What's the Advantage of Using Choice Air?

It's still a little too early to book my flights for my December Southeast Asia Millennium cruise...But anyone have an idea on how I might do with Choice Air LAX to Hong Kong, Singapore to LAX? It is holiday time--probably leave around December 20, return January 5.

I think I've only used Choice Air once since they started this particular program...and that was on an Alaska cruise where the Choice Air flights were actually just a few dollars higher than what I could get on my own, but I figured it was worth the $5-10 to have Celebrity involved. But, more typically, I have just booked my own--either due to airline points or to finding some incredible deals on my own (like this past summer, round trip LAX to Rome for only $745 pp via Air Berlin...Choice Air couldn't come close).

They were cheapest we could find for business class to Barcelona , bonus was Barcelona has a great free lounge for business and first with free wine , beer , drinks and food

George which airline did you book for Barcelona? We'd be flying from JFK and so far I prefer Lufthansa, KLM and Virgin Atlantic in that order for business or first. Never flown Iberia and I won't fly Delta.

It's still a little too early to book my flights for my December Southeast Asia Millennium cruise...But anyone have an idea on how I might do with Choice Air LAX to Hong Kong, Singapore to LAX? It is holiday time--probably leave around December 20, return January 5.

 

I think I've only used Choice Air once since they started this particular program...and that was on an Alaska cruise where the Choice Air flights were actually just a few dollars higher than what I could get on my own, but I figured it was worth the $5-10 to have Celebrity involved. But, more typically, I have just booked my own--either due to airline points or to finding some incredible deals on my own (like this past summer, round trip LAX to Rome for only $745 pp via Air Berlin...Choice Air couldn't come close).

First I would choose airlines I was interested in then visit their websites to see what flights are available and what they would charge. Then I would go to Choice Air and give them the airline and flights I would most like to have and see what they come up with. If you're flying Business you could save around 40-50%.....if you're flying economy you may or may not save...and as you know if you're flying domestically you usually don't save anything.

George which airline did you book for Barcelona? We'd be flying from JFK and so far I prefer Lufthansa, KLM and Virgin Atlantic in that order for business or first. Never flown Iberia and I won't fly Delta.

We did American , the lounge was for all airlines

I just booked our flights from Cincinnati to Miami with Choice Air for our April TA.

$139 pp on Delta for regular economy, which allows me to choose my seats in advance. This is about $60 less pp than booking independently, so there are savings for domestic air as well as international.

It's still a little too early to book my flights for my December Southeast Asia Millennium cruise...But anyone have an idea on how I might do with Choice Air LAX to Hong Kong, Singapore to LAX? It is holiday time--probably leave around December 20, return January 5.

 

I think I've only used Choice Air once since they started this particular program...and that was on an Alaska cruise where the Choice Air flights were actually just a few dollars higher than what I could get on my own, but I figured it was worth the $5-10 to have Celebrity involved. But, more typically, I have just booked my own--either due to airline points or to finding some incredible deals on my own (like this past summer, round trip LAX to Rome for only $745 pp via Air Berlin...Choice Air couldn't come close).

You must have saved so much on your Air Berlin round trip that it bankrupted the company!

Did a "quick search" on Choice Air and once again I found that searching for two separate one way flights is less expensive than searching for a multi destination. (I was never able to book separate legs online, but they will do it by phone)

LAX - HKG with United (11AM on 19 Dec on a 777) is $559.82pp.

SNG - HKG - LAX with Cathay (430PM on 5 Jan on a 777) is 870.03

SNG - LAX with Sigapore Air (920AM on 6 Jan on a 777) is 706.14

Flying out of Singapore a day later gets you a nonstop with enough savings to pay for a hotel.

Y

 

The airline will obviously try their best to get you to your original destination, but they would just laugh at you if you told them you needed to actually get to a different airport to catch up with your ship!

