Why bother with EZAir for flights?

[DonRobertoSanJuan]

I have checked EZAir several times, both for flights to Fort Lauderdale and London. In the case of FLL, they did not even show a non stop flight from San Juan, and their 1 stop flight on JetBlue was double the price of the NON STOP flights I found on JetBlue's website. The same for flights to London, they show very few airline options and prices at least as high and higher than on the airline websites. Royal Caribbean's Choice Air did a much better job, finding low fares and offering fully refundable fares for the price of non ref. Why bother with EZAir???:mad:

Edited January 24, 2015 by DonRobertoSanJuan

[-Lew-]

eZAir is just another option I consider when looking for flights...mostly for transatlantic air travel. I check the airlines, consolidators and eZAir and have always ended up booking with consolidators...until recently.

 

For our one-way flight to Europe in September and return home from FLL, eZAir came in well under the other options. Just as I have never booked with the same consolidator twice, I wouldn't expect eZAir to always have the best price for the flights I want.

 

Lew

[CruiserBruce]

EZAir is a tool. It is not the "end all" of booking a flight. It doesn't work for all situations, and many people who travel extensively refuse to use it.

 

This is discussed daily on the Cruise Air board, located here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=128

 

Look for all the threads about consolidators.

[klenklen]

I used Ez air for the first time booking three months ago a r/t non stop Newark/Ft L April 2015 Jet Blue flight. It was about thirty five bucks more expensive than booking directly though Jet Blue but I figured it was reasonable since my princess insurance would apply to the flight. Have since checked regularly on Jet Blue and United and still don't come close to the price I paid. I figure I was pretty lucky.

[Amster12345]

I always check EZ Air, sometimes use it and sometimes don't. It depends on the available flights and on my other pre-cruise arrangements. The benefit of using it is supposed to be that Princess is insuring your arrival. If your plane is delayed and you miss your sailing time, then supposedly if you booked with EZ Air, Princess will arrange and pay for you to get on the ship at it's next stop. If you're flying in a day early, that's not important. But if you are flying in and getting directly on the ship, then it is a nice guarantee. I haven't had to call them yet to see what they will do.

[DonRobertoSanJuan]

Booking flights can be hit and miss on the price, but not offering a non stop flight when there are several available (for much less) sounds like they are not trying to get you the best options.

[Colo Cruiser]

I am sure Princess has ties with certain airlines. I have not seen them using Jet Blue/Southwest etc. I noticed that trying to book flights for our upcoming Med cruise this year there are plenty of multiple stop trips because I am sure they are cheaper for Princess so it will be rare to see sensible non stops.

most were 25 + hours flights on the return, not acceptable. :(

 

On our Regal Med cruise this last Oct I gave up trying to book EZ air and booked my own on United at a much better fare then Princess was offering.

[AJs Grandpa]

We are flying biz class from northern California to Istanbul and returning from Barcelona later this year. I did lots of online research and found the least expensive option to be flying out of SFO and back to Sacramento (our closest airport.). I checked EZ air many times in the past and always found it to be as many report, i.e., higher costs and inconvenient times. Nonetheless, I decided to check EZ air yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to see I could get flights through Princess flexible for less than their no-changes flights and roughly $1,400 per person less than I could elsewhere!

 

We are flying non-stop from SFO to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines and back from Barcelona to Sacramento via Amsterdam and Seattle via Delta/KLM.

 

We don't pay anything until final payment, so I can keep checking other sources. Seems like a no-brainier to me.

 

Moral of the story--it's always worth checking.

[retrembl]

EZAir with Princess is very expensive. We are book on the Grand Princess for a 15 day cruise to Hawiaii on 25 Nov 2015. we are staying at the Mark Hopkins Hotel for two days prior to the cruise. The EZAir price per person from Boston to San Francisco is $603.00 and it's a Delta Flight.

