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Getting to Bonaire: When to buy..... March 2006
Bonaire Talk: Getting to Bonaire: Archives: Archives 1999-2005: Archives - 2005-08-10 to 2005-12-13: When to buy..... March 2006
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim Smith (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #9) on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 8:16 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

OK, none of us have a crystal ball....BUT....

I've been watching the Continental 2833 / 1898 flights (Nashville to Houston, Houston to Bonaire) for March 2006. They were running approx $875 with tax & fees, and now are $920 with tax & fees.

For those who have watched flights to Bonaire before, will they typically bounce around for awhile, or will I likely see a steady trend up from now until then? The extra $50 right now is peanuts in the price of the trip, but too many extra $50's and I'm going to start getting upset with myself for not booking earlier. :-)

Jim

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tom (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2441) on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 8:23 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jim, there is another round trip option starting out of Fort Lauderdale soon.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tom (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2444) on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 8:37 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jim, you might notice the fares will bounce up and down. At different times of the day and on different days of the week, compare the prices on identical flights. You might be surprised on how the cost might fluctuate, I have been.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cyn (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #14569) on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 10:50 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jim, from the West coast, the cheapest I ever paid was 792.00, and that was 4 years ago...cheapest I've found since then has been 882.00. a year ago when i was looking for our trip last march, i kept waiting for it to go lower than in the 800's, and they jumped one day to over 900, and never came back down...We ended up paying 972.00 per person...for FOUR! I could have kicked myself for not buying them when they were still in the 800's...it's my experience (at least from the left coast), if I see something in the 800's I jump on it cause it ain't gonna go any lower. Now with the gas prices, and the problems AJ is having, I think they will go even higher! Out of curiosity, just checked AA, 833.00 in march from here, I paid 882.00 for my upcoming trip in Oct...

So...it's a cr**p shoot!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By DIANE AND BEA (BonaireTalker - Post #49) on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 12:08 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jim , we booked a red eye out of Chicago-Houston -Bonaire for April 2006 . We got 775.00 per person. Yesterday I checked and flights were 1002.00 per person. Each day the flight prices jump around . We are also doing the Continental. To many problems with AJ

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie Babcock (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2138) on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 12:10 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Tom, I checked out that Fort Lauderdale option out and found out that the times that the flight from Bonaire came back to Ft. Lauderdale, there is not a connecting flight to take me home from Ft. L., so I would have to stay overnite, and that is not a good option. Something to look into as hubby checked all airlines that could take us back home after arriving at Ft. L. from Bonaire. So, nice going, but not coming home. I live in South Jersey and I checked Phila, Newark, and A/C airports and there is zilch that time of nite getting back home. Too bad, was hoping it would be a good option for us here in the east.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie Babcock (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2139) on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 12:14 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

BTW, I just got tickets for 515 plus tax on American for our November trip to Bonaire. That is from Phila. to San Juan (I know,long layover), then to Bonaire round trip. Not too bad. I used to fly AJ, but now it is American till something else turns up and for me to fly to Texas from the east is no savings, so American is still the cheapest for me in South Jersey. Flew American this past August to Bonaire and didn't have any problems, but I really would love another option as the times really are poor.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Linda Stoltzfus (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #647) on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 12:24 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jim,
Book when you feel comfortable and don't look back.

I checked Cynde's route a few days ago for my son to travel in March....rate was $1100+, now Cynde finds it a LOT cheaper. So it varies day to day.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tom (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2451) on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 1:34 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jim, ditto to Linda's advice, once you buy, never look back.

Debbie, I understand.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Corney Ann Carter (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #283) on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 4:05 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

March is a very popular time of year to go to Bonaire so there is always the chance of not getting the dates you want if you wait to long. If your dates are flexible, you might be able to wait longer. I booked AA in July to make sure I got the dates I wanted. You can always go to the web site and check how many seats are still available.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim Smith (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #10) on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 4:35 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Debbie & Tom- Is that a Continental flight out of Ft. Lauderdale? Do I call Continental directly for info, since it's not yet available? Or do you have another source?

There still are plenty of seats on the Continental flight that I'm currently looking at, but I know what you mean. Belmar generously has a place "on hold" for me without deposit, but I need to firm up some plans to be fair to them.

Jim

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie Babcock (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2144) on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 7:45 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Jim,

You can contact Liz at the Golden Reef Inn for more details as she has the official scoop. It was also listed in the Bonaire Reporter, which I get by email, but they have already posted the new one, so the info isn't there now. I did note AJ is stopping service as of Oct 24th or something like that in the new Bonaire Reporter, so beware to those who hold tickets with AJ! Read the Bonaire Reporter for more info! I have to go watch the new "Lost" now on t.v. Season Premiere. It is the only show I watch, so good luck in your search. BTW, it is not Continental, it is a different airline than them. Just make sure you can get home from Ft. L. that night.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie Babcock (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2145) on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 7:49 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Whoops! Did a date blunder. According to the new Bonaire Reporter AJ is suspending service effective Oct. 14th NOT Oct 24th. Whew! Got to get the story correct as it is printed. That is really a shame, but I sure am glad I didn't book on AJ for my Nov. trip now!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Wulfken (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #7) on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 8:30 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Debbie,
Do you mean Saturday, Oct 15? I ask because Air J has been flying only Saturdays to Bonaire. There's a very large group I know of traveling from Virginia Oct 8-15 (most on Air J) and if they suspend on Oct 14, then that puts a very big monkey wrench into their return plans.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie Babcock (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2146) on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 9:04 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

