Choice Air Fee

[rimmit]

Hello,

Quick question. I have always booked my own airfare so I could use my miles, or just in general the airfare was cheaper. For my upcoming TA on Brilliance out of Harwhich, there is a significant cost savings to use Choice Air. For an international flight, it states there is a 25.00 fee pp that is applied. From my understanding of the fine print this is waived one time for platinum and above C&A. For three people that is 75 dollars that can be waived by calling directly and booking via a person, and not booking through the website. It says Choice air not included, but I am assuming they mean the air fare, as it is a little confusing in the fine print.

 

Is that correct for anyone else out there that has used this before?

[pollux]

Choice air is the best for one way when you go on a TA.

To book one way with a US airline is so expensive.

But you can maybe go cheaper if you go Air Berlin to Dusseldorf Germany spend a night in hotel.

The next day take the train to Hoek of Holland in the Netherlands and the night boot to Harwich.

The night boot arrive in Harwich early in the morning the terminal is the same place as where the TA leaves.

 

But you need to leave here 2 days before your TA. But a nice trip that way.

[maggieq]

Is this fee waived based on your c&a status? I think I remember reading that somewhere..

[cruisenfever]

Is this fee waived based on your c&a status? I think I remember reading that somewhere..

Yes, for Platinum and above the $15 Domestic and $25 International fee is waived just once for any flight booked.

 

About ChoiceAir will answer any questions.

[maggieq]

Yes, for Platinum and above the $15 Domestic and $25 International fee is waived just once for any flight booked.

 

About ChoiceAir will answer any questions.

 

Thank you!

[cruisenfever]

Thank you!

You're welcome. Just remember to alert the rep during your booking of your C&A level.

[emmy]

Yes, for Platinum and above the $15 Domestic and $25 International fee is waived just once for any flight booked.

 

About ChoiceAir will answer any questions.

 

I just booked Choice Air this morning for my October cruise. As D+ we were charged the $25 pp fee for international. It is showing on the confirmation. How do I get that charged removed if that is the case?

 

Yes we got great pricing on a multi city. Previously you could book a flexible air and could change without a problem and it was refundable but that option is no longer available according to the Choice Air agent I spoke with. If you got to their website you will see on the drop down arrow for 'type of fare' Flexible is no longer an option. She told me as of March 6.

[cruisnseas]

I've heard that, too. Flex Fares (where you don't pay up front, but rather with your final payment) were never very popular and almost always far more expensive. But it was a nice option.

[rimmit]

Choice air is the best for one way when you go on a TA.

 

To book one way with a US airline is so expensive.

 

But you can maybe go cheaper if you go Air Berlin to Dusseldorf Germany spend a night in hotel.

 

The next day take the train to Hoek of Holland in the Netherlands and the night boot to Harwich.

 

The night boot arrive in Harwich early in the morning the terminal is the same place as where the TA leaves.

 

 

 

But you need to leave here 2 days before your TA. But a nice trip that way.

 

 

Last time we did a TA i used our miles to get us back from barcelona which was nice so I never looked into the price difference via choice air or not. AA only took 15,000 one way from barcelona back to the states per person. There is a huge difference on TA's.

 

We have a 3 year old who will be 3 and a half when we go so logistics get difficult at this point if we are doing too many transfers. Excellent idea though and I will keep it in mind for the future. We also would like to take our 3.5 year old around london for a day as well.

[rimmit]

I just booked Choice Air this morning for my October cruise. As D+ we were charged the $25 pp fee for international. It is showing on the confirmation. How do I get that charged removed if that is the case?

 

Yes we got great pricing on a multi city. Previously you could book a flexible air and could change without a problem and it was refundable but that option is no longer available according to the Choice Air agent I spoke with. If you got to their website you will see on the drop down arrow for 'type of fare' Flexible is no longer an option. She told me as of March 6.

 

 

That is odd. I have a refundable fare for my trip. About an extra 90 dollars vs nin refundable. Maybe the airline options are not letting you.

[Elizanessie]

I've heard that, too. Flex Fares (where you don't pay up front, but rather with your final payment) were never very popular and almost always far more expensive. But it was a nice option.

 

Since RCCL did the system upgrade in October I had great difficulty finding Flex Fares on the Choice Air website, tried various routes/carriers/times of year etc. But...when my US TA called Choice Air for me then Flex Fares were available. :D

 

When I booked our flights for Quantum cruises this year we were all charged the $25 each fee but when our RCCL guest copy invoice came through the $25 had been subtracted from our balance owing on our cruises.

 

Booking Flex Fare only cost a few dollars more and I was able to select/change our seats with BA shortly after flights were booked. :D

[emmy]

That is odd. I have a refundable fare for my trip. About an extra 90 dollars vs nin refundable. Maybe the airline options are not letting you.

 

I spoke with the rep yesterday from Choice Air and the refundable /flex rate is no longer available. I booked on line today and that option on the drop down arrow is no longer there.

 

I had originally booked a flexible air in December for this October. I needed to change it and I was able to cancel with no penalties at all because it was a refundable /flex air but when I went to book a new air I could not use that option and like she said to me around March 6 things changed.

