Hello all --

It looks more and more like I'll be going to Bonaire this June *cheer* but when I poked around the Continental website, looking for direct flights from Denver-Houston to Bonaire, they seemed to have disappeared!

Any thoughts on what might've happened? Was I hallucinating that this flight-path existed?

Laura,

Continental only flies IAH->BON on Fridays. I just looked at the flights for 6/23/2006, and they are there.

Returns are necessarily on Saturdays.

Jake

(Message edited by jake on January 31, 2006)

Aha -- that was the problem. Thanks.

I'm hoping to plan to stay a little longer than a week, but it looks as though if I were to take a direct flight, I'd have to stay for TWO weeks! (not that that's a bad thing, but...)

At this point, it may look as if it'll be the long haul through Atlanta-San Juan. *Sigh*

Laura -

Perhaps you have a preferred air carrier, but if you really wish to avoid Atlanta, are you aware that there are routings from Denver through Miami, DFW or Houston to set up for Bonaire? Try a search on Orbitz.

Charles Poteet
Dallas

Thanks, Charles. There's nothing wrong with Atlanta; even though I do have family there. *laugh* I'm still workin' on it. Orbitz, Priceline, Travelocity, you name it. Maybe my problem is that I'm trying to find quotes for four passengers at the same time; perhaps that changes some of the variables?

Laura -

Yes, I do understand that finding several tickets at once to fit multiple needs can be a challenge.

I do hope you get it worked out so that the arrangements are at least acceptable, if not optimal. And you know the reward will be worth the trouble.

Charles Poteet
Dallas

I sure hope so!

The main reason I'm trying to get a direct flight is all the crazy mis-directed luggage stories on this board; it sounds like a problem to avoid!

Laura,

Most of the luggage problems occur on the SJU -BON leg, I think. This is in large part because the plane on this leg, if full, CANNOT carry the luggage for that many divers.

One way to avoid that is to fly to CUR, then Divi Divi to BON. If Divi Divi can't carry all the bags they will bring them on the next flight usually an hour or so later. Don't know what connections are like to CUR from Denver. I believe there are daily flights from MIA, one direct a week from NYC area.

David

Thanks for the tip, David. I'll look into that...

our older son lives in denver and he and his wife flew down to visit us two years ago. they flew DEN-DFW-SJU-BON going down and BON-SJU-MIA-DEN returning...as i remember they came down on a friday night on AE and left on saturday.

Therein lies my problem, Pat. I'm tenatively still looking into the 1st to the 12th, which is a Thursday and a Monday. However I'll chat with my group about alternative dates, seeing as we want the best route/price possible.

We'd really like to stay longer than one week, but two full weeks might drain our resources -- and our resolve to leave, as well! Hehe.

Yes, Laura, Bonaire is contagious.

David, the route that you recommend on AA via Miami to Curacao is the one I used in December when AA lost my suitcase. (Lost is the correct word. They did not know where it was, but that was pretty obvious to me. It stayed on the flight and went to San Juan.)
Problems can occur with any route and any airline. It's the nature of airline flights that things can go wrong.
Just choose what works for your group, Laura, and then take what precautions you can to avoid problems. And if they occur, try to find a silver lining in the cloud.
I wish you a wonderful and trouble-free trip!

Thanks, Tish! I'm so glad that there's people here who let you know about potential travel issues, i.e. lost baggage, etc. Of course I can never plan for EVERY little problem we may encounter on our travels; but it's nice to be aware of potential snags beforehand.

laura, AE flies about 5 days a week (i think...it changes by the season) so you might be able to find another flight that would let you stay longer than a week but not a full two weeks. we always try to fly on tues, weds, or thurs since fares seem to be cheaper those days.

So I talked it over with my guy today, and now he's thinking of staying two weeks, after all! *laugh*

Problem is, it looks like all of the direct Continental Houston to Bonaire flights during our May 26 through June 17th travel window are booked solid(!)

So now I'm almost certainly faced with either Houston or Miami to San Juan. Is there a lesser of two evils between the two airports, or do the bags get lost in San Juan, either way?




(Message edited by Snowfire on February 1, 2006)

Don't know about Houston, Laura, but Miami has a bad rep about both theft from bags and misdirected bags.
Personally, apart from my properly taqged bag not being removed from the plane in Miami to make the Curacao connection in December, these are not my own experiences, just what I've heard from some others.
And I don't know about "lost" bags in San Juan, but only about the passenger and the bags not always arriving on Bonaire at the same time or at the scheduled time.
Oh, wait. Is that where Mare's bag went astray for a year? I sort of think that was another airline or airport or both, but all I can recall is Mare thinking when she received her suitcase a year late, right before another trip, that she would not need to pack. See, that's what I call finding the silver lining in the cloud!!
Hey, it's great that you both can do two weeks.
You might check with Continental again tomorrow to see if space has opened up. Sometimes passengers with reservations fail to pay for the tickets by their deadline and space becomes available.

