Regent air question

Is Regent air an "all or nothing" arrangement or can you select segments?

In other words, can I make my own air arrangements for the outgoing portion of my cruise and then take advantage of what Regent offers for the return trip?

The reason I am asking, I can make first class domestic air arrangements cheaper than the Regent first class upgrade. On the return trip from Europe, Regent offers business class as part of the cruise package and the flight credit is much less than what it would take for me to purchase the same ticket.

In our experience we have been able to split the air. They just split the air credit in half. For example we are doing LA to Miami. We do not need the LA air portion as we live in LA. They credited half the air to our booking.

In our experience we have been able to split the air. They just split the air credit in half. For example we are doing LA to Miami. We do not need the LA air portion as we live in LA. They credited half the air to our booking.

Yes, you can split your flights and take a credit in only one direction. In our experience it isn't always a 50/50 split. For instance we did a TA and got credit for our flight to Miami and took Regent air back home and we got less than 1/2 back for the domestic flight but, still got our flight to Ft Lauderdale for less than the credit.

Believe shuguley is doing a TA based on the post so expect slightly less back for the coach domestic flight and you will do just fine. Simply ask your TA what the credit will be if you use a TA or contact Regent yourself for the exact number.

Really easy to do.

shuguley: If you tell me what cruise you are on (ship and date), I can let you know what the air credit is (if you don't already know). Agree with Eager2Travel:)

I am using a very experienced TA who will be back in the office on Monday.

We are considering the Grand Crossing on Explorer in March of 2017.

I am using a very experienced TA who will be back in the office on Monday.

 

We are considering the Grand Crossing on Explorer in September of 2017.

We are also going to be on the Explorer and are using Regent for the international flight for embarkation and our own arrangements for the domestic flight upon return.

gnomie :)

I am using a very experienced TA who will be back in the office on Monday.

 

We are considering the Grand Crossing on Explorer in March of 2017.

Think you'll need to contact your TA on Monday unless you are looking at a category "C" or above suite as Regent has different air credits for people in category "C" and above and below. We are booked on the 2017 transatlantic (not the full Grand Crossing) in an upper suite and the air credit is $850/person. We are doing our own air one way so the air credit is $425/person. Sorry that I didn't have more information.

P.S. Wondering if something is wrong with the "quote" feature of Cruise Critic because the last poster quoted you and it read: " We are considering the Grand Crossing on Explorer in September of 2017". I almost started looking for the "new itineraries" for later in 2017:-)

Although the people on this post hail from the US, coming from the UK I wonder if anyone knows the answer to this. We are fairly new to Regent, only having started sailing with them since last year. We are booked on the new Explorer in November, Rome to Miami in a Penthouse suite where we get free Business Class flights. However, Regent have told us that if we want to fly back to the UK directly from Miami, we have to pay an extra £400 each. As it's a special cruise, we have decided to pay it.

Last November, we did a cruise from Lisbon to Cape Town and again Regent wanted us to pay extra for a direct flight home from Cape Town, which once again we paid, as the cruise was a birthday treat.

We've now been looking at a cruise in March on the Navigator : Miami to Barcelona. Once again Regent have told us that if we want to fly directly to Miami, we will have to pay £400 each for the privilege. Otherwise they want to fly us to Newark first and then onto Miami.

Has anyone else come across this situation? I wonder whether this is the norm for long haul flights with Regent or whether the situation has arisen since the take-over to NCL. Any advice would be appreciated and thanks in advance.

From our limited experience of only 6 Regent cruises the European cruises that include business class flights are fine, no extra charge if in Penthouse suite and above.

The 3 transatlantic flights we have had all required extra upgrade payments. We have asked our TA to include business or first in the quote and are happy to pay the extra as its a good upgrade price when you look what you would be charged booking it yourself. They include economy flights for long haul and give you a quote for the upgrade.

The brochure for the UK is misleading, as it does say business class included for your Rome to Miami cruise but it doesn't say you only have it included one way?

Maybe someone from here with more experience will have more input than me, but that's what we have always had to do. Check with your TA for confirmation. Jean.