True, if you have flight issues and cannot get to the port of embarkation, Choice Air will attempt to get you to the next port instead. If you book through the airline directly, they don't have any obligation to do that, although they wouldn't laugh at you; they'd simply let you know what the cost would be to change your flights to a different destination. We generally fly in a day or two early, which minimizes the risk of this issue.

We did American , the lounge was for all airlines

Thanks:)....IMHO the best lounges are Lufthansa in Frankfort; KLM in Amsterdam and VA in London.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone (like Hydrokitty) for suggesting I find the flights I want and then call to get the Choice Air rate. We just saved over $1,000 on our business class seats to Rome. I never would have called but for having read this thread.

Thank you, again!!!

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I recently did some research for a potential 2019 cruise. I had to use the 2018 version of the cruise to get air fares. This involves flying from Charlotte to Amsterdam, cruising to Barcelona then flying from Barcelona to Charlotte. For both multiple destination and one way flights Choice Air was considerably cheaper that other sites, especially in booking 2 one ways which seem the best way to go.

We just booked Celebrity Reflection for Sep 30 2019 sailing out of Barcelona. When will Choice Air be available for us to check out pricing? I went into cruise planner and there isn't an option for flights yet.

We just booked Celebrity Reflection for Sep 30 2019 sailing out of Barcelona. When will Choice Air be available for us to check out pricing? I went into cruise planner and there isn't an option for flights yet.

I think that has to do with the airlines and when they release their schedules. My guess is a year ahead, but that’s a guess.

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I think that has to do with the airlines and when they release their schedules. My guess is a year ahead, but that’s a guess.

 

 

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Usually 300 days.

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Usually 300 days.

 

 

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Good to know. Thanks.

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We just booked Celebrity Reflection for Sep 30 2019 sailing out of Barcelona. When will Choice Air be available for us to check out pricing? I went into cruise planner and there isn't an option for flights yet.

I believe 11 months out. Try finding the 2018 version of your cruise - at least it will give you some sense of fares.

We just booked Celebrity Reflection for Sep 30 2019 sailing out of Barcelona. When will Choice Air be available for us to check out pricing? I went into cruise planner and there isn't an option for flights yet.

Usually 300 days.

Most of the major airlines release their fares 330 days out. So depending on when in Sept 2019 you are flying, your flight over will be available to book around that same date in October of 2018 if you are booking two one-ways. For the return flight, or for the entire flight if you are booking a multi-city ticket on a single reservation, you'll need to wait until your return dates are available. Depending on the length of your cruise and how long you are staying in Barcelona after, if at all, you'll need to wait at least another week or so for the return dates to be available.

ChoiceAir and similar cruise line air booking agents use contract pricing with airlines for flights. Contracts usually specify flight times and restrictions. For example, ChoiceAir would not show or book any flight out of CPH following a Norway cruise on Quest until the early afternoon day of arrival. We booked direct R/T with the airline for a 1030 departure at $500 less than the afternoon ChoiceAir offering.

ChoiceAir and the other cruise booking agents are excellent for one-way trans-atlantic flights. Airlines do not like one-way ticketing as they presume you will need to return and want that fare.

I recently obtain a R/T US-Australia booking using Princess' agent for $300 less than the airline offered on a Business class fare. Plus, Princess' EZAir doesn't charge for the fare until last payment for the cruise booking itself, and they use flex fares which enables changes up to 45 days out.

Always check all airlines for fares. Flying to Ushuaia last year on Aerolineas Argentinas, Delta, a code share partner using the same airplane, wanted nearly triple the price to book on the Delta website.

One of the best search engines for air options is google dot com slash flights. Cannot book, but it offers a wide variety of searches and flight options too consider.

Okay...

