HAL Flight Ease

[Librarymomb]

3 hours ago, drowelf said:

But remember that the closer you get to departure date, the more likely it is that the prices will be higher. Basic fact of airline travel, as the inventory of seats goes down, fares go up. 

 Good advice!  Thanks!

2 hours ago, BEAV said:

 

Agree that’s the general rule of thumb, not to mention the way we were all brought up. 

 

On the flip side, I was thrilled to book my friend round trip business class SF-Venice and return from Barcelona for $2500 via FlightEase with only 2 week’s notice. 

Congrats on getting such a awesome price...hoping to get flights taken care of a bit sooner than that but good to know!

[RocketMan275]

19 minutes ago, Librarymomb said:

Thank you!

Ticket costs can vary significantly on Flight Ease.  I booked round trip first class tickets from Alabama to Vancouver.  The cost for two was $3300.  I knew I could change the flights if I wanted so I booked these flights in case the flights went up.  A few weeks later, the same exact flights went down to $2300.  I changed my flights.  I really wanted an earlier arrival in Vancouver but those flights added about six hundred for two.  A couple of weeks later, I was able to change my flights again to get their earlier arrival for only $100 PP.  I would up with the flights I wanted for $2500.

 

Bottom line: it's like a cruise, check back often and look for price drops.   At least till final payment.

[Librarymomb]

16 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

Ticket costs can vary significantly on Flight Ease.  I booked round trip first class tickets from Alabama to Vancouver.  The cost for two was $3300.  I knew I could change the flights if I wanted so I booked these flights in case the flights went up.  A few weeks later, the same exact flights went down to $2300.  I changed my flights.  I really wanted an earlier arrival in Vancouver but those flights added about six hundred for two.  A couple of weeks later, I was able to change my flights again to get their earlier arrival for only $100 PP.  I would up with the flights I wanted for $2500.

 

Bottom line: it's like a cruise, check back often and look for price drops.   At least till final payment.

Well, my final payment was due yesterday so I booked the cruise itself...hooray! 

The included free gratuities helped take a bit of the sting off and now to book flights.  Amazing the difference between today and yesterday...the connecting flight I wanted rose in price while a direct flight, much better IMHO, appeared out of nowhere for a lower price. Fancy that.  Unfortunately, have to wait til after the holiday to confirm my pre/post cruise plans and as it's after final payment, will not be able to book anything til I'm sure.  Will be interesting to see how prices change by then...fingers crossed it's for the better.

 

Thanks again!

 

 

[MeandtheSea]

I highly recommend Flight Ease.  I used it for the first time for my upcoming cruise to Norway.  I saved thousands of dollars on a business class ticket.   Keep in mind you should select a stop over to get the best prices vs. nonstop flights.  

[Rickytop]

I’ve got a question for everyone, I know flexible fares don’t have to be paid until your final payment is due but can you pay before then and lock in the cost?

[drowelf]

19 minutes ago, Rickytop said:

I’ve got a question for everyone, I know flexible fares don’t have to be paid until your final payment is due but can you pay before then and lock in the cost?

Yes, you can. You will have to call to make that happen. But in the several (3-4) times I've used it, I've never seen a price increase from the initial fare quoted. I've often been able to take advantage of a Price Drop by checking back on the available flights until Final Payment. 

 

While the Flexible Fare says the price can increase prior to final payment, I have yet to see it happen and don't believe I've ever seen any reports of it actually going up. I don't doubt that it could and I've not had it happen to me, nor have I see a report of it in the forums over about 10 years of participation. 

[Rickytop]

Thank you, we’re just trying to weigh all our options. Don’t want to chance flight costs going up or losing seats on flight. 

[RocketMan275]

11 minutes ago, Rickytop said:

Thank you, we’re just trying to weigh all our options. Don’t want to chance flight costs going up or losing seats on flight. 

My TA is a Top Producer for the last ten years in a row.  I asked her about price changes and she told me that she has never seen a change in the price charged someone using Flight Ease.  It's my impression that prices can change, both up and down, but once the trip has been booked, there won't be a change.  Remember, these prices are like a cruise line price.  You can always refare if the price goes down but the cruise line won't increase your cost if prices change.

 

I wouldn't pre-pay but I would check frequently to see if the fare has dropped or if more attractive flights come available.  On my last trip to Vancouver, I refared twice to get lower prices and once to get a better arrival time.  

