Regarding air fares for State-side bookings

[navylark]

I've noticed in a few threads that US residents have commented along the lines that recent Transatlantic deals are 'killed' due to the airfares

In my experience all such offers intended for UK residents are available air fare inclusive and are indeed 'great deals'

So do US deals for Europe cruises never include the air flight element.

I do know that single leg flights are for some reason crazily expensive.

Many thanks

Navylark

[Ray66]

In my experience all such offers intended for UK residents are available air fare inclusive and are indeed 'great deals'

 

The UK TA fares which are the same price with or without flights are full price fares.

 

When the prices are reduced nearer to the time, the fares are more if you take a flight.

[Underwatr]

You can obtain pricing through the cruise line for an air add-on, but in my experience it's never been a good deal compared to booking your own air.

 

Returning home from a transatlantic cruise is problematic, but there are a couple of European carriers (Aer Lingus, IcelandAir) that price flights fairly on a one-way basis (i.e., the one-way flight is half their round trip fare). So a flight back to JFK might be on the order of $700.

[3rdGenCunarder]

The UK TA fares which are the same price with or without flights are full price fares.

 

When the prices are reduced nearer to the time, the fares are more if you take a flight.

 

Really? I didn't know that. So if you book BtB, do they discount the fare since you won't be using their air add-on?

 

I've booked one-way air with Cunard a couple of times for WB TAs, and didn't find the price to be too high.

[Jimsgirl]

I have never known the air fare to be included in USA prices, even air add ons are

"iffy".

 

First you have to be willing to travel to a Cunard designated airport , not always the one nearest to your domicile.

Second you have to accept their schedule. Recently I enquired re Cunard air from Florida (Fort Myers airport on the Gulf coast side of the state 30 miles from my home)), told it would have be Orlando, or Tampa (100miles and 160 miles away), the route would then be flying to Chicago/Detroit , change planes wait for 2 hours, then to Los Angeles. All this in the middle of winter!

There are flights that go Ft Myers to Houston to LAX all in the south and would not be affected by snow or ice, but Cunard does not use these.

 

I just do not understand the mental process at HO that thinks passengers would wish to travel from Florida north to the Canadian border then all the way back south to LAX.

 

Bet Mr Shanks would not do that.

[Jim Avery]

Really? I didn't know that. So if you book BtB, do they discount the fare since you won't be using their air add-on?

 

I've booked one-way air with Cunard a couple of times for WB TAs, and didn't find the price to be too high.

 

You are fortunate, air fare wise, in that you live in THE major air market for the US. You have access to flights and fares out of JFK & Newark that are but a dream for us out here in the Boonies.:eek: Even the above mentioned carriers one way flights cost more than the 7/8 days on Cunard. Just cant seem to justify that even though we could afford it if we wanted to. :eek:

[Ray66]

Really? I didn't know that. So if you book BtB, do they discount the fare since you won't be using their air add-on?

 

I've booked one-way air with Cunard a couple of times for WB TAs, and didn't find the price to be too high.

 

Some examples for balcony cabins:

 

25th May 2013 WB: £1,539 with or without airfare

25th May 2013 B2B: £2,069

 

20th July 2013 WB: £1,709 with or without air fare

20th July 2013 B2B: £2,399

 

15th December 2012 WB: Voyage only £1,069 (Getaway: £569)

15th December 2012 WB: Voyage with air fare £1,299 (Getaway: £799)

[3rdGenCunarder]

You are fortunate, air fare wise, in that you live in THE major air market for the US. You have access to flights and fares out of JFK & Newark that are but a dream for us out here in the Boonies.:eek: Even the above mentioned carriers one way flights cost more than the 7/8 days on Cunard. Just cant seem to justify that even though we could afford it if we wanted to. :eek:

 

Yes, it's nice to have lots of choices, although if we can't fly out of Newark, we do think things over a bit. We both hate the trip out to JFK. I understand how you feel about the airfare. There are a lot of things I can afford that I just don't think are good value for money. Must be my thrifty Yorkshire heritage. :D

[3rdGenCunarder]

I have never known the air fare to be included in USA prices, even air add ons are

"iffy".

 

First you have to be willing to travel to a Cunard designated airport , not always the one nearest to your domicile.

Second you have to accept their schedule. Recently I enquired re Cunard air from Florida (Fort Myers airport on the Gulf coast side of the state 30 miles from my home)), told it would have be Orlando, or Tampa (100miles and 160 miles away), the route would then be flying to Chicago/Detroit , change planes wait for 2 hours, then to Los Angeles. All this in the middle of winter!

There are flights that go Ft Myers to Houston to LAX all in the south and would not be affected by snow or ice, but Cunard does not use these.

 

I just do not understand the mental process at HO that thinks passengers would wish to travel from Florida north to the Canadian border then all the way back south to LAX.

 

Bet Mr Shanks would not do that.

 

Cunard does allow one free "deviation," but I don't know if that applies to a change in airport. It might be worth looking into. I was able to use my free deviation to choose date and flight time, but I stayed with their carrier. From Newark, they use Virgin Atlantic, and I was OK with that airline. I think if I wanted to choose a different carrier, the deviation would not be free.

 

Routings are just churned out by a computer. If I don't specifiy nonstop flight when I try to book from Newark to somewhere in Europe like Amsterdam, I'll be offered multi-leg trips that fly Newark to Chicago to Amsterdam as well as the straightforward Newark to Amsterdam.

 

And in response to your last sentence. No way would he put up with that. But he probably has his own plane.

[Jim Avery]

Yes, it's nice to have lots of choices, although if we can't fly out of Newark, we do think things over a bit. We both hate the trip out to JFK. I understand how you feel about the airfare. There are a lot of things I can afford that I just don't think are good value for money. Must be my thrifty Yorkshire heritage. :D

 

Might be something to that heritage. My Mum is from Staffordshire.:D

[ba98157643]

With regards to one way flights - have you tried looking at the cost of a return ticket and just not using the return sector - that sometimes works out cheaper...

 

For example - A return ticket LHR / JFK with BA on 10th March returning on 17th March is £471.00

 

A one way going on the 10th Mar is £1014.00

 

It's madness I know....But I know which i'd choose if I was only going one way!!

 

It may be worth looking at that???