A bit concerned about using ChoiceAir

[batoryfirst]

Cruised over 30 times and have never used ChoiceAir. Price for one-way to Barcelona is too good to ignore. I need to hear some success stories before I press the button to book.:)

 

Nancy

[Gonzo70]

You need to know the pros and cons; the savings can be excellent on one way international, but they are NOT the same tickets you would receive if purchasing direct from the airline. The deeply discounted tickets are generally similar to consolidator tickets in terms of the restrictions they carry. If your flight were to be greatly delayed or canceled it would likely be far more of a hassle to be placed on another flight or to be rerouted. If your flight is on time or does not incur a significant delay the tickets will function the same as the much more expensive tickets. As such if you are able to build in ample wiggle room (i.e. arrive at least two days before the cruise), are somewhat resourceful in being assertive and taking charge if things go wrong (Choice Air sometimes seems to be helpful, other times clueless based on people's reports when things go wrong) and minimize connections (as each connection greatly increases the risk of something going wrong) then the financial savings can be worth the risks.

[Leesie6351]

we have used it many times especially for one way transatlantics. the price can't be beat. Once you have booked, you can go to the airline's website and you will see your reservation. If your airline permits seat selection, you can do so. You will get frequent flier miles but usually at a reduced amount-- that's fine with me-- the reduced airfare more than compensates.

 

Just be aware that the claims they will get you to the port on time or make other arrangements for you are not necessarily valid. There have been many posts with horror stories. I don't rely on those promises--just the cheaper fares. We ALWAYS fly in at least one day early especially on international flights. You want to recover from jet lag and allow enough time to get to the ship in case of flight and/or baggage delays.

 

hope this helps

[d4m]

Have had great success with Choice Air. Then again, we get to our destination at least a day or two ahead of time. Savings cannot be better.

 

If you are concerned at all, call Choice Air directly - they have been extremely helpful for us

[CelebrityMan]

We don't often use ChoiceAir for our flights, but we've had good service when we do.

 

We are leaving today for a Baltics cruise aboard Eclipse and they have even booked us Economy Plus seating for our return flight in early August.

 

 

CM

[jerseygirl3]

We used it for a one-way from Philadelphia to Barcelona. The price was great and since we were arriving two days precruise, I wasn't concerned with flight delays. As long as you have built in time, you will be fine.

 

We got to select the flight we wanted (evening, non-stop), and after we booked, I went to USAir's website and selected our seats. We found everything to be great and it didn't seem any different than booking any other way. In fact, the ticket is even refundable (there is a penalty, but still, most airline tickets are not refundable at all).

[hr80126]

We have used them a number of times. Savings always about 50% on United going one way across the pond. Twice we were assigned Economy Plus seats at no extra cost. That made the savings even greater. UA Den to LHR $1200 + economy plus $200 = $1,400. Choice air same exact flights a total of $495 per person. Used them on our next cruise from Sydney and the saved about 45% and also assigned Economy Plus seat at no extra cost on the leg from SFO to SDY.

 

They give you an airline confirmation number almost immediately so you can change or upgrade seats it you want.

 

Hope that helps.

[Baseball fan]

Sounds as if there is good and bad. Fly in at least 2 days early and buy insurance that covers flight delays (among other things).

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[grandgeezer]

If you have concerns, don't use it, it's not worth the worries. We've used it three times, and couldn't be happier. There was a comment about horror stories, but pertaining to the actual flight, I don't remember any. My online TA of choice told us on the Connie last year, that she's been reccomending Choice Air for ten years and have had 0 complaints. Again, if you still have concerns, don't do it.

[happy cruzer]

Sounds as if there is good and bad. Fly in at least 2 days early and buy insurance that covers flight delays (among other things).

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Yes, if you decide to use any cruise lines air, book to arrive a few days early and buy insurance then the savings will be worth it. If arriving a day or two early is not an option then be very carefiul with air fare.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Choice Air on British Air , Toronto to Barcelona , $420 one way

Same flights on British Air website $1700 , one way

Which would you pick

Have used Choice Air on our last 5 cruises to Europe

[waterbug123]

We found everything to be great and it didn't seem any different than booking any other way.

