Princess Air Deviation Fee

[CTGirl]

We are flying into Honolulu and home from Tahiti in November for a cruise on the Royal Princess. We are going 2 days early. We found that Princess offered the best rates by far so we are using Princess Air after a four year hiatus from it. We are paying $75 per person to go 2 days early. We already have our flights and seats for the first leg. The problem is the second leg - coming home. Princess is saying that they won't have the outbound flights until final booking. They are also saying that if we want to pick our seats we will have to pay another $75 per person. I always thought the deviation fee covered all the flights. Does anyone have experience with this situation? Thanks in advance for you comments.

[Toto2Kansas]

Hummmm, that's strange, never heard of having to pay extra to choose your seats. I know at times, with Air Tahiti Nui, it can be difficult to reserve seats in advance. In fact, last fall was the first time I was able to do this. When I called ATN they told me no, but by the time I got back to my computer, they had already changed my seats for me to two on the side (we were not able to choose exact seats though and have never been able to do this when flying on ATN).

 

Since you paid the deviation fee, were you able to choose which ATN flight you would prefer to be on also? You should be able to request the earlier (around 10-10:30 or the later flights 11:00-11:30) after paying the fee.

 

Unless things have changed recently, this just doesn't sound right to me not knowing what flight you will be on for the return. I think I would be calling back and speaking with the air department, in fact, I might call back several times to see if I got a different answer each time.

 

We recently ran into a problem with Princess over air fare on a B2B (Hawaii/Tahiti/Tahiti), and it took the better part of a week to get it straightend out as they kept saying what we wanted to do was not allowed, when it was. Finally, they made the change, but it took at least 6 calls from our TA and even speaking with the head of the air department didn't help. Thankfully, we got the mess straightened out thanks to someone on our roll call that was doing the same with their flights.

[CTGirl]

Thanks Toto, I'm working through my TA. She said the Princess said that they did not have the return flights yet and we could not book them until final payment. I talked to someone on my roll call. She paid just the $75 and has all her flights. I told my TA about that and I have her checking again. I just wondered if the deviation fee should cover both sets of flights.

[kruisey]

We are flying into Honolulu and home from Tahiti in November for a cruise on the Royal Princess. We are going 2 days early. We found that Princess offered the best rates by far so we are using Princess Air after a four year hiatus from it. We are paying $75 per person to go 2 days early. We already have our flights and seats for the first leg. The problem is the second leg - coming home. Princess is saying that they won't have the outbound flights until final booking. They are also saying that if we want to pick our seats we will have to pay another $75 per person. I always thought the deviation fee covered all the flights. Does anyone have experience with this situation? Thanks in advance for you comments.

If you phone the one time to book both ends then its just $75.

On the other hand if deviate the outbound flite one day then phone for the inward flite the next or any other day you will have to pay an additional $75 .

[CTGirl]

If you phone the one time to book both ends then its just $75.

On the other hand if deviate the outbound flite one day then phone for the inward flite the next or any other day you will have to pay an additional $75 .

Maybe that's why. The phone call for both ends was made just once but Princess is claiming the returns are not available to book yet, hence another phone call would be needed. But wouldn't you think that since we asked for both ends in that one phone call they would just charge us once?

[Toto2Kansas]

Maybe that's why. The phone call for both ends was made just once but Princess is claiming the returns are not available to book yet, hence another phone call would be needed. But wouldn't you think that since we asked for both ends in that one phone call they would just charge us once?

 

I would continue to push this issue with Princess. Hopefully your TA will go to bat for you and get them to OK the deviation on the other end also. Good Luck!

[Colo Cruiser]

They should not charge you twice.

[kruisey]

Maybe that's why. The phone call for both ends was made just once but Princess is claiming the returns are not available to book yet, hence another phone call would be needed. But wouldn't you think that since we asked for both ends in that one phone call they would just charge us once?

Then if you wonted to deviate both ends Princess may be, should have informed you to call back at the time both sections were available .Then it would have been charged only $75.

You have a point and has already been suggested,I feel Princess will see your point of view in the end on this one.. You should only pay the $75 only..

[CTGirl]

Thanks everyone for all your comments. I will let you know what I found out.

[CTGirl]

I wanted to post back to give you all an update. We found out that the reason they could not book our return was that Air Tahiti had not opened their bookings yet to Princess. We were told originally that it would cost us an additional $75 to book that but my TA called again after I told her what all of you said and Princess finally agreed to not charge us the additional $75 when the booking opened. I now have all my flights at no additional cost.

 

I do have an another related problem that maybe you can shed some light on. Our outbound and return flights are all on United except for the ATN flight. I have a record locator for the United flights but I cannot acces the record when I plug it in to the United system. I was told it is something to do with it being a group booking. I always thought that if you do the deviation you can then get a record locator and monitor your flights and change your seats if you want. I like to be able to access my flights. I'm also worried that if I cannot call up the record, I won't be able to print out boarding passes or have any record of a ticket. I just don't know what to expect so for all of you who have done deviations could you please share your experiences.

