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Looking for some Choice Air advice


dobes3kh
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We booked a cruise May 2014 for departure January 2015 on the Summit. We also booked our air then via Choice Air. Since then, Choice Air has changed our flight itinerary 4 times. Changes have ranged from several hours to a completely different departure day. This is through Delta.

 

I contacted Choice Air (again) and have requested a different flight for departure. We will keep the return flight. They have indicated that we are required to wait 48 business hours for confirmation that they will make this change for us. Apparently there is no charge to change to a different flight if the airline changes the flight (either departure or return) more than 1.5 hrs.

 

So we don't have any confirmation at this point as to whether or not we will receive the requested flight time we have made. We are taking an extra vacation day from work to cover this as well as the additional hotel expense.

 

Sorry for the length of this posting but I was wondering if anyone on here has encountered this and if so, what did you do? We have used Choice Air for at least 7 Celebrity cruises and it's only the last one (October 2014) and this one that we've encountered any issues. When we returned from our transatlantic Nov 1/14, while waiting to check in at MIA, we were told that our flight from MIA to JFK was not 'confirmed' yet our flight from JFK to YYZ was! Not a great way to end a cruise----this was through American Airlines and this was a Choice Air mistake.

 

Have we been lucky up to this point that we haven't encountered any issues? Or is this an anomaly that hopefully won't be repeated?!?!?

 

(If this posting should have been listed under a different category, could the admin please move?)

 

Thanks everyone who has read this up to this point and I look forward to your helpful advice (have received some really good advice on here!!!)

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Hello dobes,

 

Itinerary changes happen all the time when it comes to airlines. We are on the Summit this week and our flights have changed 3 times. We were originally Seattle to Washington DC, then off to San Juan. They then changed us from Washington DC to Houston. Then they changed the flight times twice.

 

Each time I got an email from Choice Air. The nice thing is the airlines should allow you within 24 hours of receiving your notification to change any flight as long as there is room.

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I have used Choice Air for some of the transportation on my past cruises and sometimes I book directly with the airline. Having changes occur to a booked flight seem to happen more often than you probably are aware. I don't think that bookings through Choice Air have more or less changes since I have had changes happen to me for flights not booked through Choice Air. My changes (fortunately) have been minimal. Sometimes it is the plane configuration, sometimes the the departure time is adjusted by a few minutes (forward or backward). The worst was a flight that was moved forward by 1 hour 30 minutes. This caused me to need to drop off other travelers at the airport early and then I sat at the airport for the extra time in advance of my flight.

 

Depending on how far in advance you book your flights (more than 6 months), you may experience more changes (or more potential for notifications to you about changes) vs. having booked a flight much closer to the time of departure.

 

I've always been given notice (usually by the airline, not Choice Air). Each time if I was unwilling to accept the change, I could let them know that this change was unacceptable. As I said before, fortunately I have not needed to change a flight due to shifting times... and I try my hardest to always book direct flights to avoid any pitfalls that can come about with a connection.

 

Good luck with your situation... and enjoy your cruise!

Edited by vulcan1971
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Each time I got an email from Choice Air. The nice thing is the airlines should allow you within 24 hours of receiving your notification to change any flight as long as there is room.

 

Not true. Most airlines have specific rules about when you get a free change (such as must be at least 90 minutes change, must have a change of connecting airport, etc). And, I've never seen any requirement that this must be done within 24 hours of the schedule change.

 

Everyone who travels will encounter schedule changes.

Edited by 6rugrats
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Hello dobes,

 

Itinerary changes happen all the time when it comes to airlines. We are on the Summit this week and our flights have changed 3 times. We were originally Seattle to Washington DC, then off to San Juan. They then changed us from Washington DC to Houston. Then they changed the flight times twice.

 

Each time I got an email from Choice Air. The nice thing is the airlines should allow you within 24 hours of receiving your notification to change any flight as long as there is room.

 

 

Thanks chrismakris!

 

P.S. We're on the same cruise as you but we depart on the 24th! Hope you have a great time!