I just now booked my airfare for my December 2018 Millennium Southeast Asia cruise (Starts in Hong Kong December 22...ends in Singapore January 5). I fly out of LAX. I used Choice Air. Bear with me and I'll give the detailed account as to how it all worked out:

I started looking at prices a little over a week ago as we reached the 330 day mark prior to the end date flight. First, I checked on both Kayak and on CheapOAir...and continued to check over the course of the week. The prices varied a little, but remained, overall , pretty constant with the lowest fares at around $997-$1089 per person. Unfortunately, those lower fares were somewhat ridiculous at times. Cheapest rates were on China Eastern--but all included very long layovers in Shanghai--up to 16 hours--and some very inconvenient flight times. Cheapest flight took 34+ hours getting there and 32+ hours getting back! Most would require leaving the cruise early (like 1:00 am flight home--Ship overnights in Singapore).

After China Eastern, next lowest fares were on Turkish Airlines--requiring routing via Istanbul both ways, making for very long flights and concerns about the political situation in Turkey. After that, it was showing fares via Aeroflot--routing through Moscow (???). By this time, the fares were already creeping into the $1300+ pp range.

I then tried American Airlines and United Airlines directly--since both have some good flights. AA has a nonstop LAX to Hong Kong, United has AA nonstop Singapore to LAX.

United seemed to be only able to route me nonstop home from Singapore, but with a stop in Tokyo (via ANA) on the way...for the lowest rate of just over $1500 per person.

AA was a little more bizarre. They were showing rates as low as $1433 pp...and with a nonstop to Hong Kong. But, getting home was an adventure. Every low rate they showed required two stops on the way--in Hong Kong and San Francisco...and around 22-24 hours to get home. So I called AA and asked "There has to be some better way home, right?" I was told that the issue was that they did not fly out of Singapore and had to rely on travel partners...and, perhaps, some of them hadn't released some flights yet...and that I should wait and see what else might come open at a later date...but, regardless, booking with them would not result in a nonstop.

So, next, I tried to see what would happen if I booked the two legs separately--the LAX-HKG on American one-way and the Singapore-LAX on United one-way. The total rate booking separately came out to well over $2,000 pp.

So, I went to Celebrity Choice Air. I first logged in to my cruise, then clicked on Choice Air and put in the parameters--LAX as my airport and both leaving the dates as is and also moving the dates to arrive a day early. Either way, I got back results that were at right around $1500 pp--but which had, at best, a nonstop in only one direction. So, I tried inputting each leg separately, checking "I do not need an (inbound/outbound) flight" and, voila, I found a nonstop LAX to Hong Kong departing on the night of the 19th and arriving in HKG at 6:10 am Friday morning--the day before we embark--for $568 pp...and a United Airlines flight, nonstop Singapore to LAX, leaving disembarkation day at 11:00 am for $880 pp...a combined price of $1449 pp...and both nonstop flights at excellent times.

But, I could not book these via the website...so, I called Choice Air. Here's where it got a bit interesting. The agent told me she had no trouble with the first leg, but she didn't want to book us on the 11:00 am nonstop home. She said Celebrity's guidelines say that all disembarkation day flights must be noon or later and that she could not guarantee we make the flight. I pointed out to her that 1) The ship was scheduled to be overnight in Singapore that night before, so disembarking early shouldn't be too much of an issue, and, 2) that the airport in Singapore was a mere 20 minute drive (20.4 km--about 12.7 miles) from the airport. She put me on hold, then came back and booked the flights for us...

I don't know if prices will go up or come down over the next 11 months...but, OTOH, it seems there is a good chance those nonstops fill up...so I am happy to secure them. If I were on a really tight budget, maybe I try to save the $720 and book one of those $1089 pp rates on China Eastern...but, somehow, $360 pp seems a small price to pay to avoid killing several hours in Shanghai Airport each way and to avoid the added chances for delayed flights, missed connections and lost luggage. And getting in to Hong Kong Friday morning gives us an extra full day to hang out in Hong Kong and a good night's sleep to rest up before boarding the ship...and the 11:00 am flight home means we don't waste an extra day hanging around Singapore waiting for a late night flight--or leave the cruise early to get to the airport...and it means we get home Saturday morning at 10:15 am local time, giving my wife a couple of days to recover before heading back to work on Monday morning...

