JetBlue only recently started flying from New York to Curacao twice a week. As I knew that United also operated 3 flights a week to Bonaire in the winter I decided to fly to Curacao on JetBlue and back from Bonaire on United.

KLM and then ALM; Dutch Antillean Airways used to operate this service many years ago. However ALM went bankrupt.

The only way to travel between Curacao and Bonaire is with Insel Air, the largest airline headquartered in Curacao.

There are 3 islands in the group known as the ABC islands; Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao which were governed by the Dutch. The islands now are independent but receive support from the Netherlands.

Island A; Aruba is the most popular tourist wise. As I had already visited Aruba, I was desperate to one day visit B and C. My life would never be complete or fulfilled without the missing B and C.

Unlike many Caribbean islands who double and triple hotel rates between December 20th and April 15th, hotels on Curacao and Bonaire raise the rates by about 50%. Therefore hotel rates are pretty reasonable.

I like JetBlue because the legroom is a superb 34 inches in economy. However they plan to reduce it to about 33 inches which is still way better than other carriers.

They also operate new Airbus 320s.

The cabin is very spacious.





Unlike United / American they do not charge $25 for each suitcase. No food is offered except for junk food like chips or cookies, peanuts.

However we were charged $3 for the entertainment. Because it is "live TV" after 30 minutes from leaving, we received no reception as we were too far from the US mainland.

The movies were also not working. The only program that was working for the full 4 1/2 hour flight was an interview with Sting. I watched it about 56 1/2 times.

I complained and received two $25 vouchers which was appreciated.

JetBlue pride themselves for offering drinks by tray instead of a trolley.

You order and the steward / stewardess bring the drinks personally on a tray instead of a trolley.

The problem is that the steward took so many orders that my friend got 1 sugar instead of Sacharin / Equal and I got 1 sugar instead of 2.

And as there was a lot of turbulence I really was scared that the poor steward was going to drop the tray full of drinks and coffee.

The drink service lasted about 2 hours. But the crew were very friendly. Friendlier than one year ago.

JetBlue remains my favourite US airline though I have yet to try VirginAmerica which I hear is among the top.

The flight from Curacao to Bonaire lasts only 20 minutes. It is operated by an Insel Air Fokker 50 which were purchased from KLM,. Maintenance crews are all trained by KLM.

Divi Air also operate very small aircraft. I believe a Divi Air plane crashed recently while landing in Bonaire. The pilot died. They think the plane was carrying too much luggage.

Another Curacao based airline called DAE went bankrupt a few years ago after the ALM bankruptcy. I hope Insel continues doing OK. They also offer DC-9 flights or MD -80 to Miami, Manaus / Amazon, Venezuela and the region.

KLM also offer code share flights which connect to their 747s from Amsterdam.

The aircraft are over 25 years old. The fare is a reasonable $50. There was only one stewardess and no drinks were served.

What impressed me was that the suitcases received 2 tags; a traditional Bonaire white / black tag and a 2nd bright green tag. Aruba tags were bright red red.



Had Air Canada done the same thing to my bag 5 years ago, it may have been possible to avoid having lost it permanently.

Because of my traumatic experience I shake and sweat profusely every time I wait for my luggage at a carousel.

A few years ago they tried a ferry service to Bonaire, Aruba and to Venezuela but the seas were so rough that many passengers would get sick. Services were discontinued. We saw an old unused ferry in port.




While boarding another F50 arrived from Aruba. The plane is relatively quiet.




The flight was relatively full.




At Curacao Airport a vintage Boeing 737 arrived from Caracas operated by a mysterious airline. Amazing how these planes can still operate. I am guessing they are over 35 years old.




Boarding was very relaxed and pleasant.






The legroom was better than on a long haul Boeing 777 or Airbus 330 and quieter. If I had a choice I would choose the F50 for my next transatlantic trip.

However I was devastated that I could not see the wheels. I was too far back.

The hostess was about 20 years old. My tray table kept on falling down. When I reported it to her in Bonaire she thanked me.

Important Tip: When taking off from Curacao sit on the right side for a view of the city. Of course I sat on the left and all I saw was the boring blue ocean.








Below is the landing video. We flew past Klein Bonaire, a deserted island which was owned by Harry Belafonte the singer / actor. He was about to sell it to build a resort. The project was stopped. The Dutch Government purchased the island and turned it into a National Park.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qVfaO5-MWs

Announcements are made in Papiamento. The language is a mix of American Indian, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch.

Also in English. I was surprised not in Dutch.

The majority of tourists are Dutch, American and Canadian.




The flight from Bonaire to New York was in a brand new Boeing 737-900. It was a surprise. Good legroom.

We were charged $25 to check in each bag even though I had a United credit card. They refused to check our bags for free.

I had no idea that my friend could also check her bags for free. When I complained to United they did mail me a $100 voucher which I appreciated.




We walked to the aircraft which was a pleasure. It would be my last minutes in the warm sun as the weather in New York was the coldest in years and the airports had been shut down 4 days before.



The legroom was good.





My friend who is not interested in planes loved the "mood lighting" which was indeed very pleasant.



The windows seemed larger than on the older 737s.

While taking a video of the takeoff my camera fell on the floor and traveled by itself 3 rows to the back of the aircraft. I could see it but it was impossible to get it as it was by the window behind the last row.

The steward got down on the floor and with his apron miraculously got my camera.

I was very impressed by the nice crew.

No meals are served on the 5 hour flight but they had enough for sale. Afraid they would run out like on my last Delta flight we brought our own sandwiches.

There is no entertainment offered but it did not bother me. The 5 hours went by fast.

Here are some pictures of Curacao. We stayed at the Marriott which we liked.






There are some nice public beaches on the island.



Downtown Curacao is very pleasant. There is a famous bridge that opens when a boat must come through.




The Renaissance Hotel downtown also part of Marriott has a unique swimming pool. And also a great casino as we won $80.





Curacao is a relatively wealthy island thanks to the oil refinery. Oil comes from Venezuela and is refined here. I never thought I would one day admire the beauty of an oil refinery at sun set. This is the view from a restaurant we went to located in a Fort overlooking the refinery.




We stayed at the Harbour Village Hotel in Bonaire; a great hotel on a nice beach. Most people who go to Bonaire are divers. The island also operates an oil refinery and produces salt.




Good to have water shoes as the beaches can in places be rocky.

We were never lonely during meal times. One morning we had breakfast next to a Pellican and then we shared our lunch with an iguana.






We did take a boat trip to Klein Bonaire which is deserted. It was already 3 PM and most visitors were leaving. When we were told we would have to stay 2 hours here we freaked out and decided not to stay. It gave me the creeps.




We enjoyed all our 3 flights as well as our stay on the 2 islands. Aruba is also a nice island and I recommend visiting all 3. They are close to each other and inter island air travel is cheap.

[Edited 2015-03-15 11:33:59]