 

 

At least your flights have been headed in the same eventual direction! We had one flight change that had us heading from Toronto, to Detroit, to JFK to San Juan!!!! I've never booked a 2 stop in my life!!!! Talk about going backwards! Guess if we collected air miles.......

 

So did it take you a while to receive confirmation for your requested flight time? We were told at least 48 business hours for confirmation and we leave in just over 2 wks! I know there is availability because I performed a 'fake inquiry' on Choice Air and the flight was available for 2 persons.

 

I really hope they don't make yet another change.......

 

Thanks!

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I contacted Choice Air (again) and have requested a different flight for departure. We will keep the return flight. They have indicated that we are required to wait 48 business hours for confirmation that they will make this change for us.

 

If you had booked directly with the airline, and it was the airline who made the change, you could contact them directly and get immediate confirmation instead of having to wait 48 business hours. I only mention this because people often ask about the differences or pros/cons between booking CA and booking directly with the airline.

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We booked a cruise May 2014 for departure January 2015 on the Summit. We also booked our air then via Choice Air. Since then, Choice Air has changed our flight itinerary 4 times. Changes have ranged from several hours to a completely different departure day. This is through Delta.

 

Another important distinction is that even with a booking and itinerary through Choice Air, in most cases tickets are not issued until close to the travel date. The norm seems to be 3-6 weeks but is sometimes only 7 days prior!

 

Choice Air buys tickets in bulk far in advance (those "specially negotiated fares"). CA owns the tickets, the airline no longer carries the marketing and transaction expenses, and you are CA's customer and not the airline's. CA pieces together an itinerary from *available* ticket stock. You aren't ticketed yet and CA simply assigns flights as a "placeholder". In the ensuing months, CA's inventory of tickets for one of your flights may sell out (e.g. a large group) and CA will then re-assemble a new itinerary.

 

Until CA actually provides ticket number(s), the itinerary is unticketed and essentially TBD.

 

Now in your case, Delta may have changed flights. But CA changing them independently of Delta is also a strong possibility. Hope this helps!

Edited by kenish
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Another important distinction is that even with a booking and itinerary through Choice Air, in most cases tickets are not issued until close to the travel date. The norm seems to be 3-6 weeks but is sometimes only 7 days prior!

 

Choice Air buys tickets in bulk far in advance (those "specially negotiated fares"). CA owns the tickets, the airline no longer carries the marketing and transaction expenses, and you are CA's customer and not the airline's. CA pieces together an itinerary from *available* ticket stock. You aren't ticketed yet and CA simply assigns flights as a "placeholder". In the ensuing months, CA's inventory of tickets for one of your flights may sell out (e.g. a large group) and CA will then re-assemble a new itinerary.

 

Until CA actually provides ticket number(s), the itinerary is unticketed and essentially TBD.

 

Now in your case, Delta may have changed flights. But CA changing them independently of Delta is also a strong possibility. Hope this helps!

 

Sorry sir/madam, but your information on Choice Air is absolutely INCORRECT. In all instances my Choice Air flights have been booked with specific flight numbers and corresponding locator codes from the various airlines at the time I made the booking. I've always been able to go directly to that airlines website immediately after and confirm my flight as well as select seats.

 

You continue to confuse Choice Air with air programs operated by other cruiselines. Only on the rare "flight included" pricing that Celebrity offers will you not be able to get your confirmation immediately and I haven't seen that offered since last year on a select number of Asia/Australia cruises.

 

With Choice Air I am actually choosing the airline/flight that I wish to go on and have never had a problem booking anything that I would have been able to book directly with the airline.

 

Getting back on topic, to the OP, if you don't think that Choice Air is helping, feel free to give Delta a call or check your tickets on the Delta site. I've often found that Choice Air makes the changes quickly but are slow in getting confirmation and passing that on to you. It's likely that your requested flights will now show up under your locator number.

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RickT,

In deference to Kenish and other posters....Cruise Air programs, including Choice Air, offers a variety of fares based on a number of fare codes. The fare code is the key and the translation of any fare code is at the whim of the airlines. Some fares are treated as "regular" fares and receive all the benefits of airline frequent flyer perks. Some fares give partial perks and some give none.

