Reliability of Morning Insel flight from BON to CUR

[Sharkygill]

We are bringing the full family, 7 of us in total, for a two week holiday in June to Bonaire. The Ita website keeps pushing a return schedule with a morning flight via Insel Airlines from BON to CUR at 7:00 AM with only a 50 minute layover/connection time for the US Airways 08:15AM flight to Miami.

This makes me very nervous given Insel's reputation for delays. Anyone here have much experience with how well this flight operates? My inclination is to depart Bon the night before, but I forfeit one day of diving, lodging and vehicle rentals in the process doing so. Any feedback is appreciated.

 

[wwguy]

I can't speak to that flight specifically, but I'd avoid that tight of an international connection on any airline and especially with Insel. The online schedules are automated and are usually based on "legal" (allowable) Minimum Connecting Time for any particular airport. As far as I know MCT is based on static criteria (e.g. airport size, number of gates, etc.) and not variable island-time criteria like Insel seems to operate on.

Here's a link to a previous post I made with some anti-Insel information collected elsewhere.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I don't think anyone can give you solid statistics--you'll have to decide how much risk is comfortable. Everyone knows Insel is not the most timely airline. If you want a couple more data points, I used Insel for BON-CUR in connection with a CUR-MIA flight (on American, I think) a couple of times, and it worked out. But a 50-min. connection to another airline seems way too short for my comfort. On the return flight, I recall arriving in CUR hours before our departing flight and taking a taxi to Hook's Hut for some drinks.

 

[scuba127]

50 minutes from Insel to another airlines is to short to risk in my expirience with Insel....

 

[diver 85]

Good luck with the 'local' airlines down there---ie summer before last ~ 22 of us(from Louisiana) went to BON---via/thru CUR--& one of the airlines(DA) was not operating ---those(about 6 of us) flying it found out THE AFTERNOON we landed in CUR, to connect on to BON, had already bought & paid for txs etc.....It was really a nitemare.....Wife & I flew Tiara from C. to B. & had a 'pretty' interesting time for our flight(that's another story I guess---I've documented that on a earlier previous post)........Let's just say---a place I'll NEVER go back to, other/better places to spend my time & money worrying over..........

EDIT:-------do remember about 4 of our group flew direct from Atlanta to BON, with NO trouble------lol, that's what I'd do--ie the other 18 of us all had 'war stories' to tell about...

 

[wwguy]

Good luck with the 'local' airlines down there---ie summer before last ~ 22 of us(from Louisiana) went to BON---via/thru CUR--& one of the airlines(DA) was not operating ---those(about 6 of us) flying it found out THE AFTERNOON we landed in CUR, to connect on to BON, had already bought & paid for txs etc.....It was really a nitemare.....Wife & I flew Tiara from C. to B. & had a 'pretty' interesting time for our flight(that's another story I guess---I've documented that on a earlier previous post)........Let's just say---a place I'll NEVER go back to, other/better places to spend my time & money worrying over..........

EDIT:-------do remember about 4 of our group flew direct from Atlanta to BON, with NO trouble------lol, that's what I'd do--ie the other 18 of us all had 'war stories' to tell about...

Sorry to read about your flight problems with DAE. But I don't think it's fair to use your particular experience as a reference point for typical regional Dutch Caribbean airline operation and/or airport connection time. Insel struggles with frequent delayed, cancelled, and rescheduled flights that often lead to passenger and baggage backlog until they catch up again. Execution of operations is somewhat unreliable but they do ultimately get people to their destinations. (Thus the local moniker "Insult Airlines".)

But DAE, the airline you flew, was in the midst of financial crisis in summer 2013. This eventually led to Curacao airport grounding all of DAE's planes in August 2013. Your August 17 trip through CUR was the day that CUR airport first prevented DAE from using check-in services. It was also the day that DAE first admitted that services to Bonaire had been cancelled due to their financial problems.
DAE was subsequently declared bankrupt in September 2013 and is no longer in operation. More details here if interested. The timing of all this was bad luck for you, no doubt about that.

We've found our way to Bonaire via a lot of airlines over the years (United, ALM Antillean Airlines, Air Jamaica, Delta, and Insel) and made stops or connections on several islands (Jamaica, Haiti, Aruba, and Curacao.) We've never been delayed more than a couple of hours going either direction and have never missed a flight. It might happen someday, but I'm a firm believer that the trick is to book a reasonable itinerary that's amenable to the characteristics of Caribbean airline and airport operation. The lowest risk and most convenient is obviously a direct flight from the USA on Delta or United. Adding connections on other islands adds risk. Adding short connections adds additional risk. Flying with a financially troubled airline adds risk.

Once again I'm sorry to read of your adamant vow to never return to Bonaire. Different strokes for different folks I guess. We just returned from another lovely 3 week trip over the Christmas holidays where we enjoyed almost 40 hours of self-guided shore diving bottom time. No boats, no groups, no hassle... just the two of us and 60+ dive sites accessible from shore. I can't imagine anywhere else in the Caribbean where we could do that.

 

[drbill]

The locals don't refer to them as "Insult Airlines" for nothing. I had a number of problems flying between Aruba-Curacao-Bonaire with them so give yourself plenty of time

 

[boat sju]

Let's look at is this way: What recourse will you have with US Air if you miss their flight because of of an Insel delay? That's what worries me and is why we don't mess around with Insel any more.

We booked a direct Insel flight from Miami to BON one time, and ended up on Curacao. We made it to Bonaire but it wasn't the best way to start a vacation.

 

[scuba127]

I will say this though...imo, Insel has the best cabin crews I've flown with...I will continue to use them because I'm not fond of the overnights in Atlanta but will prepare my mind for delays....

 

[diversteve]

To compound the issue, the Curacao airport doesn't exactly make my top 10 list for most reliable or efficient. I've never connected thru it, just arrived/departed. Relying on the Curacao Insel baggage handlers to produce your luggage quickly enough may be another hurdle.

Since that's the AA/USAirways morning flight - our friend warned us to get there early to be near the front of the line since it's often full - she flies to the states often to shop in Miami. Which may work in your favor as they'd likely hold the flight till everyone made it thru security and boarded.

For us, once we dropped our checked bags/ticketed at the counter - going thru security was a 5min process. It's not a big airport so there's no long walk to the gate either. http://www.curacao-bouwen.com/wp-content/Hato-Airport/01Hato-Airport-Curacao.jpg

You might want to take the 3PM AA/USAirways flight instead. It arrives in Phoenix at 10PM with a 2 hour layover in MIA. Which is not exactly optimal either but all our bags did make it thru unscathed.

Good luck..