Royal Carribean Air2Sea bad experience

[ShayG26]

Hello all, My husband and I are going on our Honeymoon/my birthday cruise next Sunday ( Oasis of the Sea ). It will be our second cruise overall. I decided to book our flights through the Air2Sea program w RC. I did this only because our flight home is at 2:45pm MCO and I wanted to insure we got off the ship in time. I booked a flight to leave out of PVD Jet Blue on Fri 7/20 at 6:45 am. We are spending Fri and Sat in Disney with my Aunt (my favorite place in the world). On June 25th I figured I would pull up my flight info on Jet Blue's website to get things in order, etc. To my surprise we had been changed from our 6:45 am flight to 6:30 pm w/a layover and an arrival time in MCO at 10:30pm. I was shocked and pissed! We have already purchased Disney Hopper passes for that day and arraigned for transportation in the morning from the airport, etc. I called Jet Blue and was advised the flight I booked on Mar 6th was actually changed twice by Air2Sea, once on May 6th and again on June 20th. I was never notified. JetBlue told me would have to contact RC as it was booked by a third party and they made the changes. Over the course of 3 weeks, I went back and forth w Air2Sea and was changed to a 5:45am flight out of Boston. This flight was actually cheaper than the original out of Providence. While I am happy that we were able to get an a.m. flight so I did not waste all that $$$ on Disney Tickets for that day, we now have to pay for transportation to Boston at 3:00am. We can't stay overnight the night before as the cheapest hotel is $280. An Uber/Lyft will be $100 but not guaranteed. Our best bet is to hire a car service to pick us up for $160. Mind you we live 10 mins from PVD airport and easily could have had a friend or relative drop us off at 5:25am for our original flight as planned. We cannot ask to be dropped off in Boston at 3:00am! Looong story short, I have called Air2Sea twice now simply asking for an onboard credit- in any amount, for all of the frustration and inconvenience they have caused us. We did not change our flights-They did. I even explained the flight they switched us too was cheaper- according to THEM - and they will not even give us an onboard credit for the difference. I explained this is our Honeymoon and my birthday. I have explained that JetBlue absolutely insist's that Air2Sea changed the flight twice without our knowledge and Air2Sea is blaming JetBlue. I AM SOOOOO disgusted at the poor customer service and lack of accountability with this department that it has completely tainted my Honeymoon experience and I am so disappointed. Even a $100 on board credit would say- Hey, we give damn. Have a nice honeymoon/birthday. I am wondering if anyone else had a similar experience and if anyone has any tips? Or did I set the "customer service/customer appreciation bar" too high for Royal Caribbean to meet? Thank You for your input.

[kccrzr]

How frustrating! Was any explanation given for why this was done and why you were not consulted or notified?

 

I had one issue with Air2Sea where my flights to Copenhagen were changed from JFK to connecting through Atlanta . They said Delta changed its schedule but we were never asked what we wanted to do. Since my daughter in NYC was going with us I ended up paying extra to fly into LGA and then took a taxi to JFK. I’m sure if I had booked direct I would have been able to work it out with Delta with less of a hassle and less expense. I won’t use Air2Sea anymore when I know I want to fly from or through specific airports.

[reallyitsmema]

Air2sea had to change your flight because the 6:45am out of PVD doesn't exist anymore. JetBlue can blame Air2sea but it is JetBlue that changed their schedule.

[ONECRUISER]

It's sad flight times of Airlines change more often now. I get at least 6 flights a year time changes by time I fly, sometimes only 10/15 min other's it's hours. Like to get my flights months out when they are cheapest, but now it's chance I take..

[138east]

Look at Hotwire. There's a 3.5* Logan Airport South Hotel for $106 plus tax and fees for Thursday night. Perhaps you could take the train up from Providence or someone can drive you up in the evening. This would solve your problem of ensuring you get to the airport in a timely manner for your very early flight.

[Merion_Mom]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

[blackshirt]

I’ve always been told changes like that are made by the airline, not by Air2Sea. As for notifications, yes you should be notified but I’m pretty sure it’s not Air2Sea making those changes. Why would they? In fact, when I have had changes on Air2Sea booked flights, the change notification clearly states the change was made by the airline.

[bouhunter]

I managed to get 1/4 of the way through the post. With paragraphs could have read the rest of the story.....:p

[awestover89]

Yeah, that's definitely a JetBlue issue not Air2Sea. The PVD to MCO flight you originally booked no longer exists.

 

A2S should have notified you when the flight was changed, but there's nothing else they could have done. They can't make JetBlue uncancel a flight, and the changes were out of their hands. Asking for them to pay you for the inconvenience wouldn't be fair.

 

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[A&L_Ont]

I managed to get 1/4 of the way through the post. With paragraphs could have read the rest of the story.....:p

 

Would have made it easier.

