EZ Air - not so Easy

[plane2port]

OP, this is an infuriating situation for you and you parents. I hope that Princess makes this right for you and that they are reimbursed the money for their tickets. People buying cruise air are paying the cruise line so that they can avoid stressful situations like this. Princess' assertion that it is Delta's fault doesn't fly with me--it is their responsibility--that's why you booked with them!

 

With that said, anyone who obtains an airline ticket, whether they pay cash or use award miles, or book through a cruise line or travel agency, should make sure they have a ticket number, not just a confirmation code. The ticket number is a long 13-16 digit number. If you don't see it, call the airline and make sure you have one.

 

The confirmation code is a six digit combo of letters and numbers that you are given when you book a flight. It does not always mean you have a confirmed ticket.

 

The screw ups usually occur when there is miscommunication between providers. It is common when when you book with an airline, and you are actually flying on one of their partners. Another venue for trouble is when you are rerouted on another airline during IRROPS.

 

Just make sure you have a ticket with a TICKET NUMBER.

Edited June 4, 2016 by plane2port

[epixx]

I could not find ticket numbers on the itinerary for either outbound (Air Canada) or inbound flights (Delta), just airline confirmation codes. I used this code and was able to log into Delta and see the itinerary and select them seats. I find it odd that if the ticket was not paid for by Princess, that it would allow me to get this far in the process.

 

For readers here, you can find more information about the difference between having a confirmation code (which is just a reservation and does not guarantee a seat on the plane) and a ticket number (which actually confirms a seat on the flight). See explanation by FlyerTalker (post 22):

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2230987&page=2

 

Bottom line: I think it is risky to fly anywhere without a ticket number. For flights purchased from an airline, the airline directly provides this information to the consumer. If I purchased air from a 3rd party, I would insist on them providing me with a ticket number before departure.

 

Princess is blaming Delta, and Delta blaming Princess... I should know more later today.

 

I have read this many times when there was a flight problem booked via Princess or other cruise air programs. Each blames the other. Given that your parents never had ticket numbers, my guess is that it's highly likely a Princess problem. I'd be going after them, rather than Delta. Good luck. Be persistent.

[limoncello07]

I have read this many times when there was a flight problem booked via Princess or other cruise air programs. Each blames the other. Given that your parents never had ticket numbers, my guess is that it's highly likely a Princess problem. I'd be going after them, rather than Delta. Good luck. Be persistent.

 

In my view it's not an either/or situation; both companies are to blame for different reasons, irrespective of what the other did, and each should be held responsible for their own actions or lack thereof.

 

I agree with epixx that the OP probably has a better argument for obtaining recourse from Princess, which is the company that promised and collected money for the "EZ" flight experience, but did not deliver. The travelers have a contractual relationship with Princess, and Princess in turn has a contractual relationship with Delta. Even if the problem turns out to be Delta's "fault" as a technical matter, that's a problem for Princess, rather than the travelers, to be taking up with Delta; in the meantime it is Princess who should be making the travelers whole. I note that there are a lot of smart preventative and troubleshooting tips contained in this thread about checking ticket numbers, who should be called when, etc.,. While the advice is all good, frankly this shouldn't be something that "EZ Air" travelers are required to research or guess about. Rather, Princess should provide clear and prominent instructions to EZ Air passengers about exactly what to do and who to contact if there is a last-minute glitch with your flight, or advising people when and how to double-check that their tickets have actually been purchased.

 

That said, while the travelers' legal relationship was with Princess, their immediate "relationship" on the ground at the airport was with Delta. While Delta does not have a legal obligation to take passengers whose tickets have not been paid for, if the Delta rep could see in the system that the tickets had been booked but not yet paid for by Princess, Delta could have engaged Princess directly to straighten out the matter. In other words, even if Delta was not originally responsible for the problem, Delta could have taken steps to _solve_ the problem. If the Delta rep at the gate was too busy or not knowledgeable enough to handle this issue, it could been referred to Delta's customer service office. Perhaps there would not have been enough time to resolve the problem prior to the booked flight, but at least the effort should have been made.

 

Shame on both companies. OP, I too would be very frustrated in your position, and hope this gets resolved for you and your parents swiftly and with appropriate recompense.

[DougandEric]

We had a similar woe using EZAir. The price was right and the benefits are great if you need them for missed flights, etc. However, management of the flights is non-existent.

