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Getting to Bonaire: AA any good stories? on time, all bags??
Bonaire Talk: Getting to Bonaire: Archives: Archives 2006-2008: Archives - 2008-03-01 to 2008-12-31: AA any good stories? on time, all bags??
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By cory (BonaireTalker - Post #48) on Sunday, March 9, 2008 - 4:28 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Ive heard all the BAD stories about AA but i know somebodys made it to Bon from LAX on AA, anyone?

just hoping for some good news as were leaving in two weeks going thru MIA...

cory ><((((º>
.><((((º>`•.¸.•´¯`•...¸><((((º>



 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Grunt, with 46 days to go (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #597) on Sunday, March 9, 2008 - 4:48 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I have made the trip from Sacramento several times, and with never a problem other than a combined 10 hours of layovers each and every trip. We and our bags always arrived together and pretty much on time---which means on the correct day.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By cory (BonaireTalker - Post #49) on Sunday, March 9, 2008 - 5:39 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

that sounds worse than it really is , especially since you need an extended layover for customs in SJ...so 5 hours each way is acceptable....wow, that does sound bad doesnt it.
ha!
its a price we all have to pay
thanks, i feel better now

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Holly (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #266) on Sunday, March 9, 2008 - 5:45 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We did AA for the first time in January. The flight was three hours late out of Philadelphia, but that just shortened our stay in San Juan. The flight San Juan to Bonaire worked well. Coming home, the Bonaire to San Juan flight was an hour late. We took a room at the Best Western for the long layover, ate lunch, checked email, and watched TV.
I should add, we did carry going on down, handing off the larger bags on the tarmac in San Juan. Coming home, we checked the larger bags in Bonaire, then just took them with us after Customs.
We must have hit a TSA training day in San Juan on the way home: Customs gave us a second check (and we NEVER get that) and my bags got searched in security on the way to the connecting flight by a girl who said "This is my first one." (I was kind.)
All things considered, despite a little chaos in San Juan, they were just long days going and coming.

(Message edited by hap on March 9, 2008)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ann Phelan - www.bonairecaribbean.com (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3107) on Sunday, March 9, 2008 - 6:55 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I fly AA many times each year and do very well. The long layovers heading to Antigua and Boston are a drag but I forked out 400 and joined the Admiral's Club making it tolerable. I have never had a lost bag. Once a bag came the next day. Once I had a plane with mechanical challenges delaying us a few hours. A few times we were a tad late. All if all I am pleased with AA.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Grunt, with 46 days to go (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #598) on Sunday, March 9, 2008 - 8:17 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I should have pointed out that from Sacramento to Bonaire on AA means leaving here at midnight, flying to Dallas and doing a FIVE hour layover, then flying to San Juan and doing another FIVE hour layover. Then, if the Gods smile on you, arriving at 9:30 the following night. All this to just get there. That's ten hours of butt time in airports just on the trip down. Thank the Gods for Continental.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Lee Wilbers (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #8) on Sunday, March 9, 2008 - 9:30 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

In Feb we where flying out of St Louis Flight delayed we missed all connecting flights when we arrived in Miami lucky for us we found a ticket agent that took good care of us we ended up getting to Bonaire that night by way of Aruba long story But no luggage till the next evening on almost every trip on AA through San Juan someones luggage usually does not make it till the next day good luck have a great dive trip

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vann Evans (BonaireTalker - Post #52) on Sunday, March 9, 2008 - 10:16 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We just returned from bonaire(BOO) and used AA both ways. We flew from Raleigh/Durham(NC) to Miami, Miami to curacao and then Divi Div from curacao to Bonaire. We did the reverse on the trip home.

All flights were on time and all luggage was fine also. No problems at all.

We have also done the continental non-stop from Newark and think it is the better way to go. we used AA because we had the air miles to make the trip free,

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Boat Chick************** (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4612) on Monday, March 10, 2008 - 10:17 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Cory, as I've mentioned before to your posts, we go LAX to Bon a lot. eight trips, no hassles, no lost luggage, or nightmares to tell I'm afraid. Since you are going direct LAX to SJU, you don't have to worry about flight delays, (even if your plane departs late out of LAX, which has happened to us a few times). You will get your boarding pass for SJU to BON in LA, so you are good to go. They bump people based on the check-in time.

If you want something to do during your layover, just ask, and I'll post the link to San Juan Airport tips again.