[CapeGal]

We have come to the conclusion that Air2Sea's goal is to save money. We have found that they change flights alot and the times are very inconvenient. We usually end up coming into the home airport late and I mean late. So for the next 2 cruises, we will NOT be using Air2Sea. We truly think we can do better. Since we usually travel in the day before our cruise, we are not in a rush to get to the port.

[TEXASMUNK]

NOT a cruise line issue! Blame the air carrier. Schedules are "adjusted very 3 months, sometimes by a minute or two, sometimes, total chaos. Of course JetBlue will blame the cruise line. And yes, since it is booked thru a third party, they have to have you work with the cruiseline. If there was a "cruise critic" for alirlines", that is where this post would belong.

[Biker19]

Moral of the story, other than one way international flights, book you own flights. And when you do outsource to Air2Sea or anyone else, make sure your contact info is on the booking.

[CGBCruiser]

NOT a cruise line issue! Blame the air carrier. Schedules are "adjusted very 3 months, sometimes by a minute or two, sometimes, total chaos. Of course JetBlue will blame the cruise line. And yes, since it is booked thru a third party, they have to have you work with the cruiseline. If there was a "cruise critic" for alirlines", that is where this post would belong.

 

Exactly! This is not Air2Sea that changed your flights. It's the airline.

[123funcruiser]

... Even a $100 on board credit would say- Hey, we give damn. Have a nice honeymoon/birthday. I am wondering if anyone else had a similar experience and if anyone has any tips? Or did I set the "customer service/customer appreciation bar" too high for Royal Caribbean to meet? Thank You for your input.

 

It´s pretty simple - they don´t give a damn.

 

What do you want the OBC for? You need to decide if it´s for the flight issue or because it´s your honeymoon / birthday. If it´s for your celebrations, well there will be hundreds of others celebrating as well and RCI does not care about your celebrations one bit unless you pay and order something to celebrate. Don´t expect any recognition from them. If you are talking about the flight issues, well your celebrations have nothing to do with this, so why even mention?

 

 

As for the flight issues, other´s have explained already how it worked.

 

Yes you are setting the bar way too high here.

[awestover89]

We have come to the conclusion that Air2Sea's goal is to save money. We have found that they change flights alot and the times are very inconvenient. We usually end up coming into the home airport late and I mean late. So for the next 2 cruises, we will NOT be using Air2Sea. We truly think we can do better. Since we usually travel in the day before our cruise, we are not in a rush to get to the port.

I can almost guarantee 100% that the changes aren't being made by Air2Sea for 1 reason; like you said their goal is to save money.

 

Airline tickets are not refundable, not changeable, and don't qualify for price drops. If Air2Sea changes your flights, they have to pay to do so. If they later find a cheaper flight, they would have to pay out of pocket to switch and wouldn't get a refund of the price difference.

 

Unless you pay a lot extra for a flexible ticket, or book first class, the only free changes come from the airline. If the airline changes your time, by more than two hours I think it is, you can make some changes without a fee, but it still won't make the flight cheaper. So, even if the airline changes your flight and gives Air2Sea the option to make additional changes, they have no incentive to do so.

 

Airlines change their flight schedule all the time. Our flight for our transatlantic this October has changed four times already and we now need an extra night in a hotel because none of the other new options work.

 

We had a Delta flight where they moved my last connection up three hours so instead of a two hour layover, our first flight now is scheduled to land an hour after our connection leaves.

 

This year we have eight flights total, only three of them have not had any changes (yet)

 

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[lbjen]

I can almost guarantee 100% that the changes aren't being made by Air2Sea for 1 reason; like you said their goal is to save money.

 

Airline tickets are not refundable, not changeable, and don't qualify for price drops. If Air2Sea changes your flights, they have to pay to do so. If they later find a cheaper flight, they would have to pay out of pocket to switch and wouldn't get a refund of the price difference.

 

Unless you pay a lot extra for a flexible ticket, or book first class, the only free changes come from the airline. If the airline changes your time, by more than two hours I think it is, you can make some changes without a fee, but it still won't make the flight cheaper. So, even if the airline changes your flight and gives Air2Sea the option to make additional changes, they have no incentive to do so.

 

Airlines change their flight schedule all the time. Our flight for our transatlantic this October has changed four times already and we now need an extra night in a hotel because none of the other new options work.

 

We had a Delta flight where they moved my last connection up three hours so instead of a two hour layover, our first flight now is scheduled to land an hour after our connection leaves.

 

This year we have eight flights total, only three of them have not had any changes (yet)

 

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That’s not how it works when a travel agent the size of Air2Sea books flights.

[awestover89]

That’s not how it works when a travel agent the size of Air2Sea books flights.

