Regent Flights - with and without deviation

[annmarz]

I am not an experienced Regent cruiser (yet) but I have flown on LATAM several times and liked them.  No complaints.

[Gilly]

19 hours ago, pappy1022 said:

Regent wouldn’t allow a direct BA flight without a significant upcharge.

That's especially annoying when BA fly direct LHR - Austin.  When we flew that route they were using a nice new A350 with the Club Suites too. But that was pre-CV and a lot has changed since then. *sigh*

[sheldondusty]

12 hours ago, daetchief said:

‘Regent’ is in a similar commerce. They’re selling you a CRUISE and they’re providing you the MEANS to get to and from it. They’re not selling an airline experience.

I see what you're saying but I feel what they are ADVERTISING is a door-to-door, luxury experience.  We have booked a concierge suite, this isn't a mega ship cruise line, I felt we were purchasing a curated, individualized experience. I found two reasonable flights for our scenario and assumed they would book us on those flights. we did get the one on the way out to the cruise.  I was certainly not expecting to have to change plans twice, overnight, on the way back. There were seats available on the route that required one change of plane, but that was outside their discount fare arrangement and they wouldn't give it to us. That's not what I expected from a concierge suite cruise itinerary. However, now I know better. 

[1982CruzStart]

16 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

Let’s see, the foreign carriers that I could’ve chosen for my flights from Austin to Buenos Aires, and returning from Santiago Chile to Austin were:

COPA,

LATAM

Aeromexico

Air Canada (have read LOTS of complaints)

Aerolineas Argentina (used to have a terrible rep. I avoid)

LAN Chile (used to be great. Maybe still is)

 

for the benefit of others, who might also be looking to customize their flights to South America, would you experienced Regent cruisers recommend any or all of the above carriers?

Thx!

We did a South American cruise this past winter. We flew on Air Canada (our choice) and in business class their service is great and the pod configuration (IMHO) is ideal for getting some rest. 

 

Our only complaint is that we picked the wrong flight home from Toronto.  AC changed planes and we were not flying one of the planes with pods. It was the old BC configuration and it was not great, service or comfort.  To be fair this was our 2nd flight after several hours from Santiago to Toronto so we probably weren't as open to change at that point as we might have been if we were just flying across the country home or we had been forewarned before we started the flights. 

 

We had people on our plane that left Montreal that were routed by Regent from Florida up to Montreal and then onto BA with a stopover in Sao Paulo.  They were good sports about the whole thing.

[pappy1022]

13 hours ago, Gilly said:

That's especially annoying when BA fly direct LHR - Austin.  When we flew that route they were using a nice new A350 with the Club Suites too. But that was pre-CV and a lot has changed since then. *sigh*

I know, but we are flying BA from Austin to Copenhagen via London with no upcharge. They’re isn’t a direct flight to Copenhagen from Austin.

[Gilly]

10 hours ago, pappy1022 said:

I know, but we are flying BA from Austin to Copenhagen via London with no upcharge.

Oh sorry....wrong end of the stick here!!  

[pappy1022]

Gilly, you were correct in your initial response. Our cruise ends in London. We are flying from London to Austin. BA does have a direct flight as does Virgin Atlantic. Regent wouldn’t put me on the BA flight without a significant upcharge. They did give me a direct flight on Virgin Atlantic with no upcharge even though if you look at the online prices, Virgin was significantly more expensive than BA for a business class seat. Who knows why but I am good with a direct flight with Virgin Airlines. Given what I have been reading recently, some people are having to make 2 stops to get home so I can’t complain about my arrangements.

[Gray Lady]

I have a question about ITA Matrix and flight deviation. When researching flights before calling Regent Air, should I look at complete trips or one way/each way? Does it even matter? We will be flying in to Barcelona and leaving from Rome. Is it better to look at the same airline each way or is that immaterial? I have more questions, but will ask after seeing if anyone has any knowledge about this. Thanks!

[rallydave]

6 hours ago, Gray Lady said:

I have a question about ITA Matrix and flight deviation. When researching flights before calling Regent Air, should I look at complete trips or one way/each way? Does it even matter? We will be flying in to Barcelona and leaving from Rome. Is it better to look at the same airline each way or is that immaterial? I have more questions, but will ask after seeing if anyone has any knowledge about this. Thanks!

