I flew Delta to/from Bonaire last week. I must say Delta runs circles around what used to be a literally "all day" trip on American and the red eye on Continental. From Raleigh/Durham, NC -- total travel time was 8 hours to Bonaire (including layover in ATL). I hope they continue the service and keep the price somewhat reasonable.

Continental is less than 5 hrs. to Bonaire, it's the only way I'd travel to diving paradise.

For me, from RDU, I have to take a Continental flight to Newark (or Houston), then have a roughly 7 hour layover before leaving Newark for Bonaire at midnight. The Continental flight times out of RDU only lend themselves to long layovers before the midnight flight to BON.

The actual Delta flight times are:
from ATL to BON: 3:46
from BON to ATL: 3:32

I'm with you Garrett. For me, it's an early evening flight from SFO to ATL, civilized overnight in ATL, humane mid morning flight to BON, and first dive by mid afternoon.

Folks are wired differently, and I'm just not wired for redeyes or early, early morning flights...

delta rocks for us -

Leave Rochester NY at 6:15 to Atlanta - Atlanta to Bon - on the island at 1:45PM breathing canned air by 3:30 -

That's IF the plane takes off from Rochester close enough to on-time so that you kin make yer nominal 52 minute connection in ATL...

I leave Charleston SC for Bonaire taking the first AM flight out (plane is in CHS over night so it always leaves on time,) connection is easy - in Bonaire mid afternoon to unpack, head to Cultimara and dinner at Chibi-Chibi. For trip home, no rolling out of bed pre-dawn - leisurely packing (everything dried out)lunch at Chibi-Chibi - flight home with easy connection back to CHS. Back in the days of AJ - O/N in Atlanta - up at dawn - shuttle to the airport - sweat out the connection in Jamaica - Well, you know the rest! Yes, Delta is expensive, especially if you fly up front. But, it is the easiest trip we've ever had in 32 years of making our way to the island.

What CB said. I took Delta last time, first time in ten trips with NO redeye...omg, it was WONDERFUL to arrive on Bon in the afternoon, check in, get phone, go grocery shopping, have a nice dinner and a good night's sleep...love love love it!

Carl, we're in Rochester also. I've wondered about that connection time. When are you going? I'd love a report, as my hubby might go that way in March. (I'll be already there... from Quito)

We flew Delta via JFK last year, worked fine, but 2-1/2 hr connection going down, and an overnight in JFK coming back.... Oh, well...
What does your return look like?

We went to Curacao in Aug for a week. Chicago to Atlanta with 50min layover. Caught our conection, with notime to spare, landed in Curacao with no luggage! Got our things the next day. Has anybody had that problem with the Bonaire flight? Ron

Josie - YGM (you got mail)

For people from the New York area, if you can go when Delta has it's DIRECT JFK-Bonaire flight (December-April), that's your best bet! The Atlanta connection doesn't give you alot of time, & they won't wait for you! Then you're stuck, with no other way to Bonaire! If you're going thru ATL, go the night before! Having done this many times, I love the Saturday direct flight! Arrives Bonaire 3PM!

The New York flight does not work well for some of us in New England in winter as we have to fly from one snow area to another and have twice the chance of not making the flight. Staying in Atlanta overnight increases our chances of getting to Bonaire.

like Corney said..

yep like Corney said...just rebooked our tickets to include an Atlanta overnight

This very day I had a forty minute connection in ATL.

We touched down about five minutes early, and we disembarked at B19. My connection was at A16. this is about as close as it can get when changing terminals. These two gates are at the center of the concourse near the shuttles. I got on the shuttle with 0 delay.

My flight was boarding zone 2 when I walked up to A16.

I'll never, ever plan the 40 min turn enroute to BON...