Changes of changes w EZ air vs direct booking?

[mrsgthatsme]

We have never used EZ air before... wondering if there is a greater chance of your flight schedule being changed/flights being cancelled with EZ air vs booking directly with the airline. I have been reading a number of comments of people who have had their EZ air bookings changed to crazy times, super long layovers, etc... However, my TA said that EZ air works with the airlines so it is not Princess/EZ air's fault, but the airlines. In your experience with EZ air, do you feel there is more or less or equal chance of flight changes? Thanks!

[moki'smommy]

Equal. I love EZ air because it let me select my flights (some lines don't do that). But I've flown A LOT this year. The airlines are all about profit and will change flights whenever it fits their needs...for lots of reasons. It may be weather, personnel issues, of the fact that they have 2 flights 2 hours apart that are not full so they have decided to combine them!

 

Honestly, I'm a little worried about our upcoming flight (booked thru EZ air, but that's irrelevant). We have the first morning direct flight to the cruise port. However, if there is an issue, there are 2 more flights that will get us there on time. My real suspicion is that if the first flight doesn't fill, they will cancel it and bump us to the second flight. If that happens, I'll not only be fighting with the airline, I'll be on the phone to Princess and the TA to be sure that they get us on that second flight!

[lovetosew]

We booked thru EZ air same day to Santiago and American had us with only one hour between fights at Dallas Ft Worth. After much thought and much tooth pulling by our TA we are now leaving RDU mid morning and have a six hour layover in Miami to get to Santiago to get to the Star Princess. It is LAN airlines and a 989 Dreamliner--a new plane for us. We are happy not to have to deal with Texas weather in February or any connecting flights that may be associated therein. Now a days it seems that if there is a hint of a storm in one part of the country, the whole aviation system shuts down. Hopefully this new schedule will give us some breathing room.

[caribill]

When you book with EZAir, if there is a short connection at that time, it is because you selected it.

 

However, as others have pointed out, airlines can change flight times, eliminate and add flights, etc. It does not matter if you booked directly with the airline or used EZAir if the airline makes changes. (Note that in most cases where the airline makes the changes, you can usually call the airline and say the changes are not acceptable and they will put you on other flights with no charge for doing this.)

 

But there is a condition where Princess will make the change to the EZAir reservations. If you have booked the flexible fare and have not yet paid for it, the airline can change the fare as the flights fill up. In that case, Princess will keep the fare commitment but will do this by switching which flights you will be taking. This is when you could end up with flight schedules you would never select by yourself.

[Times Prince]

However, my TA said that EZ air works with the airlines so it is not Princess/EZ air's fault, but the airlines. In your experience with EZ air, do you feel there is more or less or equal chance of flight changes? Thanks!

Your TA is correct - the airlines provide the flight schedule possibilities, and you select them.

 

We have had one really negative experience flying in winter across the southern United States from TX to FL. But that was ALL the airline's fault (several times in the same trip). What EZair gave us was the comfort we had a fallback plan. We contacted the in-travel Princess phone number with each delay, and learned that should we miss our sailing, they would fly us to the first airline accessible port (St. Thomas) and provide us with a generous daily allowance for hotels and food. It really paid to have the EZair insurance guarantee, as it reduced our anxiety level.

 

Equal. I love EZ air because it let me select my flights (some lines don't do that). But I've flown A LOT this year. The airlines are all about profit and will change flights whenever it fits their needs...for lots of reasons. It may be weather' date=' personnel issues, of the fact that they have 2 flights 2 hours apart that are not full so they have decided to combine them!

 

Honestly, I'm a little worried about our upcoming flight (booked thru EZ air, but that's irrelevant). We have the first morning direct flight to the cruise port. However, if there is an issue, there are 2 more flights that will get us there on time. My real suspicion is that if the first flight doesn't fill, they will cancel it and bump us to the second flight. If that happens, I'll not only be fighting with the airline, I'll be on the phone to Princess and the TA to be sure that they get us on that second flight![/quote']You just need to contact the in-travel Princess desk to find out what to do. Your TA will likely not be able to help, but your presence at the airline desk, telling them you have a cruise to make, often will help.

