Questions on Choice Air?

[NOSaints1]

Looking at booking Celebrity next month for 2016 to Alaska, my questions are when you book can you travel earlier or stay later? Do you have to pay for the flight upfront or like Carnival add it to your booking and pay it off with your cruise?

 

 

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[WileyCoyote]

Looking at booking Celebrity next month for 2016 to Alaska, my questions are when you book can you travel earlier or stay later? Do you have to pay for the flight upfront or like Carnival add it to your booking and pay it off with your cruise?

 

 

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HI there,

 

I booked my cruise and air through Celebrity.

You can definitely pick the dates so staying later or going earlier is allowed.

And when I agreed to choice air, they sent me to another department and I had to pay a the time I picked my flights so I don't think carrying it over to the cruise total is an option, but I may be wrong.

[ECCruise]

Yes, you can definitely go earlier and stay later if you like. You can even fly to a city different than your embarkation point if you like (we've flown to cities many miles from where we are embarking from 10 days or more before the cruise). If you are doing domestic round trip, check all your options carefully since you may find it cheaper elsewhere. ChoiceAir is most advantageous on one-way or open jaw journeys, especially NA to Europe.

 

And yes, you pay in full when you book. Can't be deferred to final.

[jelayne]

Yes you pay in full just like if you booked direct with the airline. Be sure to go to the airline web site and check your seat assignments, we have always changed our seats, either for a better location or to upgrade using miles.

[Sloop-JohnB]

Yes, you can definitely go earlier and stay later if you like. You can even fly to a city different than your embarkation point if you like (we've flown to cities many miles from where we are embarking from 10 days or more before the cruise). If you are doing domestic round trip, check all your options carefully since you may find it cheaper elsewhere. ChoiceAir is most advantageous on one-way or open jaw journeys, especially NA to Europe.

 

And yes, you pay in full when you book. Can't be deferred to final.

 

Yes you pay in full just like if you booked direct with the airline. Be sure to go to the airline web site and check your seat assignments, we have always changed our seats, either for a better location or to upgrade using miles.

 

Agree

 

We always check extensively online with other options before we call / book with Choice Air with my notes in front of me.

 

Airline Flights & times may be the same... But costs can differ

 

Although we've usually found Choice Air to be either the same price, or little less, or little more... So we booked with them cause we believe the Choice Air Guarantee is worthwhile (so if something happens they will get you to the cruise... Or if the cruise ends up canceling, you won't be left out of pocket on flights)

 

With Choice Air you usually don't get much of selection for seats or payable upgrades / options. Which is why you need / can use the File Locator Number on the Booked Airline's own website.

 

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Interesting post by JELAYNE ... I knew one could earn AirMiles by presenting one's Loyalty Card at Checkin, but was not aware that one could also use points with the airline to upgrade a Choice Air booking. That is cool

 

Cheers!

Edited October 25, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[waterbug123]

we booked with them cause we believe the Choice Air Guarantee is worthwhile (so if something happens they will get you to the cruise... Or if the cruise ends up canceling, you won't be left out of pocket on flights)

 

I knew one could earn AirMiles by presenting one's Loyalty Card at Checkin, but was not aware that one could also use points with the airline to upgrade a Choice Air booking.

 

First off, Choice Air does NOT offer a guarantee to get you to the cruise. They use a lot of language that makes it sound like a guarantee but it's not. They may HELP you if you have flight disruptions, but even that is not guaranteed; there have been anecdotal reports of both great service and complete lack of service alike.

 

Secondly, Choice Air tickets vary. Some may be upgradeable, but not all.

 

I would suggest going over to the Cruise Air forum for more information about Choice Air from some very knowledgeable folks.

[Us Two]

We were very glad we used Choice Air on our Oct 2nd cruise. We were booked on Air France months in advance, then a few weeks before we were to leave , STRIKE !!!

Well they along with our wonderful TA , who was on the phone for 2hrs with them, got us a great flight leaving 2 hrs earlier than our originall flight.

Hate to think how we would have gone about doing that work ourselves. So in our case , I can only say how great they were for us under particularly that circumstance.

[alcpa1]

For questions and opinions about cruise air why not go to the dedicated Discussion board.

There are members who travel frequently and know the ins and outs of the differing cruise air programs.

 

If you book directly with the airlines you have eliminated the third party, in this case any cruise air program. You can control your reservation in the event of flight changes with one call and without involving the booking agent - the cruise air program.

 

Where cruise air programs are most beneficial are flights beyond North America and the Caribbean or for one way tickets.

