It left behind a large group. The flights to CUR and BON are now combined. The flight arrives BON and then heads to CUR. There CUR bound travelers get off and those heading off island get on. Then the flight goes back to BON and boards outbound travelers. Today there were too many people for the plane so about 20 were stranded in BON. I know my clients checked in at 3 PM and it took an hour to get to the desk. They are hoping to get home Tue. via CUR.

My suggestion is get to the airport by 12:00 to check in...I wonder if the late check ins were the only ones bumped. What a mess..and TWO of my clients never got their luggage..it went on to Jamaica.

And since the plane left Bonaire 2.5 hours late they are all surely stuck in Jamaica.

I hope JM can get it's act together. We need this airlift.

IMHO

Thanks for the updates, Annie...this is indeed a horror show. I hope this is a temporary fix to their problems. I am not looking forward to the ride to and from Bonaire this year....I hate stress like that. The lounge in Bonaire is much better than it was not too long ago, but.....2.5 hours in addition to getting their early is a wee bit more time than I'd care to spend in it.

I hope they can get their act together soon but I have a sinking feeling.....Carole

Carole, no they won't. Your gut feeling is right. As much as my wife and I mentally prepared for the ordeal, the uncertainty and lack of information can take a huge toll. We did not leave BON last night (March 27) until 6:30 p.m. (paper work delay they said!!) We knew that they would be late in all aspects, we knew that we'd be arriving home MUCH later than the scheduled time, but the indifference and incompetence of the head honchos can get to you easily. You certainly get the feeling that you're simply a seat number and not a person. Despite all that mess, Kudos to the cabin crew and the booth people who know how to remain cool and professional under the huge amount of pressure their bosses put them through. They're the true grunts, the foot soldiers, cannon fodder for the frustrated travelers while management simply gathers in meetings, sending their fake smiles and pictures and writing corny letters to say how much they "appreciate" your patience. Carole, I think you'll fare much better if you accept that the flights will indeed suck, then the sour delays won't be that sour. Also plan your day after your return after the fact that you will make it home MUCH later than scheduled. My wife followed my advise and took today off and I scheduled only late afternoon appointments today. We got some rest, in our gloomy, rainy NJ. Trip report coming soon. Promise! Full of goodies. Good luck! Coach Izzy

A friend of mine had a daughter recently vacation in Jamaica over spring break. I had "warned" her there might be some "upset" involved with Air Jamaica during her travels with them.

Well, it happened. Going down from Newark was no problem into MB. It was the ride home on a weekday when the fun hit. They were supposed to leave MB non-stop into Newark, NJ...the plane was late leaving MB and then they flew into Philly unannounced. The passengers were forced to exit the plane and had to go through customs in Philly even though they were going to re-board the same exact aircraft and continue on to Newark NJ.

Instead of arriving home at 11:00pm they made it home at 3:15 a.m. or so. Poor kid had to go to work the next day, too. Good thing she is young! LOL.

So, it is happening on a regular basis...weekedays, included. AJ is not just picking on Bonaire...it's their own main runs, too.

I am so not looking forward to these upcoming flights. Especially the return flight back to NJ....too late to turn back now, tho. Carole

We were scheduled to fly AJ Houston to Bonaire April 2. AJ called today and told us we were now booked on Continental flights covering our outbound from Houston and our return on April 16. This is great news considering all the nightmares we have been reading on this post. We arrive in Hosuton Friday afternoon from Calgary and will go directly to AJ desk to get tickets to make sure this works.
Kelly

Carole, we had the exact same experience as your daughter on a midweek flight to Boston from mbj. The customs stop in Philly was so painfully long we were ultimately delayed 5+ hours from schedule. Some of the problems were not of AJ's making and the staff was great but we're starting now to find an alternative for next year.

I think I will take the extra day off, just in case.
No turning back now Carole, only a few more weeks to go ! We'll roll with the dice!

So if AJ is combining BON and CUR flights together are the connecting flights going out of MBJ from those destinations delayed to take into account the extra travel time? If I could get a refund on my AJ tickets I would and book on a different airline. This will be our first time to Bonaire after dreaming about it for many years and all this airline poor service talk is really getting us down.
Is there any difference traveling during the weekdays versus the weekends?

Ron...

Look at my comments under (A decent AJ experience). My husband and I left and returned on a Wednesday out of Newark. Bad news all the way.

The only thing I can say is that I know when you finally get to Bonaire you will definitely enjoy yourselves.

Carol