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Getting to Bonaire: Insel connections in Miami
Bonaire Talk: Getting to Bonaire: Insel connections in Miami
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By KOB (LBR32) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #461) on Sunday, February 13, 2011 - 9:23 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Trying to use Continental miles to get to BON in September. Apparently no FF seats available through Newark or Houston on the dates we want (9/17 depart). So thinking of Miami, then connect to Insel. Plenty of time to connect on the way to BON, but the connection looks tight on the way back.

Insel has a flight that arrives in MIA at 2:40p. If we arrive in MIA from BON on the Insel flight at 2:40p, is there sufficient time to clear US Immigration and make a 4:30p flight to EWR (last flight we can get to connect to CLE same day)?? Is 2 hours enough time ??

Thanks for any/all suggestions.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gwen Kessell (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Sunday, February 13, 2011 - 9:25 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Customs is rough in Miami, I'm not sure two hours is enough time.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ruth van Tilburg (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1530) on Sunday, February 13, 2011 - 12:23 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Not on a Saturday. Even if you breeze thru immigration, pick-up baggage, & clear customs...CO probably wants you at their check-in counter 2 hours ahead of time at MIA. IF you got checked into CO, you'd still have to make it thru security & to your gate.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By KOB (LBR32) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #462) on Sunday, February 13, 2011 - 2:55 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks Ruth & Gwen. It looks like we'll have to spend an evening in MIA on the way home.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By DIVER DEBBI (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #680) on Sunday, February 13, 2011 - 3:06 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I just got Holiday Inn in Miami on Priceline for $80...includes shuttle from airport..otherwise everything is expensive...we will do same overnight in MArch because we cannot make the connection in time..oh well..one more nite to say we are on holiday..but wish it was Bonaire, not Miami airport

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By KOB (LBR32) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #463) on Sunday, February 13, 2011 - 3:07 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks, Debbi. That's a pretty good price for MIA airport area.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Lori Mulhisen (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #104) on Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 8:50 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

What is up with the lack of Reward seats on Continental to BON? I cannot find any Reward seats whatsoever either through EWR or IAH from now until the beginning of January 2012 on the Continental website! Previously, if Continental had the flight and Reward seats were unavailable, the search would return a page showing each flight but the select button would be grayed out and it there would be gray type indicating it was unavailable. Please tell me that Continental did not pull BON from its pool of available Reward seats!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Freddie................someoneisawizeass (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #15599) on Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 9:05 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Lori did you call continental... I sometimes find that easier,last time I did a internet search and there were no seat available for FF but when I called the airline I got right in on the dates I wanted,, Just a thought..

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ellen Robinson (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Sunday, February 20, 2011 - 6:05 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I had to call Continental to get my reward flights bet EWR and BON. I also had to pay a fee for each ticket for over the phone booking.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bill Mosel (BonaireTalker - Post #20) on Sunday, February 20, 2011 - 9:19 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I got my CO FF tickets 2 months ago for a flight next week. Got them over the internet. No problem.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Lizard0924 (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #498) on Sunday, February 20, 2011 - 10:32 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

CO does have reward tickets available to BON, but just like Ellen, I had to call to find available flights. Oh, and calling to talk to a real, live person costs an extra $25....how nice.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Truesdell(Bellafonte condos) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #129) on Monday, February 21, 2011 - 7:40 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hey KOB
You might call on the ff miles as we did. For some reason they are not showing on the net but were available. We made our reservation and then found out they were available but not showing to be. I think for the rest of the year show no seats but really are. You might check and see.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By KOB (LBR32) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #482) on Monday, February 21, 2011 - 10:00 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks, Mike. Will give them a call.

Lizard -- is it really $25 to call them ??

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Lizard0924 (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #500) on Monday, February 21, 2011 - 11:26 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

KOB - the $25 fee was to have the person make my reservation over the phone (instead of me doing it myself online). Of course, since the available reward ticket wasn't showing up online, I didn't really have a choice other than to call. I felt very ripped off.

I would hope they would not have charged me if they couldn't find a ticket for me, but with the current state of scams the airlines are running, I'm not so sure.....

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Rick (BonaireTalker - Post #14) on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 - 1:51 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I have reported the Reward Miles to Bonaire web-site problem to Continental several times for the last 6 weeks or so. They know about it. They just decline to fix it. I was told that the info has not be loaded ... but there are Reward (Award) mile tickets available....but you do incur The $25 fee.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Lori Mulhisen (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #105) on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 - 7:12 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Sounds to me like we have a valid complaint to file with the FAA or the Attorney General's Office for Continental's deceptive practice of declining to load the Reward seats so they can charge the $25 phone reservation fee--especially since it appears they have been given prior notice of the problem!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tom Schamp (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #662) on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 - 10:30 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

The FAA is not at all involved with stuff like this.
And since frequent-flyer programs can be cancelled or modified at any time at the discretion of the airline, there's no recourse in the courts either.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Craig Cap (BonaireTalker - Post #22) on Friday, March 4, 2011 - 9:57 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

ruh roh. In a couple weeks, we are booked on the Saturday Insel flight from BON that arrives in MIA at 2:40, with our departing American flight leaving at 4:30. Wish us luck! Good news is that it's a Saturday, so we don't have to get back for work the next day, and, we have a friend who lives in South Beach that we're actually staying a night with on the front end - the way over to BON. I just wonder how the airline may handle this - if there will be any consideration ($$$) if we miss our AA flight due to customs; i.e, if they would waive a change fee if we missed...due to their crappy customs process (we had similar issue going through Atlanta in past).

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By KOB (LBR32) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #511) on Friday, March 4, 2011 - 10:02 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Craig -- good luck. I just bit the bullet and reserved a room in MIA on the way back, then fly Sunday morning to get home. I'm just sayin'

Good luck. I hope the travel gods are smiling on you !!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ruth van Tilburg (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1561) on Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 9:25 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Craig, ruh-ro is right. The airline is not responsible to pay for your lodging if you miss the flight due to insufficient connection time/customs/gates not ready/acts of God, etc. If you were on AA all the way from CUR, and they allowed the booking, possible-but not between airlines. MAYBE, they'd be kind and waive the change fee if you beg the AA counter personnel for mercy. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Craig Cap (BonaireTalker - Post #24) on Monday, March 7, 2011 - 3:04 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks KOB, we too!

Thanks Ruth. Again we have a friend in Miami so lodging is not an issue nor an expectation, I just hope that if we miss our flight that the airline may wave the change fee. The connection time is sufficient - we've been booked on same airline with that much time (and less in some cases) - but doesn't mean we'll make it. But I agree, it's not the same airline so I can only hope, not expect!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By SkyQueen (BonaireTalker - Post #47) on Wednesday, March 9, 2011 - 10:56 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Craig - I've made a connection from Insel Air to AA a couple of times. I had 3 hours but I've always made it. The worst time - took 2 hours to get thru immigration because the computers were down.

I haven't seen it but friends have used an AA counter just outside customs. It is somewhere near where you drop your luggage if you have a connecting flight. Finding this counter will save you time. Good Luck!

 


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