Any options for discount air to Vietnam?

[alexandra cruiser]

I posted this question under river cruise section also,,but maybe someone here could also help.

I booked an AMA river cruise and asked for business air quote,,,got $5400 which was fine,,,now have final price of $8100,,,$3000 more...have tried various website to book on own,,but can t find lower than 7800 which I just can t manage.May also have to pay $795 for AMA cancel for any reason insurance.

So besides paying that or cancelling and still paying fee..any ideas??other websites I may have missed.??.Did book with "travel"agent,,but really "booking" agent and does NOT do air...just thru cruise company.

I m so upset,,,any ideas??PS..have learned a lesson,,,never book before airfares are posted,,,11 mos prior...whew...:confused:

[Gardyloo]

I posted this question under river cruise section also,,but maybe someone here could also help.

I booked an AMA river cruise and asked for business air quote,,,got $5400 which was fine,,,now have final price of $8100,,,$3000 more...have tried various website to book on own,,but can t find lower than 7800 which I just can t manage.May also have to pay $795 for AMA cancel for any reason insurance.

So besides paying that or cancelling and still paying fee..any ideas??other websites I may have missed.??.Did book with "travel"agent,,but really "booking" agent and does NOT do air...just thru cruise company.

I m so upset,,,any ideas??PS..have learned a lesson,,,never book before airfares are posted,,,11 mos prior...whew...:confused:

Can you provide some dates, start/end points, etc.?

[6rugrats]

OP appears to live in Florida. They will be cruising 25 Dec 2012 on AMA Lotus, beginning in Hanoi, and ending on 09 Jan 2013 in Ho Chi Minh City.

 

OP - if you can fly in coach, you can find airfare as low as $2281 on DL and Korean Air. Unfortunately, business class is expensive. I don't see anything lower than ~$7,400 in business class.

 

If you can leave from another US gateway, you can find lower fares. For example, if you left from SFO, you can find seats in premium economy/business mix for as low as $3246.00 (on EVA Air/Vietnam Air). Use the itamatrix page to try different dates and routings.

[Gardyloo]

One line of investigation (you have plenty of time) is to look at Singapore Airlines' round-the-world fare, $5299 in business class plus taxes and fuel surcharges (which could add several hundred, up to a thousand dollars to the total.) You can only use Singapore's planes (oh, what a hardship) so you'd have to fly out of JFK, and pay for the extra cost of getting to New York. Singapore flies from JFK to Frankfurt, then on to Singapore, from which you'd make the short side trips to Vietnam, then from Singapore nonstop to either LA or Newark - both of which require an extra payment, or connect through Hong Kong, Tokyo or Seoul for Singapore's services to LAX or San Francisco, which don't cost extra (but then you'd have to get from the west coast back to Florida.)

 

It's a bit roundabout (ha ha) but it's exceptionally good value for business class, and on one of the best airlines in the world.

 

You'd probably need a competent travel agent to help with this, although you could phone Singapore Airlines and see if they have a staff person who could walk you through it. When you speak to an agent (or the SQ rep) mention their RTW product with the fare code "CEZSQ."

[6rugrats]

One line of investigation (you have plenty of time) is to look at Singapore Airlines' round-the-world fare, $5299 in business class plus taxes and fuel surcharges (which could add several hundred, up to a thousand dollars to the total.)

 

Good idea, and one I never think of!

[alexandra cruiser]

and appreciate the feedback,,that s MUCH better,,,rather spend a few extra hours,,than a few thousand dollars,,or cancel trip...CC really can help out...:)

[alexandra cruiser]

and flight times,,BUT,,,did research all the internet sites AGAIN,,and found $5400 pp on www.ch----poair.com,,,had checked this 3 wks before and gone down $2000,,whew,,now I can go..yea.:)

[frugaltravel]

and flight times,,BUT,,,did research all the internet sites AGAIN,,and found $5400 pp on www.ch----poair.com,,,had checked this 3 wks before and gone down $2000,,whew,,now I can go..yea.:)

 

Wow I hope you have searched "che..opair reviews" since I think your biggest lesson learned won't be what you posted earlier - "learned a lesson,,,never book before airfares are posted,,,11 mos prior." It will be the booking source for your airline tickets. Whatever you do, do NOT buy travel insurance through the cruiseline. That won't help you with cheapo whatsoever if you have problems.

