Celebrity choice air

[crusin nut]

Hi!

 

I'm interested to know what your experience is with Choice Air? Recently I have received several emails that state lowest price guaranteed on Choice Air . I have spent more time than I care to admitt to on an upcoming cruise with choice air. They were much higher than the airlines or even Expedia. I called Celebrity Concierge Desk to question this and after many calls and time , a supervisor who said she was named DJ said they could not give me the price of the airlines unless I booked the higher price with them and then showed them the difference. REally? I don't think this is legal! She would not even check on her own, it was up to me to prove it was less somewhere else. I will report this to the better business beauru as that is not what their ad states.

 

Let me know your experience on pricing has been.

 

Cousin Nut

[ECCruise]

On one-way long hauls to Europe or Asia, extraordinary. Sometimes prices half, a third or less than airline prices.

 

On short haul round trips domestically, virtually the same prices as the airlines.

[whitbob]

I've looked at them twice. The first time was to Europe this August and the price was much lower than the airlines. The second time was to Australia next March. The prices were mostly the same as the airlines. Although premium economy was $300 less with choice air.

[grandgeezer]

The only place I found Choice Air to be the lowest price is one way U.S. To/from Europe. We've done it seven times and never paid more than 1/3 of what the airlines charge. Domestic flights were cheaper through the airlines.

[crusin nut]

On one-way long hauls to Europe or Asia, extraordinary. Sometimes prices half, a third or less than airline prices.

 

On short haul round trips domestically, virtually the same prices as the airlines.

 

I agree, most of our travel is one way to Europe and the price is great but it still states the lowest price guaranteed! They either own that or it can not be part of their ad. I'm very unhappy to the company not owning up to their promise.

 

Cousin Nut

[roxievegas]

if you have a problem with your booking, choice air will not handle the matter. they tell you have you have to go through the airline, the airline says you have to go through the booking agent - which is choice air. i have been dealing with british airways and choice air and celebrity for two weeks now with our one way return flight from europe.

i will not be using choice air again

[crusin nut]

We need to do more than not use them again. Guaranteed lowest price should be the standard that they are held too as that is in their ad. I can not believe this is legal and should be reported. For Choive Air to lose one or two customers is nothing to them. For Choivce Air to face a Legal challenge is something that will make things change.

 

Crushing Nut

[Azulann]

I booked Delta trip from MN to Barcelona and back through Atlanta. I watch the Delta price creep up for three months when they first posted my dates.

Knew exactly the flights and times I wanted before I called Choice Air. I got the Delta flights for $200. less than their own web site using Choice Air. I got a confirmation number, have chosen my seats and get FF miles with these tickets.

Leave in three weeks.

[crusin nut]

Don't you feel like Celerbrity Cruise Lines did not do what their ad told you they would do? Of course, I got my same flight for almost eight hundred dollars less? I'm not going to call again an give this booking to choice air. That would not be fare to the company that gave me this price but Choice Air should have had it or at the very least looked into it. That a lot of savings.

[bEwAbG]

Like any advertising slogan, you have to know the actual terms & conditions before you take that as some sort of legal promise. Their terms & conditions are spelled out on their website. You have to book and then find a lower rate within 24 hours of when you booked. Oh, and the lower advertised price must exactly match the purchased ChoiceAir itinerary, be for the same number of tickets, service class, airline(s), origination and destination gateways, legs, flight numbers and travel dates. There are a lot of other restrictions involved. This is pretty standard for "low price guarantee" from any company on the planet. I don't know what you consider to be an actionable offense here, though.

 

And the Better Business Bureau is a waste of time. They will try to mediate valid disputes, but the only leverage they have is a possible change in the BBB rating. They are also paid by businesses they are investigating, so they're not a true impartial party.

[grandgeezer]

I booked Delta trip from MN to Barcelona and back through Atlanta. I watch the Delta price creep up for three months when they first posted my dates.

