Hi! I'm planning our first trip to Bonaire over New Years. This message board has been a very useful resource! Unfortunately, I'm still confused about the best flight options. Part of the problem is I'm trying to fly weekdays, so there are fewer direct flights, and I really would like to make as few connections as possible.

I would like to fly Jet Blue from JFK to Aruba or San Juan and then take a small plane to Bonaire. It is my understanding from this board that it is easier to take flights from Curacao, but most of the flights I am looking at into CUR involve a layover. San Juan has lots of direct flights from JFK-SJU but I'm not sure how to get fron SJU to BON? My favorite is the flight from JFK-Aruba and then on to BON; I've e-mailed Tiara airlines but I haven't heard back from them. Does anyone know of any private charters from Aruba? There are 6 of us and an infant so it may be worth it...

Thanks for your help...I have to try and make this flight as simple and pain free as possible or my husband is going to kill me!

If you want simple and pain free, avoid San Juan at all costs. Or at least avoid American Airlines and San Juan together. Some people have gotten lucky and had no problems. But if you end up being one of the unlucky ones, your husband WILL kill you!!!

Welcome to BT Sidney!

It's all person choice about how you want to travel and the risks you are willing to take. I have an Air Jamaica flight that is on time 10% of the time. I am willing to risk it because I am travelling alone and have a lot of international travel experience.
If I were travelling with 6 adults and and an infant, I personally would not want to be stranded in SJ. I would much rather be stranded in the United States, Aruba and then Curacao.

Thanks PegiSue and Steve. Actually, 2 of the 6 "adults" are my 7 and 8 year old kids (who are great snorkelers!). The infant is mine as well...so you can see why my husband is nervous. He would always just prefer we go to Hawaii. I'm the one with the adventurous travel tastes so a lot rides on my shoulders if it all goes awry!

I've pretty much decided to rule out SJU, now I'm back to CUR or Aruba. It seems the flight from CUR is so short and kind of fun so it might be the best option. I understand Divi Divi is my best bet...now how to reach them. I just tried to call with no luck and the email I tried bounced back.

Off to search this message board for better Divi Divi info.

Hey Sidney -

We did the AA Curacao/Divi to Bonaire flights with a 4 year old and a six month old and it was fine.

Curacao is a nice little airport for a layover - nothing fancy, but cute and quite Caribbean.

On our trip in November, I'm taking the now 3 year old through Aruba, which I've heard is a nightmare. I guess I'll find out. (But these are the things we do for free air mileage tickets......)

Divi Divi Air: flydivi@interneeds.net and phone
5999 839 1515

Divi Air is a great way to get from Curacao to Bonaire -- the very short flight is on a 7 seater plane. The service is wonderful both in Curacao and Bonaire. The airport in Curacao is much easier to navigate than the one in Aruba because it is smaller. The new terminal has several food options both outside and inside security. You will need to go through Curacao Customs and Immigration even though you are in transit and will need to gather your bags and check in with Divi on the way to Bonaire and your connecting airline on the way home.
Even though many people have "nightmare" stories about San Juan if you are flying AA from JFK to Bonaire you will not have to deal with your luggage until Bonaire. On your return you will need to claim your luggage and clear Customs and Immigration but will not need to check in again (if you are flying AA the whole way).

Just a few thoughts to keep in mind if you are thinking about the number of "transitions" with your children. From your post it sounds as if the Continental from Newark is not an option which is too bad because it is a great way to go!

We just flew with Tiara from Bonaire to Aruba, no problems - just a 40 minute puddle hop. They allow 17 Kilos of checked baggage per person but people were checking more. The call centre is only open Monday to Friday during working hours.

Last summer I flew DAE from Aruba (I had already been there for 10 days) to Bonaire and had a stopover in Curacao. Five days later I did the same trip only from Bonaire back to Aruba via Curacao. I had absolutely no problems. What is good is that you're traveling during the week. The airport in Aruba on Saturday and Sunday is truly a beast. I've done it by myself with two little ones, and though you have two adults, trust me, your kids will hate it. It can take the line up to 1 1/2 hours from the time you get beyond Immigration to the gate!! Week days - no problem.

I had success using this address. Maybeline is the gal that helped me. It may take a few days to a week to answer you.
Good luck.
reservations@flydae.com

thanks so much everyone, I think Curacao is the way for us...but I still can't get in touch with Divi Divi. Susan, I called the number you gave and I get a ringing/buzzing noise and then a this number is not in service message. I'm dialing 011 and then the number you gave, is this not right? Am I doing something stupid?

Hey Sidney,

I think that the number that was listed above (5999 839 1515) has one to many 9's in it. Try 011-599-839-1515.

Sidney, try Scott's suggestion on a weekday. I copied and pasted the number from an email that I had from Divi this summer but what he says makes sense. I have usually dealt with them by email and they have always been prompt in answering. FYI ... when you make a reservation with them by email you do not pay until you check in with them in Curacao. Made me a bit nervous the first time but it really is the way they do it!

thanks for your help everyone!! I finally booked a flight to CUR. I can't wait! Now I'll have fun browsing the other areas of this board and planning our trip.

SJU-BON on the Eagle has never been a problem for me. Just got back Thursday and again no problems. Last time I checked Divi had some pretty strict weight restrictions if you're hauling dive and photo gear.

We used DAE for all of our trips once were in Aruba or Bonaire. You can call DAE or email them but we've found it easier to use a travel agent. The travel agent will hold your seats and when you arrive on the island, simply stop by and pay them to get your paper tickets. This time in Bonaire, we were able to pay our departure tax at the same time which was convenient. Although we had a good experience with DAE, we may try Divi air per the travel agent's recommendation. Also, if you tell Divi air you arrived with AA, they will allow some extra baggage. We had to pay about $100 USD for our excess baggage to go from BON to CUR.

We're also trying to book another trip for March and we're trying to avoid AA and San Juan. The flights get in too late and we didn't care for Miami either for a connection. This past trip in November we did an open jaw. Flying AA to Bonaire and flying home out of Curacao. This time we'll fly into either Aruba or Curacao then to Bonaire.