[cruisenfever]

I just booked Choice Air this morning for my October cruise. As D+ we were charged the $25 pp fee for international. It is showing on the confirmation. How do I get that charged removed if that is the case?

 

Yes we got great pricing on a multi city. Previously you could book a flexible air and could change without a problem and it was refundable but that option is no longer available according to the Choice Air agent I spoke with. If you got to their website you will see on the drop down arrow for 'type of fare' Flexible is no longer an option. She told me as of March 6.

Emmy, I would call Choice Air 1-800-533-7803.

 

I always book by phone because I like talking to a real person. Unfortunately at the time of our most recent booking I forgot to remind the rep of our C&A level. She apologized and was going to put me on hold and then go through Resolutions to get the $25 credited back to our CC. Instead of holding up the lines, I told her to just credit it back to the booking, so we are supposed to have a credit of $25 on our Invoice.

[rimmit]

I spoke with the rep yesterday from Choice Air and the refundable /flex rate is no longer available. I booked on line today and that option on the drop down arrow is no longer there.

 

I had originally booked a flexible air in December for this October. I needed to change it and I was able to cancel with no penalties at all because it was a refundable /flex air but when I went to book a new air I could not use that option and like she said to me around March 6 things changed.

 

 

Maybe there is a difference between refundable and flex. I definitely have refundable flight options which run at least 90-100 more per ticket. Has a green star instead of red. I do not see "flex". I just checked this morning for the aug 31. Brilliance TA.

[AdrenalineRush]

Maybe there is a difference between refundable and flex. I definitely have refundable flight options which run at least 90-100 more per ticket. Has a green star instead of red. I do not see "flex". I just checked this morning for the aug 31. Brilliance TA.

 

With flex you didnt have to pay for the flight until final payment. It was a great perk and hope its an option moving forward.

[waterbug123]

Choice air is the best for one way when you go on a TA.

To book one way with a US airline is so expensive.

 

If by "best" you mean simply "cheapest" then that statement is often true. Just keep in mind that you may not always be getting the same ticket you'd get if you booked directly with the airline, i.e. cheapest isn't always best. There could be additional rules and restrictions that apply to your ticket. Go to the cruise air forum for more info.

[cruisenfever]

If by "best" you mean simply "cheapest" then that statement is often true. Just keep in mind that you may not always be getting the same ticket you'd get if you booked directly with the airline, i.e. cheapest isn't always best. There could be additional rules and restrictions that apply to your ticket. Go to the cruise air forum for more info.

Have booked Choice Air for all of our international travel and have yet to have a problem. We usually book Business Class because of the reduced price and have enjoyed the same amenities that those that book direct with the airline get. We pay for the tickets at the time of booking, but also take out insurance. I guess we've just been lucky.

Edited March 23, 2014 by cruisenfever

[rimmit]

If by "best" you mean simply "cheapest" then that statement is often true. Just keep in mind that you may not always be getting the same ticket you'd get if you booked directly with the airline, i.e. cheapest isn't always best. There could be additional rules and restrictions that apply to your ticket. Go to the cruise air forum for more info.

 

 

I don't know if you can get anymore restricted than what the airlines already offer. No cancellation, no refund, luggage fees, change fees, and if you want flexibility or a refundable fare a 300 dollar ticket is now 800 dollars. From my observations choice air has cheapest refundable tickets i have seen in a long time.

 

I am not sure what extra restrictions they can add on at this point. Maybe, extra fees for breathing the air or using the seat belts.

 

Definitely wise to read the fine print if you need flexibility for sure, as the above poster stated the rules might be different but I am not sure how much more restrictive they could be.

[cruisnseas]

The biggest extra "restriction" is that if there is an issue with the flight, often the airline won't deal directly with you. The good news is, ChoiceAir will (should...) be able to start working to get you on another airline if necessary. Of course, that is as long as they do their job, which we all know can be hit or miss but that is true of airlines as well.

 

I've booked through Choice Air and I've booked on my own. For me, its all about which one has the best price for the best itinerary that meets my needs. If something goes wrong, I will rely on the entity that I booked through to fix it.

[tidygirl]

Hello,

Quick question. I have always booked my own airfare so I could use my miles, or just in general the airfare was cheaper. For my upcoming TA on Brilliance out of Harwhich, there is a significant cost savings to use Choice Air. For an international flight, it states there is a 25.00 fee pp that is applied. From my understanding of the fine print this is waived one time for platinum and above C&A. For three people that is 75 dollars that can be waived by calling directly and booking via a person, and not booking through the website. It says Choice air not included, but I am assuming they mean the air fare, as it is a little confusing in the fine print.

 

I recently booked air to Barcelona as it was significantly cheaper than doing it on my own! They also say they will help you out in case of flight problems so am hoping that is true.

I was charged $150 processing fee, (that was for 6 tickets) but considering I paid almost $500 less pp than booking on my own I figured it was worth it. I'm thinking read somewhere or was told if you book by phone it is even more than $25 so you may want to check!