 

We used it on our Tahiti cruise. We needed to fly from TPA to PPT. EZAir had a sale and it was $700 cheaper than I could book myself since I had checked before using it. The routing was TPA-IAH-LAX-PPT on United going out and PPT-LAX-DFW-TPA on American coming back. The confirmation number given didn't work with any of the airlines so my TA had to call each one and get their confirmation number. The number given by EZAir was a consolidator number (actually a Quantas #). I had booked seats via EZAir and when I checked each airline, we had no seats. So, I called my TA and she checked with Princess and they said we did have those seats but the systems weren't in sync and give it a couple of days. After a week, I booked the seats myself on each airline.

 

I was checking weekly and noticed that about 4 months out our outbound routing had changed. EZAir still showed the original routing. We were now going to be routed TPA-IAD-LAX-PPT on United and get in 1 hour before our LAX-PPT departure which wouldn't work since we had to collect our luggage and get down to the Tom Bradley International terminal at LAX. Once again, my TA called and got flights that were similar and still gave us lots of time to get to TBI (along with United lounge day passes!).

 

A couple of weeks after that, I noticed that our return flights were a mess. Once again, EZAir still showed all the original flights. What I saw on American were 2 flights out of LAX to DFW for each of us! She called Princess and got that fixed.

 

At no time did I get notified by Princess or either airline even though they all had my email, cell and home numbers and I'd set up alerts on all legs of the flights.

 

So my suggestion is that it's OK to use EZAir so long as the price is right and YOU monitor your flights yourself. Even if it was within $100 I'd still book directly with the airline. Don't pay attention to anything showing in EZAir as it didn't get updated with the correct information until the last call by my TA and that was MONTHS after the tickets were originally booked. Make sure you monitor your individual flights directly with the airlines via their sites. Even on our Hawaii cruise in November which I booked directly with American I'm checking a couple times a week for now and will check more often as time approaches to leave. I've had American wipe my seats out that I had selected for months (and had printed confirmation) and then be told that I'd never selected them in the first place - NOT! Luckily I kept checking (this was a TA flight and we had 2 together on the side) and 2 seats opened up about 2 hours before we left for the airport!

 

Doug

[DubbyLee]

Now I'm nervous about our first time booking EZAir.

We booked (for August doing a TA) Business Class one way to Copenhagan with a 4 day stopover in London. $1700 with BA with the first flight on AA.

Booking to London only through the airline directly would cost over $9,000! How does Princess get such a deal? I'm really worried it's going to get messed up.

I think I'll tell them to pay it in full when final payment is made in 2 weeks.

[flyboy88]

Update : When I originally called Princess, I was advised that I would hear back from a supervisor within 24 hours.... Still waiting, no call or email yet.

- I have sent everything off, including receipts as an email to customer relations a few days ago also (after 24 hours had past) and still waiting as well.

[akswimmom]

I wonder if a post on their Facebook page would help speed things up? It seems to get a little faster reaction sometimes....

Edited June 5, 2016 by akswimmom

[Corfe Mixture]

The OP has a case under Law of Contract.

 

Although I look at these matters from a UK Contract Law perspective a fundamental aspect of the Law of Contract world-wide is that it is linear (or sequential - whichever you prefer)

 

What this means is that buck passing and who is to blame is not relevant to the OP. All that matters is who did the OP have a contract with and did the OP fulfil their obligations under the terms and conditions of the contract.

 

So, even if the fault lay with Delta, if the OP's contract was with Princess, this means that the OP's claim is against Princess because that is the ONLY organisation with whom they have a legal relationship.

 

If it then transpires that the fault lay with Delta then Princess have a claim against Delta for a failure to deliver under their contract with Princess.

 

OK Princess have all sorts of small print in their contract, but this is a complete and absolute failure to deliver the contracted product (the flight).

 

IMHO the ONLY WAY PRINCESS CAN duck this issue is if the contract terms with Princess say that they are acting as an agent on your behalf in establishing your contract with the airline. This however would seem to be unlikely. A fundamental part of the EZAir promise is that, if you book with them rather than direct with the airline, they will get you to your destination, even if the flight or ship is delayed. Not only is this a contractual promise in its own right, it would also seem to me to be a contractual promise they could not make if they were acting solely as an agent.

Edited June 5, 2016 by Corfe Mixture

[Corfe Mixture]

Update : When I originally called Princess, I was advised that I would hear back from a supervisor within 24 hours.... Still waiting, no call or email yet.

- I have sent everything off, including receipts as an email to customer relations a few days ago also (after 24 hours had past) and still waiting as well.

 

IMHO this sounds more positive than negative, though one would have hoped that you would have received an holding reply.

