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Getting to Bonaire: Atlanta to Bonaire?
Bonaire Talk: Getting to Bonaire: Atlanta to Bonaire?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Josie (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1482) on Saturday, January 1, 2011 - 4:03 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Am I correct that there's a direct Delta flight ATL - BON??
If, so, what days?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Freddie................someoneisawizeass (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #15412) on Saturday, January 1, 2011 - 4:13 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Josie check out this thread delta inaugral flight but please check with the airline as well.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Freddie................someoneisawizeass (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #15413) on Saturday, January 1, 2011 - 4:24 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

looks like it is Saturdays..

check here

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Nathalie (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #338) on Saturday, January 1, 2011 - 7:36 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Josie,
That link is not up to date. For example, there is no longer a flight from JFK airport to Bonaire. The Delta flight is Sat., non-stop Atlanta to Bonaire. Most from the Northeast U.S. go to Atlanta the night before and stay overnight in one of the many good airport area hotels, rather than risk missing the morning flight to Bonaire.

Nathalie

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By DIVER DEBBI (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #669) on Sunday, January 2, 2011 - 12:47 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

second that Josie...stay overnight in Atlanta..find $50 room on priceline and not worry about making the one hour connection from Rochester...it's not worth it to worry...we did that last year and everything went seamless...Atlanta to Bonaire next morning..This year we do Hartford to Miami to Curacao the Insel to Bonaire..lots of flights but the price and ff was right and can still get there in one day...wish we could see you again on Bonaire...not the same dates again...say hi to Benny for us

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Josie (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1483) on Sunday, January 2, 2011 - 3:45 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Debbi --- I'm already set with Cont. from Newark, but I'm trying to persuade friends to come down and join me (I have a two bedroom unit, so am happy to share). They have kids in Atlanta, so that may be the way to go for them. Fares are looking sky high!!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Just little ole me with a (*) (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6188) on Monday, January 3, 2011 - 12:08 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Ok...it is too late for us to change..but just would like anyone's opinion.

We are flying to Atlanta and then to Bonaire and as you know the time between flights is about an hour. We arrive at the airport for the first flight 3 hours ahead of departure as requested by security, but there is no way to be three hours ahead on the second leg.

We tried to see about going the day before but it would cost about 2100 dollars and a hotel room; so we decided to keep the existing reservation. (we do have travelguard "thank you BEST travel agent!";)Plus baggage would cost more as flying within the US is more then flying international.

With this said..we have had one good experience with Delta..made connection no problem and one bad..missed the plane and had to scramble to get on Continental.
My concerns are:
1. Do more flights connect with no problem with this short of a time span then are missed?
2. Is there anyway # to call to see if connecting flight knows we are coming?
3. Where is nearest Bar if we miss flight ;/

Delta said it is up to the flight crew. :(
Poo....I am just looking for a "Nah..nothing to worry about!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tom Schamp (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #633) on Monday, January 3, 2011 - 12:29 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Three hours ahead of time is borderline silly even if TSA requests it.
But once through security, you don't have to go through it again in ATL.
The main issue involves bad weather at your starting airport.
Experience has shown that Delta doesn't care if your originating flight is late: the flight from ATL --> BON leaves on time regardless, to the extent that is possible.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By KOB (LBR32) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #364) on Monday, January 3, 2011 - 5:08 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We have taken the ATL --> BON flight since it started (we used to take the ATL --> SJU on DL then the AA hopper to BON).

Knock on wood, we have never had a problem with CLE --> ATL --> BON or back. On the way down, you have about an hour in ATL if all goes well, which is plenty of time. You can get pretty much anywhere in ATL in about 15 minutes or less.

