Celebrity NOT helpful with airline problems

[Ma Bell]

It must be global warming.;)

[ArtM]

Cricketlover

 

You deserve some good news.

 

Presuming that your cruise leaves from Fort Lauderdale, Delta has hourly flights from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale. The rest of the good news is that if something delays your inbound flight, with Delta's complex network, the chances are good that the inbound flight that turns into your connection with also be delayed.

 

You might want to print up Delta's schedule for that route so you know what to ask for if something causes you to miss your connection.

 

AirTran also has a hub in Atlanta with a lot of flights to FLL, but they and Delta do not get along so they are not a feasible backup.

 

Art

[cricketlover]

Thanks Art will do. for those of you say that atlanta has no snow and delays are few and far between may i point out that at this very moment (21.40 GMT) planes are delayed and flights cancelled due snow and bad weather.

[just G]

Thank you for all the info, sympathy and suggestions. I am on the last day of the cruise and had a great time.

 

I was under the impression that if you booked your flight through the cruise line - that meant they would get you to the ship one way or another. I suppose it is a common misconception because they charge 2 to 3 times the going rate for the air. I though that the increase in the fare was because they would make sure you got to the ship. Live and learn.

 

I had considered booking my own air - which is what I normally do - but went with the cruiseline for more security this time around. A direct flight from Boston to SJ was around $240 per person. Booked through Celebrity I had a connection in Atl and the tickets were $600 per person. Foolish me, I thought that meant they provided extra security - not that they were making a huge profit for taking the time to book my air for me.

 

Anyway - next time I will know not to book with the cruiseline.

[just G]

Thank you for all the info, sympathy and suggestions. I am on the last day of the cruise and had a great time.

 

I was under the impression that if you booked your flight through the cruise line - that meant they would get you to the ship one way or another. I suppose it is a common misconception because they charge 2 to 3 times the going rate for the air. I though that the increase in the fare was because they would make sure you got to the ship. Live and learn.

 

I had considered booking my own air - which is what I normally do - but went with the cruiseline for more security this time around. A direct flight from Boston to SJ was around $240 per person. Booked through Celebrity I had a connection in Atl and the tickets were $600 per person. Foolish me, I thought that meant they provided extra security - not that they were making a huge profit for taking the time to book my air for me.

 

Anyway - next time I will know not to book with the cruiseline.

As for Delta - the key is to find the right person to help you. I spent 1.5 hours on the phone with their CS dept - and they were no help - couldn't find a way to get me to the ship. I then spent another hour with someone at the counter, who was trying really hard but coulnd't find a flight. She then asked someone else to help - Eduardo Garcia - and he had this little black book filled with phone numbers. He called people to hold our luggage - and then made several other telephone calls - securing our flights to St Thomas and then to St. Croix. He also made sure we had a hotel in St. Thomas. He was a Godsend. When we connect in ATL tomorrow, we will look for him to thank him again.

The point of my post was to make sure that others are not under the same misconception that I was under. Being an experienced cruiser, one would think that I would have known that Celebrity was not responsible if something happened. But I did not know it, and many of the people with whom I have discussed this also believed that booking through the cruiseline gave you some kind of guarantee.

I suppose that I should not blame Celebrity for my misconception. The only question I have for them - or anyone here - is what is the benefit of buying your air, which generally is much more expensive, through the cruiseline?

[Johncn]

Thank you for all the info, sympathy and suggestions. I am on the last day of the cruise and had a great time.

 

Glad it worked out! Envious, too, as we sit here in 34 degree weather in Florida...

 

I was under the impression that if you booked your flight through the cruise line - that meant they would get you to the ship one way or another. I suppose it is a common misconception because they charge 2 to 3 times the going rate for the air. I though that the increase in the fare was because they would make sure you got to the ship. Live and learn.

 

I think you still may mis-understand. Unless you were charged for your trip to St.Croix to join the ship, Celebrity DID get you to the ship...through their arrangement with the airlines. If you had booked directly with the airline, you would have probably had to pay your own way to the next cruise port. The airline would otherwise have gotten you to San Juan, and wished you well :)

 

Maybe I'm missing something, but sounds like the airline got you to the ship because of their arrangement (and the higher fee structure that pays for passengers with missed connections) with the airline.