Yes. It is. The only benefit a travel agent the size of Air2Sea gets is access to consolidator airfare, which is cheaper but also has even more restrictions than typical airfare. Many airlines won't let you earn frequent flyer miles if the fare class you booked is under consolidator rules.

 

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[Aggravation]

Difficult to determine exactly what happened here, with the info and opinions at hand, but working for an airline, I can offer a few potentially useful insights. (with paragraphs)

 

 

 

Our flight schedule changes twice a year, addressing seasonal demand swings, but in practice, unplanned changes are made much more frequently, for a variety of reasons, many of which are completely unforeseen. All schedule changes impact passengers, and we certainly do care about that, and make every effort to mitigate the disruption. We begin by immediately notifying our passengers directly, using email, text or phone - explaining the change and presenting their options. We've changed our schedule, so we help you revise your itinerary, or cancel your flight, without additional charges. This is where the complications can begin.

 

 

 

When you book directly with an airline, you are their customer, and they have your contact information. If itinerary changes need to be made, the airline can make them for you. When booking through any 3rd party, A2S in this instance, you should be certain your contact info is included in the booking - without it, the airline can't notify you directly of any operational changes. Contact info, and price paid, are routinely omitted by 3rd parties. If itinerary changes are needed, the airline usually can't make them for you, only the third-party agent can, because the agent owns that reservation, and its in their GDS system.

 

 

 

Jet Blue definitely changed their schedule, but they definitely didn't change the OP's itinerary. Third-party bookings are called GDS bookings - they are made through one of several competing Global Distribution Systems that pool and sell air travel, hotel accommodations etc. GDS bookings exist outside the airlines CRS reservation systems, and all GDS bookings are owned and controlled by the 3rd party, in this caseA2S, and they are outside the airlines control. If A2S included your contact info in the booking, the airline could contact you directly with schedule change notifications - but the airline can't change your itinerary - only A2S can do that, through their GDS system.

 

 

 

One poster noted that it is the goal of A2S to save money. Actually, their goal is to make money, and in return, they provide a turnkey travel experience, with a guarantee that they will get you to the ship on time - a fair exchange at little or no cost to passengers. They have to make some money to do that. They may sometimes save you money, particularly on last minute, one-way, and open-jaw travel, but providing convenience and assurance is their real strength, and their reason for being. A2S likely could have re-booked OP on a slightly later, but more expensive, flight to MCO from PVD - but they usually align with specific travel partners in order to make their service an actual business. As noted, the OP could have booked a lower fare directly with an airline, but without any guarantees of getting to the ship on time.

 

 

 

Jet Blue is not at fault here - they merely revised a schedule as necessary. A2S is not at fault either - they committed to getting you to the ship on time, at a specific price - not to getting you to Disney on time. A2S certainly owes the OP compensation (not likely OBC) if they fail to get them to the cruise on time, but its doubtful that they had ever committed to getting getting them to Disney on time. That's not what A2S does.

 

 

 

Air carriers fall short on a regular basis, and should be held accountable when they fail on their Contract of Carriage. In this instance, the OP was not a customer of the air carrier, but of A2S. The air carrier eliminated a flight, but a competitor served that same route within the hour, so A2S - the agent the OP dealt with, had other options, and had they committed to getting the pax to Disney on time they would likely have used them. This looks like a customer getting what they paid for, while hoping to get something more. Difficult to ask for OBC because you got what you paid for, even if it falls short of secondary expectations.

 

 

Travel is frustrating enough, but adding unrealistic expectations only increases frustration. If the real goal in using A2S was getting to their return flight on time, they should have simply booked airport transfers for the return with Royal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[amsred2]

The best money saving option would be to rent a car to drive drop off at your airport. We live two hours away from our nearest airport and parking there is really expensive. We found that renting a car both ways is usually much cheaper than airport parking for a week.

[reallyitsmema]

The best money saving option would be to rent a car to drive drop off at your airport. We live two hours away from our nearest airport and parking there is really expensive. We found that renting a car both ways is usually much cheaper than airport parking for a week.

 

The OP lives in Rhode Island and is now flying from Boston. They would be charged a one way rental fee if they did what you are saying. There are states, like Florida, that will let you rent a car one way and not charge a fee but the OP is going from Rhode Island to Massachusetts, there will be a one way drop off fee.

[ShayG26]

Thank you all for your help! It would have been so simple for A2S and/or JetBlue to just state that the original flight was canceled altogether instead of referring me back and forth. It happens, I understand. I've only ever booked airline tickets directly through Southwest or JetBlue and never had a flight change so it didn't dawn on me that was the reason. Oh well. It is what it is and i'm sure we will have a blast.

Thanks again everyone!

