WILLEMSTAD/KRALENDIJK- Perhaps with the thought in mind that third time’s the charm, JetAir will attempt scheduled flights between Curaçao and Bonaire for the third time. 

The first attempt dates back to last year, when the carrier grandly announced its intention to also fly to Bonaire. The triangle flights, operated with the Fokker 70 jet aircraft, proved to be unsuccessful. This was partly due to the fact that the flights either to or from Bonaire went via Aruba, resulting in a relatively long travel time. Additionally, the arrival and departure times were not particularly convenient, and thirdly, the aircraft used was relatively expensive for flights between the islands.

A second attempt by the airline took place in the last quarter of 2023. Once again, the flights were announced with great fanfare. This time, the flights were supposed to be operated with a leased ATR aircraft, hired from a third-party company. However, the airline was unable to finalize the paperwork for this. Although several tickets had already been sold for the flights, JetAir found itself forced to refund the already purchased tickets.

March

On Tuesday, JetAir announced the start of flights for the third time, now from early March 2024. The plan is for the airline to operate six flights per week, two flights per day, between Bonaire and Curaçao. Flights will not operate only on Saturdays.

In this plan as well, the flights will be operated with an aircraft and crew leased from another airline. This time, it will be a Saab340 aircraft, the same type of aircraft used by Z Air.

Prices

The special promotional rate that JetAir is offering, at $190 per round trip, is slightly lower than the prices set by Divi Divi and Z Air. At the normal ‘basic’ rate, the price is actually slightly higher at $210 compared to what the direct competitors are offering.