Hello - first time visitor to Bonaire and I'm beginning to look for flights. Is AA the only major airline that flies to Bonaire?

Thanks in advance!
Melissa

Melissa,

Try Air Jamaica. Also, see what carrier can get you from Cleveland to Curacao, then hop the BonairExpress or Divi (20 minute flight) over to Bonaire!

Best of Luck!

Liz

I live in Cincinnati. Delta codeshares with Air Jamaica. Most of the dive groups go on AJ/Delta, including one during the recent mess. They were stuck in Montego Bay overnite returning. Typically, the shops go thru Atlanta, catching AJ to Montego Bay and onward to Bonaire.

I went last summer using Delta to Aruba, then a hop to Bonaire on BonairExel. From CVG, one could also go to Curacao on Delta nonstop from Atlanta, then a hop on BonairExel(now called Express) or DiviDivi Air.

The diveshops like AJ because it's all on 1 ticket. My wife took AJ in July and liked it. I went as I did because of frequent flyer miles usage.

Delta has axed service from ATL-CUR. Air Jamaica has extensive code-sharing with Delta. Delta will get your from CVG-ATL. You could also try AirTran from Dayton to ATL, and then on a separate ticket on Air Jamaica ATL-BON. But, you'd probably have to overnight both ways. I don't believe that AA has CVG-MIA service.

Please, take some advice from a seasoned traveler. DO NOT FLY AIR JAMAICA.

My family was in BON last week for a wedding, and all flew AJ. Not a single flight on AJ (ATL->MBJ, MBJ->BON and return) flew as scheduled. If it even did fly, it was so late that all connections had long since departed.
Our group was to fly (3/6) from Kentucky on DL to ATL to pick up the AJ flight to MBJ, then on to BON. They cancelled the ATL->MBJ leg, and in spite of the fact the flight was cancelled 24 hours in advance, could not book anything for the group until the 7th. 36 hour delay to kick off the trip. The group finally arrived after taking AA thru SJU.
On our return, (3/13) the flight out of BON was delayed two hours. The connecting flight to ATL was cancelled, and we were told that we would fly on a Falcon Air charter to Philly, then on to Atlanta. Only it was a lie in that the Philly flight only had five or six seats available, and our group alone was 11 people. By this time it was 7:00pm and all flights to the States were gone. We were rescheduled through MCO the next day, continuing to CVG, where the group would have a two-hour drive to get home. The process of rebooking the tickets and getting hotel rooms took FIVE HOURS of sitting in the airport. All in all we were stranded in MBJ for 19 hours.
The next day (3/14) the flight from MBJ->MCO was 1.5 hours late, making it impossible for the group to clear Immigration, get bags, clear customs, re-check baggage and get to the gate in time for the connecting flight. They were rescheduled for another flight four hours later, and finally got home 24 hours late.
Let me say this: we met some very fine, hardworking individuals working for AJ who did everything possible to help us. But as a corporate entity, AJ is so amazingly incompetent and poorly run that I would urge anyone considering travel to the Caribbean to avoid them until it has been proved that they have sorted out their management issues, and can be trusted again.
Several times we were faced with staff who said that our problems would be addressed in the next city, simply because they did not want to deal with our issues. This is particularly true of the AJ staff in BON, who were totally unwilling to discuss alternate routings, despite the fact they we KNEW we would never make our connecting flight in MBJ. Updates on flight status were never given unless specifically asked for, and then were wrong 90% of the time. We only found out that our departing flight was cancelled because a family member was on the phone with the Delta, confirming the flight to ATL, when the message popped up that the flight from ATL->MBJ was cancelled. There were three separate sets of reservations for the flight, yet NONE of us received ANY notice from AJ that the flight had been cancelled. (I spoke with one gentleman who DROVE from Gainesville, FL to ATL to be on the same flight, only to arrive and be told it was cancelled.)
When you factor in the additional consideration that the FAA forced AJ to ground several aircraft for what were called "Flagrant safety violations", it's just not worth the hassle or the risk to fly with them.
AJ may be trying very had to get its house in order, but right now they are unpredictable, unreliable, and potentially unsafe. If you plan to visit BON, for the sake of your vacation, I would urge you to consider all other travel options, and avoid Air Jamaica.

William, sorry to hear you had such a hard time. I can't believe everything you had to go through just to get home. I will keep this in mind when booking in the future.

Hi:

We're flying out of Louisville via Delta on April 20. You can stay one night at the Comfort Inn, Airport for 49.95 and shuttle to and from the airport, no fee for leaving the car at the motel, 10 days

We're going through Ft. Lauderdale

Hi Melissa:

If you don't mind driving to Louisville its $753.50 per person rt. Delta 6258 to Ft. Lauderdale, Delta 8860 to Montego Bay, 8874 to Bonaire. Return trip is 8861 to Montego Bay, 8859 to Atlanta, 1767 to Louisville. You'll leave at 6:45 AM to get there at 2:30 PM, return trip you'll be leaving Bonaire at 3PM, get to Louisville at midnight.