Ship your stuff to Bonaire?

[bkpix]

The flights were booked a couple of months ago. At that time there seemed like plenty of time between flights.

The thing is...we are booked on 2 different airlines. We will have to get out bags from baggage pickup, then find the Insel desk and check in, then clear security again. AA changed the flight time on us and we now only have only a bit over 2 hours to do all that. If the airlines would find a way to work together and transfer bags between carriers, the world would be an easier place to live in.

In the mean time, all of this has to happen at MIA, perhaps the most screwed up airport in the hemisphere!

 

[ktomlinson]

Wow i would be concerned too, but that's my nature..I bet things will be fine. Let us know how it turns out, and good luck and have fun!

 

[StreetDoctor]

Last year when I flew to Bonaire my carry on weighed 74 pounds and had ALL my dive gear. No one weighed it, I just made sure I stowed it over someone else's head on the plane

 

[skydiver30960]

The thing is...we are booked on 2 different airlines. We will have to get out bags from baggage pickup, then find the Insel desk and check in, then clear security again. AA changed the flight time on us and we now only have only a bit over 2 hours to do all that. If the airlines would find a way to work together and transfer bags between carriers, the world would be an easier place to live in.

Have you checked on this? I ask b/c the wife and I had to make last minute travel changes due to the GREAT NEKTON DEBACLE (don't get me started) and ended up spending a week on the CEXII (wOOt to Caribbean Explorers!) out of Grand Exuma. We kept our old US Air reservations to Ft. Lauderdale, and had to transfer to Continental for the puddlejumper to the island. We were worried about the same thing. BUT, we checked with both airlines and they agreed that we could check our bags all the way through.

When we got there we checked our bags with USAir at DCA and sure enough our tags printed out with all the right information on them, including the flight number for the Continental flight to the Bahamas. And, it worked! All our stuff arrived safe and sound.

Another couple travelling with us didn't know they could do this and just picked up their gear in FTL and rechecked to GTT. It also worked, we had plenty of time, so it would have been fine either way.

So... moral of the story: call both airlines and see if it'll work. If your airline to Bonaire is smaller (not familiar with the name), maybe they aren't in the loop. BUT, I can say for sure that some airlines can make it work for you!

Later!

Ike, aka "Always a stress ball until all bags are back in my grubby little hands at the destination"

 

[bkpix]

Thanks for the advise Skydiver. I gave it a try, but unfortunately AA and Insel do not have baggage agreements in place so they can't do it.:depressed: