I've been watching the rates for a Bonaire trip for a couple of months now. From Baltimore I've not been able to find anything less than $1200 for our week of spring break in March (12-19). Fortunately I found a decent deal to Cozumel for the kids and me. I've also found relatively cheap tickets to Honduras for a 2 week trip this summer.

It is a little sad for us to see the prices this high as we'd love to visit the island again. But our family of 4 cannot afford over $1000 each for the airfare. My checking just now shows a rate of $1800 each. I guess it will be good for the reef health to take some of the diving pressure off for a while; but it will certainly take it's toll on the local economy if prices stay this high. I hope that there will be a little more competition to get these rates back in line.

If you think fares are high now, wait till the soaring cost of oil due to middle east turmoil makes them rise even higher.
All airlines are raising prices in anticipation of rising fuel costs.
You may look back fondly at $1000 tickets.
We booked for next September at $900 and feel darn lucky.
We too may be finally priced out of the Bonaire market after 12 years.

have you tried going SouthWest to Curacao and then over to Bonaire

You've got to get the seats really early or really late. From Baltimore the Delta flights for 19-26 March were $660 last November. Today's price for the same ticket is $1351. If any seats are left on March 18 they'll probably be cheap again!

DiverDebbi:
Southwest flies to Curacao?

Please sit tight, Insel air will have that new Charlotte/Bonaire flight posted later this year. Maybe there will be some relief with some great initial prices.
I agree that the prices are through the roof, but I've got to have some PBD--- lol

Ben, are you flexible with your dates. Baltimore to Curacao March 21-28 are $624. Then catch puddle jumper to Bonaire. Much better don't you think?

Southwest does not fly to Curacao, the only non-us destinations they fly to are in Mexico.

@Nestor - I'm already committed to other destinations for this year. Hopefully next year we'll be able to make something work. I suspect that it will require going through Curacao or Aruba though to make it economically feasible.

I suggest American to Curacao via Miami. For March I paid $600 RT from Champaign to Chicago to Miami to Curacao. And then it is another $100 to Bonaire via DAE.

Think yourself lucky that you are not flying from Europe where KLM cost an arm and a leg

@Trevor actually for the dates I am looking at (March 12-19) it is $500 less to fly from Europe to Bonaire than Baltimore. I just checked from Amsterdam to Bonaire is $1548 for this time period. Hopefully next year things will come back into the stratosphere.

Bill, Do you have any idea when Insel will start the Charlotte/Bonaire flights?

Denise
There was a recent thread which I asked the same question and the nice lady from the Coco palms mentioned April--sorry I can't remember her name and my apologies.
The great aspects of Insel's Charlotte departure is that it will be twice a week--Wednesday and Saturdays in the daytime.
I'm hoping for late afternoons as it means an all day lite trip.
This is what I've been told so--

No Bill, not April but June was the reply I got from Insel Air and it should be by end February on their web site ...
It is now 25 Feb but nothing on the web site yet ..

I heard from several of our guests, and also for the itenarary we need, that AA is the least expensive connection via Miami/Curacao and than Divi or Insel Air...

Thanks, "Brigitte"

we were looking at returning in April and flights are $1336 from Seattle! (they were $809 this past Dec vacation) so we are going to Hawaii
will keep checking for later this year

This is a disturbing trend. I often use Alaska Airlines miles on Delta to get to Bonaire. My options are somewhat limited, but not impossible, and I usually manage to get on island a couple times a year. I'll have to check to see if this is affecting the mileage seats. If you have miles to use this actually increases their value.

If I have to pay the prices Nell was talking about (I live in Seattle / Tacoma area) I may be doing some vacationing and diving on Vancouver Island. The diving there is fabulous, but a tad chillier than Bonaire! Before these price increases I could do a week in Bonaire cheaper than a full week of diving on Vancouver Island, but now it's almost a wash.

My wife and I were also hoping to return again in May but will try again in November. Prices are just too high, so we are going back to Grand Cayman for a week.

We have noticed the dramatic increase in fares as well. We traveled to Bon in April 09 nonstop delta from JFK was $379. At that rate would would take a trip to Bon every year. In April 10 we took the Continental Newark redeye for $480. This year the same flight is $1200. We love Bon and it is by far our favorite dive destination but at that rate it is too costly, especially when we can get to Little Cayman for $420.00. I was at the Beneath the Sea trade show in NJ Sun and spoke with a Bon Tourism rep about the issue. She said they were aware of the issue and were working on some solutions

My impression is, if you think fares are high now, hold on to your undies! I don't see it coming down any time soon. M2C

Best way to BON from the northeast US continues to be AA via Miami & Curacao. Fares are as low as $540 RT BOS-CUR, then the hop over to BON from there. With the convenience of seven days a week service, this is my preferred routing now.

From the west coast, prices are a bit higher plus there are overnight issues to deal with.

