EZ Air and Boeing Max 737 cancellations - What to do?

[ams cruiser]

I couldn't find an answer to my question through a Princess thread search, so am hoping to get some advice here.

 

Last fall I booked flights for this coming September 29th through EZ Air for the first time, a flex fare from SFO to Montreal on Air Canada, and a return trip from NYC to SFO on American Airlines.  The Air Canada flight does not have a plane listed, due to the problems with the 737 Max planes.  When I called Princess, the representative told me that there is a possibility that Air Canada will just cancel my flight if they don't have another plane for that flight.  She also told me that, unlike a regular direct booking in which Air Canada would find a different flight for us, because we booked through EZ Air, Air Canada would simply cancel our flight, possibly at the last minute!  She said this has nothing to do with whether or not final payment has been made, that EZ Air bookings are low priority.

 

Calling Air Canada did not help as they referred me back to Princess.  I'm wondering at this point what my options are, and if I should be looking to book flights independently.  I watched the prices and got them readjusted when prices dropped to $350 round trip per person, but I don't want to have to book my own flights at the last minute, at an exorbitant expense.  I do have some leeway, in that we are flying into Montreal a few days before heading to Quebec for a couple days before starting our cruise, but it would involve changing hotel reservations.

 

I would appreciate any advice as to what I should do.  I thought I had taken care of the travel portion months ago.  I don't have any experience with EZ Air, and I realize this 737 situation have affected a lot of people.

 

 

Edited June 18, 2019 by ams cruiser

[mrell345]

If you booked with Flex fare you should still be able to change at no cost, take a look at the cruise personalizer and find another flight that matches your needs and does not use 737s you would only pay the difference in fares

Edited June 18, 2019 by mrell345

[Cruiser_1977]

Air Canada's most recent update:

 

https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/book/travel-news-and-updates/2019/737-airspace-closure.html

 

The ban is currently only through 9/2/2019.

Edited June 18, 2019 by JennyB1977

[ams cruiser]

9 minutes ago, mrell345 said:

If you booked with Flex fare you should still be able to change at no cost, take a look at the cruise personalizer and find another flight that matches your needs and does not use 737s you would only pay the difference in fares

Thanks, I might have to go back to the drawing board to see what I can find.  The only non-stops from SFO to Montreal were on Air Canada and United, which apparently books for Air Canada, so it might be one and the same.   Unfortunately, Princess told me before that if I change one of my flights, I also have to re-book the return, since they are linked. 

 

 

[ams cruiser]

13 minutes ago, JennyB1977 said:

Air Canada's most recent update:

 

https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/book/travel-news-and-updates/2019/737-airspace-closure.html

 

The ban is currently only through 9/2/2019.

Thanks, I saw that, but am worried that it might be extended, so I want to try to be proactive, without hitting the panic button too soon!

 

[DrivesLikeMario]

They all have different dates as to when their fleet of 737-Maxs will be up in the air again.  Some are a good month earlier.  I think that date of 9/2 is reasonable. 
It's up to you.  Do you want total control over it?  Is it going to bug you until you have flights you're pretty sure will be on schedule?  If you can live with the uncertainty, then leave it as it is.  EZ Air will have to come up with a solution for you if there's a problem.  I don't know if I could handle that uncertainty but some people can.  Just depends on you.

[Ombud]

If you're okay rolling the dice, here's what I did. I had a ticket on MONTREAL to SFO NS flight on a 737m8 plane before the 2nd crash. So I bought an aisle seat online FROM AIR CANADA not thru EZAIR.  Because I had a seat for $25 Air Canada rebooked me on a A321 flight, still aisle seat honoring the original EZAIR + $25 aisle seat fee

 

Added: if I found a better price through EZAir then I could book the better price flight. However I still want non stop from SFO to Florida, then nonstop from Montreal to SFO. My flight is $585. And my flight dates are July 26th and August 9th. so my total flight wound up being $610. I can live with that

Edited June 18, 2019 by Ombud

[ams cruiser]

17 minutes ago, Ombud said:

If you're okay rolling the dice, here's what I did. I had a ticket on MONTREAL to SFO NS flight on a 737m8 plane before the 2nd crash. So I bought an aisle seat online FROM AIR CANADA not thru EZAIR.  Because I had a seat for $25 Air Canada rebooked me on a A321 flight, still aisle seat honoring the original EZAIR + $25 aisle seat fee

 

Added: if I found a better price through EZAir then I could book the better price flight. However I still want non stop from SFO to Florida, then nonstop from Montreal to SFO. My flight is $585. And my flight dates are July 26th and August 9th. so my total flight wound up being $610. I can live with that

Just to clarify, you had an EZAIR seat on Air Canada, but then purchased another aisle seat directly at a higher price, but Air Canada honored your EZ Air fare?  Didn't you have to pay a higher price when you purchased the flight directly? Thanks, and I'm glad it worked out for you!

