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Getting to Bonaire: AA Early Departure
Bonaire Talk: Getting to Bonaire: Archives: Archives 1999-2005: Archives - 2002-01-01 to 2002-10-27: AA Early Departure
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Michelle Fuqua Bryson on Tuesday, June 18, 2002 - 12:10 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I saw below where someone suggested paying the departure tax upon arrival. Thanks, someone else said they go back to ther room before departure. Is there time and how do you know when to be back for boarding. We are traveling with children does everyone have to be there to check in or can one adult and everyone else show up for boarding?
Thanks for your help.
Michelle

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By bob neer on Tuesday, June 18, 2002 - 12:33 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

i believe you all need to be at the airport...you can start checking in at say 4:30am...the tax window and rental car return are available at 5:00am...the early boading starts about 5:30?...

anyway, grin and bear it:)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glen Reem on Tuesday, June 18, 2002 - 2:49 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

The tax window is available early, w/ many passengers lined up. You can buy the tax things any time from arrival; I usually drop in on my way by the airport sometime during the week.

You can check the boarding time when you check in, or during the week-- allow for security check of carry on baggage as you enter the departure lounge! At one point I believe that all passengers were herded into the departure lounge as soon as checked in; don't believe that is so now. My first trip since a year ago is tomorrow--will see new things for myself.

I suspect all passengers need to be at check in for id; check with counter during the week.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Niki Harris on Tuesday, June 18, 2002 - 7:07 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Glen, the departure lounge is much improved as of a few weeks ago. There is AC, and upstairs are restroom facilities and even a snack counter for beverages and minor food. (I like upstairs for the view of the runway.) Having passed through security doesn't squish you into the hot room by the back doors. People can spread out a bit. They needed to allow for all the added KLM flights and such, I believe. One family waited in the main terminal for the late departure of Air Jamaica when we were leaving. They came through the doors and noticed the AC right off and said, "If we had known...!" They waited an extra few hours in the heat, thinking that the crowd was sitting in the heat instead!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Niki Harris on Tuesday, June 18, 2002 - 7:08 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Glen, I meant to add, Have a splendid time!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By herman mowery on Tuesday, June 18, 2002 - 10:23 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Don't know if AA will let you do this but DCE let us check in the night before (after 5pm for the 9:55am flight the next day), all we had to do was check the baggage the next day. ALL of which got hand checked I might add. Like the others have said, the dep tax can be paid at any time (but you do need it before checking in).

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Clay Lansdown on Wednesday, June 19, 2002 - 9:01 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Herman... That's what we did with ALM and AJ in the past, but when we attempted to do it last month with AA, they said they didn't do day before check-ins.

The agents did show up at about 3:45 am and started processing people at about 4:00 am though.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Scalzo on Saturday, June 29, 2002 - 11:11 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I stopped by one day during the stay to pay the departure tax. Took five minutes.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Leif S on Saturday, June 29, 2002 - 6:52 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Departed last Sunday morning via AA.
We had paid departure tax a few days earlier in between dives. Glad we did - eliminated one line-waiting exercise.

We also arranged to be completely "checked out" of lodging the night before so that we could just turn off the lights on the way out the door. This allowed us to avoid another line-waiting exercise by getting to the airport just ahead of 4:00 a.m. - at which time there were only about 20 people already gathered for the flight.

I noticed that the resort hotels bus in their departing guests just after 4:00 a.m. (thus, there rents cars were probably turned in the night before) Glad we were there a bit earlier than that, as the baggage check and boarding pass line suddenly became quite long. Every bag to be checked gets a hand searching. Luckily, Michelle and I had resolved to limit our packing to strickly carryons, so we did not even have to be in that line. Another queue avoided.

Our only timing issue was thus rental car turn-in. AB rental's agent showed up on time and it took about 10 minutes for her to check in 5 rent cars - I guess you could call that a line, but hardly. By the time I walked back, most everyone had moved through the security checkpoint into the waiting lobby, and then we all boarded. Another long wait avoided.

Thus, departure on the early AA flight can be quite smooth and stree-free if you plan for it.

-LS

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Leif S on Saturday, June 29, 2002 - 6:56 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hey, how did that happen?
Typos in the above message: hotel guests apparently turn in "their", not "there" rent cars the night before, and it can be "stress-free" if planned for.

Thought I had fixed those on before clicking to post!

 


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