This same flight booked directly with Delta Airlines is $354.00 PP - That's 249.00 per person less than Princess. kNOW THAT'S A NO BRAINER. Book with Delta

Depart 11/23/2015 Bos At 9:00am arrive SFO at 2:50

Depart 12/10/2015 SFO at 1:10pm arrive BOS at 11:45pm

[sbflcruiser]

It is hit or miss. We will be using easy air again this Spring from Europe and it is $1500. per person less than we could directly, I have checked airfare over the last 8 months and it is still the cheapest. Previously I was not getting favorable layovers and timing doing online, so once I got the flight numbers I called easy air and them changed by an agent and was able to keep the same fare as the less desired ones.

 

So I am always checking all the sources and always go with the best option. That the insurance covers flight delays is always a plus, and the princess credit card also gives double points for ez air another plus.

[donaldsc]

My TA checks on different flight options including consolidators and EZAir and I compare what he can come up with as compared to what I can come up with and I select the best (not necessarily the cheapest) one for me.

 

DON

[Astro Flyer]

Booking flights can be hit and miss on the price, but not offering a non stop flight when there are several available (for much less) sounds like they are not trying to get you the best options.

There is an option for the number of stops requested so it is possible to request a non-stop only.

 

As others have said EZ Air is just another option when searching for the best flight options for each of us. For a LAX/FLL and CPH/LAX routing for a cruise in 3 months it currently costs $639 on Delta with a stop in ATL & a Norweigian non-stop home. And that was for a "flexible" booking & was $250 less than when pricing it 10 months before the cruise...both were much cheaper than other booking options.

[compozer]

I just booked three Delta international flights through EZAir. Never used them before - never even thought of looking at their selection. I think it is also a win win - two of my cruises are a long way off. I tend to change my mind and want to go a day or two earlier than first planned so this is outstanding for me. I booked first/business and found them less than half of what I would have paid through the airlines.

[Rosethorn40]

We did EZAir for our Ocean Princess cruise (United Kingdom/Ireland). It was cheaper than anything I or my travel agent had been able to find. As we were flying in the same day as the cruise ship left Dover I liked the next port protection.

 

For our upcoming Baltic cruise EZAir is about $100 more per ticket then booking on my own. So I agree, it's a tool, but not necessary the best option.

 

Some people may not have the time or desire to spend hours looking for the best price, or making arrangements on their own. Letting Princess handle it may be the best option for them.

[Tedferg]

How would you get to SFO if you returned to Sacramento ? Sacramento is closest to us but SFO provides more options and fewer stops. Especially when using FF Miles. We would drive to SFO and sleep/park/fly.

 

It did not occur to me to return to Sacramento, I did look at Limo to SFO and that was over $300.

[deadzone1003]

No one site always have the lowest prices. EZAir generally do not have the lowest prices, but once in awhile, they do. For my Princess cruise around Australia, I ended up using EZAir because they had a fully refundable airfare that was so close to the lowest non-refundable fare that I was crazy not to take it. EZAir may not be first site I would use, but the more sites you check, the greater the probability that you will find the lowest fare on the net.

[AJs Grandpa]

How would you get to SFO if you returned to Sacramento ? Sacramento is closest to us but SFO provides more options and fewer stops. Especially when using FF Miles. We would drive to SFO and sleep/park/fly.

 

It did not occur to me to return to Sacramento, I did look at Limo to SFO and that was over $300.

 

We are physically able to handle our bags, so we will take the train from Davis to Richmond and switch to BART to get us to SFO. Total cost is less than $70. That is a small fraction of the difference in airfare, and we enjoy the adventure.

 

Admittedly, it would be less appealing at the end of our journey. However, for reasons known only to the airfare gods, it is less expensive to fly out from SFO and return to Sacramento than going RT from either airport. :confused:

[Times Prince]

We have found that EZair is our best bet for flying to/from Europe or any open jaw flight elsewhere (e.g. Tahiti / Hawaii cruise). and their flexible fares are comparable to airlines no-refund fares.

 

For flights within the US, it is a toss-up, and we tend to book directly with the carrier.

 

For our next Transatlantic cruise I've been monitoring prices and availability. Over time the airline offerings differ. One week will be all Delta, the next American Airlines, and the European carriers differ. Lately the cheapest coming back from Amsterdam was flights on Swissair going through Zurich to get back to Texas. I think the tactic is to book the best you can early, then look for improvements.