Have a fun and safe trip.

Cynde

(Message edited by cyndelee on March 10, 2008)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By cory (BonaireTalker - Post #50) on Monday, March 10, 2008 - 3:27 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks Cynde
i have your San Juan links page on my desktop for review when i need it!
thanks again

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Frank (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #696) on Tuesday, March 11, 2008 - 12:59 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

13 trips to Bon, about half on AA/AE, have never lost a bag or missed a connection. Since we began going to the beach for SJU layovers, hardly mind them anymore. My favorite way to go so far is still Continental EWR>CUR then Divi Divi CUR>BON (can't deal with redeyes).

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ann Phelan - www.bonairecaribbean.com (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3108) on Tuesday, March 11, 2008 - 7:00 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Yesterday AA left here at night, 12 hours late. Not sure why.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dark Side of the moon for RosAnne (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2194) on Tuesday, March 11, 2008 - 11:30 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

We have done LAX-SJU-BON the last two years with no problems. We arrived on time with all luggage in hand. A few glitches but all went relatively well. Boat Chicks tips are very useful and Ann brought up a good point about the Admirals club, a very handy perk! If you don't want to shell out the full amount they do sell day passes.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By cory (BonaireTalker - Post #52) on Tuesday, March 11, 2008 - 3:12 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We used to do admirals club everytime going to Coz, as there is a 5 or 6 hour layover in dallas, it was well worth the 75 bucks.

might do it in SJ but we only have 3 hours in between and have no idea how long customs and the baggage shuffles gonna take,
Thanks to everyone for all the input, was a fun post to hear all the responses to.
cory

><((((º>
.><((((º>`•.¸.•´¯`•...¸><((((º>

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie Babcock (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6884) on Tuesday, March 11, 2008 - 5:59 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Flew AA Feb-Mar. from Phila. - Bonaire, all flights on time and all luggage too. The day we left Bonaire, there was KLM late leaving, then two CO flights leaving, different times, and AA. Airport was a zoo, but I sure was glad to be in AA's line, as the lines for CO were terrible and then they started telling folks who had the later CO flight to go sit down for a while. Not very happy troupers were they. And I like CO too, don't get me wrong, but I think I will not fly out on CO when two of them are scheduled to depart with an hour of each other. Too crazy bazy.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By lunarlab (BonaireTalker - Post #46) on Tuesday, March 11, 2008 - 8:48 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We've never had a problem on AA. We have flown from Sacramento and San Francisco. Everything made it with us. We did have one delay when we had to fly around a hurricane that was between PR and Bon. Living in northern Ca. it is a 24+ hour trip from home to landing on Bonaire.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tribs, Bonaire Bound in May (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5560) on Sunday, March 16, 2008 - 12:59 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I have lots of horror stories on AA, but NONE on my AA trips to/from Bonaire. I'm hoping that is my karma route to make up for all of the other mishaps. :-) Flying AA again to Bon in May. Hoping once again it will be fine.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ted Norton (BonaireTalker - Post #17) on Sunday, March 16, 2008 - 4:38 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I have been to bonaire only twice not the vetran that most of you are. I will never fly aa to bonaire again. the only think worse than AA is the rude ppl in Miami. First trip I was stranded in miami. the next day when I resumed my trip my bag went to cancun, then to LAX then back to miami before going to curacao and on to bonaire I got my bag just in time to leave. Second trip found me stranded on curacao, a little better howver my bags were again delayed however this wan't as bad either. I think they have real issuse at AA as they are rated as last in ontime and lost baggage everytime the new reports on that

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Susita (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 8:21 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Re: Ted's post---problem with baggage is probably due to going through Miami. I will go way out of my way to avoid that airport - luggage gets totally trashed, zipper pulls ripped off, corners shredded, etc.

Only problem we had with AA was once having "mechanical" problems that delayed our plane at O'Hare for many hours; and although I asked around and counted at least 23 people on the flight who were Bonaire-bound, they would not hold the plane for us in San Juan (possibly due to restrictions on late landings in Bonaire at the time.) Anyway, they put us up at the Marriott in San Juan, and it happened to be the night of PR's "patron saint's" day when everybody parties on the beach until midnight and then walks backward into the ocean for good luck. Fun to see! AA added a morning flight to Bonaire the next day, so at least we didn't have to wait for the usual evening flight, so it wasn't too bad an experience.

 


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