Eek. I have reservations on Bonairexel for 1/24 and return 2/5. I'm connecting with AA inCuracao. Is Bonairexel folding? Are there alternatives that might be helpful?

You have nothing to worry about, the exelaviationgroup is probably going bankrupt but bonaire/curacaoexel are going to separate from exel and will lose the name exel (Will be taken over by klm

AA has changed the flight time from 9:45 am to 9:00 am. I am on bonaairexel's 7 am flight to curacao. Can I still make the flight or do I need to fly to Curacao on the day before?

Well.... Bonairexel is usually on time 1:30 hour should be enough but they say that for international flights it's best to check in 2 hours b4.

Thanks. I guess I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it.

Margaret,

If the BonairExel flight is on time, you should be okay. You should check in at AA in Curacao at least 45 minutes before departure. You should be able to do that with a 7am departure from Bonaire on BE.

You will have to claim your checked bags in Curacao (if it's more than you can push/carry, bring lots of US 1 dollar bills - luggage carts are $3 in the baggage claim in Curacao), and then recheck it at the American Airlines counter.

Jake

Benji,
How do you know so much about Bonaire Excel? You are reassuring, but I am still a little freaked. 6 of us will be flying in via Aruba to Bonaire (our 1st time) with a 2 hour layover. Should we try to contact someone and reconfirm reservations? Or do we just show up with our email confirmations and smile pretty. I'm a strong swimmer but....

Shawna,

it probably isn't worth the stress to try to contact BE...they don't answer the phone and rarely return emails...just show up...However, I do suggest you pay the $20 and get your BE tickets in advance...depending on what time you arrive and what other flights arrived at the same time, two hours may not be enough time...trust me, been there

How do we get the paper tickets? I have tried Delta and of course Excel and even a travel agent recommended on BT. But since we already have our confirmation and Excel has charged us they all said they couldn't do anything for us.

I am about ready to start me a Ferry Boat service in the Carribean.

Also, sorry this is so long, I have gotten so many conflicting reports on the weight limits on BE. I even e-mailed them in Papiamentu hoping they would be moved by my efforts... NOTHING. I am mostly interested in what the overage charge is above the 66 lbs on a single checked piece or if you have a 2nd.
thanks

I know so much because i live o9n Curacao here I get all the news of anything that happens in the airline, and i watch that very carefully.

Are you sure Excel has charged you? if so how? That would be a new one. Up until early this month, BE could only issue tickets in person for cash. Do you show a charge to your CC? If you have a confirmation number, contact Larry at Worlddive.com if it can be done, he can do it (I'm the person who posted previously about getting paper tickets)...

Yep, it went through as a charge on my card 1/06/05 Eur dollars $114.00 ... $151.00 U.S. dollars. Which would lead one to believe it was processed through the KLM folks.
I actually did contact Larry per your recommendation but as they had already charged me there was nothing he could do.
Thanks for the suggestions. I just got registered on BT this morning because I had exhausted all the avenues reading the chat strings and persuing those leads.
YIKES!!! Keep telling me how wonderful the diving is.

I have a pair of Bonaire Excel tickets. They were booked online and charged to my credit card on last months billing. I also have a confirmation number for those flights. The flights are from Aruba to Bonaire, then back. I will contact Larry as a final resort to get paper tickets; all other attempts through Delta, Carlson Travel, etc. have not worked. I will post about Larry either way. This is getting rather tiresome.

I stand corrected...BE must have recently started accepting CC....I doubt if Larry can do anything if they've already charged your card...but if anybody knows, he will... BTW, Larry is the person who helped BE figure out how to issue paper tickets in the U.S. (Larry did all the work)

I received a nice reply from Larry at Caribbean Adventures Dive Travel today. Due to my having bought tickets online from Bonaire Excel he can not help in getting paper tickets unless I cancel the ones I already have and re-book through him. Looks like I'll take my chances at the counter in Aruba.