 

We came close to exercising the insurance portion of the cost with several winter delays on Delta connecting flights to FLL. When we researched the options, they offered the next port protection, flying the next day on a flight they would arrange, plus a generous daily allowance (quoted as $500/day for St. Thomas). We would miss Princess Cays, but thought that there were worse things that could happen than being a couple of days in St. Thomas waiting for our ship. ;)

[donaldsc]

My TA checks on different flight options including consolidators and EZAir and I compare what he can come up with as compared to what I can come up with and I select the best (not necessarily the cheapest) one for me.

 

DON

 

Our TA got the following price from his consolidator for a cruise that he is taking -

 

$780.33 each with all taxes and fees for our economy flight from Chicago to Singapore, with a return to Chicago from Bali

 

I think that he got a pretty good rate.

 

DON

Edited January 25, 2015 by donaldsc

[latebloomer56]

We booked EZAir to London for our May trip. It is direct Bos.- Lon. round trip. It is higher but direct and insured through Princess. That said we have found a couple other option 3-4 hundred dollars cheaper, but will need to change planes with a 3 hour wait in either Dublin or Iceland. The plus with this is I get to pick my seats where on EZAir you get the seats they can't ever sell. Face it Princess doesn't offer this as a customer service the cheaper they pay the more profit for them. Coin toss at this time but will need to make up our minds real soon. Like the idea of going directly to Southampton from Dublin. Oh and another minus for Princess is they charge for the transfer from the airport to Southampton on top of the airfare.

[HRPro]

We've booked EZ Air for the first time for our Spring Transatlantic for a much cheaper fare than we could book through the airlines. We fly business and non-stop, so was able to book our preferred schedule and airlines--hoping it works out well. We were able to select our seats, so no problem there.

[mysaddlebred000]

I decided to look at EZAir for our return from uk this spring. I wanted to try first class and was surprised to find a flight for $2400 through Delta on their flexible fares. The first leg is to Atlanta on Virgin Atlantic in their upper class section. The second leg is on Delta in first class. I was able to select our seats on both. I looked the other day on Virgin Atlantic's website and the flight just to Atlanta is $14,000. I almost fell of the chair. Yes, I double checked. Didn't bother to see what the second leg would cost.

 

So, several things.

Others have said they have not been able to select seat and that they get what ever is leftover. I have had a confirmation number since day one. Is there a chance they may change my seats and I may not find out until we check in?

 

Can they switch us to another airline? I know each line has a different first class layout and I am excited about this one.

 

And is there a chance they could switch our flight times by putting us on a different flight? Does booking first class make things better?

 

Final payment has been paid.

 

Thanks for any help.

[caribill]

 

So, several things.

Others have said they have not been able to select seat and that they get what ever is leftover. I have had a confirmation number since day one. Is there a chance they may change my seats and I may not find out until we check in?

 

Can they switch us to another airline? I know each line has a different first class layout and I am excited about this one.

 

And is there a chance they could switch our flight times by putting us on a different flight? Does booking first class make things better?

 

Final payment has been paid.

 

If the reservation has been ticketed (not a physical ticket, but with a ticket number), Princess cannot and will not change anything.

 

However the airline can change flight times and sometimes seat assignments.

[mysaddlebred000]

Thanks caribill,

I have a confirmation number. I believe that is all we have ever received in the past. I have printed all the info from Princess, Delta's and Virgin Atlantic's sites. The price just seems too good to be true.

 

I just moved this to it's own thread. I had second thoughts after I posted - hate to hijack someone's thread.

[pompeii]

Confused about the comments regarding not having assigned seats:confused:. We are flying EZAir from Cleveland to Berlin for our Baltics/TA, then back from NYC to Cleveland, for much less than we could find on our own. And it's flexible, so fully refundable/changable up until 2 months or so before we leave. And we have seat assignments on each leg of the flight (these show on the airlines website as well as Princess.) Also, our only stop is in NYC on the way over; the rest of the flights are nonstop.

 

For our situation, it was a no brainer to use EZAir. It would have been cheaper still to fly EZAir one-way from NYC to Berlin, and find our own flight RT Cleveland to NYC. But we didn't want to hassle with collecting our bags and changing airlines in NYC, so we did the whole thing through EZAir.