 

I say it sounds positive as there is no way Princess are going accept your word and send you a cheque for $4000 without first talking to Delta and hearing their side of the story.

 

The fact that you have not yet heard anything suggests that this process is ongoing and Princess will get back to you once Delta come back and explain why they thought your parents had not paid for their tickets and charged them $4000 for their flight when Princess' own records will no doubt show that they had already paid for their tickets in full.

Edited June 5, 2016 by Corfe Mixture

[epixx]

The OP has a case under Law of Contract.

 

 

 

IMHO the ONLY WAY PRINCESS CAN duck this issue is if the contract terms with Princess say that they are acting as an agent on your behalf in establishing your contract with the airline. This however would seem to be unlikely. A fundamental part of the EZAir promise is that, if you book with them rather than direct with the airline, they will get you to your destination, even if the flight or ship is delayed.

 

I am not a legal scholar, nor do I have any legal training, but, as a lay person, the terms and conditions of the contract seem to say exactly this, i.e., that EZAir is acting as an agent. Furthermore, the terms and conditions of the contract make no "promise" about getting the passenger to the destination, and, in fact, make numerous disclaimers about their lack of responsibility in the matter. Please correct me if I am interpreting this in the wrong way:

 

 

"All travel facilities, tours, activities, products or services, other than aboard Carrier's vessels and tenders, provided in connection with, before, after or during Your Cruise, including but not limited to pre and post cruise activities, shore excursions, hotel accommodations, meals, or transportation of any kind by any vessel, aircraft, or other conveyance, including, but not limited to, air travel to and from the ship, are provided, owned and/or operated by independent contractors whose employees, facilities, conveyances, products and services are not subject to Carrier's supervision or control. In providing or selling reservations or tickets in connection with any such activities, services or transportation or by accompanying You during such activities, Carrier does so as a convenience to Guests and shall be entitled to impose a charge and earn a profit from the sale of such excursions, services or transportation, but does not undertake to supervise or control such independent contractors or their employees, conveyances or facilities. Carrier accepts no liability for any loss, delay, damage, injury, death, misrepresentation arising from any excursion, service or transportation or any loss, delay or disappointment for any cancellations of any excursion, service or transportation including but not limited to air flight cancellation(s), errors in seat reservation, upgrade, overbooking or ticketing. Carrier makes no warranty, either express or implied, regarding the suitability, safety, insurance or other aspects of any such contractors, transportation, tours, services, products or facilities. Any liability for such services will be governed by this Passage Contract and the contracts and/or tariffs between You and such service companies. You agree that Carrier's liability, if any, for Non-Performance of any independent contractor providing such facilities or services shall not exceed the amounts received for such facility or services by Carrier on Your behalf. "

[moki'smommy]

IMHO this sounds more positive than negative, though one would have hoped that you would have received an holding reply.

 

I say it sounds positive as there is no way Princess are going accept your word and send you a cheque for $4000 without first talking to Delta and hearing their side of the story.

 

The fact that you have not yet heard anything suggests that this process is ongoing and Princess will get back to you once Delta come back and explain why they thought your parents had not paid for their tickets and charged them $4000 for their flight when Princess' own records will no doubt show that they had already paid for their tickets in full.

 

I agree that Princess is not going to take your word for the situation. BUT not hearing from them in the promised time could also mean that the issue is sitting on someone's desk or computer and being ignored. No news is NOT good news. If there is a delay in interfacing with Delta, the appropriate response from Princess would be a call or an e-mail saying, "We are working on it and will be back with you shortly."

 

Sorry, I was on a cruise that had an issue. I needed to get a letter of documentation for my private insurance company. I was instructed to send my booking number, cruise number, dates, etc. to a particular e-mail address which I did within minutes. I waited 2 weeks--no response, so did it again. More wait, no response. Called Princess again and this time got someone who transferred me to someone in the right department. That individual assigned my case to a specific agent and within 2 days I had the needed letter. Total time: approximately 1 month. Turns out that based on my first phone call and 2 e-mails, they had done NOTHING. And my issue wasn't going to cost the a penny beyond perhaps 10 minutes of staff time to verify and compose a letter.

