Carnival's new air program

[cruisetechie]

Has anyone tried Carnival's new air program where they allow you to pick your own flights without a deviation fee? I believe this might be a pilot program since I didn't find any information on their website.

 

The way it works from what I understand is that you have to call a special number 1-800-321-6666 x 70343 and an air specialist will provide you with flight options and prices. They do not charge any deviation fees whatsoever as the old custom air type products. They also include a guarantee where if the airline is delayed, cancelled or you experience a weather related issue Carnival will fly you to the next port of call and pay for hotels, meals and transportation at no additional cost. This guarantee is part of the package and does not require you to buy Carnival's travel insurance.

 

I gave them a call the other day and was able to get prices on Jetblue from JFK-FLL that were extremely competitive to what I could find on Jetblue's website. I believe it was less than $40.00 more per person but this included the protection I mentioned above. They also allow you to cancel your air and you are only subject to a penalty fee of $150.00. The remaining value of your air is credited back to your cruise booking.

 

What am I missing since this sounds like a very good program if it works with your specific dates? What a difference compared to the old air programs that Canival used to offer where you didn't know your flights until 75 days prior to sailing.

 

Please share any experiences you may have had with this program.

[FlyerTalker]

IIRC, RCCL instituted a similar type program. There were some interesting disclaimers in the fine print, so I would carefully look at the specific T&C, not just the promotional blurbs.

 

As I don't cruise on Carnival, I haven't noticed this, nor would use it. You may very well end up with consolidator tickets anyhow, which may negate the price similarity.

 

As always, the devil is in the details. I would be VERY clear on the fine print before purchasing on the basis of the program "benefits" versus purchasing on your own.

[vjmatty]

Princess and Cunard do this also... they call it "Custom Air", and it allows passengers to select alternate cities, dates or classes of tickets different from the standard cruise air package. I have not used it nor can I guarantee that they are not consolidator tickets.

[biker1972]

I recently purchased air thru the X Choice Air program (RCCL) for a cruise in January. I had flights picked prior to dealing with the travel consultant. I got those flights and the price was the same as I could have booked with Expedia or someone else even with the $15 per ticket fee that X charged. I paid immediately for non-refundable tickets but could have gotten other fares if I had chosen.Then got the locator numbers in an e-mail and went to the airline sites to select seats. Did not get the cruise line transfers that were offered as they are not included in the air program. Ticket pricing seemed to be in real time as the price dropped as I was dealing with the consultant.(She went to several different computer screens and when returned to the air screen prices had dropped since I had priced a half hour earlier.) The advantage that I saw was that I paid X for the tickets and will get double points on my X reward card. If I were using an airline reward card I would think booking with the airline would be better.

[Ashland]

Usually booking air with the cruiseline is more expensive. Be careful!! Why not book air yourself online it's easier than you think and then you have complete control. Checkout www.seatguru.com it will give you all the info you will need to choose your seats.. Goodluck and happy flying ;)