[trixiee]

Has anyone gone into flightease to book their seats and see that there are no available seats? 😦

I'm hoping we're going to be fine, but just a tad worried!

We do have confirmation numbers for both the depart and return flights...

[Tom O.]

1 hour ago, trixiee said:

Has anyone gone into flightease to book their seats and see that there are no available seats? 😦

I'm hoping we're going to be fine, but just a tad worried!

We do have confirmation numbers for both the depart and return flights...

We used Flight Ease for our cruise last summer. Our reservation happened to be with Delta. On my HAL confirmation we were given the Delta Confirmation number. We were then able to log into Delta and choose our seats. I don't think they would make a reservation for you if there were no seats available. 

Better to pick your seats with the airline as soon as possible.

[drowelf]

1 hour ago, trixiee said:

Has anyone gone into flightease to book their seats and see that there are no available seats? 😦

I'm hoping we're going to be fine, but just a tad worried!

We do have confirmation numbers for both the depart and return flights...

Depending on the airline, the selection of seats can be variable. Some allow you to select via EZFlight, others you have to use the airlines site and for some you can not book until the flight actually tickets (Generally around 45 days before departure). If you say which airline your booked with, we might be able to offer some additional information. Personally I only have experience with United via EZFlight and I've always been able to select my seats. 

[trixiee]

6 minutes ago, drowelf said:

Depending on the airline, the selection of seats can be variable. Some allow you to select via EZFlight, others you have to use the airlines site and for some you can not book until the flight actually tickets (Generally around 45 days before departure). If you say which airline your booked with, we might be able to offer some additional information. Personally I only have experience with United via EZFlight and I've always been able to select my seats. 

I'm booked with Delta. I have been able to choose our departure seats, but the return show no available seats.  I'll try the Delta site.  We fly out in 29 days.

[Tom O.]

8 minutes ago, trixiee said:

I'm booked with Delta. I have been able to choose our departure seats, but the return show no available seats.  I'll try the Delta site.  We fly out in 29 days.

In our case, we were flying out of Canada on Delta. One of Delta's partner airlines is WestJet, and one leg of our flight was with WestJet even though it had a Delta flight number. We were never able to reserve a seat with WestJet, I assume this is because of WestJet's policy of unreserved seats.

However our flight was changed before we embarked so that we no longer flew with WestJet, and flew all legs of our trip with Delta. So, we then were able to select our seats.

[vicd1969]

2 hours ago, Tom O. said:

In our case, we were flying out of Canada on Delta. One of Delta's partner airlines is WestJet, and one leg of our flight was with WestJet even though it had a Delta flight number. We were never able to reserve a seat with WestJet, I assume this is because of WestJet's policy of unreserved seats.

However our flight was changed before we embarked so that we no longer flew with WestJet, and flew all legs of our trip with Delta. So, we then were able to select our seats.

 

Yup, Flight Ease has a lot of code-sharing flights where the airline of record may not be the actual operator. Most of the times when you don't have a seat assigned by Flight Ease, it is because it's a code-sharing flight. Best use the flight confirmation code and go through the actual operator's website to see if you can select seats in advance.

[trixiee]

 

This is the message I received when I tried to book seats for the return flight:

 

Advisory Message:Uh-oh! We're sorry but we are not currently able to assign a seat in your class of service. Seat availability can change, so please check back later. If you do not have a seat assignment, a seat will be assigned at check in or at the gate prior to boarding.

[Tom O.]

1 hour ago, trixiee said:

 

This is the message I received when I tried to book seats for the return flight:

 

Advisory Message:Uh-oh! We're sorry but we are not currently able to assign a seat in your class of service. Seat availability can change, so please check back later. If you do not have a seat assignment, a seat will be assigned at check in or at the gate prior to boarding.

What happened when you tried looking up your flight on the Delta web site?

[TAD2005]

We used Flight Ease for a one-way from Tampa to Athens.    We were booked on United from TPA to IAD (Washington Dulles), then United from IAD to GVA (Geneva Switzerland) and then Swiss from GVA to ATH.    We were able to make our seat selections on both United flights, but Swiss did not allow seat selection until 24 hours out from departure.  We even created an account on Swiss, and put in our Swiss record locator.   It didn't work.  We had to wait until 24 hours before to be able to reserve seats on Swiss.   The Swiss flight was a code-share with United.