 

Thanks so much.

[paul929207]

Shelly,

 

We just got back from and OAT trip to SE Asia. Tickets were group tickets thru the tour company. All flights were on United. I was able to access the records with the locator code and get the seats we wanted.

[CruisinEars]

To access your flights booked through Princess, you can go to virtuallythere.com. You will need your locator number to access this site.

[CTGirl]

To access your flights booked through Princess, you can go to virtuallythere.com. You will need your locator number to access this site.

Thank you. I have that but I can't see how I can change seats or check in online using it. Do you know if there is a way to do that? If I can, that will solve my little problem. Thanks again.

[CruisinEars]

The only way to check in and do seat res. is to go directly though the airline. The other website is to access your itinerary and receipt. I can't say why the airline is not showing your record locator.

[Toto2Kansas]

Thank you. I have that but I can't see how I can change seats or check in online using it. Do you know if there is a way to do that? If I can, that will solve my little problem. Thanks again.

 

We called the airline directly to have seat assignments changed. They then immediately showed up on the virtuallythere.com site

There is no way to change or get seating asssignments on the virtually there site itself. ;)

[CTGirl]

The only way to check in and do seat res. is to go directly though the airline. The other website is to access your itinerary and receipt. I can't say why the airline is not showing your record locator.

I am trying to find out if it is a problem with the airline or with Princess. So far no luck but I have several months to resolve the issue.

 

We called the airline directly to have seat assignments changed. They then immediately showed up on the virtuallythere.com site

There is no way to change or get seating asssignments on the virtually there site itself. ;)

How did you check in?

[Woobstr112G]

We are flying into Honolulu and home from Tahiti in November for a cruise on the Royal Princess. We are going 2 days early. We found that Princess offered the best rates by far so we are using Princess Air after a four year hiatus from it. We are paying $75 per person to go 2 days early. We already have our flights and seats for the first leg. The problem is the second leg - coming home. Princess is saying that they won't have the outbound flights until final booking. They are also saying that if we want to pick our seats we will have to pay another $75 per person. I always thought the deviation fee covered all the flights. Does anyone have experience with this situation? Thanks in advance for you comments.

 

Hmmmm;

 

I got charged twice when I upgraded to business class then changed the departure dates (a month later) to include a two day stay in Paris. It does seem strange that Princess would charge you the deviation fee for just picking seats.....:confused::confused::confused:

 

Bob

[CTGirl]

Hmmmm;

 

I got charged twice when I upgraded to business class then changed the departure dates (a month later) to include a two day stay in Paris. It does seem strange that Princess would charge you the deviation fee for just picking seats.....:confused::confused::confused:

 

Bob

Yes I agree. Apparently there was a "miscommunication" on the part of Princess. They were going to charge me twice because the transaction would have been over more than one day because the second leg of my journey was not available yet to Princess when my TA made the initial call. When we called again and pushed a bit they paired the two legs and did not charge us double.

[Toto2Kansas]

How did you check in?

 

For the flights to Hawaii before the cruise, we were able to check in online at that particular airlines site, in this case, Continental, (our booking number to log onto the Continental's site were on our Princess Personalizer after the flights had been assigned.. In fact, since we did a pre-nite stay in LAX before flying to Honolulu, I had to check in with my netbook while at the airport for the flight to Hawaii within the 24 hour time frame. I also did the luggage check and pre-paid less for my checked bags that way.

For our flight home from Papeete, we did not have to check in with ATN in Tahiti until we reached the airport. And I arranged SW flights from LAX to MCI where we paid the $10 fee to have them check in for us. ;) The flights to and from LAX we arranged privately, and only booked the flight from LAX to Honolulu and the flights from Papeete back to Lax through Princess.

[Susie Cruise]

I do have an another related problem that maybe you can shed some light on. Our outbound and return flights are all on United except for the ATN flight. I have a record locator for the United flights but I cannot acces the record when I plug it in to the United system. I was told it is something to do with it being a group booking. I always thought that if you do the deviation you can then get a record locator and monitor your flights and change your seats if you want. I like to be able to access my flights. I'm also worried that if I cannot call up the record, I won't be able to print out boarding passes or have any record of a ticket. I just don't know what to expect so for all of you who have done deviations could you please share your experiences.

 

Thanks so much.

 

Call United to make sure it is a United locator number. I've had code share flights where the two airlines had different locator numbers.

[CTGirl]

Call United to make sure it is a United locator number. I've had code share flights where the two airlines had different locator numbers.

Thanks, Yes I've had that situation before but this is not the case. I do have a United locator number. They show me in their system.

 

For the flights to Hawaii before the cruise, we were able to check in online at that particular airlines site, in this case, Continental, (our booking number to log onto the Continental's site were on our Princess Personalizer after the flights had been assigned.. In fact, since we did a pre-nite stay in LAX before flying to Honolulu, I had to check in with my netbook while at the airport for the flight to Hawaii within the 24 hour time frame. I also did the luggage check and pre-paid less for my checked bags that way.