 

Because I fly Delta most often I know that some (most) cruise air booked tickets fall into a category akin to consolidator tickets. They are highly restricted. They will not earn frequent flyer points, or if they do the points will be a fraction of a lower Delta issued ticket (E or V class.) The bookings cannot be combined with points to move to economy comfort or business class.

 

Every airline handles consolidator/cruise air bookings differently. We flew to South America last year on a cruise air ticket. It was a one way ticket but the foreign carrier booked us into a refundable ticket class. We flew to our departure airport three days prior to the flight for other reasons but this made the booking realistic and comfortable. Our cruise was three days after arrival in South America. Which brings up the other part of the equation.....what flight arrangements is cruise air making for you - minimum connection times in unfamiliar airports, multiple connections or even connections on different airlines that may or may not interline.

 

Do your own research. Check flights including the above mentioned issues and the alternatives AND then price.

[grandgeezer]

We use Choice Air for all of our transatlantics. The one way fare is usually 1/4 cheaper than directly through the airlines. Once I get my booking number, I go to the airline site and change my seats. I also either change to economy plus or an exit row, at an additional charge. In April. we were late getting to London, from Rome. There was a British Air rep waiting for us to expedite us through the jungle, known as Heathrow, so we would make our flight. I have had no experience nor have I talked to anyone who thought Choice Air ticket holders were treated any different than any other ticket holders.

[tonyd285]

We use Choice Air when we travel with Celebrity, or most recently Azamara, and my main objection is that we encounter some peculiar routings. In September, en route to Rome from NJ where we live, we were routed via O'Hare in Chicago, then to Rome. Returning we were routed via Heathrow (never again) which as usual was a terrible experience. We made a flight (with a two hour window) with just five minutes to spare because of the security system in place at that airport. From now on I think we will tell our TA to fight against crazy routings and any connections via Heathrow.

[waterbug123]

Hate to think how we would have gone about doing that work ourselves.

 

Generally speaking, it is not that difficult to look online and see what other routings are available and/or to call the airline directly. They would have re-booked you. Contrary to apparently popular belief, if you book directly with the airline they will not leave you high and dry if your flight is canceled. Re-accommodation always depends on seat availability (no matter how you book your ticket) but airlines can and do work with pax who book tickets themselves. :)

 

I have had no experience nor have I talked to anyone who thought Choice Air ticket holders were treated any different than any other ticket holders.

 

If all goes well with your flights (and that's what happens the vast majority of the time), you won't be treated any differently and you would never know your ticket was or may have been any different from anyone else's. It is when flights are significantly delayed or canceled that pax sometimes find out just how different their CA tickets are.

The most glaring example was a while back here on CC, where a lady missed her cruise...she was booked by CA on a particular routing and something happened with her flight. There were flights on different routings that would have gotten her to the port on time but her CA-purchased ticket would not allow her to be re-routed. She had to fly the same exact itinerary on which she was booked, but the first available seat on a flight with that routing was not early enough for her to make the cruise so she missed it.

[Christine Frances]

I remember that thread and I am pretty sure she had the old "cruise air" not Choice Air that most people are quite happy with as she did not select her flights. Choice Air does both. Air bundled with the cruise is nasty as they always fly you in the day of the cruise. Now Choice Air has many options which I like.

 

For our TA coming up out of Barcelona in a couple of days we flew BA from Vancouver to Edinburgh with CA 12 days before the cruise. I had a lot of options to select from ie dates, carriers, connections, refundable or not refundable. We ended up with a one way NR BA flight (YVR-LHR-EDI) for $480 CND each. We were able access our booking and select our seats.

 

We decided to stay two days longer in Scotland and Choice Air changed our dates with only the airlines normal change fees with no problem.

 

I definitely will check Choice Air for our Japan cruise next year as we want to do Vancouver-Tokyo and then Hong Kong - Brisbane - Vancouver :)

 

 

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[d4m]

If you book directly with the airlines you have eliminated the third party, in this case any cruise air program. You can control your reservation in the event of flight changes with one call and without involving the booking agent - the cruise air program.

 

Where cruise air programs are most beneficial are flights beyond North America and the Caribbean or for one way tickets.

 

Because I fly Delta most often I know that some (most) cruise air booked tickets fall into a category akin to consolidator tickets. They are highly restricted. They will not earn frequent flyer points, or if they do the points will be a fraction of a lower Delta issued ticket (E or V class.) The bookings cannot be combined with points to move to economy comfort or business class.

 

Every airline handles consolidator/cruise air bookings differently. We flew to South America last year on a cruise air ticket. It was a one way ticket but the foreign carrier booked us into a refundable ticket class.

 

We have always found that one-way tickets with Cruise Air, especially flights to foreign countries are a fraction of the price we would pay through the airlines. We do our homework, but have had exceptional service with Choice Air.