Knew exactly the flights and times I wanted before I called Choice Air. I got the Delta flights for $200. less than their own web site using Choice Air. I got a confirmation number, have chosen my seats and get FF miles with these tickets.

Leave in three weeks.

 

Are you sure you are using http://www.choicesir.com? I'm booked on Delta on October 20, Phoenix to Rome, one way. I paid $585 p.p. Through choice air.com. I got my conformation number from them and went to http://www.delta.com to change my seats. The pricing on the website was almost $2000 p.p. more. Where are you finding lower pricing?

[Wellard]

I'm currently looking at choice air for flights from the UK to Sydney.

My experience is all options are incredibly expensive and way higher than what I can buy a ticket for in the UK. The poor £-$ exchange isn't helping either.

Further still.. Choice air are not able to offer flights with stopovers. A two day stop mid way, just breaks up that extremely long 24-26hr flight.

Even a o/w flight from Honolulu to Sydney is very over priced.

So far, it's UK based agents that have the more realistic fares, and choice air seems to be good for its local US market only.

Such a shame.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Edited June 2, 2016 by Wellard

[biker1972]

RCCL which includes X, has contracts with the various airlines. We, as customers, don't know what these contracts provide. We use the cruise line as a booking agent and they provide us with tickets that the cruise line secured from the airline through a contract that we know nothing about. The tickets are opaque in that we are not provided the fare rules, only a price. These fare rules become important when things suddenly go pear shaped especially on the day of the flight. The fare rules might mean that the tickets can't be assigned to another airline or that a re-booked flight has to match the original itinerary exactly. So now you are trying to say that you have found the same ticket on the same flight at a lower price than Choice Air sold you, but you really have no idea if it is the same ticket because there are so many fare classes with varying rules. Sometimes booking with the airline directly may cost more from your pocket, but when the unexpected does happen that extra money bought you a better fare class with rules that give you more options. Choose wisely, Grasshopper, and be aware of the dangers lurking in the weeds of modern air travel. Do visit the cruise air page here on Cruise Critic to find out what dangers might be in these weeds.

[Bo1953]

I called CA and it is clear that one must book with them and within 24 hours provide verifiable proof of the lower fare from a U.S. website. This is for the same flight, same 'class of service' etc.. Then one will receive 110% in OBC.

 

How difficult is this to understand? Either you want the credit OR the actual lower fare. If lower fare, then book where you find it.

 

The policy is legal as you have the option to book or not book. How are they to know you found a lower fare against the same 'class of service' on the same flight etc...

 

You have nothing to lose by booking and paying for the lower fare you found on the website you found it and not CA.

 

I say book your lower fare and be done with it if CA is not co-operating as you wish they do.

 

It is reasonable to posit that thousands of other passengers have been mostly satisfied with CA service and guarantee, so far. I can see the nightmare CA can have with everytime someone says they have found a cheaper fare etc, the research and verification process to only find that it is not apples to apples...

 

In fact I think one can find the fare basis and flight info before final payment print it out then shut the website down and do a like for like comparison. That should be easy, unless I Am missing something in that process.

 

This would be a CA policy and not cruise line, to be sure

 

bon voyage

Edited June 2, 2016 by Bo1953

[Mr. Click]

Choice Air is hit and miss. They got us a good deal from LAS to MEL and it worked well. They got us a good price EWR to AMS with the return BCN to EWR and the price was good but once I found out I needed to pay BA an extra $300 if I wanted to get my seat assignments now and not at check in in September Choice Air was useless. Yes it is BA policy and they can't change it but they should have told at purchase when the CA website had me choosing seats for my flights......It was not a nice surprise. For some frequent flyers there is also the occasional surprise that you are not earning miles because you have a consoladator ticket...not aways, sometimes... Their prices are tempting sometimes...but watch for surprises.

