BREAKING NEWS: Royal Caribbean Announces Air2Sea Program

[TxStacey]

I used ChoiceAir for booking our flight to Barcelona also for our June 26th Harmony cruise and did better than booking directly through American. I saved around $300 also!

 

Good to know Ken! Im going to keep watching it for the next few days and then bite the bullet!

[Diplomacy]

Royal Caribbean's ChoiceAir is now our Air2Sea program. Enjoy the lowest fares and guaranteed arrival to your ship. It's easy to reserve, with your preferred choice of airlines and 24/7 air specialist support. www.royalcaribbean.com/air2sea

 

Airfare to a port city is usually about $1000 cheaper when I book through delta.com (or whatever) vs RCCL choice air. Have you changed this feature of the program? Or have you finally contracted with united to replace the TP in the bathroom with silk on air-2-sea flights?

 

just curious.

Edited September 24, 2015 by Diplomacy

[Biker19]

Airfare to a port city is usually about $1000 cheaper when I book through delta.com (or whatever) vs RCCL choice air. Have you changed this feature of the program? Or have you finally contracted with united to replace the TP in the bathroom with silk on air-2-sea flights?

 

just curious.

Just so anyone else is not confused - there's no such thing at Air2Sea flights. It is simply RCI's flight aggregator of existing airlines offerings at some pre-arranged prices. As has been mentioned, other than one way international flights, you are almost always better off going to the airline directly. Even if all things were equal the extra fee ChoiceAir had and I assume Air2Sea has, will tip the scales in favor of booking directly with the airline. Unless of course the "guaranty to ship" feature is very appealing to you.

[orville99]

Thanks for this. So far, I'm having a hard time telling the difference between Air2Sea and ChoiceAir.

 

Air2Sea has seven characters and ChoiceAir has ten, so it's 30% more energy efficient :D

[travellady09]

Thanks for the heads up on this name change...We have not received anything from RCI as yet..

 

On the subject of air prices, I always shopped for the best price first and then called Choice air and told them what I wanted and asked if they could beat it. Most times they could not, but I always had them book the flight at the rate I found on the airlines I wanted. Since the booking fee has been waived since Emerald status, I don't pay the fee. So I get the same price and the insurance coverage..for no fee.

;)

 

We usually prefer US Airways for overseas flights and I try to check seats ahead of time and get the two seats alone on the window, if they are available on a convenient flight. Makes it more comfortable for flying.

Dee

Edited September 26, 2015 by travellady09

[AZCactusCruiser]

Lol yeah I'm pretty sure it's only the deep-discount airlines like Southwest that do that.

 

 

Sorry, but Southwest doesn't assign seats, so no extra charge there.

[cruisinlife]

If I remember correctly, Jethro was torn between being a fry cook and a brain surgeon.:p

Hey Bob,

 

Jethro also attempted to be a "Double Knot" Spy and a Street Car Conducter.

[Susie51]

When I booked our air through ChoiceAir I did get a better fare than going directly through the airline, we save around a few hundred.

 

Nice to know.

[Ocean Boy]

Lol yeah I'm pretty sure it's only the deep-discount airlines like Southwest that do that.

 

No, I recently booked flights to London on British Airways and they charge to reserve your seat if you want to do it earlier than the 24 hr. window before the flight occurs.

[pspercy]

http://www.creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Air2Sea/15045551_Air2Sea_Trade_Flyer.pdf

 

"Most airlines charge a fee for seat assignments........". Hmm, we currently have three trips scheduled on three different airlines and none charged us for assigned seats.:rolleyes:

 

It's becoming more common as is charging extra for aisle seats and so on.

[pspercy]

ChoiceAir and hopefully Air2Sea are good for one ways - for Transatlantic cruises for example.

[tunisbridal]

I think it is for transportation from airport to ship

[Clarea]

I think it is for transportation from airport to ship

I'm not even sure they do transfers anymore. If they do, they are extra cost.

[travelplus]

Breaking News

 

I book my own airfare and save quite a bit of money. I only used Cruise Air with Royal once and never again. Bloody idiots had us flying on the redeye from San Francisco to Miami and on to San Juan for the trans Atlantic cruise arriving the same day. After that I started booking our own air for my Father and I arriving a day or more before the cruise and staying a day or more after the cruise.

 

For our upcoming cruise to Dubi I found a San Francisco to Barcelona and Dubia to San Francisco on British Airways for $1,190 when cruise air wanted $1,500+ on other airlines. Even with an overnight hotel for $70 in Barcelona and for $155 in Dubai were still come out ahead and get better timings

 

People who are either gullible that they are getting the best deal or are getting the same tickets as they would booking direct are so wrong.

 

 

When you go to Kayak and the airline websites directly try and compare the different prices and times. Do you really want to be at the mercy of Cruise Air when your flight is delayed or cancelled they really can't do much except try and rebook you. At least if you plan to arrive before the cruise by a day and leave at least a day or more after the cruise your options are better.

