Bonaire - airfare and options

[lunula]

Quick question to those of you more experienced in traveling to Bonaire - a few weeks ago, prices from Charlotte to Bonaire were $487 on both Delta & United leaving Dec 5 and returning Dec 12 (we aren't interested in Insel) - we checked a couple weeks later and the price had jumped to $608. Now, Delta is up to $737 and the original United flight isn't even listed anymore, but there is a different route leaving earlier and arriving later at $608 (but an entire day traveling, no chance at all of diving that day).

We were trying to check other options, leaving a day earlier or later and there was nothing...no flights at all!

Should we bite the bullet and purchase now, even though we are 8 months out? Will prices come down or will Delta/United open more flights? The only time we've been to Bonaire, it was a group trip and arrangements were made for us, so we aren't familiar with the ebbs & tides of airfare and options. I was looking at the available seats, and they've definitely filled up more, but still quite a few open - but not sure when they typically fill up.

We don't want to miss out on purchasing airfare since we've already put a down payment on a condo.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[Lorenzoid]

Why not Insel? We drove from Atlanta up to Charlotte just so we could take an economical Insel flight. We will not be held prisoner by Delta and their robber-baron airfares!

 

[lunula]

We got stranded in Curaçao using Insel, had to spend the night at the airport and then leaving, we got there bright & early (I think our flight was at like 7:30 AM) and we were delayed by about 8 hours. I know it can happen on any airline, but it was kind of a double-whammy for us.

Plus, their current prices are only $50 cheaper than United.

 

[deedeediver]

When you see phenomenal airfare, you need to grab right away as the airlines only have a limited amount of seats for that tier. Once they are sold, they go to the next tier.
I prefer Delta all the time instead of Insel because insel is not reliable, so I will pay a bit more to Delta knowing I will arrive on time and depart on time.
Its too bad you missed that $487 price!! I remember when first class used to be that !!! hahahahhahah but, we are in the now.
I dont want to give you advice on when to book, but to to Matrix and see what they are saying is available. Matrix - ITA Software by Google

 

[Lorenzoid]

We got stranded in Curaçao using Insel, had to spend the night at the airport and then leaving, we got there bright & early (I think our flight was at like 7:30 AM) and we were delayed by about 8 hours. I know it can happen on any airline, but it was kind of a double-whammy for us.

Plus, their current prices are only $50 cheaper than United.

Ah, I see. We used Insel when they had a special fare to inaugurate the new route from Charlotte. We were lucky. I agree they do not have a reputation for reliability. It would take a really good fare for me to be tempted to risk Insel again.

 

[drrich2]

Something I ran into checking online airfare for a Bonaire trip May 2014, & a North Carolina trip for August 2015.

I used Orbitz. Saw a lot of options. Came back later & tried to book. Listing after listing that showed as available via a fresh search was unavailable when I tried to book it. Not just 2 or 3; a bunch. For Bonaire, I booked via CheapoAir.com and used Insel; for North Carolina, I used Travelocity.

I've used Orbitz for a number of trips with no problems, but those 2 experiences left me cold. Here I was thinking I had so many good options I was well in advance with plenty of time to book cheap, only to learn it wasn't necessarily so.

I don't know if you used Orbitz, Luluna, but if it is, you may want to also see what Travelocity and Expedia generate for results. If it's a much smaller listing, that might be a red flag.

Richard.

 

[lunula]

Boo, just checked Orbitz, too, and they were actually a little more expensive than Kayak. Kayak will actually compare to Priceline, Expedia & a couple other discount sites and none have really been any different.

Yes, I am kicking myself for not buying at $487 (but I will next time!). We travel a lot, but mostly to Europe/South America/etc. where we have more options - so I'm not averse to waiting until just weeks prior to our vacation to buy airfare - but looks like that's not the way to go with Bonaire, eh?

Live and learn...

Thanks, all!

 

[staggsSevin]

I'm sitting at $743/pp on flights right now....I'd feel like I was stealing if I could get a ticket under $600. I've flown Delta/United and will take which ever gets me there the cheapest.

 

[RJP]

If you are a member of any particular frequent-flyer program, be sure to check fares on that airline's site while logged in. Especially if you have any sort of elite status. You will often get fares/availability that is not found on travel sites like Kayak, Expedia, etc. Also, if you are a member of shopping clubs like Costco, a credit union, AAA, or many other organizations you can often get discounts or promo codes. There are certain Chase and Barclay credit cards which have access to discounted airfares. Same with certain AmEx cards. Similarly, cross-promotes between various hotels and airlines can nab cheaper airfare by tunneling through a hotel chain's loyalty program. There are literally dozens of credit cards that offer between $400-$700 in travel/statement credits just for signing up and hitting a min spend target.

Much like buying a car... anyone who pays the asking price for travel is a sucker.

 

[KathyV]

You could try adjusting the dates a bit (if that is an option) to see if you get better airfare; but if not then I wouldn't wait to see if the prices come down - especially for travel in December.