Maybe we've just been lucky, but 3 times in the last 5 years doesn't seem like just luck.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mel Briscoe (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #842) on Monday, January 3, 2011 - 5:27 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We've taken Delta DCA>ATL>BON twice a year since the flights started, with about an hour in ATL. One close call, but otherwise sweet.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carol (BonaireTalker - Post #64) on Monday, January 3, 2011 - 6:11 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Well, one time we sat on the plane and waited 30 minutes for an arriving flight - but that was only once. Our 5:00 AM departing flight was just cancelled and we were rebooked on a 7:00 AM flight to arrive in ATL at 8:30. Less than an hour connecting flight so we called and changed to Friday night at no charge. Yes, we have to pay for a hotel room (actually using points), but we feel much better with this arrangement. You never know what could delay your flight and less than an hour is just cutting it too close for us. "Just little", you said your connection time is "about an hour" - more or less? did you talk to a supervisor?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carol (BonaireTalker - Post #65) on Monday, January 3, 2011 - 7:05 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Just re-read my post - long day - should be flight getting in at 9:02 - flight to BON leaves at 9:45, so just 43 minutes connection BUT the person we talked to on the phone said that you are supposed to have an hour for an international connection and changed it at no charge when asked.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #30386) on Monday, January 3, 2011 - 7:45 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

carol, may the flight Gods be with you.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Just little ole me with a (*) (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6189) on Monday, January 3, 2011 - 9:13 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Carol, yes we talked to the super of supervisor's! But it seems it is what it is...for this trip and we will have to go with the flow. More yay's then nay's so that makes me feel better.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By KOB (LBR32) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #369) on Thursday, January 6, 2011 - 8:13 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Well, that's it. As soon as I post about how well the CLE --> ATL --> BON flight has worked for us in the past, Delta changes the flippin' connection from roughly 1 hour to 46 minutes for our trip in September. ;-{

Maybe the idea of going down to ATL the night before is making more sense. For those of you who do that, is it still doable as a continuous trip for the same number of FF miles or is it now a domestic FF ticket and a Caribbean FF ticket ??

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By George Neckar (BonaireTalker - Post #31) on Thursday, January 6, 2011 - 8:26 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

We fly from Dulles to Bonaire via ATL. You arrive at terminal E and depart from terminal E which is the International terminal. You will have plenty of time. I would not worry about missing your flight. GEO

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Nathalie (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #339) on Thursday, January 6, 2011 - 8:59 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

That connection time is possible if all goes perfectly. However, if your CLE flight is slightly delayed, or, your flight to ATL arrives on time but there is no gate available for the plane to access (as was the case on our flight), you could easily miss the Bonaire flight. Going to Atlanta the afternoon/evening before takes the stress out. There are many good, reasonably priced hotels within 10 min. of the airport, with free shuttles to and from.

Delta will let you change your flight to ATL without a fee if you mention their change in connection time. The trip is an international round-trip. Two checked bags allowed. You may need to point this out to the booking agent and clarify that the reason you booked the night before to Atlanta is because of their tight connection for a once a week flight.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By KOB (LBR32) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #371) on Thursday, January 6, 2011 - 12:09 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

George -- thanks but doesn't work the same from CLE. We usually arrive on A, sometimes B, then have to catch the underground tram to Int'l terminal. You can usually get anywhere in ATL in 15 minutes or so once you are inside the terminal.

BUT ... as Nathalie points out, 46 minutes is pretty slim when the inbound flight can be late or you have to wait for a gate. I have about 700K lifetime miles on Delta and have been through ATL a lot over the years. IMHO, 46 minutes is cutting it too close for a once-a-week flight. Everything has to go perfectly.

I am now sympathizing with the folks from the Northeast who have discussed this problem in the past. ;-]

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tom Nic (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #127) on Thursday, January 6, 2011 - 1:55 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I will never travel through ATL again without at least a 3 hour layover due to painful past experience and the ginormous size of that airport.

And if you have to go outside of the airport and come back through security lines or re-check anything at all allow at least 4 hours.

The flight to Bonaire is once or twice a week. There is no room for error and my Bonaire time is too precious to risk.

