A festive ribbon cutting ceremony at the departure gate launched the new Delta weekly non-stop flight from New York’s JFK to/from Bonaire,  last Saturday.  On hand for the ribbon cutting was a VIP delegation from Bonaire including Commissioner Anthony Nicolaas, Director of Tourism Ronella Tjin Asjoe-Croes and Bonhata President Sara Matera. Also there were many repeat visitors to Bonaire, who actively joined in the festivities and took advantage of having their photo taken behind the official Inaugural Flight banner.            
          
“We are delighted to have a second Delta non-stop flight coming to Bonaire. With the Northeast Corridor being our largest market to Bonaire from the US, it is very appropriate that our visitors from this area have the convenience of a non-stop flight from JFK,” said Ronella Tjin Asjoe-Croes, Director of Tourism Corporation Bonaire.

“It is gratifying that the demand for travel to Bonaire is so high that Delta would put on an additional flight,” said Commissioner Nicolaas. “This is particularly notable during a time when many airlines are reducing their service to the Caribbean.”

Delta flight #553 will depart John F. Kennedy International Airport Saturdays at 10:35 a.m. arriving into Bonaire’s Flamingo International Airport at 4:25 p.m.  The return flight #554 will depart Bonaire Saturdays at 5:15 p.m. arriving into New York JFK at 9:05 p.m.  Delta will use a 154 seat, 737-800 Boeing aircraft with 16 first class seats and 138 economy seats for these flights.

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, 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 and was designated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as having the healthiest reefs in the Caribbean (January 2008).