The Dilemma!

[MommC]

Here it is ....all suggestions welcomed.

Email reads....come home,ASAP! Work piling up, brides to be getting nervous. Lots to be done.......

Answer: Start booking apts for April 15th, 9:AM- 9PM. Reassure All will be ready before wedding date. Looking for tickets after Semana Santa.

The dilemma.....came on a Sunquest/SkyService ticket to La Romana.....haven't been able to get a hold of the Sunquest rep. in JuanDolio all week. Found out from another rep at 11AM this morning that there were two seats for the 1:30 flight today (TOO LATE!!!! - had to be there by 11:30AM and it's 1 1/2 hrs to La Romana if we were packed and ready to go!!) Nothing available on Monday. Have to wait until Wed. to try again IF we can contact the Sunquest rep......
No Problem....we'll go commercial! Flights leave Las Americas five x + per day for Miami or Newark or Philly.....short hop to Toronto!
Right..........$3300. later and still 227 miles/330 kms. from home.......Big Problem!!
I'm too cheap to put out that kinda dough unless I absolutely have too..
Question....does anyone know the number for the Sunquest or Skyservice rep in Punta Cana?????

[Jerry]

Problem is sunquest usually only have a couple airplanes a week to the island, mostly on week-ends and very little during the week. There are a couple of options:

try www.usair.com from Santo Domingo (sdq) to Buffalo, NY (buf). There is a semi special going on right now. When I checked for prices from Santo Domingo to Buffalo RT leaving in 1 week (13 April) the site gave me a price of $586US. From Buffalo airport you can take an airport shuttle www.niagaraairbus.com This is a Canadian company that runs to the Toronto Airport from the Niagara Falls area and also goes to the Buffalo area.

option 2 is www.travelspan.com they are the agents for NorthAmerican Airlines. (might be able to find someone at the Santo Domingo Airport). They offer what looks like good fares to JFK. check out hot deals - air only. From JFK you can take www.jetblue.com to Buffalo for $50US. Or maybe Toronto for not too much. When you look at the NorthAmerican Airlines site they say they fly mid week also, travelspan only shows the week-end flights so you might have to email or call them.
REVIEW THE LUGGAGE RULES.... click policy then term and condictions. it is the last item ... strict requirements. It looks like they just redid their site, but the old site said ONLY hard sided luggage.
Jerry

[Jerry]

here you go from the north american website

Sundays & Wednesdays
DEP JFK 8:00 AM
ARR SDQ 11:50 AM
DEP SDQ 1:20 PM
ARR JFK 5:10 PM


Saturdays
DEP JFK 7:00 AM
ARR SDQ 10:50 AM
DEP SDQ 12:20 PM
ARR JFK 8:10 PM


In Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, call:
(809) 535-8486
or
(809) 535-8463

www.northamair.com

[MommC]

NorthAmerican Airlines didn't come up in any of the searches I ran...Just AA,USAir,Continental,Air Canada,Mexicanaire.

I'd still like to get on a charter if I can.....

[Hillbilly]

man, that is a great and informative service.

hate to see the MommC take off, but Hey, she'll be back....

An excuse for a welcome back party!!

HB

[Jerry]

Northamerican is a charter service to NYC. So far the only ones that I have found to sell their seats is travelspan.com

[MommC]

Sat....4:40pm leave SD....arrive JFK then catch flight to Buffalo. Arrive at 11:19PM. Wait until 2:00Am for shuttle bus to Toronto. Arrive at 4:30 Am.....go to hotel to catch some zzz's before our "car" arrives for final leg home.........Pop into TO to stock up on some italian goodies and hit Chinatown for some fish. Have lunch/supper at the Whistling Oyster then head home......
Arrive North Bay about 11:00PM Sunday night TOTALLY exhausted (I getting too OLD for this sort of thing!!).

So if I can't get on a direct sunquest/skyservice or airtransat flight to Toronto out of Santo Domingo,La Romana or Punta Cana I think I just may shed a few tears and pay the piper to go SD/MIA/YYZ in the space of 13 hrs. Will arrive TO about 5:30 Pm and drive the 3 1/2/4 hours home. Sure hope it isn't snowing!!!!!
However I think I just may use some of those links from Jerry to plan my next excursion to visit relatives/friends in the US. Some great buys even after converting the CAN$$$ (for those who need to convert)

[trina]

MommC, did you try going directly to the airport on the day of the flight? I know it's a pain in the butt, but I know Air TransAt at the POP airport will sell tickets to Calgary for $350 Cdn per person. Is flying through POP an option? The number for Air TransAt in POP is 586-3497. Good luck.

[john harper]

MOMMC, I was told by an airline employee that all airlines have to keep a few empty seats by law in case people have to return home on an emergency .That is canadian airlines i'm talking about,so if you show up at the airport odds are you will get a seat and hopefully[ Cheapie, Cheapie]

[MommC]

Thanks for the number.....if you check out the thread by the same name in "open" you'll see that I may have seats........

Charter airlines unlike "commercial" regular schedule flights don't have to keep seats available. Actually even commercial seats are often overbooked to allow for the 10% no show. Many a time I've been on a flight when the airline has requested passenger willing to give up their seat for the flight with perks to take the next available because of overbooking. Made a few bucks myself once time when I wasn't in a rush by waiting two hours for the next flight!
Actually missed a flight once and got to my destination 1 hour later by airport hopping across Canada. And didn't have to spend three hours sitting in Calgary either......kinda neat!!