 

For instance we leave San Francisco at 4:40 PM with 5 hours in London to account for delays and arrive the next day in Barcelona at 7:40 PM.

 

On the return we arrive on Friday early morning 6 AM to Dubai and leave on Sunday at 1:45 AM so this gives us time to explore the city and in fact allows us to enjoy our hotel and transportation to the airport and the Executive Lounge at the Hotel with food and drinks throughout the day.

 

We arrive London around 5:30 AM and leave to San Francisco 9 hours later arriving at 7:00 PM the same day and then go to sleep at 9:00 PM.

 

I would much rather fly on a European carrier that offers complimentary alcohol, better meals and Inflight Entertainment and get miles with American Airlines. Some US air carriers like United skimp on service and charge more for it.

 

If you take the proverbial you will save yourself money. Royal Caribbean Air is not what it claims to be and their terms and conditions are so restrictive to the point that it scares me. Will they really fly you to another port if your flight is delayed?

 

What if you booked Cruise Air and you had two or three connections and paid more but could get a flight for less with only one connection? You are really at the mercy of their schedules..

 

Just my 2 cents.

[brfan]

Breaking News

 

I book my own airfare and save quite a bit of money. I only used Cruise Air with Royal once and never again. Bloody idiots had us flying on the redeye from San Francisco to Miami and on to San Juan for the trans Atlantic cruise arriving the same day. After that I started booking our own air for my Father and I arriving a day or more before the cruise and staying a day or more after the cruise.

 

For our upcoming cruise to Dubi I found a San Francisco to Barcelona and Dubia to San Francisco on British Airways for $1,190 when cruise air wanted $1,500+ on other airlines. Even with an overnight hotel for $70 in Barcelona and for $155 in Dubai were still come out ahead and get better timings

 

People who are either gullible that they are getting the best deal or are getting the same tickets as they would booking direct are so wrong.

 

 

When you go to Kayak and the airline websites directly try and compare the different prices and times. Do you really want to be at the mercy of Cruise Air when your flight is delayed or cancelled they really can't do much except try and rebook you. At least if you plan to arrive before the cruise by a day and leave at least a day or more after the cruise your options are better.

 

For instance we leave San Francisco at 4:40 PM with 5 hours in London to account for delays and arrive the next day in Barcelona at 7:40 PM.

 

On the return we arrive on Friday early morning 6 AM to Dubai and leave on Sunday at 1:45 AM so this gives us time to explore the city and in fact allows us to enjoy our hotel and transportation to the airport and the Executive Lounge at the Hotel with food and drinks throughout the day.

 

We arrive London around 5:30 AM and leave to San Francisco 9 hours later arriving at 7:00 PM the same day and then go to sleep at 9:00 PM.

 

I would much rather fly on a European carrier that offers complimentary alcohol, better meals and Inflight Entertainment and get miles with American Airlines. Some US air carriers like United skimp on service and charge more for it.

 

If you take the proverbial you will save yourself money. Royal Caribbean Air is not what it claims to be and their terms and conditions are so restrictive to the point that it scares me. Will they really fly you to another port if your flight is delayed?

 

What if you booked Cruise Air and you had two or three connections and paid more but could get a flight for less with only one connection? You are really at the mercy of their schedules..

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

Maybe I'm missing something here, but with Choice Air you choose what flights/airlines you want. Choice Air, from what I've seen is always the best choice for Transatlantics for one way flights to/from Europe. Now within North America most of the time you are better off booking it yourself and not use Choice Air.

[grandgeezer]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but with Choice Air you choose what flights/airlines you want. Choice Air, from what I've seen is always the best choice for Transatlantics for one way flights to/from Europe. Now within North America most of the time you are better off booking it yourself and not use Choice Air.

 

You are exactly right. I have used Choice Air, for transAtlantics, six times. I picked the airlines, I picked the flights, and I picked the seats. On the average, I paid, at the most, 1/3 of what I would have paid booking through the airlines. We have used Delta, British Air, Air Canada, and American with 0 problems.

We always book domestic directly through the airline.

[Charles4515]

The link must be fixed as I was just able to check prices on my upcoming flight to Barcelona. They are offering a flight I am looking at on American for 309.60 less than American...that's quite a savings for 3 people:eek: and the flight times are actually really good. I have not ever used Choice Air in the past..are there any major drawbacks if I like the times? Also, does anyone know if I would be able to use my advantage miles to upgrade my seats if I go through Choice Air?

 

I have had good luck with Choice Air. Many times the fares were a bit less. And my flights to Rome were refundable so when I decided to add a day after I paid $25 for the change. I don't know about using miles but if you call them they will answer all your questions. They did put my FF number on the booking. As a matter of fact they were more helpful than Celebrity.