YMMV

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carol (BonaireTalker - Post #66) on Thursday, January 6, 2011 - 8:26 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

This is our 7th trip to BON and will be the first time we spend the night before in ATL. Our normal flight would leave at 5:00 AM and get there by 7:00 - plenty of time to catch the BON flight. One year we were twenty minutes late taking off because of equipment issues, but still made it ok. They have taken away the 5:00 AM flight and there is no way we could afford a twenty minute delay with a 43 minute connection time. When we called they changed us to Friday night flights with no additional fee.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Just little ole me with a (*) (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6194) on Friday, January 7, 2011 - 12:52 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Poo..If my BEST travel agent is listening..can you check alternatives "just in case" we call you about 9am?
Not that we will have to or anything... ;(

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By KOB (LBR32) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #376) on Friday, January 7, 2011 - 8:42 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

More good (?) news ... so the previous CLE --> ATL --> BON connect time was reduced from 1 hr to 45 min, but they added a 5:50am CLE --> ATL flight, so now can get up at 0-dark-hundred and have a 2 hr connect in ATL.

More bad news ... the BON --> ATL flight arrives in ATL late enough on Saturday evening that you can't connect back to CLE ;-{ So looks like we'll get an o'nite in ATL. Sigh.

But, just to make up for screwing with the flights, Delta raised the price to $1061 R/T ... yikes.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jessy (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Saturday, January 8, 2011 - 10:21 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I will be visiting Bonaire for the first time in a couple weeks. My connection time in Atlanta is two hours. If my first leg is delayed and I miss my Atlanta-Bonaire connection, what options do I have to be swimming with the fishes that same day?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By nestor kopko (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #174) on Saturday, January 8, 2011 - 1:56 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jessy, if you miss your flight to bonaire you can either fly to curacao with AA and connect to Bonaire there or fly to miami and catch a flight with insel later in the day. More than likely you would have too pay for the flight yourself. Not sure if Delta will put you on Continentals red-eye flight out of Houston later in the evening, arriving Sunday morning approx: 5:30am

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tom Nic (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #128) on Saturday, January 8, 2011 - 3:14 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

In short... don't miss you connection.

The options that nestor mentioned are hopeful would try them as a last resort, but certainly no guarantees. Would Delta pay for a Continental flight? Perhaps... IF it was clearly their fault. Weather does not count as the airlines fault. I love Bonaire, but I don't want to pay for a last minute ticket because I missed a connection.

That is why I always allow a minimum of a 3 hour connection in Atlanta or in Houston for my Bonaire flight. My vacation & Bonaire time are too precious to risk more. I spent several days knocking around the Caribbean trying to get to Bonaire a couple of years ago when my flight into San Juan was 20 minutes late from Miami. We made the best of it, but it was no fun.

I long for the good ol' days of 5x per week American Eagle out of San Juan to Bonaire. Unfortunately the only daily direct flights to Bonaire from the US are either Insel Air out of MIA or we're stuck with the once a week connections from Houston, ATL, or Newark.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By nestor kopko (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #175) on Saturday, January 8, 2011 - 4:10 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jessy, it may be best to arrive in Atlanta the night before. Ask Delta if they will allow you to change without penalty. Like Tom said, holiday time is too precious to worry about not making connections on time. If you live in the northeast part of the country it may be a wise choice to arrive a day early to really avoid any delays.
Enjoy your trip.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bonnie C (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #122) on Saturday, January 8, 2011 - 7:37 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Since we tried spending the night in Atlanta before and after the Bonaire flight, we'd never try to do it in one day again. Not from this far north. It's a relaxed trip with plenty of time and no heartburn if a flight is a little delayed. Makes a big difference.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carol (BonaireTalker - Post #67) on Saturday, January 8, 2011 - 8:56 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Ok, so now that we are spending the night before in Atlanta, how much time should we allow for getting through security etc. in Atlanta on Saturday morning? Will two hours usually do it?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bonnie C (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #123) on Monday, January 10, 2011 - 9:16 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

We always get there closer to 3 hours ahead and have always had plenty of time. Gives us time to get some breakfast and buy a sandwich for the trip. But, giving ourselves plenty of time is part of our relaxed travel strategy. You could probably cut it closer and still be ok. Maybe 2 1/2 hours?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carol (BonaireTalker - Post #68) on Monday, January 10, 2011 - 5:41 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks Bonnie - we are used to getting up at 2:30 AM for a 5:00AM flight (we are close to the airport), so not a problem to get to ATL at 7AM

 


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