P.S. PARAGRAPHS! Got it 😂😂:'):')

[pstone1]

Hello all, My husband and I are going on our Honeymoon/my birthday cruise next Sunday ( Oasis of the Sea ). It will be our second cruise overall. I decided to book our flights through the Air2Sea program w RC. I did this only because our flight home is at 2:45pm MCO and I wanted to insure we got off the ship in time. I booked a flight to leave out of PVD Jet Blue on Fri 7/20 at 6:45 am. We are spending Fri and Sat in Disney with my Aunt (my favorite place in the world). On June 25th I figured I would pull up my flight info on Jet Blue's website to get things in order, etc. To my surprise we had been changed from our 6:45 am flight to 6:30 pm w/a layover and an arrival time in MCO at 10:30pm. I was shocked and pissed! We have already purchased Disney Hopper passes for that day and arraigned for transportation in the morning from the airport, etc. I called Jet Blue and was advised the flight I booked on Mar 6th was actually changed twice by Air2Sea, once on May 6th and again on June 20th. I was never notified. JetBlue told me would have to contact RC as it was booked by a third party and they made the changes. Over the course of 3 weeks, I went back and forth w Air2Sea and was changed to a 5:45am flight out of Boston. This flight was actually cheaper than the original out of Providence. While I am happy that we were able to get an a.m. flight so I did not waste all that $$$ on Disney Tickets for that day, we now have to pay for transportation to Boston at 3:00am. We can't stay overnight the night before as the cheapest hotel is $280. An Uber/Lyft will be $100 but not guaranteed. Our best bet is to hire a car service to pick us up for $160. Mind you we live 10 mins from PVD airport and easily could have had a friend or relative drop us off at 5:25am for our original flight as planned. We cannot ask to be dropped off in Boston at 3:00am! Looong story short, I have called Air2Sea twice now simply asking for an onboard credit- in any amount, for all of the frustration and inconvenience they have caused us. We did not change our flights-They did. I even explained the flight they switched us too was cheaper- according to THEM - and they will not even give us an onboard credit for the difference. I explained this is our Honeymoon and my birthday. I have explained that JetBlue absolutely insist's that Air2Sea changed the flight twice without our knowledge and Air2Sea is blaming JetBlue. I AM SOOOOO disgusted at the poor customer service and lack of accountability with this department that it has completely tainted my Honeymoon experience and I am so disappointed. Even a $100 on board credit would say- Hey, we give damn. Have a nice honeymoon/birthday. I am wondering if anyone else had a similar experience and if anyone has any tips? Or did I set the "customer service/customer appreciation bar" too high for Royal Caribbean to meet? Thank You for your input.

 

I am sorry this happened, no matter whose fault it was! Any one of my friends absolutely would take us to the airport in a pinch, no matter what time it was, especially if the airport is only 10 minutes away. Just the same, as friends, my husband and/or I would absolutely take one of our friends to the airport if this happened to them and they needed a ride no matter what time it was.

 

I think you should ask a friend to give you a ride to the airport. I can't imagine they would say no, especially since it's your honeymoon vacation. Just bring them back a nice gift.

[MM27]

I book my air myself now after a bad experience with Air2Sea a few years back. My sister and I were booked on one airline but then were notified a few days before the trip of a change. No big deal....until our return flight, which was on airline 1. We got to the airport and they said they cancelled us because we were no-shows on the original flight. Air2Sea never cancelled the original flight. So we were stuck in Miami. Called Royal Caribbean and they basically told us that it wasn’t their problem. We finally got home thanks to a very nice lady at the airport that searched and searched and finally found a flight to accommodate us. I think she felt sorry for us.

 

They try to find the cheapest way to get you from point A to point B. But for now on I’ll do that myself with the comfort of having complete control of my reservation.

 

 

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[waterbug123]

Moral of the story, other than one way international flights, book you own flights. And when you do outsource to Air2Sea or anyone else, make sure your contact info is on the booking.

 

Actually, the real moral of the story is keep checking your flight reservations. There are so many reports of people booking a flight, then the airline tinkers with the schedule but the pax aren't consistently notified of the changes. You need to stay on top of it yourself. Often, if you realize a change has been made right away, there will be more options available that if you don't find out til the last minute.

 

 

 

Airline tickets are not refundable, not changeable, and don't qualify for price drops. If Air2Sea changes your flights, they have to pay to do so. If they later find a cheaper flight, they would have to pay out of pocket to switch and wouldn't get a refund of the price difference.

 

Some airline tickets ARE refundable and/or changeable... it depends on the exact fare class booked. Granted, A2S likely isn't booking those classes, but it's still not completely accurate to issue a blanket statement that tickets are not refundable/changeable when some are. And depending on when A2S actually tickets the reservation, they may be able to take advantage of a finding a cheaper flight without paying the airline a change fee.