[f-mattox]

I think how far out you book the air has more to do with the chance of changes than whether you book directly or with E-Z Air; the changes I've had with E-Z Air were due to the airlines changing their schedule or routes. The further ahead you book, the greater the chance of changes.

Edited November 3, 2015 by f-mattox

[satxdiver]

US based airlines (maybe others?) change their schedules every quarter to adjust for pax loads etc. If you book more than 3 months in advance, the chances of time changes, flight numbers etc will happen. This is how the airlines work to balance load and profit. Bottom line is to expect changes that hopefully are not too inconvenient.

[oceanseagle12]

I agree with satxdiver. I often book my flights 3 months or more in advance, and more times than not, I get the email notice of a flight change- especially on Delta. It can work to your advantage because it can open up other options. For example, for my cruise at the end of this month, my flight was changed. Technically, it wasn't enough to allow me a free change. But I didn't like the 35 minute layover in ATL. Delta allowed me to choose another flight, and I'm happier with the schedule now than I was when I booked- this one would have cost more originally! [emoji1]

 

 

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[flamomo]

We booked thru EZ air same day to Santiago and American had us with only one hour between fights at Dallas Ft Worth. After much thought and much tooth pulling by our TA we are now leaving RDU mid morning and have a six hour layover in Miami to get to Santiago to get to the Star Princess. It is LAN airlines and a 989 Dreamliner--a new plane for us. We are happy not to have to deal with Texas weather in February or any connecting flights that may be associated therein. Now a days it seems that if there is a hint of a storm in one part of the country, the whole aviation system shuts down. Hopefully this new schedule will give us some breathing room.

 

I've flown with LAN twice (once to, and once from, Santiago) in the past year, and had good experiences. Good service on board, pleasant flight attendants, decent food, nice wine. Their flights were right on time and no schedule adjustments during the several months between booking and flying. Your US based airline seems far more likely to make changes to their schedule, but having a 6 hour layover should make you feel a little more comfortable!!

[mrsgthatsme]

Thanks for all of the information. So if I book the EZ air flight tonight, do I have a choice of if I pay now or later? If I pay now, will it avoid the situation the poster mentioned about having your flight fill and if you've chosen flexible fare and not yet paid being bumped to another flight if you don't want your fare raised? On another note, do I need to purchase trip insurance before booking the air or can I do that later?

[cruisequeen4ever]

As someone else said, it's the airlines that change the times. EZ Air could reroute you on a non-preferred flight, though. When booking directly, you just call the airline and tell them the new time won't work. With EZ Air, there's a middle man, which could work to your advantage (switching airlines if needed), or it could be frustrating. We used it for the first time recently with the Flexible rate and did not have to pay until final payment. Tixx are issued 45 days before departure. I don't know if anyone has ever been bumped as a result of a fare increase. Our fare actually went down, and we got a refund. Check with your travel insurance company about when you need to purchase it.

[Retiring cajun]

we've used EZ Air twice. no changes with first, but Cruising in February, the airline pushed our 2pm return flight out to 6pm.works for us. princess notified us right away

[rdorta]

We are cruising on Princess 12 day around England this July 30, 2016. We were booked to return through Newark on 8/12/2016. Yesterday the cruise line notified us the return was changed to fly to Houston then back home to Miami. That added 3 hours to our flight time. We now had only middle seats. I called Princess and after being on hold for 45 minutes was told they could do nothing. I will never book my air through a cruise line again. I am considering never cruising with Princess. Their customer service was terrible.

Ruben

[rdorta]

We are cruising on Princess 12 day around England this July 30, 2016. We were booked to return through Newark on 8/12/2016. Yesterday the cruise line notified us the return was changed to fly to Houston then back home to Miami. That added 3 hours to our flight time. We now had only middle seats. I called Princess and after being on hold for 45 minutes was told they could do nothing. I will never book my air through a cruise line again. I am considering never cruising with Princess. Their customer service was terrible.