Tom
Let's see what the new Insel route out of Charlotte has to offer in regards to price and departure time.
I'm hoping I can travel like a normal person and not have to over night when we travel from the west coast.

Thanks for the responses. I see some reasonable nonstop flights from NYC airports to Cur and Aruba. Between Aruba and Cur, which location/airport do people prefer as far as convenience and ease of connecting to your next flight to Bon etc and which carrier do people prefer for taking the flight from Cur or Aruba to Bon? Insel air seems to offer a lot of flights.

Tom
By far and away it's easier to get to Bonaire through Cur.
Most of the smaller Cur carrier will work,that being said, we have the most problems with DAE.
Keep in mind the Bon airport is being worked on Sunday through Thur at night.
It would be wise to book the Cur to Bon portion first as it's the hardest to secure, then build your big plane itinerary around those dates.
If your using American Airlines to Cur, on the return trip you'll have to position yourself the night before for the 8 am departure from Cur.

Have fun..........safe diving!

Wow that was fast. How much time should we give ourselves between flights in Cur to safely make connecting flights? Is 2 hours enough to arrive in Cur, get thru customs, get luggage, go thru security and check in for our connecting flight? What do you recommend? Thanks.

You generally land at 2:40, book the 5 pm flight over to Bonaire.
Just know you can be late, it doesn't happen very often.
Carry your cell,with the phone # of the carrier you choose. There are no usable pay phones in the terminal.
You will need most if not all the difference in time. It takes at least 50 minutes to clear customs. after exiting the customs hall turn left, walk about 60 yards and you'll see the ticket counters.
Have alternative plans for a hotel if your really
late.

have fun............safe diving!

Depending upon when you're planning to travel, it may be difficult to make the CUR/BON connection because the 5pm flights are being TEMPORARILY cancelled now-due to the airport construction here (it's closing around 4pm Sun/Mon/Wed, later on Tue/Thur, not closing at all on Fri/Sat). Just spoke w/Divi Divi trying to do AA 4/17 MIA/CUR (Sun), but their last flight is at 3:30--even though I've made this in the past (because I can go thru the local/shorter lines in CUR), I would not intentionally fly this way. Too much stress, and if you miss it, you're stuck in CUR overnight. Aim for flying Thur/Fri/Sat at least thru July.

I've sent this to the mods to update the FAQ section on CUR/BON connections, but it hasn't posted yet; I hope some of this is helpful:

February-July 2011, temporary adjustment to flight schedules will happen, due to airport construction & closing times on Bonaire. See this article from the Bonaire Insider for more information:

http://www.bonaireinsider.com/index.php/bonaireinsider/bonaire_international_airport_announces_extended_schedule_through_july_for_/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Keep in mind that CUR can be VERY busy--and, you need to clear immigration, along with everyone else (maybe all the booths are staffed to speed you along, maybe not...), baggage claim & customs. There are 3 x-ray machines for all luggage entering CUR, but only one line to enter this area. There are signs indicating “Something to Declare” and “Nothing to Declare” but personally, I have not seen these is use. They do x-ray all incoming bags; but just because there are 3 machines, it doesn’t mean that all will be in use. Maybe, maybe not.... After this, you must check-in,* clear checkpoint #1 (show boarding pass & ID), pay transfer tax (show boarding passes), clear full security (collect tax stub, laptops out, shoes off, all thru x-ray…), then immigration (boarding pass, ID & exit card, which you will have received on the plane), then get to your gate. Although none of this is very far, there still can be many people ahead of you. Give yourself at least 2 hours, and know the alternate airline's later flights just in case.

CUR/BON connecting flights are available on these airlines (not Tiara-they fly only BON/Aruba, not CUR):

Easy Air - contact info: http://fly-ezair.com/
email: flyezair@gmail.com or call (011) 599-796-3939 or (011) 599-9-515-3939. Their last flight of the day from CUR to BON is at 5:30pm. Free baggage allowance is 15 kg (33lbs).

Divi Divi - contact info: http://www.flydivi.com/
email: reservations@flydivi.com.
Their last CUR/BON flight of the day is at 5pm. Free baggage allowance is 18 kg (40lbs).

Both Easy & Divi are easy to deal with-you make your reservation by email (or phone), then pay cash at the counter when you get there. Before you travel, follow-up with another e-mail and provide your incoming flight info. You cannot book via their website, only by phone or by email.

