Choice Air or Expedia

[LuCruise]

We've booked a cruise for April of 2016 so have time to decide, but wanted to know people's experience with Choice Air. I see their emails and it says 'Lowest Airfare Guarantee', but when I did a search for April 12, 2015 on Choice Air and Expedia, the Expedia showed cheaper (but different airlines offered). We'll be flying direct from Canada.

 

1. Is ChoiceAir really cheaper since that's not what I'm seeing?
   
2. Is ChoiceAir better in terms if there are flight issues?
   
3. Any issues with ChoiceAir?
   
4. Anyone just use Expedia or another booking site?
   

[klfrodo]

None of the above.

 

Always direct with the airline.

[CruiserBruce]

None of the above.

 

Always direct with the airline.

 

More like, "Yes, maybe, sometimes, possibly, occasionally, no". Every flight situation is different when it comes to which is the better choice. You just have to do your research.

 

A little reading here, including the large Sticky on Cruise Air and Deviations here would be very helpful in identifying the plus and minuses of Cruise Air as opposed to booking it on your own.

 

We have booked our own airfares since about 1990, on our first or second cruise.

Edited December 29, 2014 by CruiserBruce

[nana541]

If you book with Expedia and have any issues at all they are no help and you will find the airlines can't help either because Expedia owns the reservation.

Likewise if booked direct with the Airline and there is an issue then they can immediately reroute you!!

 

Bottom line stay away from Expedia and providers like them...

 

JMHO

 

 

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[nana541]

None of the above.

 

 

 

Always direct with the airline.

 

 

Yes!!!

 

 

 

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[Bowie MeMe]

My SIL is a biggie in a leading hospitality industry player. His advice to me: ALWAYS be the direct customer of the provider of the service. You stiff your own customer as little as possible. You don't care if expedia has a horrible reputation for fulfillment of services.

[alcpa1]

LuCruise,

You did not give us your destination and that does make a huge difference. You also did not indicate whether you planned on arriving on embarkation day - also a huge factor.

But the bottom line remains - book your own air under almost every circumstance.

BEFORE you book your air please return with your travel dates, destination(s), and a general idea of airlines. Then we can really be of help.

[LuCruise]

LuCruise,

You did not give us your destination and that does make a huge difference. You also did not indicate whether you planned on arriving on embarkation day - also a huge factor.

But the bottom line remains - book your own air under almost every circumstance.

BEFORE you book your air please return with your travel dates, destination(s), and a general idea of airlines. Then we can really be of help.

 

We will be coming from Ontario Canada....direct flight....about a 3hr flight.

 

And yes, we would come on embankment day...taking say a 6:30am or 7:30am flight. (We don't want to, but we do have the option of flying out the night before as well as our cruise leaves on a Sunday).

 

So to confirm....you are all recommending NOT to use ChoiceAir but to book with say West Jet or Canadian Airlines directly? (never done the latter as we always just go with a provider such as Expedia)

[CruiserBruce]

So to confirm....you are all recommending NOT to use ChoiceAir but to book with say West Jet or Canadian Airlines directly? (never done the latter as we always just go with a provider such as Expedia)

 

Again, do the research. If you can book cheaper on your own, do it. Know that if you book thru the cruise line, the chance of serious restrictions on the fare increase considerably. Booking thru Expedia may, or may not, involve severely restricted tickets. Every situation is different.

 

Did you leave out a word? If you can fly in the day or night before, it is a much better idea.

[LuCruise]

Again, do the research. If you can book cheaper on your own, do it. Know that if you book thru the cruise line, the chance of serious restrictions on the fare increase considerably. Booking thru Expedia may, or may not, involve severely restricted tickets. Every situation is different.

 

Did you leave out a word? If you can fly in the day or night before, it is a much better idea.

 

From what I understand the one big advantage of using ChoiceAir is that they guarantee you'll get to the boat if your flight is delayed, etc. (which would suck as no matter what you would lose cruise time). As far as I know, once you book through Expedia, you are locked in to the price.

 

Not sure what you meant, but our preference is to fly in the same day as our cruise...arriving say 10:30am or so. But I guess if we were to fly in the day/night before, that would lessen that risk if our flight was delayed.

[waterbug123]

 

1. Is ChoiceAir really cheaper since that's not what I'm seeing?
   
2. Is ChoiceAir better in terms if there are flight issues?
   
3. Any issues with ChoiceAir?
   
4. Anyone just use Expedia or another booking site?
   

 

1. Sometimes. Usually when a company claims some kind of "cheapest fare" guarantee, it means for a particular flight. The Expedia fares you saw were on other airlines so that is not the same flight; if you looked up Expedia fares for the same flight CA quoted, maybe CA would be cheaper.