Ruben

[moki'smommy]

We are cruising on Princess 12 day around England this July 30, 2016. We were booked to return through Newark on 8/12/2016. Yesterday the cruise line notified us the return was changed to fly to Houston then back home to Miami. That added 3 hours to our flight time. We now had only middle seats. I called Princess and after being on hold for 45 minutes was told they could do nothing. I will never book my air through a cruise line again. I am considering never cruising with Princess. Their customer service was terrible.

Ruben

 

Did you call the airline directly to see if they can arrange anything better for you? If the airline changed your booked flight, they will normally attempt to make adjustments for you at no additional cost.

[Colo Cruiser]

For what its worth Princess has no control over airline schedules or seats.

They just pass on the changes from the airline to you.

 

Did you call the airline?

[Zooguy]

When you use EZ AIR, you hand over control to someone else. Not for me.

[moki'smommy]

When you use EZ AIR, you hand over control to someone else. Not for me.

 

This is the reason that I typically do not book flights thru the cruise line. But Princess seems to give me as much control as I have booking thru the airline and at a better price.

 

If I book thru an airline, they can still change their flight schedule at any time. They can move my previously selected seats. They can basically do anything they wish! The only thing they have agreed to is to get me from point A to point B for a specified fare.

[Colo Cruiser]

This is the reason that I typically do not book flights thru the cruise line. But Princess seems to give me as much control as I have booking thru the airline and at a better price.

 

If I book thru an airline' date=' they can still change their flight schedule at any time. They can move my previously selected seats. They can basically do anything they wish! The only thing they have agreed to is to get me from point A to point B for a specified fare.[/quote']

 

 

I agree, the airline can do what ever they want regardless of whether you book through Princess or the airline direct.

At least with Princess you are protected when heading to the ship.

[traveling1969]

Chances are equal. It has happened to us several times. We usually book EZair with Delta and they are notorious for time changes and cancellations whether booked through EZair or directly with the airline.

 

Here's what I do when that happens. I go to Delta's web site and find alternate flights that work and I look at available seats. Then and only then do I call Princess. I insist that the agent take down my preferred flights and seats BEFORE they coordinate with EZair and the airline. Delta has always accommodated our request at no additional charge.

 

Harry

Edited July 16, 2016 by traveling1969

[caribill]

We are cruising on Princess 12 day around England this July 30, 2016. We were booked to return through Newark on 8/12/2016. Yesterday the cruise line notified us the return was changed to fly to Houston then back home to Miami. That added 3 hours to our flight time. We now had only middle seats. I called Princess and after being on hold for 45 minutes was told they could do nothing. I will never book my air through a cruise line again. I am considering never cruising with Princess. Their customer service was terrible.

Ruben

 

 

Since the ticket had already been paid for and the $$$ sent to the airline, an itinerary change at this time came from the airline and would have occurred even if you had booked directly with the airline.

 

As others suggested, call the airline. Since they made the itinerary change, if there is a better itinerary for you with space available, they should move you to that itinerary at no charge.

[Carolyn R]

Another advantage with EZ Air is you can take advantage of price drops. Booking directly through the airline you are locked in. I originally booked EZ Air for my TA this fall at $840 in March, ended up at $553 after several price drops.

[rdorta]

We booked on February 14. I just found out from airline that our flight was changed on March 19. Princess notified us on July 11. Customer service at its worst. I called princess again and after much complaining they gave us a $50.00 per person on board credit. I guess something is better than nothing.

[moki'smommy]

We booked on February 14. I just found out from airline that our flight was changed on March 19. Princess notified us on July 11. Customer service at its worst. I called princess again and after much complaining they gave us a $50.00 per person on board credit. I guess something is better than nothing.

 

Wow...and with that kind of a time lag, I'm guessing that the airline can't or won't do anything to help with a better routing.

 

My attempts at airline re-routing have been within days of the change and as soon as I found out. They haven't always been able to give me what I wanted, but they've always come up with something that would work. Of course the real frustration has come in when I chose a particular airline because of a specific flight....and then they changed the flight.