 

Either way, glad you had a good cruise.

 

Johncn

[just G]

Glad it worked out! Envious, too, as we sit here in 34 degree weather in Florida...

 

 

 

I think you still may mis-understand. Unless you were charged for your trip to St.Croix to join the ship, Celebrity DID get you to the ship...through their arrangement with the airlines. If you had booked directly with the airline, you would have probably had to pay your own way to the next cruise port. The airline would otherwise have gotten you to San Juan, and wished you well :)

 

Maybe I'm missing something, but sounds like the airline got you to the ship because of their arrangement (and the higher fee structure that pays for passengers with missed connections) with the airline.

 

Either way, glad you had a good cruise.

 

Johncn

 

 

Wow John, I honestly didn't even consider that. What was I thinking? You are right. If I had booked my own flight, DElta would have gotten me to San Juan only - they would have had no responsibility to get me to St. Croix the next day to meet the ship. I would have been on my own. It was their agreement with Celebrity that insured that I got to the ship. Why on earth did I not consider that? Why didn't anyone from Celebrity point that out to me? THANK YOU!

[Denny01]

Wow John, I honestly didn't even consider that. What was I thinking? You are right. If I had booked my own flight, DElta would have gotten me to San Juan only - they would have had no responsibility to get me to St. Croix the next day to meet the ship. I would have been on my own. It was their agreement with Celebrity that insured that I got to the ship. Why on earth did I not consider that? Why didn't anyone from Celebrity point that out to me? THANK YOU!

 

Very glad you are enjoying your cruise, but I was a bit surprised by your comment that no one pointed out until now that Delta got you to the next port Because you had Celebrity tickets - take a look at the early posts. A number of posts stated all Delta had to do was get you to San Juan - end of their responsibility, but since you had ticketed through Celebrity, they put you up in a hotel and flew you to the active port.

 

Many of us saw those posts and didn't restate what had been pointed out, and we got into a discussion on flying in the day before and weather in Atlanta.

 

Glad you didn't get stuck, and glad you see why Celebrity ticketing can be a positive and you got the benefit of it.

 

Denny

[greatam]

Wow John, I honestly didn't even consider that. What was I thinking? You are right. If I had booked my own flight, DElta would have gotten me to San Juan only - they would have had no responsibility to get me to St. Croix the next day to meet the ship. I would have been on my own. It was their agreement with Celebrity that insured that I got to the ship. Why on earth did I not consider that? Why didn't anyone from Celebrity point that out to me? THANK YOU!

 

Celebrity DID NOT get you to the ship. Delta did but ONLY after you found your "angel", Eduardo Garcia. Again, READ the cruise contract. Once the cruise line issues the tickets, they are off the hook for ANYTHING having to do with third party vendors.

 

As you pointed out, the first two Delta reps could not/would not get you any further than San Juan. Then someone with the authority and knowledge took the bull by the horns and made it happen. Happens all the time-the saying when dealing with airlines is try, try again-the third person can usually help you. Sooner or later you will find someone with the expertise to make things happen IF you KNOW what you want to happen. Can't leave it to chance. As a general rule, it is NOT the person answering the phone at a call center or the junior agent at the check in counter. You need to get up to a supervisory level person or above or the best place to accomplish "miracles" is in the airport clubs. The AA "angels" in the Admiral's Clubs pull miracles out of the hat every day of the week.

 

There was NO or little input from Celebrity or agents 1 and 2 would have been able to accomplish what was accomplished in the end. Why anyone thinks Celebrity got you to the cruise is beyond me. Celebrity merely acts as a travel agent when dealing with air, hotels, excursions and transfers. It is in the cruise contract AND in the fare rules for your airline ticket. Delta truly went above and beyond in this situation.

[Ma Bell]

Since no one really knows whether the fact that the ticket was booked by the cruiseline had anything to so with the cooperation by the agent for Delta, I wouldn't assume that it didn't. If the agent knows that the ticket was booked by the cruiseline they may just go over and above to make sure the passenger is able to meet the ship. It may even be part of a bulk contract they have. I don't know the facts, do you?

 

The cruiselines buy a lot of tickets and can choose to work with one airline more than another.