Itamatrix gives you multiple ways to search. You are flying what is called open jaw. You need to search multiple flights not one way and not round trip as neither work for open jaw. You will see pricing for multiple airlines as well as both directions and thus you will be able to see using different airlines as well as a single airline so you will see all kinds of combinations. Thus only gives you an idea of regrnt might offer as regent has contracts that you can’t see anywhere 

 

sometimes a single airline will have the lowest price while sometimes multiple airlines have the lowest. No rhyme or reason. Hope this helps but you only know for sure once regrnt responds. 

[jeb_bud]

My experience has been that if I search for flights on an open-jaw itinerary my selection for the first flight determines which flights are displayed for the return leg. I have selected from dozens of choices for the outbound trip and been presented as few as four choices for the return home. 
 

I now search each direction as a one-way trip to get the maximum number of options. I don’t think Regent Air cares one way or the other. When I was a young man a round trip was always cheaper than two one-ways. In today’s world it doesn’t seem to make as much of a difference. 

[1982CruzStart]

Once you find itineraries on ITAMatrix, it is a good idea to go to the individual airline websites and make sure that the airline is showing that the lowest business class fare is available for those specfic flights.  In the letter from Regent it recommended that we request itineraries that show non-refundable or lowest business class fares as that is the class of fare that they have contracts for. If the flight you are looking at has only refundable fares available it is likely that Regent won't have that flight available for you. 

[Gray Lady]

rallydave, jeb_bud, and CruzStart, thank you so much for the info. I have learned a lot from you in previous posts and appreciate your sharing. I have a few questions on airports and airlines, but will wait until it is closer to our deviation date. I want to have the latest info available on flights. One thing we are seriously considering is arriving in Barcelona a day prior to the date for our land tour. From all the snafus with airlines, plus the flight from CA, an extra day should be a good thing to allow us to get our bodies acclimated to the new time zone. Would this be something you all would agree with? We can just book an extra night with Regent (I know more expensive, but so much easier for transportation, etc.). Thanks again!

[jeb_bud]

Planning to arrive a day early sounds like a great idea. Traveling to and from our Athens to Istanbul cruise in May I had booked flights with what I thought was ample connection times and still it was dumb luck that we didn’t get delayed. Late arrivals were thankfully matched with delayed departures. Until the air travel industry gets straightened out we will always add time before cruises with intercontinental flights. 

[Gray Lady]

Yes, another question for my “flight deviation” friends. Does anyone know if it matters that the flight to your European destination is on two different airlines for flight deviation? Many of the flights shown on “The Matrix” are airlines with alliances, such as United and Swiss Air, Delta and Air Canada, etc. It is rare to find a flight from SF to Barcelona with the same airline. Most change airlines at your stopover. Turkish Airlines is an exception, but they all go through Istanbul. Any advantage either way? This will save me time when going through flights and looking for non-refundable business fares. Thank you! 

[jeb_bud]

If you fly out of SFO and connect at another North American airport before flying over the ocean you may wind up in a coach seat on the domestic flight, especially if you change airlines. 
 

When we flew SFO-EWR-BCN in 2019 I requested that routing with the proviso that I only wanted it if the domestic leg was in first or business class. It helped that both flight were on United. United-Lufthansa in May also got us the domestic first class. Other combinations I don’t know. 

[Gray Lady]

12 minutes ago, jeb_bud said:

If you fly out of SFO and connect at another North American airport before flying over the ocean you may wind up in a coach seat on the domestic flight, especially if you change airlines. 
 

When we flew SFO-EWR-BCN in 2019 I requested that routing with the proviso that I only wanted it if the domestic leg was in first or business class. It helped that both flight were on United. United-Lufthansa in May also got us the domestic first class. Other combinations I don’t know. 

Thank you. We are hoping to get to Europe, maybe even Toronto, before changing planes but that all depends on the pricing and Regent availability.. Also we are trying to avoid the “awful four” European airports of Frankfort, Charles de Gaulle, Heathrow, and Amsterdam. Most of the one way flights I have been looking at list partner airlines like United/Lufthansa or Delta/Air Canada. Lots of moving parts to put together. Coming home (from Rome) we would like to switch flights in Europe and then straight to SFO. I will make it a point if there is a domestic stop, to try and stay with the same airlines. 

[annapolitan369]

We flew Turkish Airlines Dulles to Athens for our Regent cruise.  The Turkish business class was excellent, the lounge in Istanbul is great, but it is a long walk from most of the gates when changing planes.  I would take the longer flight thru Istanbul on Turkish again, rather than have the chaos of most major European airports if going to Athens.