 

2. No. There have been anecdotal reports by pax who had flight issues, and the reported response from CA has ranged from "they were on top of it and rebooked everything and it was wonderful" to "we got a recording that they were closed for the weekend" to everything in between, a common one being "they told us to talk to the airline." Furthermore, there seems to be a common misconception that if you book directly with the airline and there's an issue on flight day, they airline will just leave you hanging. They won't; they will rebook you. If the next flight is booked, you may not get rebooked on that one, but the same would happen with CA.

 

3. Yes. See above, for the varied responses to flight issues. There have also been reports of people getting CA flights booked that land almost impossibly close to boarding time for the ship, or with inconvenient or tight connections etc.

 

4. Yes, of course some people use Expedia or other sites. Most frequent flyers however, generally book their flights directly with the airline so as to be totally in control/ownership of their reservations.

[RickT]

I'll answer your question differently than the others. I too live in Ontario and always look at Choice Air when cruising. My experience is if you want one of the direct flights you'll pay the same on Choice Air as you will by going directly with Westjet or Air Canada. Given that there is probably no reason to add anyone between you and your flight. So, unless Celebrity is offering some flight incentive, go ahead and check with Choice Air but I'll be surprised if they offer any savings.

 

A better option is to become familiar with ITA Matrix to scope out all available flights (take a look at flights from one of the nearby US airports) and watch for any seat sales.

 

I'm in Ottawa and managed to get a seat sale ticket during March break for $500 which Choice Air could only match. I went directly with Air Canada.

Edited December 29, 2014 by RickT

[Gardyloo]

Most frequent flyers however, generally book their flights directly with the airline so as to be totally in control/ownership of their reservations.

I'm not sure what you mean by this. Tickets bought through Expedia (or Orbitz, Travelocity et al) have PNRs and ticket numbers (airline-encoded) just like any other ticket. You may have to dig for this information in the confirmation you receive from Expedia, but it's there to be sure, just like you can see fare rules and everything else. Expedia is just a travel agent, managing the sale of the ticket. Once a ticket is issued and you have a ticket number, the game moves to the issuing airline (usually the first carrier) and you can deal with that airline from that point on.

 

If the ticket involves multiple carriers, it's useful to have the record locators for all the segments (they can be different from one airline to the next, but are all obtainable) so the airline in question can pull up the relevant PNR. Think of the locators (e.g. ABCDEF for American Airlines, A12BCD for United) as being different combination locks to the same safe.

 

Often times Expedia can "mix and match" segments on different airlines on the same trip to result in a lower price than simply by going with one airline's purchasing channel. If a trip involves segments on two separate alliances, or between airlines that aren't "partners," the individual airline websites will tend not to show those options, even though they're perfectly legitimate for booking purposes.

[klfrodo]

I'm not sure what you mean by this. Tickets bought through Expedia (or Orbitz, Travelocity et al) have PNRs and ticket numbers (airline-encoded) just like any other ticket. You may have to dig for this information in the confirmation you receive from Expedia, but it's there to be sure, just like you can see fare rules and everything else. Expedia is just a travel agent, managing the sale of the ticket. Once a ticket is issued and you have a ticket number, the game moves to the issuing airline (usually the first carrier) and you can deal with that airline from that point on.

 

If the ticket involves multiple carriers, it's useful to have the record locators for all the segments (they can be different from one airline to the next, but are all obtainable) so the airline in question can pull up the relevant PNR. Think of the locators (e.g. ABCDEF for American Airlines, A12BCD for United) as being different combination locks to the same safe.

 

Often times Expedia can "mix and match" segments on different airlines on the same trip to result in a lower price than simply by going with one airline's purchasing channel. If a trip involves segments on two separate alliances, or between airlines that aren't "partners," the individual airline websites will tend not to show those options, even though they're perfectly legitimate for booking purposes.

 

Back when I was a newbie at travel, I used to book exclusively thru Expedia.

 

At those time when there were disruptions in normal operations, the airlines made it clear that I was not the airlines customer. I was Expedia's customer and that any changes had to be thru Expedia. If I missed a flight, my ticket was honored, however, not like if I was an airline customer.

 

Al men are created equal. Some are more equal than others.

[FlyerTalker]

From what I understand the one big advantage of using ChoiceAir is that they guarantee you'll get to the boat if your flight is delayed, etc. (which would suck as no matter what you would lose cruise time).

Ha Ha Ha.....best laugh of the morning.

 

If you can find legal wording that says they "guarantee" that, I'll buy the plane tickets for you.

 

It's a lot of weasel-word marketing-speak. They don't guarantee anything.

 

But good of you to ask in advance.

[LuCruise]

Ha Ha Ha.....best laugh of the morning.

 

If you can find legal wording that says they "guarantee" that, I'll buy the plane tickets for you.

 

It's a lot of weasel-word marketing-speak. They don't guarantee anything.

 

But good of you to ask in advance.

 

Hmmm...I thought that was the advantage of booking through ChoiceAir. That it is their responsibility to get you to the ship if any delays (aside from you sleeping in and missing your flight). I could be wrong though as just learning myself and doing the research prior to the time to book airline.

