Delta Airlines to Augment Current Service to Bonaire

Additional Non-stop Flight from Atlanta Scheduled for October 2, 2009

The strength of Bonaire as a vacation destination and of Atlanta as a connecting hub is reinforced by the decision of Delta, the world’s largest airline, to add a second flight from Atlanta to the island of Bonaire, effective October 2, 2009. 

Delta flight #671 will depart Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport at 4:00 PM, arriving into Bonaire’s Flamingo Airport at 8:05 PM on Friday evening; flight # 670 will depart Bonaire on Saturday morning at 9:00 AM arriving in Atlanta at 12:25 PM, which allows plenty of time for onward connections. 

Changes in flight times are anticipated due to the Daylight Savings Time Change and holiday schedules, so Delta’s flight schedule should be consulted for exact times.  Also, during the year-end holidays, the flights for the last two weeks in December will operate on Saturday nights

, returning Sunday mornings. Delta will operate a Boeing 737-800 jet with seating capacity for 160. This new service is in addition to Delta’s current weekly flights to Bonaire, which depart on Saturday mornings from Atlanta at 9:40 AM, arriving in Bonaire at 1:44 PM, with the return flight departing at 2:45 PM and arriving back in Atlanta on Saturday evenings at 7:12 PM. 

“We are pleased that Delta has recognized the increased need for airlift to Bonaire and has responded quickly to that need,” stated Ronella Tjin Asjoe-Croes, Director of Tourism.  She continues, “This new Delta flight schedule will allow ample time for many of Bonaire’s North American visitors to conveniently connect to and from their home gateways.”

Delta also offers non-stop weekly Saturday flights from New York’s JFK Airport to Bonaire.  These flights depart New York at 10:35 AM and arrive in Bonaire at 3:12 PM.  The return rotation departs Bonaire at 4:12 PM and arrives back at New York’s JFK at 9:02 PM.  Delta is operating a Boeing 737-800 jet with seating capacity for 160 passengers.  

Located eighty-six miles east of Aruba, the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire offers year-round sunshine, low annual rainfall, pristine coral formations and the most thriving fish population in the Caribbean. Ideal for adventurers, explorers and sun-worshippers alike, Bonaire offers myriad eco-adventure activities including world renowned scuba diving and snorkeling, windsurfing, kiteboarding, land sailing, mountain biking, sea and mangrove kayaking, horseback riding, nature tours, hiking, bird watching, sailing and deep sea and bone fishing. And with a selection of accommodations ranging from full-service oceanfront resorts and condominiums to guesthouses and small inns, Bonaire has something for every lifestyle and budget.

Bonaire is the recipient of the prestigious Islands Magazine/Caribbean Tourism Organization 2008 Sustainable Tourism Award and continues to be recognized as one of the top destinations worldwide for its sustainable tourism as reported by National Geographic Traveler magazine (March 2004) and Islands Magazine (December 2007), and as one of the top diving destinations in the Atlantic/Caribbean for seven years in a row in the Scuba Diving magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards as having the healthiest reefs in the Caribbean (January 2008), and as the Favorite Dive Destination in the World by About.com (June 2008).

In 2009, the island will be Celebrating Bonaire’s Commitment to Conservation, commemorating the 40^th Anniversary of Washington Slagbaai National Park and the 30^th Anniversary of the Bonaire National Marie Park. There will be a variety of festivities and events throughout the year, celebrating these combined years of nature protection for the island.

For more information on Bonaire contact the Tourism Corporation Bonaire in the U.S. at 1-800-BONAIRE or visit Bonaire’s official web site at www.tourismbonaire.com