[Bo1953]

Choice Air is hit and miss. They got us a good deal from LAS to MEL and it worked well. They got us a good price EWR to AMS with the return BCN to EWR and the price was good but once I found out I needed to pay BA an extra $300 if I wanted to get my seat assignments now and not at check in in September Choice Air was useless. Yes it is BA policy and they can't change it but they should have told at purchase when the CA website had me choosing seats for my flights......It was not a nice surprise. For some frequent flyers there is also the occasional surprise that you are not earning miles because you have a consoladator ticket...not aways, sometimes... Their prices are tempting sometimes...but watch for surprises.

 

 

At the BA website, it is often the same, one must pay for advance seat selection based on fare type purchased, so it is really no different based on this alone, but there may other differences between the two besides fare.

 

bon voyage

Edited June 2, 2016 by Bo1953

[Mr. Click]

The difference was I feel Choice Air should have told me rather than just taking me to a site to pick my seats.....I only found out when I went on to BA's site to confirm things... It is a biz class trip so we will play the game and do seats at check in on August 31. The LHR to AMS segment is also biz class and just a 60 minute flight so I will gamble there too. It is just not the way I do business. If I quote a customer a price, that is the price.

[Bo1953]

The difference was I feel Choice Air should have told me rather than just taking me to a site to pick my seats.....I only found out when I went on to BA's site to confirm things... It is a biz class trip so we will play the game and do seats at check in on August 31. The LHR to AMS segment is also biz class and just a 60 minute flight so I will gamble there too. It is just not the way I do business. If I quote a customer a price, that is the price.

 

To be more fair:

 

Can I request my airline seats?

Yes, you can request seat assignments in instances where the airline makes them available to us. Most air carriers charge a fee for early seat assignment requests and when this occurs you will be directed to contact the airline directly to confirm your seating.

 

 

From CA's website directly, so it has been disclosed as a possibility, maybe it was missed in the booking process or reading the FAQ's or T&C's? Just a policy or fee which CA has no control over.

 

 

 

bon voyage

[RickT]

Questions for the OP

 

1) The Choice Air fare you were questioning. Was it the fare on their website or did you speak with Choice Air and see if they can match/beat the fare you saw on the airlines/expedia website? The reason I ask is I have found flights/lower fares and a call to Choice Air had them match/beat those quotes in every instance but one. Like you in that instance I was told to book choice air at the higher price and then submit a claim. I just booked with the airline at the lower rate.

2) Were you comparing apples to apples quotes? Same flights/class/etc?

3) Did you actually get to the point of almost booking the flights with the airline? I've had a couple instances on expedia and with Air Canada where the price changed when I tried to buy my tickets. In both cases the lame excuse was "the lower priced seat you had selected was booked by someone else before you could finalize the purchase"

 

Ultimately I've had good experience with Choice Air and fully understand what I am getting into when dealing with them. Ultimately if I find a lower price I just go there and buy it unless Choice Air matches.

[richstowe]

Like others we got a good deal when booking trans-Atlantic flights . Significantly better then we were able to find on our own . Their prices have been pretty much the same when looking at N American flights .

Hi!

 

I'm interested to know what your experience is with Choice Air? Recently I have received several emails that state lowest price guaranteed on Choice Air . I have spent more time than I care to admitt to on an upcoming cruise with choice air. They were much higher than the airlines or even Expedia. I called Celebrity Concierge Desk to question this and after many calls and time , a supervisor who said she was named DJ said they could not give me the price of the airlines unless I booked the higher price with them and then showed them the difference. REally? I don't think this is legal! She would not even check on her own, it was up to me to prove it was less somewhere else. I will report this to the better business beauru as that is not what their ad states.

 

Let me know your experience on pricing has been.

 

Cousin Nut

 

We need to do more than not use them again. Guaranteed lowest price should be the standard that they are held too as that is in their ad. I can not believe this is legal and should be reported. For Choive Air to lose one or two customers is nothing to them. For Choivce Air to face a Legal challenge is something that will make things change.