So, I went to Celebrity Choice Air. I first logged in to my cruise, then clicked on Choice Air and put in the parameters--LAX as my airport and both leaving the dates as is and also moving the dates to arrive a day early. Either way, I got back results that were at right around $1500 pp--but which had, at best, a nonstop in only one direction. So, I tried inputting each leg separately, checking "I do not need an (inbound/outbound) flight" and, voila, I found a nonstop LAX to Hong Kong departing on the night of the 19th and arriving in HKG at 6:10 am Friday morning--the day before we embark--for $568 pp...and a United Airlines flight, nonstop Singapore to LAX, leaving disembarkation day at 11:00 am for $880 pp...a combined price of $1449 pp...and both nonstop flights at excellent times.

 

But, I could not book these via the website...so, I called Choice Air. Here's where it got a bit interesting. The agent told me she had no trouble with the first leg, but she didn't want to book us on the 11:00 am nonstop home. She said Celebrity's guidelines say that all disembarkation day flights must be noon or later and that she could not guarantee we make the flight. I pointed out to her that 1) The ship was scheduled to be overnight in Singapore that night before, so disembarking early shouldn't be too much of an issue, and, 2) that the airport in Singapore was a mere 20 minute drive (20.4 km--about 12.7 miles) from the airport. She put me on hold, then came back and booked the flights for us...

 

I don't know if prices will go up or come down over the next 11 months...but, OTOH, it seems there is a good chance those nonstops fill up...so I am happy to secure them. If I were on a really tight budget, maybe I try to save the $720 and book one of those $1089 pp rates on China Eastern...but, somehow, $360 pp seems a small price to pay to avoid killing several hours in Shanghai Airport each way and to avoid the added chances for delayed flights, missed connections and lost luggage. And getting in to Hong Kong Friday morning gives us an extra full day to hang out in Hong Kong and a good night's sleep to rest up before boarding the ship...and the 11:00 am flight home means we don't waste an extra day hanging around Singapore waiting for a late night flight--or leave the cruise early to get to the airport...and it means we get home Saturday morning at 10:15 am local time, giving my wife a couple of days to recover before heading back to work on Monday morning...

It almost always pays to book (or shop) multi-destination itineraries in one-way segments as you ultimately did. I believe one of the reasons is that the booking engines look to issue one ticket on a single carrier, or one of its partner airlines. So when you're flying into point A but returning from point B its quite possible one common carrier/alliance won't offer the best pricing.

Also, on another recent Choice Air thread, a poster mentioned he was able to book two separate one-way segments by each passenger booking one leg through their own Celebrity profile. So husband books the one-way to the ship on his profile, while the wife books their return under her profile. Brilliant! ;p

I've also discovered that some times Choice Air will display a great array of flight options if I enter a specific airline in my search as opposed to using the default method.

Looking at AKL(New Zealand) - FLL flights, the ChoiceAir options are slightly more expensive and only include 2 stopover flights. Finding myself elsewhere can save a couple of hundred and get one stopover flights...

The one time it is imperative to use Choice Air is on a TA cruise where you need a one way fare. For 2 separate cruises I could not find anything close to the fares I got via the cruise line for flights to Civitecchia or Barcelona. The only thing even remotely close was to book a round trip fare and not use one of the tickets.....but even that was more than I got via cruise line booking.

The one time it is imperative to use Choice Air is on a TA cruise where you need a one way fare. For 2 separate cruises I could not find anything close to the fares I got via the cruise line for flights to Civitecchia or Barcelona. The only thing even remotely close was to book a round trip fare and not use one of the tickets.....but even that was more than I got via cruise line booking.

Tried a one way - just came out half of the return. I'll get our TA to see if he can do better. I'll probably just buy this flight with points anyway but would have saved them for another day if the ChoiceAir deal was super good.