[tyrannosaur]

Flight Ease seems interesting, though I still have 2 questions after reading the posts:

1. Can you choose to arrive to your departing port a few days prior to the departure, and stay a few days at the final destination port after cruise?  If so, how many days?  We usually like to do some sightseeing before and after the cruise.

2. Is Flight Ease offered across the travel agencies?  Looking at Europe 2021, I noticed the Flight Ease + cruise package is available when I search HAL website, but not available when I search the 6 letter big warehouse website.  Also I noticed the flight ease package is not offered in Europe 2020 itineraries.

Thanks in advance!

[kazu]

6 hours ago, tyrannosaur said:

Flight Ease seems interesting, though I still have 2 questions after reading the posts:

1. Can you choose to arrive to your departing port a few days prior to the departure, and stay a few days at the final destination port after cruise?  If so, how many days?  We usually like to do some sightseeing before and after the cruise.

 

Yes you can choose to arrive earlier at your embarkation port and leave later at your disembarkation port.  You simply change the date of your arrival flight and/or return flight.  

 

I’m not sure what the limit is although 30 days rings a bell.  It’s easy to find out as your date won’t take if it’s beyond the limit.  

6 hours ago, tyrannosaur said:

2. Is Flight Ease offered across the travel agencies?  Looking at Europe 2021, I noticed the Flight Ease + cruise package is available when I search HAL website, but not available when I search the 6 letter big warehouse website.  Also I noticed the flight ease package is not offered in Europe 2020 itineraries.

Thanks in advance!

 

Flight Ease is available on any HAL cruise booked.  If you book with a TA, then you simply log into your booking and go to Flight Ease to book.  

 

It depends upon the travel agency if they offer HAL’s deal (ie - all inclusive) or their own.  If they do not, you can still book Flight Ease.

 

[vicd1969]

7 hours ago, tyrannosaur said:

Flight Ease seems interesting, though I still have 2 questions after reading the posts:

1. Can you choose to arrive to your departing port a few days prior to the departure, and stay a few days at the final destination port after cruise?  If so, how many days?  We usually like to do some sightseeing before and after the cruise.

 

Thanks in advance!

Not only does Flight Ease allows you to choose dates of arrival and departure, it lets you choose a different city in the region to arrive in or depart from if the dates are different than the cruise dates. For instance, I can book arrival in Paris a week before my Cruise leaves from Amsterdam. I would be responsible for the trip from Paris to Amsterdam but that’s an easy train ride away.

Edited December 28, 2019 by vicd1969

[trixiee]

15 hours ago, Tom O. said:

What happened when you tried looking up your flight on the Delta web site?

This was from the Delta site - sorry I wasn't clear...

Maybe they have oversold the flight?  I don't care which seat my butt is in, just so long as we're both on the flight home! This particular flight time is significantly more expensive than others throughout the day, but it is the most convenient. (We would have way more flexibility if we were retired)

[Tom O.]

1 hour ago, trixiee said:

This was from the Delta site - sorry I wasn't clear...

Maybe they have oversold the flight?  I don't care which seat my butt is in, just so long as we're both on the flight home! This particular flight time is significantly more expensive than others throughout the day, but it is the most convenient. (We would have way more flexibility if we were retired)

I suspect you have ended up with reservations where you are assigned seats at the airport. Normally, Flight Ease gives you reservations where you can choose your seats. If so, you will be OK as long as you are not particular where you sit. If you booked directly with HAL I would call them and ask them what is going on. If you booked with a TA, you will need to call them. You can also try calling Delta, but I would try HAL or your TA first.

[trixiee]

2 hours ago, Tom O. said:

I suspect you have ended up with reservations where you are assigned seats at the airport. Normally, Flight Ease gives you reservations where you can choose your seats. If so, you will be OK as long as you are not particular where you sit. If you booked directly with HAL I would call them and ask them what is going on. If you booked with a TA, you will need to call them. You can also try calling Delta, but I would try HAL or your TA first.

I think I’ll call HAL.  Strange I was able to book seats for my first flight, but not the second!  I think it’s a full flight.  They are showing availability for Comfort Class and Business Class, but I don’t need that for a three hour flight. 

[mexico8]

Is Flight Ease only for cruises with HAL or can I book a flight if I am cruising with MSC or NCL?

[mexico8]

Is Flight Ease only for cruises with HAL or can I book a flight if I am cruising with MSC or NCL?