FYI - Princess Air

[yardbird]

First timer... still learning ( A LOT!)

If I use Princess EZ-Air to book flights, #1 do they charge your card for the flight right away? and #2 is the cost locked in ?

 

I mean... I may just hand this off to my TA and let her do all the work, but ..... wondering. I'm actually kind of diggin' letting someone else make arrangements and track stuff. I was always the one doing it and it's a pain in the .... stern .... :)

[FlyerTalker]

I suspect you are correct. While Princess has already been paid thru my credit card for the flight all I have is the flight locator. I will call them on Monday to see if they can tell me when I can download my eTicket.

You really don't "download" your "ticket". Most airlines have a provision in their display of the itinerary where you can download a "receipt". This would have some details of your ticket, including fare basis and ticket number.

 

The main things you need, and should always have with you, are the locator and the ticket number. 99% of the time, your e-ticket can be accessed by the locator. Other times, you may need the ticket number - especially with Asian carriers. The other reason why you want the ticket number is that is the confirmation that you actually HAVE a ticket. The locator, in and of itself, is only a pointer to the underlying ticket. Many cruise reservations with a locator don't get an actual ticket number until close to the cruise date. In addition, if your ticket involves code-shares or separate airlines, you may have different locators for each airline. I've had as many as four different locators for one ticket.

 

Further, being able to select seats is NOT proof of ticketing. Just an aside for those who say "I went to the website and got seats".

[dianef]

I booked back in April for a cruise in October,using E-Z Air.It was not charged at the time.They originally booked my flights but I learned and was able to go into my personalizer and monitor the flights.What I liked,it is flexible air and I was able to change my flights up until 45 days before.

 

They had us flying home from LaGuardia,with a stop-over flight,to LAX.It is for a New England cruise out of Brooklyn. I called and asked if we could get non-stop flights and we changed to fly out of JFK.In fact, I changed my flights twice after originally and was able to get airline I wanted,as long as it was in their system,and picked my own seats and saved $100 from the flights they originally booked.

 

If you book on your own you cannot take advantage of price reductions.With Princess I kept monitoring them and caught a 3 day sale and actually got a refund,after final payment and before 45 days.

 

Now we are less than 45 days so we are locked in.I also like the fact that my air is also insured through Princess insurance.It was a win-win situation for us.

[FlyerTalker]

I am happy that we got to pick the flights we wanted to Houston through ez air and the price was reasonable. I have not made final payment. I can go to the United website and see our flights (still not paid for) reserved with no unusual baggage fees. What do you think our chances are that these flight reservations will stand?

Until your flights are paid for, they are only, at best, a reservation. Depending on the cruiseline's inventory, they could be changed. Part of the "price" you pay for not having paid-for tickets at this point in time.

The only reason we booked a cruise from Houston is that is one of the few places we can fly from Omaha non-stop especially in the winter. I do NOT want to fly to Chicago first.

Which may mean that your flights will be on cheaper connections.

 

Several threads/posts on Cruise Air about folks who have had cruiseline air changed after the initial selection. Will that happen to you? YMMV.

[FlyerTalker]

I also like the fact that my air is also insured through Princess insurance.It was a win-win situation for us.

Highly suggest you read the fine print on cruiseline provided "insurance".

[CZEE]

We used to book air through Princess but quit doing that when I found I could do it cheaper and get better schedules by doing it myself. They always sent us the longest way they could instead of the most direct route.

 

I always do my own airfare in the US. However, I have found that it is much better on international flights. For instance, on the Hawaii to Tahiti cruise, I was able to find airfare much cheaper than what I could do on my own. . .significantly cheaper. And I was able to obtain a direct flight from Denver to Hawaii and only one change from from Tahiti to Denver. You just can never tell.

 

When Princess did our airfare years ago for the reverse of this cruise, it was excruciating. A stop on the way to LAX and returning from Hawaii they flew us through Dallas and back to Denver. You can select the flights you want with Princess Air. So, it all depends.

[USN59-79]

Well, I went to British Airlines website and priced the flight that Princess has booked for us. BA wants 2099 Euros each for this flight. Princess is charging us $930 for two. So I guess I should be happy with EZ Air http://boards.cruisecritic.com/images/icons/icon7.gif.

[huskerc]

What kind of ticket you end up with may indeed vary, but in my case for the flexible itineraries I have reserved with Princess, I have a record locator and can see the fare class on Delta's website. I'm also able to select seats allowed by status. This is many months in advance of actual payment and ticketing.

[FlyerTalker]

What kind of ticket you end up with may indeed vary, but in my case for the flexible itineraries I have reserved with Princess, I have a record locator and can see the fare class on Delta's website. I'm also able to select seats allowed by status. This is many months in advance of actual payment and ticketing.

Do you have a receipt with a 13 digit ticket number starting with 006? If you don't, then you don't have a ticket - only a reservation. And that means you may very well have a complete change between now and when you eventually are ticketed. Selecting a seat means nothing, especially since those are only requests - not guarantees.

[huskerc]

Do you have a receipt with a 13 digit ticket number starting with 006? If you don't, then you don't have a ticket - only a reservation. And that means you may very well have a complete change between now and when you eventually are ticketed. Selecting a seat means nothing, especially since those are only requests - not guarantees.

 

No, as I said, it's not ticketed. And my point isn't just that I can select a seat--it's that I can select the seats that normally are reserved for medallion status. The confirmation for the booking also indicates that the only change in fare would be if taxes and fees are changed before payment is due.

 

The main point, though, is that I know and can see the precise Delta fare class. Sure, I suppose EZAir could try to change that, but it's refundable until 45 days out.