In the beginning of the cruise air programs only consolidator priced fares were available. First or Business Class fares were not available either. Things have changed and finding a transparent fare code is challenging for a coach ticket.

Our most educated posters on the Cruise Air Forum have tried to explain the nuances of fare codes and it's a challenge.

Perhaps all of your Choice Air tickets have been booked appropriately but that does not mean that every passengers using a cruise air program is receiving the same ticketing. Getting the locator number with your reservation is standard and does not represent the fare code.

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RickT,

In deference to Kenish and other posters....Cruise Air programs, including Choice Air, offers a variety of fares based on a number of fare codes. The fare code is the key and the translation of any fare code is at the whim of the airlines. Some fares are treated as "regular" fares and receive all the benefits of airline frequent flyer perks. Some fares give partial perks and some give none.

In the beginning of the cruise air programs only consolidator priced fares were available. First or Business Class fares were not available either. Things have changed and finding a transparent fare code is challenging for a coach ticket.

Our most educated posters on the Cruise Air Forum have tried to explain the nuances of fare codes and it's a challenge.

Perhaps all of your Choice Air tickets have been booked appropriately but that does not mean that every passengers using a cruise air program is receiving the same ticketing. Getting the locator number with your reservation is standard and does not represent the fare code.

 

Thanks for the comment. I never said my Choice Air tickets were full fare or anything close to that. Some have been regular tickets and some have been "negotiated" prices but all have been confirmed on the flight I booked which is completely different than not knowing what flight you are on. I have booked on other lines and have NOT been given a locator code which is key to knowing whether or not your specific flight has or has not been booked. Sorry, but Kenish implies that the whole issue here may be that the flights the OP thought they bought may not have been purchased which is INCORRECT. Ultimately Kenish's post is incorrect and doesn't reflect the actual booking process through Choice Air regardless of what class of ticket you get... when you book a ticket on XX flight on YY airline you actually hold that ticket and are not waiting for Choice Air to allocate tickets 1 week before departure.

 

Choice Air isn't perfect and some of the staff leaves a lot to be desired but the more misinformation surrounding what it is and isn't can only cause folks like the OP grief. Make no mistake, when you book a flight XXX on YYY Airline, you actually have a ticket on that flight... you are not wait listed or otherwise being booked on an unknown flight. You may be on a consolididator type fare and may be more restricted but to imply that the fight you bought may be different because Choice Air never booked you on it is misleading.

Edited by RickT
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One small, yet significant quibble. If you have a locator, your flights have been "reserved". However, until such time as you actually have a ticket number, that wonderfully obscure 13 digit identifier, you are NOT "ticketed". And that is the rub. So much emphasis is placed on the locator that the actual "ticket" often gets lost. Think back to the days of paper tickets. Those had locators, but they also had an actual unique ticket number. And the ticket number on the paper was what got you onto the aircraft.

 

In addition, if you have an itinerary with several carriers, you may have a different locator for each airline, yet there is only one underlying ticket. In simplistic terms, the locator helps to find the actual e-ticket number which is the governing document for the flight. As an example, my recent American Express bill shows charges along with an e-ticket number. No locator. Which is the governing identifier, would you guess?

 

Since anecdote is often the only thing believed, I can say that I have been a victim of this. Had my locator. Had seats assigned. Only on the day of travel did I find out that the actual ticket had never been issued. Luckily, I had both the time, resources and knowledge to get that done prior to flight time.

 

Even today, there is often a lag between the time that a reservation is made and a ticket is issued, whether through the airline or through another booking channel. Toss in a third party (or a fourth or fifth) and you need to have ALL of the pieces in place before you are good to go. And it is quite possible for parties to delay or outright fail to execute the actual ticketing for any number of reasons.

 

So...for those who say "I have a locator", I say "that's nice". Ditto for "I have a seat assignment". When you have that ticket number IN HAND, then and only then do you actually have "a ticket".

 

So Rick - do you get the ticket number along with your locator and seat? That's a key factor to keep in mind.