 

In April, our flight was grounded in Amsterdam because of landing gear problems. We were treated no differently than any other person. Arrangements were made for a hotel and food was handled by the airline - we paid nothing. In addition, like the others, we received either a $250 voucher toward future flights or generous points added to what we already had received from Delta.

 

We have always chosen our seats through the airline and have been offered upgrades, if we choose. We fly to Europe several days to a few weeks in advance on flights we personally choose or stay in Europe several days post cruise.

 

I do understand that each situation is different, but we have taken four one-way flights to or from Europe and the service of Choice Air has been exceptional.

Edited October 26, 2014 by d4m

[waterbug123]

I remember that thread and I am pretty sure she had the old "cruise air" not Choice Air that most people are quite happy with as she did not select her flights.

 

It doesn't matter. PLEASE go to the Cruise Air forum. A poster named Greatam has some great info on the change from cruise air to Choice Air, but the bottom line is that just because you can choose your flights it does NOT mean you are guaranteed to get a ticket without additional rules and restrictions attached, above and beyond what you'd likely get if booking directly with the airline. Choice Air is basically the old cruise air, just repackaged.

 

have had exceptional service with Choice Air.

 

we have taken four one-way flights to or from Europe and the service of Choice Air has been exceptional.

 

That's wonderful. Too bad everyone who has used Choice Air has not had the same experience. :)

[Christine Frances]

Sorry. I have tried the Cruise Air board and they are very, very negative. They have a low tolerance for newbies and usually resort to lecturing. No one there is speaking from Choice Air experiences as they would rather pay much higher prices for some reason. I will never post on that board again. I am quite capable of researching my own flights and living with the consequences

 

 

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[bvocruise]

We are considering using Choice Air as the flights to Europe are about $150 less expensive than from the airlines. We are getting in a few days early so missing the ship should not be an issue. I am concerned on what additional restrictions may come with the tickets.

[RickT]

Sorry. I have tried the Cruise Air board and they are very, very negative. They have a low tolerance for newbies and usually resort to lecturing. No one there is speaking from Choice Air experiences as they would rather pay much higher prices for some reason. I will never post on that board again. I am quite capable of researching my own flights and living with the consequences

 

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Well said. I used to visit the Cruise Air board and while there are a number of people there with great information, there are a few who love to lecture and preach that the sky will be falling if you book cruise air (I've since learned how to "block" a few forum members and never have to read their holier than thou posts).

 

To the OP. I've used Choice Air a number of times and have been able to pick and choose the exact flights/routing that I want (I highly recommend the ITA Matrix site to research available flights/routing). In some cases my tickets have been identical to tickets I would have bought directly from the airline and others I'm not so sure. Regardless, in all cases I saved money and in the one instance I ran into problems (missing a connection in Frankfurt) I was put on the next available flight and easily made my cruise.

 

As Waterbug says, 99% of the time it won't matter what restrictions are on a ticket, it's only in those cases where you experience a missed connnection or cancelled flight and even in those instances, having a full fare ticket may be a problem as it all comes down to available seats on other flights. The biggest difference with highly restrictive ticket is that you may be limited to the airlines you can be rebooked on where with a ticket purchased directly with the airline most are endorseable on other major carriers so the pool of available seats is larger. If you have a short window to get to your destination, being able to be rebooked on the next available flight regardless of which airline it is would be a benefit.

 

The way I look at it... if the cost of the Choice Air ticket is the same as direct from the airline I'll book with the airline. If there are savings to be had with choice air and I'm looking at a flight that offers some leeway in arrival time and flight options I'll book Choice Air. My current cruise I booked direct since the choice air tickets were the same price.

Edited November 29, 2014 by RickT

[RickT]

what flight arrangements is cruise air making for you - minimum connection times in unfamiliar airports, multiple connections or even connections on different airlines that may or may not interline.

 

A common misunderstanding of Choice Air vs. other cruise line airfares. With Choice Air YOU choose the flights/times/connections that work best for you. Only in a few rare situations where you book a cruise/flight package can you be in a situation where the cruise line makes all the decisions. You even have the choice to go with Premium Economy, Business class or First Class tickets.

 

If you go to the Choice Air page and request a quote (you don't even need to have a booking) you will see a number of flight options with a variety of routings/prices. If you have a preferred routing or airline that isn't showing up, a quick call to Choice Air can get you a quote on that flight.

 

Choice Air isn't perfect but it is definitely better than the old cruiseline airfare. You still need to research flights/prices/connections but once you know the lay of the land you may be able to save a few $ by using them.

Edited November 29, 2014 by RickT