For our flight home from Papeete, we did not have to check in with ATN in Tahiti until we reached the airport. And I arranged SW flights from LAX to MCI where we paid the $10 fee to have them check in for us. ;) The flights to and from LAX we arranged privately, and only booked the flight from LAX to Honolulu and the flights from Papeete back to Lax through Princess.

Thanks Toto. This is very helpful.

 

While both of you were posting I was on the phone with Princess. I was very lucky because I got someone who used to be in the air department. She told me that my flights were not ticketed yet. She said I should be able to see them in my cruise personalizer once they announce them (I think that was the term she used) and they should be ticketed somewhere between 75 and 30 days out. She said I should have no problem checking in online once the flights are ticketed. Hopefully, once thy are ticketed I will be able to see them on United's website. I guess I was just tooo early for all of this. The flights are in November. Now I will wait a few months.

 

Thank you everyone for all your help.

[Toto2Kansas]

CT-Just make sure to keep checking. To change the Seat Assignments on ATN you need to be right there to jump on them as soon as Princess posts your flights. They only assign so many seats before check in at the airport for the return flight, so if you snooze you loose on this one. Otherwise, you will be at their mercy as to where you will be sitting on the flight. Most seat assignments on the trips we have taken back from PPT have been in the 4 across sections..

Last fall when I called, I didn't care where we sat, but wanted the 2 across seating, as the planes are 2 X 4 X 2. They told me there were none available, and I would have to check at the airport in Papeete. BUT, I went directly back to my computer, and they had swtiched our seats in 4 across to 2 across, so we got lucky. Normally, when we don't catch them the moment they are assigned, we are stuck in those middle 4 across seats, which aren't wanywhere as comfortable as the 2 across are.

 

We ran into a similar problem with Continental last year, what you posted jogged my memory. Our flights showed up for almost three weeks under our name, but they just kept saying they had 'not been ticketed yet'. So, we had to wait for any seat assignment changes until they had been ticketed. I had totally forgotten about that one.

 

Glad you found you were just too early for your flights to open up on your Personalizer with the booking number, that explains that mystery. ;)

[CTGirl]

CT-Just make sure to keep checking. To change the Seat Assignments on ATN you need to be right there to jump on them as soon as Princess posts your flights. They only assign so many seats before check in at the airport for the return flight, so if you snooze you loose on this one. Otherwise, you will be at their mercy as to where you will be sitting on the flight. Most seat assignments on the trips we have taken back from PPT have been in the 4 across sections..

Last fall when I called, I didn't care where we sat, but wanted the 2 across seating, as the planes are 2 X 4 X 2. They told me there were none available, and I would have to check at the airport in Papeete. BUT, I went directly back to my computer, and they had swtiched our seats in 4 across to 2 across, so we got lucky. Normally, when we don't catch them the moment they are assigned, we are stuck in those middle 4 across seats, which aren't wanywhere as comfortable as the 2 across are.

 

We ran into a similar problem with Continental last year, what you posted jogged my memory. Our flights showed up for almost three weeks under our name, but they just kept saying they had 'not been ticketed yet'. So, we had to wait for any seat assignment changes until they had been ticketed. I had totally forgotten about that one.

 

Glad you found you were just too early for your flights to open up on your Personalizer with the booking number, that explains that mystery. ;)

Thanks Toto, I will keep this in mind. I am very particular about my seats. I prefer the 2 together in a 2 X 4 X 2 set up and then I prefer the two where my left arm is in the Isles. Did you call ATN yourself to change the seats? Or can you do it online?

[Toto2Kansas]

Thanks Toto, I will keep this in mind. I am very particular about my seats. I prefer the 2 together in a 2 X 4 X 2 set up and then I prefer the two where my left arm is in the Isles. Did you call ATN yourself to change the seats? Or can you do it online?

 

I had to call ATN, no way to do this online that we have ever found. But having them assign you a seat on the side you prefer is going to be plain old luck, would be my guess. By the time they actually ticket your flights and show your seating assignments, usually, all of the side seats (2) are taken. We got very lucky this last time, out of 4 flights flying back from Papeete, the rest we were stuck in the middle and no way to change the seating as there were absolutely none on the side to be had. They don't ticket your flights until way late, which leaves very very few options for changing seats. Each flight we have taken back from Papeete have been totally packed without one extra seat left empty. Good luck though, I hope you get lucky.

[CTGirl]

I had to call ATN, no way to do this online that we have ever found. But having them assign you a seat on the side you prefer is going to be plain old luck, would be my guess. By the time they actually ticket your flights and show your seating assignments, usually, all of the side seats (2) are taken. We got very lucky this last time, out of 4 flights flying back from Papeete, the rest we were stuck in the middle and no way to change the seating as there were absolutely none on the side to be had. They don't ticket your flights until way late, which leaves very very few options for changing seats. Each flight we have taken back from Papeete have been totally packed without one extra seat left empty. Good luck though, I hope you get lucky.

Thanks Toto. I will keep my fingers crossed from now until the time we are ticketed.