Insel Air - http://fly-inselair.com/
They have a daily flight at 5pm, then later ones (but not daily-check their timetables online) at 7:45 or 9pm. Insel is the only local airline with a non-stop from MIA to BON (Saturdays). If you fly Insel from MIA/CUR/BON, and it’s same day travel (this same day travel is being interrupted by the airport construction on Bonaire; normally it’s available), they will check your bags all the way to Bonaire, and walk you thru the transit area in Curacao (same upon returning BON/CUR/MIA). Baggage info here: http://fly-inselair.com/flight-info/baggage-information

DAE - http://flydae.com/
DAE has connecting flights at various times, depending on the day of travel--usually they have 2 or 3 flights from 6pm on. One around 6:15/6:30pm, another around 8:30pm & last around 10/10:30pm. Some days there are only 2 flights-one around 8:30pm & last at 10:30pm. M-F they have a 6am BON/CUR, however, now that the morning AA CUR/MIA flight is at 7:05am, this is a VERY risky connection (I strongly advise against it, as AA will most likely close their counter before you even land. Also, the Bonaire airport construction can delay this flight). DAE’s baggage allowance is 20kg (44lbs). More info here: http://flydae.com/baggage-allowance

RE: DEPARTURE/TRANSFER TAXES
The transfer/transit tax in CUR is $2pp. Present your boarding passes at the window to prove you’re in transit. If you cannot prove you’re in transit you’ll have to pay the local departure tax which is $8. When you leave Bonaire, the departure tax is included in your ticket, except if you’re on DAE. For some reason, DAE does not include the tax—in that case, you pay the local departure tax of $9 at the tax window, not at the counter, then the transfer tax in CUR. Your departure tax from CUR to the US or Europe, etc. is included in that ticket.

*RE: BAGGAGE
If your baggage is over the weight limit of the airlines, you will need to pay. Cost is around $1/kg (1 kg = 2.2 lbs), but this varies with the airline. You are allowed more than the limit, you just have to pay.
On the smaller planes that Easy & Divi use, if there’s not enough room, your bags may be sent on a later flight, even if that means the next morning. Sometimes they let extra weight go uncharged, but plan on having small bills available to pay the fees (i.e., don't land with only $50's & $100's; they take cash only; Divi does accept locally issued debit cards). With Easy Air and Divi, if you’re over, you pay at the counter when you’re checking in, same as you’d pay for your ticket--at their counter. If you’re over with DAE or Insel, you need to leave the counter & go to their ticketing windows to pay (about 100m away, on the other side of the arrivals hall—this is also where you’d go if you did not pay for your ticket ahead of time), as they do not handle cash at their counters. Insel & DAE accept credit cards at their window.
Re: Carry-ons—the airlines MAY weigh them, or not. When you get to the plane, you will hand your bag to the baggage guys standing next to the plane, and they will put it in the cargo space. When you land, they will take the bag out & hand it back to you. Space in the cabins is very limited (a purse or laptop case will fit, but not much more); they will not let you enter the cabin with a carry-on that’s too big, but they will place it in the cargo area.
Baggage handling differs between the airlines. When you fly Easy or Divi, you check your bags & they will put them in the plane. However, when you land, you walk your own bags from the plane. Don’t get off the plane and walk away expecting your bags to appear on the baggage carousel. They do not use baggage handlers when you land-you can request help upon landing, but don’t count on it.

When you fly DAE or Insel, they will send your bags to the baggage carousel when you land. You’ll need to get your own carry-on if they took if from you when you got on the plane. Something like this can matter when traveling back thru Curacao: because you have to wait for your baggage to arrive, it adds extra time to your transit, so plan accordingly.
All incoming baggage is (supposed to be) x-rayed on Bonaire. There is only one x-ray machine. Besides your personal items (clothing, dive gear, cameras, laptops, toiletries-all the “usual suspects”), you are allowed $175 duty free-for example, if you purchased liquor or cigarettes or other obvious new items not usually used for normal travel, you may be taxed 8% for purchases over the $175 allowance, so keep your receipts handy in case you’re asked. If they decide to tax you on something, you will have to pay in cash.

Thank you, Ruth for an excellent post. Great info and much appreciated.

Ruth - can you clarify one thing? You mention that the airport is closing around 4 on Wednesdays, but the Flamingo website says 5. Is it really closer to 4? Is reality a bit different than their posted schedule?

I just booked a DAE flight from Aruba to Bonaire on a Wednesday in June and it is scheduled to land in Bonaire at 4 p.m. Wondering if I should reschedule to the earlier flight that day. I really don't want to get stuck in Curacao overnight.

Hi Lizard
Will this be the first time going through Aruba?
When your done can you give us the details about any obstacles?

I should've stated 5pm as the official closing time. You should be fine with a 3:30 DAE from CUR/BON-as long as you're scheduled to land here before 5pm. The 5pm-ish CUR/BON flights are cancelled on the days when BON is closing at 5 (they couldn't land at 5:30 & take-off at 5:45 as usual). If the local airlines are flying their last flights at 3:30 CUR/BON, the airport probably will close as soon as they take off.

Ruth - thanks for the info!

Bill - This will be my first time doing Aruba-Bonaire, and I will let you know how it goes. However, I am not trying to do that in conjunction with a connection on the same day. I am staying in Aruba a few days before flying to Bonaire (I need some white sand beach time this trip ), so my experience probably won't be the same as someone trying to connect immediately after a US-Aruba flight.