choice air, yes or no?

[insidecabin]

There are cheap 1 way flights to Europe via a few places but rairly the airlines, for our return to london choice air beat them by a few $10. this time.

[Big_G]

We've been checking Choice Air from Providence to MCO, FLL, and MIA for maybe our last half dozen cruises and we keep going back to Southwest at a minimum of a $200 savings. We haven't booked an international flight but from reading CC, I understand that's where the savings are.

[Chase101]

We used Choice Air for our TA this past August. It was 1 way from San Diego to London for $463pp. It was British Airways, & if we purchased the exact same flight directly thru them, it would've been $1800pp!:eek: The other airlines 1 way were at least $1400pp if you booked straight from the airlines. Also, we were assigned seats at time of booking, & it was a non stop flight. It was the best flight for us, & the cheapest on Choice Air.

Barbara

[baggal]

i would like to hear from anyone who has used this service. does it really help you if your travel plans are delayed? thank you

 

To answer your question about helping with your travel plans if the plane is delayed: we had a terrible experience using Choice Air when our Lufthansa flight (Newark to Barcelona with a change in Frankfurt) was delayed by over 3 hours and we knew we would miss our connecting flight in Frankfurt before we even left Newark. Choice Air approved this itinerary. We repeatedly called the Choice Air desk and they offered no real help - just to tell the Lufthansa agent that we were meeting a cruise ship. Duh! It was only with the assistance of a Lufthansa ground agent in Frankfurt that we were able to get on a flight to Barcelona that day.

 

All that being said, the international prices from Choice Air are usually much better than booking directly with the airline. If I were flying to Europe I would still consider using Choice Air but would plan to arrive at least 2 days in advance.

[ALSEAU]

i would like to hear from anyone who has used this service. does it really help you if your travel plans are delayed? thank you

 

Choice uses reliable airlines. Have never found a deal for domestic flights that I couldn't get better pricing on my own. Overseas flights is another thing. Always check out Choice Air.

[Clarea]

Once we used Choice Air for domestic travel, even though the price was slightly more than booking direct with the airline. This was because Choice Air offered a pricing option called "Flex" which allowed us to book the flights and freeze the price, but not pay until cruise final payment. However, "Flex" is no longer available, so we have no reason to use Choice Air for domestic travel.

[insidecabin]

Unless you find the sites that do one ways cheap choice air will always win over the airline.

 

there is also a lot of flexibility on which flights you pick so even if you don't need them for your cruise check the price of other flights you might need.

[misha1]

I have not used Choice Air...with that being said, I am intrigued with the reports of greatly discounted prices on one ways and international flights. Since I do not book certain cruises due to the prohibitive flight prices, am I able to see Choice air prices or do I need a reservation number to use it? Thanks, Julie

[Clarea]

I have not used Choice Air...with that being said, I am intrigued with the reports of greatly discounted prices on one ways and international flights. Since I do not book certain cruises due to the prohibitive flight prices, am I able to see Choice air prices or do I need a reservation number to use it? Thanks, Julie

You must have a cruise booked within a certain number of days of the flights you choose in order to purchase flights. However, you can look at flight prices without a cruise booking by choosing "Quick Flight Search Only".

Edited November 3, 2014 by clarea

[insidecabin]

I have not used Choice Air...with that being said, I am intrigued with the reports of greatly discounted prices on one ways and international flights. Since I do not book certain cruises due to the prohibitive flight prices, am I able to see Choice air prices or do I need a reservation number to use it? Thanks, Julie

 

There are a few places that have cheap one way, to the uk virgin and BA come up a lot.

 

 

Norwegian started and sell cheap one way and air lingus via Ireland

[krisko]

I never thought to check ChoiceAir for one way trips. My gf works for an airline so I think I'm going to book one way with ChoiceAir and non-rev back home. Will save me about $500 or more.

[Vitamin_Sea]

I never thought to check ChoiceAir for one way trips. My gf works for an airline so I think I'm going to book one way with ChoiceAir and non-rev back home. Will save me about $500 or more.

 

I see choice air prices are sometimes lower for international travel not really for domestic flights.

[waterbug123]

i would like to hear from anyone who has used this service. does it really help you if your travel plans are delayed? thank you

 

I haven't used CA, but anecdotal reports from pax who have indicate a varied response. Some have said CA was wonderful, took care of everything, handled it quickly etc. Others have reported that CA did nothing but tell them to talk to the airline, and that the pax themselves had to look for rebooking options and handle all arrangements on their own or via the airline itself.