 

Crushing Nut

Good luck on your Choivce Air battle . Personally I'm not willing to start legal proceedings but good luck to you .

[needmorevacations]

So our experience with CA and X had been great so far. The latest promo for our European cruise included 1000 off our cruise invoice per person if we booked air on CA. True, we didn't get the bigger/best/etc as you couldn't pigcgy back promos but in an upper suite, the perks are almost all inclusive anyway.

 

And the price for coach was the same as online.. And business class ended up being only $600 more than coach for non-stop.. (Websites had business going for 2-3k more than coach. In the end the best deal by far was CA and this promo.. But I did have to push this offer at Travel agents when shopping as they all instantly price out resi discounts and BBb promos and assume that's the best dollar for dollar.

 

As for best price guarantees, always read fine print so I know what to expect. Typically I hate booking air outside of directly with airlines but with the promo and the cheap business fares, had no choice.

[crusin nut]

I called CA and it is clear that one must book with them and within 24 hours provide verifiable proof of the lower fare from a U.S. website. This is for the same flight, same 'class of service' etc.. Then one will receive 110% in OBC.

 

How difficult is this to understand? Either you want the credit OR the actual lower fare. If lower fare, then book where you find it.

 

The policy is legal as you have the option to book or not book. How are they to know you found a lower fare against the same 'class of service' on the same flight etc...

 

You have nothing to lose by booking and paying for the lower fare you found on the website you found it and not CA

 

I say book your lower fare and be done with it if CA is not co-operating as you wish they do.

 

It is reasonable to posit that thousands of other passengers have been mostly satisfied with CA service and guarantee, so far. I can see the nightmare CA can have with everytime someone says they have found a cheaper fare etc, the research and verification process to only find that it is not apples to apples...

 

In fact I think one can find the fare basis and flight info before final payment print it out then shut the website down and do a like for like comparison. That should be easy, unless I Am missing something in that process.

 

This would be a CA policy and not cruise line, to be sure

 

bon voyage

 

Just wanted to let you know that I talked to choice air and then I called Celebrity Concierge Desk and talked to Amy. She did look up the price difference that I was looking at and offered me a OBC for the difference. My point is still the same. This is not the lowest price guarentee they have in print. OBC so Celebrity still gets the money, what kind of deal is that?

 

Ctusing Nut

[Bo1953]

Just wanted to let you know that I talked to choice air and then I called Celebrity Concierge Desk and talked to Amy. She did look up the price difference that I was looking at and offered me a OBC for the difference. My point is still the same. This is not the lowest price guarentee they have in print. OBC so Celebrity still gets the money, what kind of deal is that?

 

Ctusing Nut

 

Accepted

[bEwAbG]

Just wanted to let you know that I talked to choice air and then I called Celebrity Concierge Desk and talked to Amy. She did look up the price difference that I was looking at and offered me a OBC for the difference. My point is still the same. This is not the lowest price guarentee they have in print. OBC so Celebrity still gets the money, what kind of deal is that?

 

Ctusing Nut

 

I don't think you're communicating your issue clearly. You already bought tickets through Choice Air? Because that's not what your initial post says. Do you currently have a plane ticket or not? If not, what does it matter what a customer service agent with the concierge desk is willing to give you?

[mandream]

My point is still the same. This is not the lowest price guarentee they have in print.

 

Actually, it sounds like it is the guarantee they have in print:

 

Their terms & conditions are spelled out on their website. You have to book and then find a lower rate within 24 hours of when you booked. Oh, and the lower advertised price must exactly match the purchased ChoiceAir itinerary, be for the same number of tickets, service class, airline(s), origination and destination gateways, legs, flight numbers and travel dates. There are a lot of other restrictions involved. This is pretty standard for "low price guarantee" from any company on the planet.

 

Agree this is pretty standard stuff for low price "guarantees".

 

Mike