Edited December 29, 2014 by LuCruise

[nana541]

Book direct with the airline and fly in the day before!!

 

 

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[slidergirl]

Hmmm...I thought that was the advantage of booking through ChoiceAir. That it is their responsibility to get you to the ship if any delays (aside from you sleeping in and missing your flight). I could be wrong though as just learning myself and doing the research prior to the time to book airline.

 

They may give some sort of "guarantee", but it isn't that they will get you to the ship at embarkation. You are placed by the AIRLINE, not CA, on the pecking order list by the detailed fare code CA gave to you. It may be that you must take that exact flight, not the "next" available one. Note that the "next available" and "next" are not the same. An available flight may be outside the window of the time to get you to port. CA can't bump people off a flight to give you a seat. If it must be the exact same flight, that exact flight may be sold out for a day or two, or even operate on just certain days. You might luck out and get on a flight that may get you to port in time, you might not and end up missing days of your cruise because you have to get more flights to get to the next port. Something not for you (since you'll have a Canadian passport with you), but for US folks is that, if they booked a closed loop cruise and miss that embarkation, they lose the entire cruise because they don't have the passport necessary to catch up with the cruise outside the US...

[6rugrats]

Hmmm...I thought that was the advantage of booking through ChoiceAir. That it is their responsibility to get you to the ship if any delays (aside from you sleeping in and missing your flight). I could be wrong though as just learning myself and doing the research prior to the time to book airline.

 

No, they don't guarantee this. There have been many threads in the past by people who booked cruise air and never made their sailings. I don't know where you will be flying to/from, but especially if it's a domestic trip, I have no idea why you wouldn't just book directly with the airline.

Edited December 29, 2014 by 6rugrats

[LuCruise]

No, they don't guarantee this. There have been many threads in the past by people who booked cruise air and never made their sailings. I don't know where you will be flying to/from, but especially if it's a domestic trip, I have no idea why you wouldn't just book directly with the airline.

 

From Ontario Canada. So an international flight (if that makes a difference)

[6rugrats]

From Ontario Canada. So an international flight (if that makes a difference)

 

That's an easy thing to book.

 

Here's what Choice Air has to say about their responsibilities if there is a flight delay:

 

A: Purchasing airline tickets through ChoiceAir® will allow you to receive assistance on travel days, should there be a disruption to your scheduled airline service. While we monitor flights, you should first check with the airline to request re-accommodation, and then call us if the new flights will not enable you to meet the ship. We will work with you to find a seat on the next available flight, on a regularly scheduled airline, and in the same class of service to the ship. If there are no viable options, we will work with our airline partners to accommodate you on a flight to the next available port, where you may legally join the ship.

 

I don't see the words "guarantee" anyplace. They basically say if there's a problem, call the airline.

[nana541]

Big misconception that they Guarantee getting you to the ship.

 

Here's the magic term "same class of service" what they are not telling you is that they buy/book the very lowest "class of fare" tickets... Many times "wholesale" in other words the leftovers the airlines did not sell.

 

What this means is that in rebooking during busy or weather disasters or what ever craziness is happening you will find yourself on the very lowest rung of the "pecking-rebooking" order because the airline will TAKE CARE OF THEIR OWN CUSTOMERS FIRST before even looking at Third Party Bookings (Expedia, Choice Air, Etc).

 

Do your self a huge favor and possibly even save your cruise. Fly in the day before, book a $100 a nite hotel and book your flight directly with your airline. Stay clear of Third Party booking engines!

 

 

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[odysee]

Big misconception that they Guarantee getting you to the ship.

 

Here's the magic term "same class of service" what they are not telling you is that they buy/book the very lowest "class of fare" tickets... Many times "wholesale" in other words the leftovers the airlines did not sell.

 

 

Disagree : With Choice Air one also has the choice to book higher fares, with less or no limits re rebooking, refunding, upgrading, etc. One does not just have to take the cheapest fare. On-line one can scroll down to the higher priced fares, or even better do it by phone to find out what options are available and what type of fare is behind the prices quoted.

Edited December 30, 2014 by odysee

[nana541]

Disagree : With Choice Air one also has the choice to book higher fares, with less or no limits re rebooking, refunding, upgrading, etc. One does not just have to take the cheapest fare. On-line one can scroll down to the higher priced fares, or even better do it by phone to find out what options are available and what type of fare is behind the prices quoted.

 

 

You may know the differance but most people are looking at "price only" and have not a clue that Economy Class can have 20+ variations of pricing and fare guidelines. They only find out the hard way when bad things happen.

 

 

 

 

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[Shak]

Many seem to believe that the only delays with are the result of airlines. If you look you may actually see that many times delays are the result of the cruise line being early, late, or arriving at a different port altogether. If you find yourself in the middle of the ocean and discover, like I did once, that you have to make different air arrangements you may wish you had cruise air because they will take care of you flights for you.

 

Please read the stickys for his thread. They will help you in your plans. The more time you can add to your trip the better.

 

Shak