[greatam]

Since no one really knows whether the fact that the ticket was booked by the cruiseline had anything to so with the cooperation by the agent for Delta, I wouldn't assume that it didn't. If the agent knows that the ticket was booked by the cruiseline they may just go over and above to make sure the passenger is able to meet the ship. The cruiselines buy a lot of tickets and can choose to work with one airline more than another.

 

While customer goodwill involving the cruise line MAY have played a very small part in the great outcome the OP received, it is not by any stretch of the imagination part of the rules/contracts under which cruise lines buy airline tickets. Airline contracts are let to the cruise lines a year or more in advance. Yes, the cruise line buys a lot of tickets. But the RULES are the same for all US based airline-the price and routing is about the only thing that is negotiated.

 

I have proprietary documents direct from my AA rep documenting the rules consolidator tickets are purchased under. I cannot post them because they are internal AA documents. Would if I could. I am in the international logistics business, dealing with the airlines every day of the year. I booked 594 airline tickets in 2009 and shipped over 5 million pounds of freight worldwide on planes. I have an AA rep I can call directly when I have problems or want info. What happened with the OP is a result of Delta goodwill AND finding the person who could "make it happen". Nothing or very, very little to do with the cruise line.

[Ma Bell]

Using your analogy, the airlines shouldn't do anything special for you either regardless of how many tickets you book. It seems to me that when the passenger contacted Mr. Garcia it was just like you calling your special number. If you didn't book the flights you do and ship the freight you do you wouldn't have the special number. If the passenger didn't buy the ticket from the cruise line, he may not have had any resolution from Mr. Garcia either.

[greatam]

Using your analogy, the airlines shouldn't do anything special for you either regardless of how many tickets you book. It seems to me that when the passenger contacted Mr. Garcia it was just like you calling your special number. If you didn't book the flights you do and ship the freight you do you wouldn't have the special number.

 

Your analogy doesn't wash. The OP found an "angel" through the second rep they were working with-someone who had the authority and knowledge willing to work out the situation, all in the name of Delta customer service/goodwill. No different than anyone asking for a supervisor at an establishment/call center. Quite often, just escalating the problem to a higher level solves it. OP originally was working with lower level employees who did not have the authority to override rules and "make it happen".

 

I don't contact rep A to get rep B who finally got Mr Garcia to help as the OP did. Do I get special privileges with the 100's of airline tickets I buy every year? Only if they are mine, as I am a top tier AA FF. But because I know how to "work the system", most problems with my employees and customers' airline tickets are solved just by a few phone calls (usually to the closest Admiral's Club) and directions to employees/customers on how to handle the problems. And escalation to a true "problem solver" (not generally to my account rep, who deals mostly in my cargo) is the key to solving airline problems. This is EXACTLY the scenario the OP found themselves in-escalation to someone who could "make it happen". Had nothing to do with the cruise line.

[Lsimon]

..

 

...

 

Boy these debates would be a lot more fun if they were over some great Martinis in one of my favorite bars on one of my favorite ships!

[Ma Bell]

It's interesting how my quotes seem to be edited.:confused:

[rjg41]

Take a look at this, especially Choice Air.

 

Celebrity Cruises takes the stress out of planning your trip by offering several options for arranging your flights and transfers to and from the ship day of embark and debark. For Guests who like to book their own air we offer an Internet booking tool, ChoiceAir. If the Guest prefers more assistance with their air travel we offer our Standard Air and Custom Air programs where our friendly and knowledgeable air agents provide the same attention to detail Celebrity Cruises is known for.

 

Choice Air

ChoiceAir is our exclusive website where you can purchase airline tickets at terrific prices, which accommodates your schedule on your preferred airline. For additional convenience and peace of mind, ChoiceAir filters airline schedules to ensure the presented flight options are well-suited to your cruise schedule. The site allows you to use different credit cards to pay for each guest in a reservation and provides you the option of securing your airport to seaport transfers at the time you book your air.

 

When you book your airline tickets through ChoiceAir, you can rest assured that Celebrity will be there to support you before, during and after you travel. On the day of your travel, your flights will be monitored and, if there is a delay or schedule change, Celebrity will work with the airlines to “repair” the trip; to either get you to your port on an alternate flight, or if necessary, to the next available port. If your plans change our Celebrity Star Treatment is just a phone call away. Our ChoiceAir Support desk is available at 800-533-7803 to change or cancel ChoiceAir reservations and answer any questions you may have.