John, All I know is what the Bonaire Reporter is stating that service will be suspended on October 14th. I would suggest your group get in touch with AJ and find out if they have re-routed them on another airline. I tried to copy and paste from the Bonaire Reporter, but it does not allow me. I can copy the page and fax it to you if you want. There is no mention of any arrangements for flights. You can email me with a fax number and I will fax the page from the reporter if you want. I hope things work out for your group of friends. I really hate being the bearer of such bad news, but if it can prevent anyone from being stranded than it is worth it.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron Gould (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #301) on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 11:52 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I have tickets with AJ from Chicago leaving Oct 15th (Sat) and returning Oct 29th. I just called the company and they assured me that my flights are still going at those times and dates.. Debbie I sure hope there is some kind of mix up with the information you got from the Reporter. I would think if AJ was not flying and the news media had that information ( the cat out of the bag) they would verifiy that info when called.. At least I hope they would.. Ron

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie Babcock (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2147) on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 7:40 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Keeping my fingers and toes crossed that you get to Bonaire, Ron. For the reporter to post such a thing and not have proof would be very bad publicity, so be careful.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chet Wood (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #598) on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 7:43 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I hope this doesn't get me in trouble with the REPORTER, but to clear up the AJ issue, it's Air Jamaica Express, not normal Air Jamaica.
The Article:
"Air Jamaica Express, controlled
by Gordon "Butch" Stewart,
has announced that it will "suspend"
operations on October 14. This would
mean a permanent shutdown of the domestic
carrier. Although it is the only
carrier licensed to fly within Jamaica, the
Jamaican government, which has run Air
Jamaica since last December when Stewart's
management was ousted, does not
plan to take over its operations. Industry
experts are divided on the implication of
the local airline's failure on Air Jamaica.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Jamaica
(CAA) said on Friday that no other airline
has applied for license to operate
scheduled services at this point. Air Jamaica
flies in and out of Bonaire on Saturdays."

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie Babcock (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2148) on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 7:53 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks, Chet for posting the article. That is the one I was referring to! So, the Express will not be running, but the regular Air Jamaica still will run! O.K. A big THANK YOU for clearing that up for sure. :-) :-) :-) :-) I didn't even know that AJ had an Express and that it was different from the regular AJ! Thanks again, Chet.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron Gould (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #302) on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 12:19 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Chet, You made my day!! Thanks for the information...

Debbie, thanks for the email... Ron

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim Smith (BonaireTalker - Post #12) on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 11:04 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

OK, no looking back now, we've bought our tickets for 3/4/06 through 3/11/06.... Can't wait!

Jim

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron Gould (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #304) on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 11:27 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jim and all travelers, if we keep the planes full from Montego Bay to Bonaire AJ will have no choice but to keep the flights going.. Ron

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cynders (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #14609) on Friday, September 23, 2005 - 10:44 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jim, glad you HIT THE BUTTON! You will enjoy Bonaire!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Paul Seibold (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Saturday, September 24, 2005 - 10:56 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I always do a double check on the airlines website, in addition to all of the consolidators (like expedia and kayak) Generally speaking if you are booking 21 days in advance of your trip then you will, generally, get the cheapest flights. However with the cost of fuel continuing to go up, I expect airfare to increase steadily.

This being said, if money is more important than time, check multiple listings though Flordia.

Go to AA.com (or your fav airline) do a multi segment trip.
Home/FLL/BON; Home/MIA/BON; HOME/DFW/BON; HOME/ ORD/BON. Sometimes TPA is cheaper, but that usually makes you do another hop. For whatever reason (especially AA) will have a fare sale or competitive pressure and one of those multisegment routes may be cheaper... Now if you really want to spend some time, check going from your home to the interm city on a friday, then leaving saturday morning for the BON flight

(I'd also check home to CUR as well then take divi divi to bonaire)

Naturally the more segments the greater the chance of something going wrong, but sometimes the cheaper the airfare

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By ron DeMink (BonaireTalker - Post #12) on Saturday, September 24, 2005 - 2:24 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Do book AND LOOK BACK if you use AA because they will issue a voucher good for 1 year if price goes down.
I booked in sept and check their web every week for a price drop, I have gotten vouchers for $100+ several years
good luck

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By pat murphy (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #234) on Sunday, October 16, 2005 - 5:00 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

we booked our february to april trip a few months ago when i thought that air fares would go up due to increased fuel costs. we paid about $650 pp/rt from cleveland to bonaire on american. so far the rates have remained pretty stable. i'll keep checking tho. also, i looked at my notes from our first trip to bonaire in 1995 and saw that i paid about $640pp/rt then so i guess i'm still doing pretty good now.

 


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