[ams cruiser]

20 minutes ago, DrivesLikeMario said:

They all have different dates as to when their fleet of 737-Maxs will be up in the air again.  Some are a good month earlier.  I think that date of 9/2 is reasonable. 
It's up to you.  Do you want total control over it?  Is it going to bug you until you have flights you're pretty sure will be on schedule?  If you can live with the uncertainty, then leave it as it is.  EZ Air will have to come up with a solution for you if there's a problem.  I don't know if I could handle that uncertainty but some people can.  Just depends on you.

I don't think I need total control, but I'm concerned about the possibility that Air Canada will cancel our tickets at the last minute, and the EZ Air solution will be a lot more expensive and inconvenient (not a non-stop) flight.  

 

(I'm also not certain that I want to be the on the first test flight when the 737-Max's get up in the air again!)

 

I guess I'll do a little research into alternatives, and see if the uncertainty starts to get to me!  

 

Thanks for your perspective! 

 

 

[wineglass]

Check the same flight this or next week. You can see if they just substituted a different model plane or cancelled the flight. Most likely, unless it’s an exceptionally long flight, they just use a older model 737 or A320.

[Ombud]

24 minutes ago, ams cruiser said:

Just to clarify, you had an EZAIR seat on Air Canada, but then purchased another aisle seat directly at a higher price, but Air Canada honored your EZ Air fare?  Didn't you have to pay a higher price when you purchased the flight directly? Thanks, and I'm glad it worked out for you!

No. Let me restate:

1. Thru EZAIR bought NS ticket SFO - Miami on American, Montreal - SFO on Air Canada for $585

2. Became concerned when 2nd 837m8 crashed occured

3. Went onto AA & Air Canada's websites and selected seats. No fee to get AA aisle seat. Air Canada charged $25 for 22C aisle seat on 737m8. Air Canada stated they would rebook me to an aisle seat if plane changed

4. Air Canada 737m8 plane changed to A320 plane. Now in seat 19C leaving 1/2 hour later. Still NS. Air Canada notified EZAIR & me of change. EZAIR/ PVP notified me as well

 

Original flight $585 + $25 for AC aisle seat = $610 total. 

Edited June 18, 2019 by Ombud

[Ombud]

Funny thing is, EZAIR says they can't get me into seat 19C. Because somebody's in it. Yeah me 🤣

[ams cruiser]

3 minutes ago, Ombud said:

No. Let me restate:

1. Thru EZAIR bought NS ticket SFO - Miami on American, Montreal - SFO on Air Canada for $585

2. Became concerned when 2nd 837m8 crashed occured

3. Went onto AA & Air Canada's websites and selected seats. No fee to get AA aisle seat. Air Canada charged $25 for 22C aisle seat on 737m8. Air Canada stated they would rebook me to an aisle seat if plane changed

4. Air Canada 737m8 plane changed to A321 plane. Now in seat 19C leaving 1/2 hour later. Still NS. Air Canada notified EZAIR & me of change. EZAIR/ PVP notified me as well

 

Original flight $585 + $25 for AC aisle seat = $610 total. 

Ah, now I understand.  Thank you for the clarification.  This is encouraging to hear. This contradicts what the Princess rep told me, which is that, even if after I make my final payment, and  pay $25 for a seat, that in the event they have to re-book passengers, Air Canada will simply cancel our flights, rather than make other arrangements.  According to the Princess rep,  EZAIR is their lowest priority so they don't have any obligation to honor our tickets, like they do passengers who book directly with them.

 

So you were able to book seats on their website, even though your booking was through EZ Air?  And then when you called to confirm, they told you they would rebook your flight, just like everyone else?

 

Sorry for all the questions, but this is the best scenario I can think of so far!  (It is so different from what Princess is telling me, that I'm trying to get this all sorted out in my brain.)

[ams cruiser]

3 minutes ago, Ombud said:

Funny thing is, EZAIR says they can't get me into seat 19C. Because somebody's in it. Yeah me 🤣

Oh, dear!

 

[Ombud]

Yes. I went directly to the Air Canada website (cannot do it on app) to buy my seat. And that $25 was well worth it! Otherwise I have to change planes and risk getting in too late for Bart (live in SF Bay Area)

 

 ADDED: Actually it might not have contradicted what Princess said. When I bought the seats with the with the airlines directly I registered myself and my email for any updates.

Edited June 18, 2019 by Ombud

[ams cruiser]

11 minutes ago, Ombud said:

Yes. I went directly to the Air Canada website (cannot do it on app) to buy my seat. And that $25 was well worth it! Otherwise I have to change planes and risk getting in too late for Bart (live in SF Bay Area)

 

 ADDED: Actually it might not have contradicted what Princess said. When I bought the seats with the with the airlines directly I registered myself and my email for any updates.

I will try paying for reserved seats as soon as I do final payment.  Hopefully, I'll have the same luck that you did.  Princess, however,  was insistent that even if I did this, Air Canada could still just cancel our tickets, since they aren't under any obligation to EZAIR flyers.  I hope that $25  and registering (or $50 for 2 seats) will do the trick!

 

We live in the East Bay so will be relying on Uber or Lyft for our early morning (pre-BART hours) flight.

 

Edited June 18, 2019 by ams cruiser

[Ombud]

Fortunately WC Bart will be open when I need to leave for airport. Ugly red eye

[Alaskanb]

15 minutes ago, ams cruiser said:

 Air Canada could still just cancel our tickets, since they aren't under any obligation to EZAIR flyers.  