[Corfe Mixture]

I am not a legal scholar, nor do I have any legal training, but, as a lay person, the terms and conditions of the contract seem to say exactly this, i.e., that EZAir is acting as an agent. Furthermore, the terms and conditions of the contract make no "promise" about getting the passenger to the destination, and, in fact, make numerous disclaimers about their lack of responsibility in the matter. Please correct me if I am interpreting this in the wrong way:

 

 

"All travel facilities, tours, activities, products or services, other than aboard Carrier's vessels and tenders, provided in connection with, before, after or during Your Cruise, including but not limited to pre and post cruise activities, shore excursions, hotel accommodations, meals, or transportation of any kind by any vessel, aircraft, or other conveyance, including, but not limited to, air travel to and from the ship, are provided, owned and/or operated by independent contractors whose employees, facilities, conveyances, products and services are not subject to Carrier's supervision or control. In providing or selling reservations or tickets in connection with any such activities, services or transportation or by accompanying You during such activities, Carrier does so as a convenience to Guests and shall be entitled to impose a charge and earn a profit from the sale of such excursions, services or transportation, but does not undertake to supervise or control such independent contractors or their employees, conveyances or facilities. Carrier accepts no liability for any loss, delay, damage, injury, death, misrepresentation arising from any excursion, service or transportation or any loss, delay or disappointment for any cancellations of any excursion, service or transportation including but not limited to air flight cancellation(s), errors in seat reservation, upgrade, overbooking or ticketing. Carrier makes no warranty, either express or implied, regarding the suitability, safety, insurance or other aspects of any such contractors, transportation, tours, services, products or facilities. Any liability for such services will be governed by this Passage Contract and the contracts and/or tariffs between You and such service companies. You agree that Carrier's liability, if any, for Non-Performance of any independent contractor providing such facilities or services shall not exceed the amounts received for such facility or services by Carrier on Your behalf. "

 

Totally agree with your interpretation.

 

Princess have written the terms to ensure that the contract is with Delta, and it would appear that Princess, having stated the right to take a fee for making the booking will only be liable if they failed in their contractual obligation to make the booking with Delta.

 

This however, then begs the question - Why would anyone book through EZ Air if the terms are written so as to specifically exclude the oft quoted benefit of promising to catch up with the ship, at no charge to you, if your EZ Air flight is delayed?

 

I never book my flights with EZ Air, as I prefer to be in control, but, following on from your quotation of Princess' terms and conditions I just popped onto cruise personalizer to see what they are offering for my forthcoming cruise and it says...

'If you miss your cruise embarkation due to an airline delay or service disruption, Princess will work with the airline to provide flights to the next appropriate port at no cost to you.'

In other words despite popular belief that EZ Air offers you a guarantee, in truth it offers you nothing that half decent travel insurance policy already offers you.

Edited June 5, 2016 by Corfe Mixture
reference to my forthcoming cruise

[Kamloops50]

Totally agree with your interpretation.

 

Princess have written the terms to ensure that the contract is with Delta, and it would appear that Princess, having stated the right to take a fee for making the booking will only be liable if they failed in their contractual obligation to make the booking with Delta.

 

This however, then begs the question - Why would anyone book through EZ Air if the terms are written so as to specifically exclude the oft quoted benefit of promising to catch up with the ship, at no charge to you, if your EZ Air flight is delayed?

 

EZair guarantees that you'll make the ship of be flown to the next port . When disembarking EZair will work with you and the airline to get you home.

Princess had a cruise that was delayed 24 hours . EZair worked with the airlines and hotels to get flights /rooms for those passengers . Those that booked their own had to scramble to rebook their own flights.

[caribill]

What I learned from Delta on my most recent EZAir booking.....

 

I booked' date=' and had paid in full for the cruise + air. I went to Delta to do seat selection and found an automatic "selection" for one flight, none for the others. When I tried to select a seat, I got an error message suggesting that I wait 24 hours until the system processed my payment. Did that. 24 hours later, same error message so I called Delta. For the next 10 days or so, (3 calls), I was advised that although I had a "reserved space," Princess had not purchased our tickets and thus I could not make seat selections other than those which had defaulted.

 

SO I called Princess, asking why they had not purchased the tickets. They told me that they never purchase tickets until 45 days before the cruise--that is how they are able to keep the flexible rates. They said that if I completed a form (which they supplied), they would purchase the seats sooner. But at the time of purchase, the fare would lock in and become non-refundable.[/quote']

 

I recently had an EZAir flexible rate flight booked on Delta. I was able to go to the Delta web site and pick our seats months before the 45-days-before-the-cruise deadline, in fact the same day I did the EZAir booking.

 

I do not understand why the same would not have been possible for you also.