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One small, yet significant quibble. If you have a locator, your flights have been "reserved". However, until such time as you actually have a ticket number, that wonderfully obscure 13 digit identifier, you are NOT "ticketed". And that is the rub. So much emphasis is placed on the locator that the actual "ticket" often gets lost. Think back to the days of paper tickets. Those had locators, but they also had an actual unique ticket number. And the ticket number on the paper was what got you onto the aircraft.

 

In addition, if you have an itinerary with several carriers, you may have a different locator for each airline, yet there is only one underlying ticket. In simplistic terms, the locator helps to find the actual e-ticket number which is the governing document for the flight. As an example, my recent American Express bill shows charges along with an e-ticket number. No locator. Which is the governing identifier, would you guess?

 

Since anecdote is often the only thing believed, I can say that I have been a victim of this. Had my locator. Had seats assigned. Only on the day of travel did I find out that the actual ticket had never been issued. Luckily, I had both the time, resources and knowledge to get that done prior to flight time.

 

Even today, there is often a lag between the time that a reservation is made and a ticket is issued, whether through the airline or through another booking channel. Toss in a third party (or a fourth or fifth) and you need to have ALL of the pieces in place before you are good to go. And it is quite possible for parties to delay or outright fail to execute the actual ticketing for any number of reasons.

 

So...for those who say "I have a locator", I say "that's nice". Ditto for "I have a seat assignment". When you have that ticket number IN HAND, then and only then do you actually have "a ticket".

 

So Rick - do you get the ticket number along with your locator and seat? That's a key factor to keep in mind.

 

Good point, I checked my docs from my last Choice Air flight and while I did not get the ticket number from Choice Air, when the flights were viewed on the airlines web pages each had a ticket number showing up on the webpage confirmation. Perhaps that is different from what you are describing but I believe that is the piece of information you say would confirm the ticket is issued.

 

What is interesting is that I looked up my last two work flights (booked through a major travel agency) and neither of those confirmations contained the ticket number. I'll pay attention with my next flight booked through them to see if the ticket number is available on the airline website.

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Good point, I checked my docs from my last Choice Air flight and while I did not get the ticket number from Choice Air, when the flights were viewed on the airlines web pages each had a ticket number showing up on the webpage confirmation. Perhaps that is different from what you are describing but I believe that is the piece of information you say would confirm the ticket is issued.

 

What is interesting is that I looked up my last two work flights (booked through a major travel agency) and neither of those confirmations contained the ticket number. I'll pay attention with my next flight booked through them to see if the ticket number is available on the airline website.

 

I usually find that the ticket number isn't obvious; I have to view the actual receipt to see it. Otherwise the website confirmation just shows the 6 digit locator number. Were the last 2 work flights you mentioned booked on the same airline as your CA ticket? If not, maybe you just needed to find the receipt to see the ticket number.

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I usually find that the ticket number isn't obvious; I have to view the actual receipt to see it. Otherwise the website confirmation just shows the 6 digit locator number. Were the last 2 work flights you mentioned booked on the same airline as your CA ticket? If not, maybe you just needed to find the receipt to see the ticket number.

 

Took a second look and finally found the ticket number... in an odd hard to find spot.

 

Getting back to the original topic, wonder how the OP made out with their flight change request?

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Sorry sir/madam

 

Sir, LOL!! :)

 

but your information on Choice Air is absolutely INCORRECT. In all instances my Choice Air flights have been booked with specific flight numbers and corresponding locator codes from the various airlines at the time I made the booking. I've always been able to go directly to that airlines website immediately after and confirm my flight as well as select seats.

 

Others explained it better than I have. Glad you now understand the subtle but crucial difference between a reservation (with PNR, itinerary, seat assignments) and a ticket.

 

In your case you're ticketed since you have the 13-digit ticket number(s). By the way, the ticket # can come in handy when different airlines on your trip assign different PNR's (or "locator codes"). When there's a single, underlying ticket #, it can often be used to link the PNR's so the individual airlines can access your full itinerary.

 

The other interesting point is the fare rules...do you have the full fare codes for your flights, and were these available for your review pre-purchase?

Edited by kenish
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