 

incredible.. how can it be so much less

 

For the kind of savings that this was in reference to, most likely it was a consolidator type ticket that had a lot of rules and restrictions attached to it. If all goes well, you'd likely never know the ticket had different restrictions etc. If flights are disrupted though, you might find out that it's difficult to get re-booked in a timely manner.

[Marie51]

really?

 

They could not find an airline in there database?

 

I live in a city with a small airport. When I called Choice Air I was told I would have to go to the nearest large airport if I wanted to use CA. That would have been going to Atlanta which is a 3 hour drive plus the cost of parking the car at the airport.

I booked my own airfare and flew out of the place where I live.

[JasonV1]

I used it last month when they were giving you 5 C&A points for doing so. The price was the same as direct purchase (US flight) so it was a no brainier.

[Clarea]

I used it last month when they were giving you 5 C&A points for doing so. The price was the same as direct purchase (US flight) so it was a no brainier.

Wow, never heard of the C&A point promo. I'll have to keep a closer watch on that.

[sr4mjc]

I keep searching one way and round trip flights for a cruise out of Copenhagen in May next year, but I never see any deals like some have gotten. The same as any other airline right now.

[Vitamin_Sea]

I keep searching one way and round trip flights for a cruise out of Copenhagen in May next year, but I never see any deals like some have gotten. The same as any other airline right now.

 

I agree... sometimes people happen to stumble into an exceptional offer.

 

Best thing is to shop around and review all offers for awhile

Edited November 3, 2014 by limoguy1

[az_tchr]

Couple things here.

 

#1 - It is usually (6 out of 8 times) a bit cheaper.

#2 - You can choose the airline, but that might up the price

#3 - They do not use charters to my knowledge. Only regularly scheduled airlines

#4 - If things mess up they take care of the problem with hotels, rescheduling etc. If you book it is your problem!

 

PS - I always go on line and see what I can find first. Being a knowledgeable shopper always pays!

Edited November 3, 2014 by az_tchr

[zeridan]

Two things:

 

1) A lot of discounting of people's experiences finding amazing rates. I know CC is famous for discounting the findings of others and is often a fount of absolutisms, this is why I've lurked for years and never posted until now. I speak from experience when I tell you there are deals both Domestic and International on a daily basis. I use the site daily, maybe my exposure to the site is what gives me this perspective but it is factual.

 

For instance, last week I was pricing flights for an upcoming Panama Canal cruise. JFK to Fort Lauderdale, then San Diego to JFK. The price? $402. Now I'd call that a great domestic deal. Again, shop around for flights. Don't discount any one source.

 

2) I see a few comments flatly stating that Choice Air is "the same" as everything else. How so? Even if the price is the same they have two things going for them in both Assured Arrival and in ease of use.

[JasonV1]

Wow, never heard of the C&A point promo. I'll have to keep a closer watch on that.

 

 

Was a promo last month, first I'd seen it as well.

[insidecabin]

There was a 500 discount on cruise promo if you used CA

Edited November 4, 2014 by insidecabin

[Big_G]

I have not used Choice Air...with that being said, I am intrigued with the reports of greatly discounted prices on one ways and international flights. Since I do not book certain cruises due to the prohibitive flight prices, am I able to see Choice air prices or do I need a reservation number to use it? Thanks, Julie

 

You must have a cruise booked within a certain number of days of the flights you choose in order to purchase flights. However, you can look at flight prices without a cruise booking by choosing "Quick Flight Search Only".

 

...and if you're doing a mock booking, there are Choice Air links on the Search Results page under each cruise selection.

 

[The_Big_M]

Couple things here.

 

#1 - It is usually (6 out of 8 times) a bit cheaper.

 

Hard to generalise like that. In my experience, it is usually the same, but sometimes a lot cheaper (a few hundred).

 

You don't get as many route choices as other sources though. So sometimes there are cheaper alternatives that aren't mentioned.

 

Definitely worthwhile checking, but experiences will vary.

[The_Big_M]

For the kind of savings that this was in reference to, most likely it was a consolidator type ticket that had a lot of rules and restrictions attached to it. If all goes well, you'd likely never know the ticket had different restrictions etc.

 

One significant difference that may impact you, even if the flight is fine, is that you may not get FF points (even though you normally would).