 

ChoiceAir allows you to choose from virtually any fare offered by our airline partners, with tickets subject to the airline’s rules and restrictions. Please note that Celebrity charges a $15.00 per person non-refundable ChoiceAir fee for domestic North American destinations and $25.00 per person non-refundable ChoiceAir fee for International destinations. This ChoiceAir fee applies to all guests including those with Elite status in our loyalty program.

 

Try our ChoiceAir booking tool today by typing in celebritycruises.com/ChoiceAir. The ChoiceAir internet site is available 24/7. Should you have any problems when booking your Air, please contact our ChoiceAir Support Desk at (800) 533-7803. The Support desk hours of operation are Monday - Friday from 8AM-8PM EST and Sat-Sun from 9AM -8PM EST. Standard Air

Our Standard Air program includes:

• Reserving scheduled air service or chartered flights for same-day arrival to meet your cruise vacation.*
  
• Delivering documents to your travel agency or home.
  
• Arranging transportation from your arrival airport to the pier.
  
• Common flight arrangements for guests staying in the same stateroom, as long as all guests are booked at the same time, for travel from the same gateway city (based on airline availability in our class of service).
  
• Attempting to arrange no more than one connection from your gateway city.
  

Custom Air

Custom Air provides air travel arrangements on the flights and class of service of your choice. Custom Air can handle air arrangements for gateways "not offered" and can service guests in different staterooms who want to travel together. Custom Air also provides the value of airport transfers and baggage service.

 

Custom Air requests may be done over the phone for both Individual and Group guests. The phone number is 800-636-2440. Custom Air hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM EST and Saturday and Sundays from 9:00 AM to 5:00 Pm EST. Custom Air requests may also be made through e-mail at customaircci@celebrity.com.

 

Custom Air Service Fees are $50 for North American sailings and $75 for International sailings. Fees are waived for gateways "not offered".

 

Please note: Due to limited air space, the use of co-terminals may be required (e.g. flying into Seattle while sailing out of Vancouver).

 

*Guests from some cities may be required to travel on "red-eye" flights or arrive the day before sailing.

 

We reserve the right to choose the air carrier, routing and city airport from each gateway city and further reserve the right to substitute charter or commuter flights for scheduled air service without notice. Airline tickets we issue are highly restrictive and you may find that your ticket cannot be exchanged, reissued or revalidated for another carrier or routing. Once your ticket has been issued, any changes to the ticket you request us to make shall be at our discretion and a fee may apply for each such change. You may be able to make changes by contacting the airline directly and any changes or fees imposed shall be borne by you. If you cancel your cruise after air tickets have been issued, you may be subject to airline cancellation fees.

[tonyd285]

We are booked on a Constellation Baltic cruise this June. When our travel agent quoted the Celebrity air costs and the fact that we would have to connect over Paris to get to Amsterdam we asked what other options we had. She suggested a direct air flight on Continental which turned out to be $400 per person cheaper. We decided to go a few days early and use the savings for a hotel, meals and tourism in Amsterdam. We have had some close calls getting to a cruise because of connections in the past (using Celebrity's air arrangements). Doing your own air bookings seems to be a much better deal.

[jwds]

Choice Air has some very good fares. Friends used it to book flights for a transatlantic in Sept. They booked ATL to LGW and BOS to ATL, nonstop each way on Delta for $625 total per person. The same flights booked through Delta are $1675 total per person.

 

They are going four days early and spending a week in New England after. The wanted to go six days early but that would have cost an additional $250 each so the settleed on four days.

[jagoffee]

Take a look at this, especially Choice Air.

 

.[/i] [/color]

 

Are you trying to confuse this discussion with the facts? Or at least the fact of what Celebrity says they are going to do for you.

[greatam]

Are you trying to confuse this discussion with the facts? Or at least the fact of what Celebrity says they are going to do for you.

 

The FACTS, as I have posted them, are a different animal than Celebrity advertising.