 

Had you experienced any serious fight disruptions, you likely would have seen some differences. As you experienced though, when all goes smoothly you'll never know your ticket is any different.

 

Choice Air on British Air , Toronto to Barcelona , $420 one way

Same flights on British Air website $1700 , one way

Which would you pick

 

Same flights, but likely very different tickets. Again, if all goes well, you'll be unaware of any differences. If all does not go well, then buyer beware.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Had you experienced any serious fight disruptions, you likely would have seen some differences. As you experienced though, when all goes smoothly you'll never know your ticket is any different.

 

 

 

Same flights, but likely very different tickets. Again, if all goes well, you'll be unaware of any differences. If all does not go well, then buyer beware.

 

So you would buy the the $1700 ticket over the $420 one ?

[Gonzo70]

My online TA of choice told us on the Connie last year, that she's been reccomending Choice Air for ten years and have had 0 complaints.

 

Choice Air is fairly new - it was created about three years ago so there is no way she could be recommending it for ten years!

[Gonzo70]

So you would buy the the $1700 ticket over the $420 one ?

 

Personally I would opt for the $420 ticket if I could fly in at least two days early, there was not more than one connection (and there was a long period in between the two legs) and I could find no other alternatives that were reasonably priced that did not involve consolidator type tickets. My overall vacation time and total vacation cost also have to be factored in when considering purchasing risky, highly restricted tickets. I have in the past used Choice Air and will likely use them in the future, but it is with some trepidation as I know there will likely be a lot more stress if my flight is cancelled and I have a deeply discounted ticket than if I had purchased the ticket from the airline.

[RickT]

I've never seen anything get a bad rap like choice air with so few actual complaints to support it. To many "the sky is falling" at the mention of choice air. To others, like myself, it's great.

 

1) Regarding choice air being "consolidator" tickets. In my case my tickets have always been identical to tickets that I would have purchased myself.

2) Does choice air help in the event of a delay? I can't say for sure because the one time a connection was missed, the airline directly had already scheduled me on the next flight.

3) Can choice air really guarantee you'll get to your cruise on time? Of course not, that will depend on available connections.

 

All I know is that when I factor in cost and the service I've received so far I wouldn't hesitate to book using them again. But, just like when I book other tickets, I choose connections and flights that work for me and make me feel comfortable. With my one delay I still made it to the ship on time. Would choice air have taken care of me and gotten me to the ship at the next port? I believe so but will leave that type of response to people who have missed the ship.

 

If you are nervous, use the money you save to pay for a hotel and fly in a day early.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

We have 65 min in London to make a connecting flight , there is a number of flight after that one to Barcelona , I talk to British Air , they said it is a legal ticket , if we cannot make the connecting flight , BA will get us on the next flight

We are flying into Barcelona 2 days early

[jagoffee]

So you would buy the the $1700 ticket over the $420 one ?

 

I would seriously doubt that anyone paying themselves do.

[Gonzo70]

We have 65 min in London to make a connecting flight , there is a number of flight after that one to Barcelona , I talk to British Air , they said it is a legal ticket , if we cannot make the connecting flight , BA will get us on the next flight

We are flying into Barcelona 2 days early

 

How do they know there is room on the next flight? :confused:

 

That seems like an awfully tight connection - especially for your luggage. At least you are arriving two days early, so should be time to sort things out if something goes wrong.

[Janetsilverlegend]

i used choice air. was just fine. but when I wanted to upgrade my seats to economy plus on klm it wouldn't go thru. I called choice air and they told me there was a change fee for upgrading. This was fairly close to the time of our trip, maybe a month out. so I would make sure what you book is what you want, don't change your mind later.

[Gonzo70]

I've never seen anything get a bad rap like choice air with so few actual complaints to support it. To many "the sky is falling" at the mention of choice air. To others, like myself, it's great.