[wcsdkqh]

Whatever you do, be flexible and don't be afraid of code share designations. My wife and I and another couple, are booked on a 14 day Athens to Rome Cruise with a 3 day pre-cruise land program in Athens this fall. Our initial requests for Delta flights out of Birmingham, AL and Mobile, AL connecting in Atlanta, and returning from Rome also connecting in Atlanta to Birmingham and Mobile were basically offered with a very significant up charge. It was suggested by TA to look at the same flights the day prior. We were offered the same flights, a day earlier, with no up charge. Both couples booked first class to Atlanta from Birmingham and Mobile. My Atlanta to Athens tickets are on a KLM flight (operated by Delta) and the other couple booked on the same flight, except it was the actual Delta flight Atlanta to Athens. Return flights are all Delta Rome to Atlanta and then on to Birmingham and Mobile. Go figure.

[Gray Lady]

1 hour ago, annapolitan369 said:

We flew Turkish Airlines Dulles to Athens for our Regent cruise.  The Turkish business class was excellent, the lounge in Istanbul is great, but it is a long walk from most of the gates when changing planes.  I would take the longer flight thru Istanbul on Turkish again, rather than have the chaos of most major European airports if going to Athens.

Annapolitan, in your opinion, a Turkish flight from SFO to Istanbul and then switching planes for Barcelona is a good option? I have read the airport is very large, but if one is staying on Turkish it is much easier. We also plan to go a day earlier than our arrival date for pre-cruise 3 day tour. The reverse is also an option from Rome to SFO.

[annapolitan369]

Gray Lady,

It's a short flight from Istanbul to Athens, but much longer to Barcelona.  I would't take that long route to Istanbul if I were going to Barcelona.  Also, in Istanbul, if you are going to take advantage of the business class lounge, it is really a long walk from most gates used by Turkish Air, both ways when you are changing planes. 

[Gray Lady]

3 hours ago, annapolitan369 said:

We flew Turkish Airlines Dulles to Athens for our Regent cruise.  The Turkish business class was excellent, the lounge in Istanbul is great, but it is a long walk from most of the gates when changing planes.  I would take the longer flight thru Istanbul on Turkish again, rather than have the chaos of most major European airports if going to Athens.

 

11 minutes ago, annapolitan369 said:

Gray Lady,

It's a short flight from Istanbul to Athens, but much longer to Barcelona.  I would't take that long route to Istanbul if I were going to Barcelona.  Also, in Istanbul, if you are going to take advantage of the business class lounge, it is really a long walk from most gates used by Turkish Air, both ways when you are changing planes. 

Thanks, Annapolitan. I just want to keep that option open if Regent puts that up as option. It is listed the cheapest on the round trip option, but not on the one-way. And who knows with Regent 🤷🏼‍♀️. It is a 3 hour 40 minute flight from Istanbul to Barcelona and has a 2 hr 45 minute layover. I would do that if there was no up charge and other options were pricey. 

[PaisleyMello]

On 7/20/2023 at 8:54 AM, annapolitan369 said:

We flew Turkish Airlines Dulles to Athens for our Regent cruise.  The Turkish business class was excellent, the lounge in Istanbul is great, but it is a long walk from most of the gates when changing planes.  I would take the longer flight thru Istanbul on Turkish again, rather than have the chaos of most major European airports if going to Athens.

Annapolitan,

Was this flight through Regent? Do they contract with Turkish Airlines?

TIA

 

[annapolitan369]

PaisleyMello, I booked this flight myself, it was very reasonable priced.  In fact, the roundtrip Dulles, Istanbul-Athens was priced lower than the round trip just to Istanbul on the same plane.  I don't know if Regent contracts with Turkish Airlines.

[loriva]

13 hours ago, PaisleyMello said:

Annapolitan,

Was this flight through Regent? Do they contract with Turkish Airlines?

TIA

 

 

Regent does have a contract with Turkish Airlines.  At least I was offered their flights when trying to determine an itinerary for a cruise next year. 

 

Regent may not have seats on all flights, however, or the airline may have sold all the seats in the restricted class for the contract.  When we lost our flight due to a hurricane last year, we had to wait three days until there were flights with the correct fare category for rebooking by Regent.

[PaisleyMello]

9 minutes ago, loriva said:

 

Regent does have a contract with Turkish Airlines.  At least I was offered their flights when trying to determine an itinerary for a cruise next year. 

 

Regent may not have seats on all flights, however, or the airline may have sold all the seats in the restricted class for the contract.  When we lost our flight due to a hurricane last year, we had to wait three days until there were flights with the correct fare category for rebooking by Regent.

Thank you! I appreciate your response