Several airlines have a September date for making decisions about the Max planes. I'm anticipating schedule changes at that time. 

[Anubi]

We had this problem back in March/April.  We booked EZAir with Air Canada and our flight from SFO to YYZ was on a Max8.  So I contacted my TA and she took care of the whole thing.  We did have to change flights but we figured we'd have to do that.  I then contacted Air Canada and rebooked my seats.  Easy Peasy.   I would suggest that its better to be proactive in this case and not leave it.  

[ams cruiser]

3 minutes ago, Anubi said:

We had this problem back in March/April.  We booked EZAir with Air Canada and our flight from SFO to YYZ was on a Max8.  So I contacted my TA and she took care of the whole thing.  We did have to change flights but we figured we'd have to do that.  I then contacted Air Canada and rebooked my seats.  Easy Peasy.   I would suggest that its better to be proactive in this case and not leave it.  

Thanks for sharing your experience!  Can you clarify for me exactly what you did?  What did your TA do to change flights?  Did she book you a different Air Canada flight that wasn't scheduled on the Max8?  Did she do this through EZAir?  I'm assuming that after she booked new flights, you were able to select seats for a fee?

 

Right now my booking is through Princess, but my plan is to transfer it in a couple of weeks to the BIg Box travel agency we have used before, to take advantage of their onboard credit.    

 

I agree that being proactive is important!

[ams cruiser]

17 hours ago, Alaskanb said:

Several airlines have a September date for making decisions about the Max planes. I'm anticipating schedule changes at that time. 

I think so much is up in the air - no pun was intended!

 

[ams cruiser]

17 hours ago, Ombud said:

Fortunately WC Bart will be open when I need to leave for airport. Ugly red eye

We're leaving at the crack of dawn to try to avoid the Bay Bridge commute traffic!

[Anubi]

3 minutes ago, ams cruiser said:

Thanks for sharing your experience!  Can you clarify for me exactly what you did?  What did your TA do to change flights?  Did she book you a different Air Canada flight that wasn't scheduled on the Max8?  Did she do this through EZAir?  I'm assuming that after she booked new flights, you were able to select seats for a fee?

 

Right now my booking is through Princess, but my plan is to transfer it in a couple of weeks to the BIg Box travel agency we have used before, to take advantage of their onboard credit.    

 

I agree that being proactive is important!

We had already booked our flights and chosen and paid for our seats.  But when the Max8's were grounded, I checked and saw that our 3:30pm flight was a Max8.  So I contacted my TA and told her what was going on and that we were willing to move to the later flight at 10:00pm.  Our TA called Princess, Princess called EZAir, EZAir called Air Canada, Air Canada made the change and called EZAir, EZAir called Princess, Princess called our TA and then our TA called us.  It took just a couple of hours and we were both was surprised it was done so quickly.  I then called Air Canada myself and confirmed that we had already paid for our seats, we confirmed new seats and we were done.   Because of the grounding of the aircraft we were not charged any fees for changing our flight.  Since they are still keeping them grounded you shouldn't have to pay for the change.  

 

If you have any more questions, please ask away.  🙂 

[ams cruiser]

26 minutes ago, Anubi said:

We had already booked our flights and chosen and paid for our seats.  But when the Max8's were grounded, I checked and saw that our 3:30pm flight was a Max8.  So I contacted my TA and told her what was going on and that we were willing to move to the later flight at 10:00pm.  Our TA called Princess, Princess called EZAir, EZAir called Air Canada, Air Canada made the change and called EZAir, EZAir called Princess, Princess called our TA and then our TA called us.  It took just a couple of hours and we were both was surprised it was done so quickly.  I then called Air Canada myself and confirmed that we had already paid for our seats, we confirmed new seats and we were done.   Because of the grounding of the aircraft we were not charged any fees for changing our flight.  Since they are still keeping them grounded you shouldn't have to pay for the change.  

 

If you have any more questions, please ask away.  🙂 

Thank you for clarifying this.  I'm so glad it worked out for you!  Right now I'm on EZAir flex, and haven't made final payment, so there shouldn't be any fees.  But based on what you are saying, even if I had made final payment, Air Canada (and others, I imagine) are waiving change fees.  Now, I have to try to find another non-stop flight that will work. Also, based on what Ombud posted, it sounds like Air Canada is honoring (making changes) for EZAir bookings when changing planes/flights, as long as a seat if reserved and paid for.

[Ombud]

1 minute ago, ams cruiser said:

Thank you for clarifying this.  I'm so glad it worked out for you!  Right now I'm on EZAir flex, and haven't made final payment, so there shouldn't be any fees.  But based on what you are saying, even if I had made final payment, Air Canada (and others, I imagine) are waiving change fees.  Now, I have to try to find another non-stop flight that will work. Also, based on what Ombud posted, it sounds like Air Canada is honoring (making changes) for EZAir bookings when changing planes/flights, as long as a seat if reserved and paid for.

On Air Canada site not Princess site. I didn't want to risk it so that $25 got me an upgrade out of the lowest fare category