 

1) Regarding choice air being "consolidator" tickets. In my case my tickets have always been identical to tickets that I would have purchased myself.

2) Does choice air help in the event of a delay? I can't say for sure because the one time a connection was missed, the airline directly had already scheduled me on the next flight.

 

I have not seen anybody with a "sky is falling" attitude, just some people with knowledge about this topic educating regarding the pros and cons of Choice Air. The deeply discounted tickets on one way international flights are NOT the same tickets you would receive if your purchased them direct from the airline. While they appear to be and operate the same if nothing goes wrong it is when there is a cancellation or major delay that the restrictions rear their ugly head - that is why it is so prudent to build in ample wiggle room if booking these consolidator type tickets; you are last in priority of being accommodated on the next flight and may not be able to have your ticket endorsed to another carrier or rerouted to arrive at your final destination. The vast majority of the time flights are not cancelled or greatly delayed, so the tickets appear the same and one saves a ton of money.

 

As for Choice Air helping, this has been hit-or-miss in terms of feedback people have provided on Cruise Critic when an emergency situation has arisen. There was a recent thread where Choice Air acted clueless and inept (though on that thread the OP also made some decisions that made things more perilous for them). There have been other threads complaining about Choice Air doing a poor job when they needed assistance, but fortunately also a few threads where Choice Air did a nice job. As their performance appears to be inconsistent, one needs to be prepared to be their own advocate if something goes awry.

[Chicago Boy]

Cruised over 30 times and have never used ChoiceAir. Price for one-way to Barcelona is too good to ignore. I need to hear some success stories before I press the button to book.:)

 

Nancy

 

 

Dear Nancy,

 

We sail with Celebrity twice a year and always use Choice Air and have never had a problem. In fact, on one occasion they saved our cruise. We were flying from Tampa to Newark to catch a flight to Rome so we could meet our ship. There were thunderstorms in Tampa so we were delayed 5 hours which caused us to miss our Rome connection in Newark. We were put on another flight and flown to Newark where we boarded a second flight to Rome later that evening. In fact, the Rome flight was over booked but there were seats for us. We had booked transporation from the airport in Rome to our hotel. Eventhough we were 5 hours late our car (arranged by Celebrity) was waiting for us. We are doing a Trans Atlantic in November from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale and again have booked our one way flight using Choice Air. The air fare was under $600.00 a ticket from Chicago to Amsterdam where we connect with our Barcelona flight. I have recently seen air fares ranging from what we paid to over $2,000.00 a ticket. For us Choice Air is the way to go. Enjoy your cruise!

[smtcan]

We have just booked ChoiceAir for the first time. The one way cost from Toronto to Heathrow is $345 nonstop on British Airways. The cheapest one way we could find was $595 and that went into Gatwick, which is much less convenient for us. We are flying in three days ahead so have no worries about missing the cruise. The flight from Fort Lauderdale to Toronto was more expensive with ChoiceAir, so we booked that independently.

 

Sheila

[Chicago Boy]

We have just booked ChoiceAir for the first time. The one way cost from Toronto to Heathrow is $345 nonstop on British Airways. The cheapest one way we could find was $595 and that went into Gatwick, which is much less convenient for us. We are flying in three days ahead so have no worries about missing the cruise. The flight from Fort Lauderdale to Toronto was more expensive with ChoiceAir, so we booked that independently.

 

Sheila

 

 

Dear Shelia,

I am sure you know that since you booked independently and not through Choice Air Celebrity is not responsible for you if your flight gets changed or cancelled or if the cruise itinerary should change or the cruise cancelled. The air is all on your nickle. We like having the peace of mind knowing that if there are changes or cancellations we are covered. As they say, different strokes for different folks. Enjoy your cruise. We can't wait for ours.

[ariawoman]

Cruised over 30 times and have never used ChoiceAir. Price for one-way to Barcelona is too good to ignore. I need to hear some success stories before I press the button to book.:)

 

Nancy

 

I used it to book my air for my trip last year and my fiance used his own method. Neither of us had any issues and we were in the right seats on the right flights :-)