Air travel from Chicago to Bonaire

[KathyV]

I have searched the forum and found some information but I still have some questions about traveling to Bonaire from Chicago. We are considering taking a dive vacation in the fall and thinking about returning to Bonaire. We've been there around 6 times in the past and loved it; but the last time was about 5 years ago and the air travel was difficult and expensive.

I can't remember which airline we used, but I do recall that there weren't many options, the travel times were long, the departure times inconvenient, the fares were pricey, and we had to book an extra night at the hotel because we arrived very early in the morning and that added to the inconvenience and expense.

The Our World Underwater dive show will take place in the Chicago-area in late February so I am starting to research various locations for our fall trip and compile questions to ask the dive travel vendors.

Does anyone have recent information about the best options and/or approximate prices for traveling to Bonaire from Chicago? I tried researching flights on sites like Orbitz, but the choices I'm finding aren't great. There appears to be a better option flying Delta through Atlanta but it is very expensive.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[Hintermann]

There are direct flights from Miami as well on Saturdays and American Airlines are often cheaper than Delta. Might be worth checking the Chicago-Miami-Bonaire route fares.
Another advantage of going via Miami as opposed to Atlanta is that if you arrive on Friday evening, you can spend the night at Miami Airport Hotel which involves no transfer vehicle and is reasonably priced and catch the Saturday morning flight to Bonaire.

If the weekly Saturday direct flight fares from Miami to Bonaire turns out too expensive, an option is to fly from Miami to Curacao on AA and connect on Insel Air to Bonaire. That is quite economical and that's what I am doing next May.

 

[lmorin]

You can go to Bonaire via United to Newark or Houston, then on to Bonaire relatively cheaply. Note the emphasis on 'relatively.' A quick check for an Oct. 10 departure with same day arrival found a flight via Houston for $811. This appears to be a bit better than the Delta cost.

 

[KathyV]

Thank you both, I will check out these options!

 

[drbill]

Have you tried any of the travel websites that feature airfares from Chicago to Bonaire? If nothing else, that wil let you know what carriers can get you there.

 

[KathyV]

Have you tried any of the travel websites that feature airfares from Chicago to Bonaire? If nothing else, that wil let you know what carriers can get you there.

I tried one (Orbitz, I think?) and didn't find many options, I will look at some of the other travel sites also, do you recommend a specific site? Thanks!

 

[diversteve]

This one has it all. Matrix - ITA Software by Google

Most major airlines/travel portals store/get their data there. It's also Google Flights in the U.S. I'm pretty sure Southwest is the only airline missing. The only limitation is that you can't book flights thru them so I just copy the info and go onto an airline's website to buy tickets.

You can search by time/price or a combination. Also # of stops, airlines etc. Once you get a page of results you can further optimize it by clicking any of the header links - they're all drop-down options.

This seems to be kept current also as to your available travel options. Some of the Delta/United flights are seasonal IIRC. http://www.infobonaire.com/airlineinfo.html

 

[ibmerlin]

We just booked flights to Bonaire for the spring. I have had troubles with delays and canceled flights going into Aruba and then flying in from there so I wanted a flight right into Bonaire. We got round trip flights on United out of Chicago to Bonaire for 1388.00 for two adults. (changing planes in Atlanta I believe) I have a friend that is a travel agent so she looked for the best prices for us and then I called United directly. Not sure how far you are from the city but we drive up the night before and stay at the Hyatt Ohare. for around $200 you get a nights stay and csan leave your car in their secured parking for up to 14 days. They have shuttles to and from the airport every half hour. (just a tip).

Merlin

 

[wwguy]

There are direct flights from Miami as well on Saturdays and American Airlines are often cheaper than Delta.

Insel Air is the only carrier flying to Bonaire out of Miami, and their route requires a plane change in Curacao. I doubt this route qualifies as "direct" and I'm certain it's not nonstop.

The only North American carriers flying nonstop to Bonaire are Delta via Atlanta and United via Newark or Houston.

American Airlines does not fly to Bonaire.

More info is available here:
Info Bonaire - Airline Information and Connections

 

[boat sju]

Kathy,

We're hoping to go to Bonaire this March and haven't booked flights yet and I'm not worried about it quite yet. I routinely keep an eye out on Kayak for Delta and United flights - booking too early is expensive. Some weeks seem to be consistently expensive - such as the last week of February, which I don't quite understand.

Anyway, flying from Chicago should be pretty straight forward. United through Newark or Houston. Delta through Atlanta. I would think you could get fares somewhere from $750 to $850 per person depending on how patient you are.