 

If you notice in the Choice Air section posted by rjg41, it is VERY specifically noted that "ChoiceAir allows you to choose from virtually any fare offered by our airline partners, with tickets subject to the airline’s rules and restrictions." I

 

I am booked on the Connie TA is April. Need to fly DH home from Frankfurt (I am returning to the Middle East). Thought I would see just exactly how Choice Air worked. I searched and searched for tickets on the Choice Air site from LHR to DFW with a Q fare code (generally the cheapest AA economy PUBLISHED FARE ticket-I was using one of my eVIP's for his upgrade to business). Couldn't find one, so called Choice Air support. They could get me a Q ticket BUT could NOT tell me what the fare rules were, so I could be getting a Q consolidator ticket, which is NOT eligible for upgrade. AA uses fare codes Q, O, S and W for consolidator class tickets. BUT they also use Q and O for 6th tier economy (heavily discounted) tickets. These tickets are PUBLISHED FARE tickets with full protections and rights for the tickets. With the published fare O tickets, you get no miles, but you get all other protections-reroutable, endorasable. They kept pushing me towards a W class ticket. Direct from AA internal documents:

 

O Economy Discount Consolidator fares; no miles

 

Airline tickets we issue are highly restrictive and you may find that your ticket cannot be exchanged, reissued or revalidated for another carrier or routing. Once your ticket has been issued, any changes to the ticket you request us to make shall be at our discretion and a fee may apply for each such change. You may be able to make changes by contacting the airline directly and any changes or fees imposed shall be borne by you. If you cancel your cruise after air tickets have been issued, you may be subject to airline cancellation fees.

[greatam]

dup post

[jagoffee]

The FACTS, as I have posted them, are a different animal than Celebrity advertising.

 

.

 

As always, good point.

[greatam]

What should have gone after the start of the fare codes:

 

Q Economy - 6th tier economy

Economy-Consolidator fare for travel ex-Europe

W Economy-Air/sea fares (cruise+flight packages)

O Economy-Consolidator fares; no miles

 

 

So you could get a Q ticket that was either a PUBLISHED fare or a consolidator ticket, as well as other anomalies. Choice Air could not/would not provide the fare rules to guarantee what I was buying. The most telling part in the wording below is the "reissued or revalidated for another carrier or routing". In essence you are STUCK with the originating carrier. Arrive 10 minutes late and you mis-connect on your original carrier. But airline XXX has a flight leaving in an hour which WILL get you to your destination on time. Sorry, you are STUCK with your tickets on the ORIGINAL carrier. That is the nature of 95% of the cruise air tickets sold. And until you can read the ENTIRE fare rules and find either wording ENDORSING your ticket or omission of the reroutable/revalidation/non endorsable wording, you are STUCK.

 

"Airline tickets we issue are highly restrictive and you may find that your ticket cannot be exchanged, reissued or revalidated for another carrier or routing. Once your ticket has been issued, any changes to the ticket you request us to make shall be at our discretion and a fee may apply for each such change. You may be able to make changes by contacting the airline directly and any changes or fees imposed shall be borne by you. If you cancel your cruise after air tickets have been issued, you may be subject to airline cancellation fees."

[just G]

After going back and reading all the posts again, including ones I missed :confused::confused:, I am more confused than ever. Was it Celebrity that helped albeit in the background, or was it simply Mr. Garcia going above and beyond on Delta's behalf? I suppose I will never really know. If there is Delta rep out there - perhaps he/she could tell me.

[greatam]

After going back and reading all the posts again, including ones I missed :confused::confused:, I am more confused than ever. Was it Celebrity that helped albeit in the background, or was it simply Mr. Garcia going above and beyond on Delta's behalf? I suppose I will never really know. If there is Delta rep out there - perhaps he/she could tell me.

 

Delta. You found Mr Garcia who had the authority to make things happen.

 

Again, read your cruise contract. Celebrity has NO obligation or responsibility to get you to the ship. It is ENTIRELY up to the airline/hotel/tour/transfer company to make things happen. Celebrity MAY intervene somewhat when there are 40-50+ passengers on a single plane. And even in that scenario, they would have limited impact other than to negotiate with the airline to negate the rules of the tickets (ticket changes would most likely come out of the cruise lines pocket) They do not have the personnel in the air sea dept to take care of individual passengers and they have NO responsibility/liability to do so. EXACTLY why when you called Celebrity they told you to call/deal with Delta. You were the recipient of OUTSTANDING, above and beyond Delta customer service/goodwill.