Thanks Jean for your speedy reply/advice. You're right in saying that the British brochure is misleading. They say "free Business Class flights" but I can't see anywhere that says you might not get a direct flight.

I agree that the extra we're asked to pay is not exorbitant, but it but it does grate when Regent say it's free. They should say it's free only if you fly via somewhere else.

Not sure why we want to go to Miami anyway, the last time we flew there the machines which are supposed to speed up the immigration process weren't working properly, so we ended up standing in a queue to see a human being for three hours!!

Thanks once again for your input, Maureen.

We're flying directly home from Buenos Aires next month in BA Club World and there was no suggestion of paying extra. We're flying out to Lima via Madrid with Iberia in business but that's because there's no direct BA flight until later in the year. I don't believe we've ever had to pay extra in the way you describe and we're normally very picky about the flights we request (BA direct where possible and frequently not immediately before/after our cruise, since we usually do something independently at the start or finish).

I agree wholeheartedly about immigration in Miami - spectacular queues and extraordinarily long waits every time. Newark can be very slow too, however... :-(

Although the people on this post hail from the US, coming from the UK I wonder if anyone knows the answer to this. We are fairly new to Regent, only having started sailing with them since last year. We are booked on the new Explorer in November, Rome to Miami in a Penthouse suite where we get free Business Class flights. However, Regent have told us that if we want to fly back to the UK directly from Miami, we have to pay an extra £400 each. As it's a special cruise, we have decided to pay it.

 

Last November, we did a cruise from Lisbon to Cape Town and again Regent wanted us to pay extra for a direct flight home from Cape Town, which once again we paid, as the cruise was a birthday treat.

 

We've now been looking at a cruise in March on the Navigator : Miami to Barcelona. Once again Regent have told us that if we want to fly directly to Miami, we will have to pay £400 each for the privilege. Otherwise they want to fly us to Newark first and then onto Miami.

 

Has anyone else come across this situation? I wonder whether this is the norm for long haul flights with Regent or whether the situation has arisen since the take-over to NCL. Any advice would be appreciated and thanks in advance.

Believe part of this issue is due to a terminology problem. There is a difference between "direct" and 'non-stop". Believe when the people on this thread are using the term "direct", they really mean "non-stop". You see, in airline talk, a direct flight is NOT a non-stop flight. A direct flight stops at least once before you get to your final destination.

When using the Regent supplied flights without a deviation, Regent looks for the best price for those flights which in many cases are NOT the non-stop flights the people are looking for. When you accept the flights from Regent without deviation, you are at Regent's mercy as you may or may not get non-stop flights depending on the cost.

Believe the 400 lbs that are mentioned in order to get non-stop flights is the Regent deviation fee which is in the US $175 pp so appears in Britain the deviation price is the 400 lbs. mentioned. There is no guarantee that you will get non-stop flights when you rely on Regent without deviation.

Also, on TA's, in the US it specifies Business, if included with your suite category only Business for the overwater portion of your flight. Even if you deviate and pay the 400 lbs, there is a possibility that you will need to pay additional money to get the specific flights you want depending on the actual price Regent pays for the flights. Regent has contracts with only a few airlines which allow the inclusion of air so if you choose a non-contract carrier, no telling what the additional upcharge will be.

Many discussions on these boards about flights, deviations, etc. which I urge people to review as well as having a TA knowledgeable with the Regent air program. I welcome more questions on this subject and will endeavor to provide further information.

Oh, another tidbit, when taking the Regent provided flights, you will arrive on the day of embarkation and head home on the day of disembarkation. Should you wish to arrive early or head home later, you have to deviate for the non-refundable deviation charge. People need to understand this air issue as it is unique to the few cruise lines including air. Oceania's air program is very similar to Regent's.

Maureen,

I should have mentioned we have always asked for BA flights, and every cruise have had that. I am not sure if that means we have deviated the flights or not?

We fly from Aberdeen to Heathrow all BA and that way we are checked straight through. All our long haul flights have been direct, or non stop so to speak.