[caribill]

I have recently booked EZ Air flexible fare for the first time in my approx 25 Princess cruises. This thread has me very worried. It seems we do not have a confirmed booking or seat until Princess purchases the said ticket 45 days prior to flight. Are we really just making a sort of request? So if the flight sells out even though you booked EZ Air many months in advance are you just out of luck and at the whim of Princess? This could end up being something horrible. I am booked on United not Delta and have selected my seats, but I suppose the same thing could happen between Princess and any airline. Now I think I understand better this concept of EZ Air flexible fare. I don't see commitment/confirmation to the potential passenger in it. Maybe I am not a flexible enough traveler as I will have other confirmed bookings in my city of arrival for a few days I would not want "messed up" The EZ Air fare is by far better than anything I could do otherwise, we are talking about a $1200.00 difference due to being open jaw. I have a very uneasy feeling now about trying EZ Air.

 

 

Until Princess actually pays for the flights, the itinerary must be considered tentative.

 

The rules for using flexible fares says that the price is not fixed until you have made payment. However, nobody has posted being charged a higher fare between booking and final payment time.

 

What some have posted is that the itinerary was changed (by Princess) before final payment. Princess said that the airlines raised the price for the original itinerary and Princess changed the itinerary to keep the initial price that was booked.

[tml1230]

I recently had an EZAir flexible rate flight booked on Delta. I was able to go to the Delta web site and pick our seats months before the 45-days-before-the-cruise deadline, in fact the same day I did the EZAir booking.

 

I do not understand why the same would not have been possible for you also.

 

the last TWO times i utilized EZ Air and Delta i too was able to book seats immediately even tho it was many months from departure…

[flyboy88]

Update:

- Finally heard back from Princess Guest Relations... They are beginning an investigation with the Air department to see what happened and then will see how to proceed.

 

- I did follow up with Delta. Spoke with a supervisor who insisted in their system the ticket was never paid for by Princess and that the charges my parents had to pay was correct.

 

So it's still awaiting game to see the outcome.

[TracieABD]

I will keep my fingers crossed for you and your parents! Thank you for coming back to update!

[Nhsaltshaker]

Awaiting the outcome...

 

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

[moki'smommy]

I recently had an EZAir flexible rate flight booked on Delta. I was able to go to the Delta web site and pick our seats months before the 45-days-before-the-cruise deadline, in fact the same day I did the EZAir booking.

 

I do not understand why the same would not have been possible for you also.

 

Possibly because I was requesting seats that are held until the day of the flight for HA situations (my daughter has a mobility issue and needs one of these seats.) They do not appear on line as "available," and can only be reserved by phoning Delta. However...that doesn't explain the error message I received when I first went to the Delta site, even before I tried to get these seats . I was just trying to get as far forward as possible at that point--I learned about the held seats when I spoke with the Delta agent about the error message. SO, in the end, it was better for us to have had the error message which resulted in the conversation with Delta.

[caribill]

This has happened to other people booked on Delta. For these people it was a need to pay $14,578 to get on the plane the day of the flight.

 

http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2016-06-10/how-to-avoid-airline-ticketing-errors?mbid=nl_061116_Daily&CNDID=24394343&spMailingID=9045619&spUserID=MTEzNzk2NTQ4OTg4S0&spJobID=941059805&spReportId=OTQxMDU5ODA1S0

[flyboy88]

Thanks for sharing... Yesterday I followed up with the customer relation rep at Princess I been dealing with. He advised that the air department has yet to get back to him, however he has also gotten the management team involve and will get back to me next week.

 

On the side, I also followed up with Delta and Air Canada (they flew AC outbound, had no issues). Long story short after the conversations they point are pointing the figure at Princess saying the return ticket was never actually booked...

 

Should have an update (hopefully resolution) next week

[seatraveller]

Thank you, flyboy88, for alerting me to this issue.

 

I checked the flight details for my upcoming cruise. There were several differences between the flights in the Princess cruise personalizer and the flights on the Delta website.

 

Most worrisome, Delta did not show the first leg of our return flight.

 

It took numerous phone calls over 4 days to get all parties in agreement. Better to spend the hours getting it straightened out now than find myself in a situation like your parents experienced.

[flyboy88]

Okay so here is the result:

 

- princess did not actually book the return flight for whichever reason. They are still investigating it.

 

- princess is mailing a cheque for the amount charged by Delta.

 

- Princess offered a $50 future travel credit for each of them... Which I think is kinda of a joke given the situation. Thoughts?

[Coral]

 

- Princess offered a $50 future travel credit for each of them... Which I think is kinda of a joke given the situation. Thoughts?

 

Yes - I think they should have offered more as an apology. Though, these days, you may be lucky to have gotten anything. Glad it is resolved.