EZAir Flight Time - Too Optimistic?

[CruzerDeb]

I've decided to book my flights using Princess's EZAir and as one of their options, there is a flight leaving Seattle at 11:05.  I figure they wouldn't list such a flight if it were impossible to make it.  Right? Right???  

 

I also read that Princess works with the airline and you can have them take your bags off the ship the night before and they will transfer them to the airline and check them for you so you don't have to worry about taking your luggage off the ship.  Any experience with this?

 

Thanks!

[CruiserBruce]

If you look on the West Coast Departures board, where Seattle is covered daily, you will see the earliest recommended flight is 11am.

[kennicott]

We use E.Z. Air quite a bit. If Princess will take our bags to the airport and check them in for us it is news to us. Just a few weeks ago we got off Princess, took their airport transfer, no mention was made of that type service and we were full suite. 

 

I have found you have to watch these cruise lines and the air connections they recommend, like a hawk. They tend to go with the bare minimum (so called "legal") connections. Strange though, on disembarkations they want to get you to the airport hours and hours ahead of the flight.

 

A good example was our last E.Z. Air reservations. We were traveling Seattle to Venice. My wife's sister was doing the same except she was flying up to Seattle from Phoenix. Whether it be London, Paris or Amsterdam, you want as much time as possible to make a connecting flight (And yes, even if the connecting flight is on the same airline which you came in on.) Have had so many nightmare connections at London and Paris that I've lost count. So, when getting set up for this last cruise, I talked to them personally, hard. 

 

They wanted to set us up for a transfer from Delta to Air France at Paris using a two hour connection time. I argued. They said the next connection means you have to wait in Paris for eight hours. I said, go for it. Why, they asked? We travel business class, using the two hour connection they suggested would have put us into our hotel in Venice about 11:00 AM. Meaning we would have to sit around the lobby of that hotel, on the outskirts of Venice, until the 4:00 PM check in time. The eight hour connection at Paris allowed us to calmly make our way through security and immigrations and then relax in Delta's lounge for six hours. (I might add, everything was on time but we probably might have missed the connecting Air France flight due long lines at immigrations and security, due changing terminals, as two hours wasn't enough and we had priority elite status.) Got into the Venice hotel just about check in time and went right to our room and crashed.

 

Now, my sister-in-law down in Phoenix was more complacent. They set her up for a 1.5 hour connection in Seattle. I told her that is too close. But they didn't have any other connecting flights that early in the day. I told her to go to Seattle the afternoon before and pay the hotel yourself. They said, no can do. Some weeks later the connecting carrier changed their schedule so she only had 1 hour and 15 minutes connecting time. Both Delta and E.Z. Air said that was still enough time. I said, change your "Gateway" airport to Seattle and don't worry about E.Z. Air to Seattle from Phoenix. We always use Seattle as our Gateway even though we live in Anchorage. She tried that and they said no can do.

 

Story would have ended there if all was on time. But no, a little fog in Seattle delayed her arrival so she missed the Delta flight to Paris, her seat was near us in business class and empty all the way. She arrived in Venice 24 hours late. Thank goodness we had booked two nights at that hotel. So, E.Z. Air picked up the tab for her one night unexpected hotel stay in Seattle and cab connections. Like I say, watch em like a hawk.

Edited January 23, 2019 by kennicott

[CruzerDeb]

23 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

If you look on the West Coast Departures board, where Seattle is covered daily, you will see the earliest recommended flight is 11am.

Thanks.