Our cruise in 2014 on Navigator ended in Miami and we had no problems through customs. Only issue I would say the check in desks for BA don't always open when you arrive at the airport and can have a wait for that, and once through customs we had another wait for the lounge to open too. That aside it felt easier than our previous time. As everyone else has suggested speak to your TA, and they will do their best with Regent to assist with the route for you, Jean.

Maureen,

I should have mentioned we have always asked for BA flights, and every cruise have had that. I am not sure if that means we have deviated the flights or not?

We fly from Aberdeen to Heathrow all BA and that way we are checked straight through. All our long haul flights have been direct, or non stop so to speak.

Our cruise in 2014 on Navigator ended in Miami and we had no problems through customs. Only issue I would say the check in desks for BA don't always open when you arrive at the airport and can have a wait for that, and once through customs we had another wait for the lounge to open too. That aside it felt easier than our previous time. As everyone else has suggested speak to your TA, and they will do their best with Regent to assist with the route for you, Jean.

Yes liptastic, you have deviated and have to pay the deviation plus any possible upcharge. Specifying anything regarding your flights is a deviation. If you don't specify (deviate), you are at Regent's mercy and get what airline, schedule, routing, etc. that Regent chooses.

You can deviate as early as 270 days prior to your cruise but, don't get your flights if not deviating at about the 75 day mark. You can still deviate at that 75 day mark if you don't like your flights however, your choice of flights becomes very limited that close to your cruise as well as your chances of an upcharge increase as well.

Thanks Dave for explaining that. We are happy with the flights that we get, and the times are suited for us too. Yes it's a lot more £ on top of an expensive cruise, but for us we feel the upgrade is worth it,and it makes life easy with the non stop/direct flights. Our TA deals directly with Regent on a regular basis which as many people have said here is beneficial to the customer.

The U.K brochure gives all prices including air fare with only penthouse suites on European sectors as business class included. All others are economy fares.

Thanks again, Jean.

You would know if you deviating flights because you would be charged the equivalent of $175.00/person. When you deviate and select both an airline and a flight that Regent contracts with (and they have "contracted" seats left, there is no additional fee (like the 400 GBP that you are paying).

We use Regent air 99% of the time and also fly on British Airways most of the time (Business Class). Most of the time, when going to Europe from Vancouver, British Columbia, we get non-stop flights to Heathrow but have to change planes in order to fly to the port of embarkation.

Regent begins booking flights 270 days prior to the start of a cruise for passengers that plan on deviating. Those of us that ask Regent to book flights that far in advance generally get the flights that they want. If you wait until Regent books your flights 3-4 months prior to the cruise, there are less contracted seats to choose from. Sometimes a person looks at the flights that Regent has selected and decides to deviate in hopes of getting a better flight. The closer it is to the time of your cruise, the fewer choices will be available.

In terms of British Airways, as those of you that regularly fly them know, they charge between 100 and 125 GBP per person (each way) for seats. When you let Regent book your flights, you are assigned seats at no additional cost (and, the day after I ask Regent to book flights, I go into the website and change our seats to ones that we prefer).

This subject can be confusing at times but we work with our TA and Regent and generally get exactly what we are looking for (but not necessarily non-stop flights). Included/free flights have not changed since the NCHL purchased Regent.

See you onboard on the Rome to Miami Explorer cruise. We'll be deviating our flights for that cruise next month and do plan on using British Airways to Rome (Vancouver to Heathrow and Heathrow to Rome). :D

The upgraded flight arrangement must be different here from the US system. Each time we upgrade our flighs only the first class and internal flights have allocated seats, and yes like you I can go onto the booking and change seat allocation. The business class can't be allocated a seat until the balance of cruise is paid in full. For our Alaska cruise in August we have the domestic and outbound seats all booked but the inbound is business from San Fransisco and I am unable to book this until balance is paid in May.

We need to pay for the business class seats ourselves but the others are allocated when cruise was booked. We use regent air and have had no issues with them. Jean.

The upgraded flight arrangement must be different here from the US system. Each time we upgrade our flighs only the first class and internal flights have allocated seats, and yes like you I can go onto the booking and change seat allocation. The business class can't be allocated a seat until the balance of cruise is paid in full. For our Alaska cruise in August we have the domestic and outbound seats all booked but the inbound is business from San Fransisco and I am unable to book this until balance is paid in May.

