We're counting the days until our annual jaunt back to Bonaire arrives. This year's trip is slated for May 4-11 and I'm so ready to get out of this place I can hardly stand myself! My husband and I keep a count running on the calendar...ticking off the days! All regs have been annualed, cleaned and inspected. We have also begun the task of taking inventory to prep our gear & luggage for the trip!

My question, which I am sure has been asked, is how to handle all our "stuff" this year post
9-11 and all the security/inspections? We are flying from Baltimore to Montego Bay and then onto Bonaire via Air Jamaica. This proved a great route for us last year so we chose it again

We do some technical diving therefore we pack redundant gear plus the usual UW camera equipment, etc.! Just curious to know how everyone, who's been recently, packed to ensure themselves and their gear arrived safely and in tact? If we pack as we normally do we'll have 1 carry on + 1 small backpack on and 1 checked piece of luggage per diver/traveler. Our UW digital set up scares me as it's in it's own secure hard case and we aren't sure how to handle it this year! UGH...it's alot to do just to go diving but IT IS BONAIRE so no sacrifice is too great

This is our 9th year in a row returning to beautiful Bonaire so we feel seasoned to some degree but know that this year will present itself differently for obvious reasons. We are just looking for some pre trip support out there! Any input would be appreciated whether via the board or privately

Safe diving........

The Lloyds

We just got back on 2/18 and flew Air Jamaica from Houston to Montego Bay to Bonaire. We each had one carry on that held our regs, wetsuits, masks, booties, digital camera, and camera housing along with some other small stuff. Basically we carried everything we could that we didn't want to take the chance of not having. I don't know if you will be able to take a carry-on and a backpack on the plane. The Air Jamaica website says:

"...In addition, you will also be entitled to one carry-on bag. All carry-on bags must be capable of fitting under the seat in front of you or in an overhead compartment. Cabin space is limited so maximum allowance for carry-on is approximately 40lbs/50 inches."

You may be able to or may not, but I would try to get everything into one carry-on each and avoid any hassles.

We put our fins and BC's into a hardsided piece of luggage and our clothes in a couple of other bags. Be sure not to exceed the weight limit for your bags, they do weigh them. From the Air Jamaica website:

"In all instances, except for certain international destinations, or when using a connecting carrier, only two pieces of luggage up to a weight of 70lbs. each will be accepted free of charge...Excess charges will apply to all baggage checked or carried which exceeds the number of bags allowed under the free allowance. Excess pieces are subject to space available transportation and may or may not accompany you on your flight. Excess charges will also be required to be paid on your free allowance checked baggage if the weight exceeds 70lbs. Up to a maximum weight of 100lbs., or if the size exceeds a total outside dimension (L+W+H) of 62 inches (157.5 cm)."

By the way, all our checked luggage made it both ways, and we had connections with 40 minutes between flights on the way down and 35 minutes between flights on the way back. I was nervous they wouldn't make it, but they did. Hope that helps...

Thanks for the feedback Greg! Sounds like much has not changed for Air Jamaica & their requirements from last year. We knew about the one carry on thing but did make it last year with our backpacks so we'll try it again this year. It was good to have that as they slide under the seats and carry spill over from the carry on's! I maintain hope that, after 9 years, we can pack a little lighter; I seem to scale back a bit on each return!

I guess our biggest concern is some of the metal we're taking! We have double's mounting devices, BC's with metal backplates, etc. I have heard that most folks with these items, that were in checked luggage, came out OK. Maybe this is the secret Check those items and you'll be OK?

We are good too about packing ALL and ANYTHING we never want to be without; like the obvious BC's, some clothes, bathingsuits, UW cameras, skins, masks, reg's etc. so I can only hope the check points will be hassle free. We know the obvious NO NO's with nail clippers (damn....a woman without her manicure paraphernalia is a scary thing) and dive knives (never took one to Bonaire anyway) but hopefully we'll pass with flying colors.

Hope you had a wonderful time there and thanks again for your reply. We'll just cross our fingers and hope for the best!!!

Regarding the one carry-on rule. At Logan (Boston) Delta agents act as the agents for Air Jamaica. Last May , although we were told when we called Air Jamaica that a purse or camera bag would not count as a second bag, the Delta people were not going to allow us to board without checking my camera bag and my wife's large purse. Since the Air Jamaica people had told us it was okay (two separate phone calls), we boarded anyway with them telling us we couldn't.
Kept looking over my shoulder as we walked down the boarding ramp expecting them to come get us. No way we could get away with that now since security is such an issue.
Friends boarding in Chicago saw some people denied boarding until they had checked one bag and others allowed on. Seemed to depend on the agent.
Because of that hassle and since we really want to have our dive gear and UW camera stuff on the plane with us, we are using American this year.