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jennifer Good (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 - 2:24 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I know that this topic has been covered somewhat but this will be my first trip to Bonaire in Aug/Sept and I am a little nervous.

My husband must travel through Aruba using FF miles. I called BonairExel today and made reservations. They gave me a record locator # and told me the fare and said that I could pay when I arrived. This feels so weird to me! Will I really have a seat when I get there? I saw that I can book a seat through Travelocity but it's a lot more $. Also, the Airline name on Travelocity comes up as EcoAir, but the flight numbers and times are the same as BE. Anyone know why this is? Is EcoAir a third party, hence the additional $?

Also, we are spending the night in Aruba on the way in because we land at 8pm, too late for a flight out to Aruba. We can take a 9 am flight out, but it stops in Curracao or we can take 3:30 flight that is direct. Is it worth the trouble of stopping in Curracao to get to Bonaire 4 hours earlier?

Sorry, for so many questions. Any help, reassurance is appreciated.

Jennifer

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Linda Richter - NetTech (Moderator - Post #1818) on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 - 3:34 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Eco Air is a defunct airline whose airline code 9H has been reassigned to BonairExel. So it really is BE not Eco Air. The problem is their little picture needs to be changed. To feel better, click on the blue underlined flight number just below the EcoAir word. It links to Dutch Eagle Express NV which is BE. I've been trying since January to get Travelocity to change the graphic but no luck. They did change the DCA graphic which was listing as Kralingrad, a defunct Russian airline.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jennifer Good (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #3) on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 - 4:09 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks, Linda. I decided to call BE and ask them about Travelocity thing. The reservations agent I spoke with said that they have no agreement with Travelocity. She did confirm that they are also known as Dutch Eagle Express which is the name that appears when you click on the flight number. Strange. She assured me that I will have a seat on the flights I booked. I don't know why I feel like if I could just pay for it in advance it would feel more legit. I told the agent this and she just laughed and said "Don't worry". It's all coming back to me now, that relaxed island mentality.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kelly Jo Lott (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1143) on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 - 4:17 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

You are exactly right Jennifer, it's the relaxed island thing... I am making that same connection in July and have never done it before; it is slightly unnerving. I really like the security of my San Juan connections... lol... but I'll get used to it I suppose. :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glen Reem (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1747) on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 - 4:44 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Re stopping in Curacao to gain 4 hours. Do it, get to Bonaire earlier!!! Even if BE doesn't take care of your checked baggage in C ( can't imagine they would not-- likely same continuing airplane), Curacao has a transit lounge so you should have no hassle. That was true my last time, at least. Have an Amstel at the bar and start island time!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Susan Taft (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #355) on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 - 6:42 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We are, for the first time, using the Aruba connection because we had enough miles on USAir to get to Aruba. I have been sending many emails to the folks at BE and they have been wonderful. The thing that I like is that if we miss our connection (always a worry with 2 airlines) they will not charge us extra to re-write the ticket for the next flight.

Kelly ... like you it was hard to give up the known connections of SJU and even MoBay but, hey, it willl all be worth it. We overlap with you in July by a few days (we arrive near the end of your trip) so you can pave the way for us!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Leslie McIntyre and James Astley (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #10) on Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - 8:03 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jennifer and Kelly,

In March we flew from Toronto to Curacao, then connected to a Bonaire Exel flight to Bonaire. Like you, we simply had a reservation and locator number when we arrived in Curacao and were very uneasy, expecting to find that they had never heard of us. But no problems - we were able to get return tickets at the Curacao airport Bonaire Exel office. Apparently, Bonaire Exel prides itself on having its planes leave on time which is always a bonus!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JC Alsup (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Thursday, June 10, 2004 - 9:27 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Jennifer,

Just returned from Bonaire using a similar arrangement; FF to Aruba, BonaireExel to Bonaire. We had a little bit of a problem though. The day before departure, we called to confirm the reservations we'd made in Feb. only to find that the flight times had changed due to their "summer schedule" which nobody bothered to inform us of. Our 1 1/2 connection time all of a sudden went to less than 1/2 hour. And of course, our incomming flight was late so we missed the BE flight to Bonaire. We were told the next BE flight was completely full.

However, even though IMO the problem was of BE's making, once we arrived in Aruba, they did manage to squeeze us onto the "full" flight later and were generally very helpful once we were face-to-face, so to speak.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By gregg brewer (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #552) on Thursday, June 10, 2004 - 10:32 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

JC,

was the later flight actually full? On my previous trips, the flights were nearly empty

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JC Alsup (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #3) on Thursday, June 10, 2004 - 11:52 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Gregg,

I believe that every seat was full when we left Aruba. We had several hours to wait for the next flight and I have a slightly guilty feeling that since we paid for our tickets at that point, they may have bumped a reservation that hadn't paid yet, but that's pure speculation on my part.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By gregg brewer (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #553) on Thursday, June 10, 2004 - 4:42 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

JC,

that's great news for BE...how many other US travellers were on the flight with you...or could you tell?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JC Alsup (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Thursday, June 10, 2004 - 6:41 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Gregg,

I don't think there were any other US travellers on the flight. There was a large group of elderly ladies on the flight that I suspect were a church or civic organization from Bonaire, returning after a trip to Aruba.

 


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