The Caribbean - Dutch Antilles Express or Insel Air?




fkarotz
Jul 6, 09, 4:53 am
Anyone here ever flown Dutch Antilles Express (DAE)? What are they like? And would you recommend them more/less than Insel Air?

I ask this because am about to book some inter-island flights between Aruba, Curacao etc. However I have no experience of these small airlines - except that I know that DAE is related in some way to KLM. Can't find much info on safety on these airlines either, but I assume they're ok.

Any help greatly appreciated! :D


Linda VH
Jul 6, 09, 8:24 am
I took DAE RT Aruba-Curacao in May. The flight is only about 20-25 minutes in a very small plane (propellers lol!). I left from Aruba and was told NOT to be late to the gate. Good thing I wasn't! You go to the gate and at the boarding time you are bussed out to the plane. Everyone gets on and we were taxiing down the runway at flight time exactly. Cur to AUA you all wait at the gate and they walk you out to the plane (when you land in Curacao you are led to the terminal). Fairly easy through security, etc.

mkt
Jul 6, 09, 12:22 pm
My only experience on Insel Air has been on their MD80's out of SJU. Nothing to write home about. They got me to Curaçao and back in a bigger bird that usual.


Jenbel
Jul 28, 09, 5:39 am
I flew DAE CUR-BOG earlier this year.

Check-in was fine, although we were charged for overweight bags (2-3 kgs each - it wasn't too expensive). Flight was pretty empty. We had acquired exit rows (we thought because we had not tried to argue with the lass on check-in over overweight bags, but just accepted it, and from what we observed, we were the only non-argumentative pax she dealt with :D). However on boarding, 'for weight and balance issues' we were all coralled into the first 8 rows... that's not how balance usually works, but it made the crew's life easier since they didn't have to walk so far up the plane. We rather thought that might have been a factor in their rearrangement of the seating. A snack (carton of juice and tub of pringles) was handed out on the flight - but it is nearly two hours.

I didn't see anything alarming from a safety point of view and would fly them again without too many qualms.

Seat13F_AC_CRJ
Jul 28, 09, 7:26 am
In March I flew CUR-SXM on Dutch Antilles Express Fokker 100. The flight departed and arrived on time. Be forewarned the seats have a very tight pitch and the overhead bins are tiny.
--
13F

Jenbel
Aug 2, 09, 6:59 pm
Small overhead bins is pretty much a feature of F100s.



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