 

Personally I would never use that site no matter how cheap it is. Well, if they gave me a flight for free....

[6rugrats]

OP - suggest you go to tripadvisor.com to the air forum and do a search for threads discussing cheapoair.com. You may not be so excited after that. Understand what you are purchasing before you buy it.

[alexandra cruiser]

I was indeed booked and pick seats...and I DID buy the cruise insurance,,,just pray I dont need it..someone told me about this site,,never did check myself..will just have to hope for best..

Boy,,this has been a real "learning" experience..:confused:

[frugaltravel]

I was indeed booked and pick seats...and I DID buy the cruise insurance,,,just pray I dont need it..someone told me about this site,,never did check myself..will just have to hope for best..

Boy,,this has been a real "learning" experience..:confused:

 

Used a site for airplane tickets that is known to be the most customer-unfriendly. Bought travel insurance through the cruise line, which is a waste of money if anything goes wrong with your flights or anything non-cruise related.

 

I don't say this often, but maybe you need a travel agent. Their fees (no matter what they might charge) would be a bargain vs. what you will end up paying if there is any hiccup in your travels.

[FlyerTalker]

No one suggested that you paid money and didn't get a ticket. It's just that you have a very restrictive consolidator ticket, sold by a company with a history of problem. Do you, even now, really know what you bought?

 

Now, does the insurance cover all of the issues that may arise from conso air? Or did you just get the generic cruiseline-issued policy? Do you know what your policy is covering?

 

Between your cruise and air, you have an outlay equal to a car. Would you have bought a car with the same amount of due diligence and research?

 

If all goes well, you will have a great time. If you have hiccups, I wish you luck.

[greatam]

and flight times,,BUT,,,did research all the internet sites AGAIN,,and found $5400 pp on www.ch----poair.com,,,had checked this 3 wks before and gone down $2000,,whew,,now I can go..yea.:)

 

I'm with frugaltravel on this one. You picked THE WORST consolidator out there to buy your tickets. Did you read the FINE PRINT??? You would be totally ASTOUNDED if you read the terms and conditions.

 

They charge you if you cancel BUT do not guarantee the cancellation (what a hoot). Even IF the airline is willing to give you a credit for unused airfare minus any change fees, Cheapo MAY NOT have cancelled your flight so you are out ALL your money. And you did not buy a refundable ticket (they don't sell any), which a good portion of business class fares are.

 

AND the other real biggie with Cheapo-Example: Your plane is scheduled to leave at 2PM. BUT the airline moves the schedule up by 4 hours to 10AM (you are still on the ship or have NO chance of getting to the airport to make the flight). Sorry, you are just SOL. Flight XXX is still flying, just 4 hours earlier. So sorry you can't make it. And thanks for the money!!!

 

You better buy an insurance policy OTHER than the one associated with the cruise line. I seriously doubt ANY cruise line policy will include air, excursions, hotels, etc. that are NOT provided by the cruise line.

 

And check out the med evac portion of the cruise line policy. I have spent a lot of time in Vietnam/Cambodia for business. The ONLY hospital I would even go to in Vietnam is the expat (Aussie/Kiwi) hospital in Saigon (and actually had to make my way there when I became acutely ill in Cambodia one time. My own insurance company wanted to evac me to Japan). IF you get sick or injured in Cambodia or North Vietnam, there may not be enough on the med evac portion to get you to a decent hospital.

 

I wish you well. Vietnam is simply a fascinating country.

 

Just a shame as there were so many other options to get you to Vietnam with a ticket direct from an airline that would protect you in case of glitches. But when you ONLY look at the price and don't know what you are buying, you leave yourself wide open to have your trip ruined.

 

Good luck.