We need to pay for the business class seats ourselves but the others are allocated when cruise was booked. We use regent air and have had no issues with them. Jean.

Thank you for explaining the differences in the UK and US Regent flight bookings. That makes it more difficult to book as far in advance as we do. I guess there are advantages to living on either side of the "pond". In this case, I'm happy that we can book flights prior to final payment and also can book seats.:)

Until Dave explained it in an earlier post I was not aware we were deviating our flights on the booking. :confused:We have to book a cruise about a year or 10 Months in advance to allow time off work. For this year we booked the cruise and our TA was in communication with Regent until the 11 month mark for the BA flights to be released. We like to be organised and book the cabin we want and also the flights we want too with regard to timings and routes. There has been a very similar question on a Silversea post re the BA seat bookings? Jean.

Until Dave explained it in an earlier post I was not aware we were deviating our flights on the booking. :confused:We have to book a cruise about a year or 10 Months in advance to allow time off work. For this year we booked the cruise and our TA was in communication with Regent until the 11 month mark for the BA flights to be released. We like to be organised and book the cabin we want and also the flights we want too with regard to timings and routes. There has been a very similar question on a Silversea post re the BA seat bookings? Jean.

Unless Regent permits free deviation in the U.K., you would have to pay to deviate and Regent will not do a deviation without your permission. What may have happened is that there was a discussion about flights between your TA and Regent and they were able to agree on a flight without deviation. This has happened to us previously.

Yes - I've been following the Silversea thread regarding BA seat bookings. Again, it sounds as if the booking process for residents of the U.K. is different than for residents of the U.S. and Canada. I'll keep this in mind when I see a question about booking air from someone in the U.K. as I do not want to give out misinformation.

It would be interesting to see a thread or "sticky" that shows the differences between booking, penalties, cruise cancellation and airfare between the U.S. and U.K. It would be a useful tool for many people. I believe that the U.K. has more consumer protection laws than they have in the U.S. I find the differences quite interesting!

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Thank you for explaining the differences in the UK and US Regent flight bookings. That makes it more difficult to book as far in advance as we do. I guess there are advantages to living on either side of the "pond". In this case, I'm happy that we can book flights prior to final payment and also can book seats.:)

Yes, there are significant differences between UK and US booking conditions for both cruise bookings and flights.

Economy return flights are included in the quoted cruise fare for UK customers. Business class or First class is at extra cost (apart from Penthouse and above in Europe and occasional other special offers). Unlike the US we do not get the benefit of $999 Business air.

If booking flights through Regent in the UK then flight bookings can be made as soon as they are available (normally just over 11 months prior) but seat allocation is not available until after Regent have made final confirmation/payment(?) to the airline; this is usually a few weeks after final cruise payment has been made to Regent. Any payment required for seat booking has to be made by the passenger direct to the airline - it is not covered by Regent.

The lack of ability to reserve nominated air seating when booking in the uk is one thing that irritates me with Regent. When the time comes ( a few weeks after final payment as mentioned) to be able to reserve seats there is usually little choice ( and as Travelcat may remember) a couple of years ago in Lisbon there was no choice...we were bumped ....although the issue was raised with Regent and BA well before the trip when we should have been able to reserve seats.

I appreciate the tickets aren't issued until payment has been made I am sure many of us would pay the airfare up front to solve this as insurance would cover us for illness etc if we didn't make the trip. I hope Regent is taking notice!

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............I am sure many of us would pay the airfare up front to solve this ..................

This can be done

Thanks flossie009, I will take this up with my TA.

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I wonder how Regent would permit payment of the airfare months in advance unless the customer lost the money if they cancelled the cruise. On the other hand, doesn't the U.K. have some protections in place regarding cancellations?

It seems that the only "problem" airline in terms of booking seats is British Airways. We just booked a Lufthansa flight to Europe and could book seats without charge immediately -- one reason why we decided to fly on Lufthansa rather than BA.