Help Using Flight Ease

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

We are sailing with HAL next year for the first time in many years. I want to start looking at airfares through Flight Ease. I can’t figure out how to do this. I opened up my booking then I clicked on travel planning. I then chose Pre & Post Cruise Travel. From that page I checked the box for flights. This took me to the Flight Ease page. So far so good, but this is where I’m having problems. Our names appear along with our departure city under the title Manage Flights. There’s also a Manage Flights button, but we do not yet have any flights to manage. I tried checking this button anyway and I just get an error message. The logical button to click is the one that states Continue to Review and Book. When I try this button I get a page that states there is nothing in my shopping cart. 

 

I believe that I’m just not understanding how to use the HAL website and I’m making a wrong turn somewhere. I’m relying on some of you HAL veterans to set me straight. Thanks. 

[freestyling]

You can’t see flights until 330 days from your return or disembarkation date. If within the time period , you should hit the manage flight button.
if you want to preview possible pricing I suggest going to the princess cruise website and do a dummy booking with your HAL dates or close and embarkation Their site allows you to preview their flight prices. 

Edited October 23, 2019 by freestyling

[drowelf]

Hum, Try again. What are the details of the error message? I know that FlightEase can be picky at times, I've had instances when I could not review existing flights and it tells me to try again later. Also you need to be within 330 days of your return date before you can book flights. This would be either your disembarkation date, or later if you are doing anything post cruise. 

 

When I click on the manage flights button, I get taken to a screen that allows me to enter my flight selection details. 

 

I would suggest logging off and then back on again to HAL Website and keep on trying. 

Edited October 23, 2019 by drowelf

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

1 hour ago, drowelf said:

Hum, Try again. What are the details of the error message? I know that FlightEase can be picky at times, I've had instances when I could not review existing flights and it tells me to try again later. Also you need to be within 330 days of your return date before you can book flights. This would be either your disembarkation date, or later if you are doing anything post cruise. 

 

When I click on the manage flights button, I get taken to a screen that allows me to enter my flight selection details. 

 

I would suggest logging off and then back on again to HAL Website and keep on trying. 

Thank you. This explains the problem. I’m 326 days from embarkation. I didn’t realize I had to be 330 days from debarkation. I’ll just have to be a little more patient. 

[kwb101]

If you're only 326 days away, you should be able to use FlightEase.

One thing to be aware of (we discovered this yesterday when we booked flights for July '20): despite the fares shown for the outbound fight you choose, you may have to pay extra to get the return flight you want. We picked our outbound fight for a really good price, but had to pay $68 additional to get a return fight that didn't have an 11-hour layover in Rome. You won't know if there's a cost until you select the outbound fight and continue to the return on a different page. 

Safe (and speedy) travels!

[USN59-79]

Here is a suggestion:  Before using Flight Ease, I Google "Flight SEA to xxx" where xxx is the port.  Using Travelocity, Expedia, CheapoAir, etc. you will get a good idea of what is available and the cost before you commit to Flight Ease.  If it is a domestic flight, I also check with the Southwest Airlines website as for some reason they never show up on these sites and I prefer them for their baggage policy.  BTW, we are neighbors, as our screen name should be Silverdale Sailors.

[RocketMan275]

36 minutes ago, USN59-79 said:

Here is a suggestion:  Before using Flight Ease, I Google "Flight SEA to xxx" where xxx is the port.  Using Travelocity, Expedia, CheapoAir, etc. you will get a good idea of what is available and the cost before you commit to Flight Ease. 

Comparing costs between those TA and Flight Ease is a good suggestion. However, checking flights, even booking flights on Flight Ease is not really a commitment.  You can always rebook or even cancel on Flight Ease without paying a penalty if you find something better.  (Assuming of course that you didn't book flights that don't allow cancelling.)  I rebooked my flights to Vancouver three times on Flight Ease to capture improved flights or lower costs.

[kazu]

4 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Comparing costs between those TA and Flight Ease is a good suggestion. However, checking flights, even booking flights on Flight Ease is not really a commitment.  You can always rebook or even cancel on Flight Ease without paying a penalty if you find something better.  (Assuming of course that you didn't book flights that don't allow cancelling.)  I rebooked my flights to Vancouver three times on Flight Ease to capture improved flights or lower costs.

 

I so agree.  I will snatch the best Flight Ease flight I can find and if it works out I can score FF miles (I’m guessing I will want to for this flight 😉 ), I can just cancel the Flight Ease.

 

But, without FF miles, flight ease is usually priced very well for crossing the pond (Atlantic or Pacific) and really well for biz class 😄 

[kwb101]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

I rebooked my flights to Vancouver three times on Flight Ease to capture improved flights or lower costs.