Wow, that's just a crazy story. Lucky Mare!

Thanks for the tip about checking tomorrow. (keeping fingers crossed)

Laura have you checked on DEN-DFW-SJU-BON. I've seen some good fares if your flexible.

On AA? Yep. Saw 'em. I'm on it...

(Although coming back looks like BON-SJU-MCO-MIA-DEN. Ack.)

(Message edited by Snowfire on February 1, 2006)

Sometimes you have to take the good with the bad!!

Hehe. No doubt!

Thoughts on baggage and San Juan: Most of the flights I'm looking at are landing there at 4:31PM, and the BON flight leaves just an hour later at 5:50PM.

Is this perhaps why bags and/or people aren't being allowed on due to weight restrictions? Would it be better to spend the night in San Juan in order to get ahead of the line? (one alternate flight had a 23 hour layover).

One hour is cutting it too close.
23 hours is ridiculous.
Is there no happy medium?

So one hour = too risky?

I wouldn't mind 23 hrs in San Juan, if it guaranteed a spot for me and my bags the next day. But if not, it'd be kinda silly to book it that way.

Some BTers say they make that type of connection without problems. Jake appears to have terrific luck.
Others have gotten stuck in San Juan.
Or their bags don't make it.
It's a gamble. Some people don't mind a gamble. It's your choice.
23 hours in San Juan still would not guarantee you and your bags all will get on the plane.
There just aren't any guarantees because of the odd way AE handles the business of weighing the plane and stopping loading passengers and bags when the weight limits are reached.
A lot of folks luck out. Some don't. Sort of like life.
I sure do hope this works out for you, Laura!!

Well (knock on wood), I've not had a bag delay in San Juan en route to Bonaire in as long as I can remember (which is about 2-3 years - there may have been one once about 4 years ago), and my connections are typically 75 minutes to 2 hours.

Jake

Laura,

Did you look into JetBlue to SJU? I know they fly from all NYC airports to SJU, don't know the schedules or other cities.

David

Tempting fate aren't you Jake??? I hope the wood knocking helps!! Beautiful day in NYC today..

I hope so, too, Tish!

Jake: That's encouraging news. *knock! knock!*

Let's think positively here (glass half full) Pack your reg, camera, mask, C-card, swimsuit and a change of undies, shorts and T in your carry-on. If your bag get's delayed, you have the most important essentials to begin your dive vacation. You rent some equipment until your gear arrives, and for me, I get to go shopping for some new clothes

My bags have always made it to Bonaire...however, they didn't make it to Tortola last June (they arrived on another flight hours later). As our group had our essentials we were able to enjoy the pool and town with no worries mon

Jake, I'm knocking on wood for ya too ;-)

Laura, we do the DEN-DFW-SJU-BON on AA and have always been lucky with connections, luggage arriving, etc. We do sometimes miss our connection coming home because customs can take so long in SJU. (not the customs process itself, but waiting for luggage to arrive on the carousel). Cynde has given excellent advice: go with a good attitude and follow her tips, each travel day is an adventure unto itself.

Laura,
We also do the DEN-DFW-SJU-BON....five years now. Twice we went through Miami with an overnight. I hesitate mentioning this as I don't want to jinx it as we have a trip in 6 weeks BUT we've not had any problems. We head straight to the lower gates for AE and relax for the layover. We always pay attention to the gate as our boarding time approaches and try to be near the front of the line. This goes against my personality of letting others go first BUT we've been warned and heed the warnings.
My daughter will be meeting us this year traveling the new DEN-HOU-BON route on Continental. This really works for us as we'll already be settled in our Capt. Don's Cottage and she can head right for the pool with her friend.
We have found Bonaire worth the hassle of traveling from the Rocky Mountains. Enjoy your trip!

We finally got our tickets! *cheer*

DEN-DFW-SJU-BON then BON-SJU-MIA-DEN via AA.

It's longer than the direct route, but at least we're going. Thanks for the help, all.

laura, that's exactly what my son did two years ago...thru dfw going there and mia on the return. best part about the return was that he left bonaire about 8AM and got to denver about 530PM because of the time difference. gave him and his wife time to unpack, relax, have dinner, and still get a good night's sleep before work on monday.