[Charles4515]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but with Choice Air you choose what flights/airlines you want. Choice Air, from what I've seen is always the best choice for Transatlantics for one way flights to/from Europe. Now within North America most of the time you are better off booking it yourself and not use Choice Air.

 

Exactly. With Choice Air you pick your own flights.

[grandgeezer]

There are a lot of posts on what might happen if something goes wrong if you book your one way transatlantic air with Choice Air, but very few if any, on what did go wrong and how it was handled. RCL/Celebrity has 12 transatlantics next spring with about 30,000 people needing air. This is probably typical for the fall transatlantics also. Over the years, I have talked to several travel agents, as well as RCL and Celebrity and they all swear by Choice Air. Would they stick their reputation on the line if they didn't believe it?

We are booked on British Airways, Amsterdam to Phoenix for $509 p.p. Just for kicks as suggested above, I checked Kayak. For the exact same flights they wanted $2075 p.p.

This is just my opinion, if you are still afraid what will happen if the sky is falling, book through whoever you feel confortable with, no matter what the cost.

[Diplomacy]

There are a lot of posts on what might happen if something goes wrong if you book your one way transatlantic air with Choice Air, but very few if any, on what did go wrong and how it was handled. RCL/Celebrity has 12 transatlantics next spring with about 30,000 people needing air. This is probably typical for the fall transatlantics also. Over the years, I have talked to several travel agents, as well as RCL and Celebrity and they all swear by Choice Air. Would they stick their reputation on the line if they didn't believe it?

We are booked on British Airways, Amsterdam to Phoenix for $509 p.p. Just for kicks as suggested above, I checked Kayak. For the exact same flights they wanted $2075 p.p.

This is just my opinion, if you are still afraid what will happen if the sky is falling, book through whoever you feel confortable with, no matter what the cost.

 

I think you miss the point. RCCL is a contractor. They book flights with the same airlines that anyone else books with. RCCL doesn't have any kind of magic method of selecting flights where nothing will go wrong. RCCL also doesn't allow people to fly in 24 hrs early... meaning that whatever does go wrong, which won't be RCCL's fault, will still cause extreme stress and potentially damage your vacation experience. Now if the plane is delayed (it happens) that won't be RCCL's fault. If you miss the boat, that wouldn't be RCCL's fault either. But what are the odds that you would miss the boat, if your plans put you at the port a full 24hrs before the ship leaves? Slim to none.

 

Most people like to hedge against calamity, especially when thousands of dollars or international vacations are concerned.

Edited September 27, 2015 by Diplomacy

[cruizers]

I checked the prices for a Transatlantic flight both through the new Air2Sea and the airline I was thinking of using. The prices were identical for the same seats and both the airline and Air2Sea charged the $25 fee for each passenger. There was no lower fare offered on Air2Sea.

 

It'll be interesting to see how this evolves and if prices will, in fact, be lower than what the airline itself.

[cruizers]

oops - - the last sentence should have read . . . be lower than what the airline itself offers.

[broberts]

...

When our flight was delayed due to mechanical problems, we called the special number we were given and were told that should we miss the ship we would be put up in a hotel in Miami and flown to Jamaica. Important point here: 1st port was Labadee, therefore we would be missing half of the cruise!!!

 

Fortunately we arrived with about an hour to spare. Tired, stressed and hungry. Will never fly day of again!

 

Glad that you made it. After the stress of my first use of cruise line air arrangements, I decided to always plan to arrive at least one day ahead.

 

Getting to Labadee is not easy. One has to fly into Cap-Haitian (if flights are available that day) or Port-au-Prince and then drive to Labadee. The lack of flights and/or timing likely lead to the Jamaica option.

[Charles4515]

I think you miss the point. RCCL is a contractor. They book flights with the same airlines that anyone else books with. RCCL doesn't have any kind of magic method of selecting flights where nothing will go wrong. RCCL also doesn't allow people to fly in 24 hrs early... meaning that whatever does go wrong, which won't be RCCL's fault, will still cause extreme stress and potentially damage your vacation experience. Now if the plane is delayed (it happens) that won't be RCCL's fault. If you miss the boat, that wouldn't be RCCL's fault either. But what are the odds that you would miss the boat, if your plans put you at the port a full 24hrs before the ship leaves? Slim to none.

 

Most people like to hedge against calamity, especially when thousands of dollars or international vacations are concerned.

 

 

They do allow you to fly in 24 hours early.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Charles4515]

Glad that you made it. After the stress of my first use of cruise line air arrangements, I decided to always plan to arrive at least one day ahead.

 

 

 

Getting to Labadee is not easy. One has to fly into Cap-Haitian (if flights are available that day) or Port-au-Prince and then drive to Labadee. The lack of flights and/or timing likely lead to the Jamaica option.

 

 

I have always flown in at least a day early from my first cruise to number fifty one. You can do that with ChoiceAir. It's not the program they had years ago. And you pick the flights.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited September 27, 2015 by Charles4515