When you rebooked,were you able to keep your seat assignments? Mr wife has long legs and pretty much needs an aisle seat. Thanks! 

[RocketMan275]

11 hours ago, kwb101 said:

When you rebooked,were you able to keep your seat assignments? Mr wife has long legs and pretty much needs an aisle seat. Thanks! 

I had to resellect my seats.  If  you can't find the right seats, you can always rebook another flight.  You're not committed until final payment.

[TiogaCruiser]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

I had to resellect my seats.  If  you can't find the right seats, you can always rebook another flight.  You're not committed until final payment.

A word of caution with Flight Ease: once you book with FE, DO NOT go back and check prices. There have been a number of posters and threads about people who have “only checked” and the system cancelled their reservation. Some have said it had to do with changing airports. 
 

It’s totally possible this issue MAY have been fixed, but something tells me that is not likely (after a miserable time on HALs website trying to book on my own.)

[kwb101]

18 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

A word of caution with Flight Ease: once you book with FE, DO NOT go back and check prices. There have been a number of posters and threads about people who have “only checked” and the system cancelled their reservation. Some have said it had to do with changing airports. 
 

It’s totally possible this issue MAY have been fixed, but something tells me that is not likely (after a miserable time on HALs website trying to book on my own.)

Thanks to you and RocketMan: I've seen similar advice here, so have been doubly cautious. I've only used FlightEase a couple of times: how do I check prices without undoing everything?

[teacherman]

I have booked on Flight Ease and then re-checked for cheaper/different flights every few days.  As long as you do not hit the button that says CANCEL FLIGHTS, I think you will be okay.  If you go to MANAGE FLIGHTS, you can look for different flights.  Once you SELECT the new flight, it will automatically cancel your other flight.

 

I also THINK that you cannot just cancel one of your flights and keep the other.  If it is round trip, you must re-do both flights, even if one of them is the same one you originally selected, as the new combination will have different pricing.

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, kwb101 said:

Thanks to you and RocketMan: I've seen similar advice here, so have been doubly cautious. I've only used FlightEase a couple of times: how do I check prices without undoing everything?

I'd heard the same thing about checking prices.  I discussed this with my TA and she said she would go online with me and walk me through the process to make sure there wasn't an issue.  I didn't take her up on that but I did price check three or four times a week for a couple of months. Never had a flight cancelled that I didn't want to cancel.  Just don't click on cancel flights.

[kwb101]

7 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

I'd heard the same thing about checking prices.  I discussed this with my TA and she said she would go online with me and walk me through the process to make sure there wasn't an issue.  I didn't take her up on that but I did price check three or four times a week for a couple of months. Never had a flight cancelled that I didn't want to cancel.  Just don't click on cancel flights.

Thanks for the good info: as I do when I'm ordering things online, ilk just put my mouse hand in my lap to avoid any clicks that may result in disaster. 

[RocketMan275]

23 minutes ago, kwb101 said:

Thanks for the good info: as I do when I'm ordering things online, ilk just put my mouse hand in my lap to avoid any clicks that may result in disaster. 

My TA said that although it is possible to inadvertently cancel flights, it takes some doing.  Just be careful what you click.  I must have checked prices 30 times and never cancelled a flight (I didn't want to.)

[taba]

7 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

I'd heard the same thing about checking prices.  I discussed this with my TA and she said she would go online with me and walk me through the process to make sure there wasn't an issue.  I didn't take her up on that but I did price check three or four times a week for a couple of months. Never had a flight cancelled that I didn't want to cancel.  Just don't click on cancel flights.

After I book my reflexible fares on flightease, I also check the current price on the airline's website. Then I know what the base fare outside flightease is. I then monitor the price on the airlines website. If the price drops below what it was on on the day I booked with flightease, I go back to flightease to rebook. That way I won't accidently cancel my flights when the prices are higher.

[RocketMan275]

That would work but I found that sometimes prices would change on flight ease or on the airline site but not always on both.

[drowelf]

Especially on over the water biz class tickets, the prices are coming out of a fare class that is not generally available to the public. They are called Bulk Fares and its what the major travel agencies (Amex) and Corporate clients have negotiated with the airlines. In the many times I used the service I have ended up with Biz class tickets that are at least 50% of the price you can get direct from the airlines. I don't have any experience with Economy and Flight Ease, as we don't tend to take cruises that leave from NA. Its always somewhere that we have to take a long flight to.  

[HappyCruiserettu]

On 10/23/2019 at 7:02 PM, kwb101 said:

When you rebooked,were you able to keep your seat assignments? Mr wife has long legs and pretty much needs an aisle seat. Thanks! 

I always get an aisle seat. I like to have the freedom to get up when I want or need to. I keep my legs out of the aisle, but I am often bumped in the knee or shoulder, especially by the beverage/food cart.