Should we use Celebrity Air?

[Jim_Iain]

On 2/23/2020 at 11:39 AM, yvrbos said:

Thank you everyone. I will be sure to compare prices.

 

I am still a bit confused about cancelling the flights. If we haven’t paid for them, how will we be charged for a cancellation fee?

I have a couple booked and the fare is 100% refundable up until final payment date.   For after final you need to look at the various rates and you will see some with a notation -  RISK FREE -  Fully Refundable with a fee others without that restriction that are not refundable but changeable for fee. 

[dabear]

2 hours ago, waterbug123 said:

 

Yes, I said airline change fees can be  UP TO $500 each, not they are definitely always that much.  You are very lucky in that Cathay's was only $150 for an international flight.

 

I'm not sure how you can say I was lucky. Cathay's change fee was $150pp, but Cruise air's was $200pp + $30 admin fee + they said there contract rate did not decrease as much as Cathay's website decline.

[waterbug123]

20 hours ago, dabear said:

 

I'm not sure how you can say I was lucky. Cathay's change fee was $150pp, but Cruise air's was $200pp + $30 admin fee + they said there contract rate did not decrease as much as Cathay's website decline.

 

Sorry, I meant if you had booked directly with the airline, you would have been lucky that their international flight change fee was so much lower than many other airlines would have charged. 

[yvrbos]

Despite issues that I have been struggling with with our TA, I was able to book the perfect flights through Celebrity Air and at really good prices. After a call to Celebrity, I was able to get assigned seats. I was also able to get the risk free flights!

 

Thanks to all for the advice and knowledge. It really makes a difference!

[Orator]

I used Celebrity Air to book my flight from FCO to FLL on May 4th and if Celebrity modifies the cruise I'm covered. How much is peace of mind worth?

[mikkelhansen]

I'm looking a bit towards Flights By Celebrity / Choice Air for our April 2021 Caribbean Apex cruise (I know I can't book flight tickets yet). However, we're from Europe (Denmark), and almost all posts and threads about FBC/CA experience so far have been from US/CA residents. Does anyone from outside US/CA have any experience with using FBC/CA, and at which terms could you book? Was the advantage of "don't pay for flight tickets until final payment on cruise" also valid for you, or was full payment due immediately? I recall having read some terms (I believe on Choice Air) that the service was actually only available for US/CA residents, ie. European residents couldn't even use the service.
Thanks for any answers!

[JBare]

9 hours ago, mikkelhansen said:

I'm looking a bit towards Flights By Celebrity / Choice Air for our April 2021 Caribbean Apex cruise (I know I can't book flight tickets yet). However, we're from Europe (Denmark), and almost all posts and threads about FBC/CA experience so far have been from US/CA residents. Does anyone from outside US/CA have any experience with using FBC/CA, and at which terms could you book? Was the advantage of "don't pay for flight tickets until final payment on cruise" also valid for you, or was full payment due immediately? I recall having read some terms (I believe on Choice Air) that the service was actually only available for US/CA residents, ie. European residents couldn't even use the service.
Thanks for any answers!

 

The situation in the UK can vary, I've had pay immediately or pay on final booking when booking flights with Celebrity.

It very much depends whether they have block bookings with certain airlines for common routes they know will be used in which case you can pay on final payment but cannot reserve seats until Celebrity issue all names to the airline. OR if the flight is not so common you may have to pay on booking the flight and can reserve seats etc at once.

[Michidoeme]

9 hours ago, mikkelhansen said:

I'm looking a bit towards Flights By Celebrity / Choice Air for our April 2021 Caribbean Apex cruise (I know I can't book flight tickets yet). However, we're from Europe (Denmark), and almost all posts and threads about FBC/CA experience so far have been from US/CA residents. Does anyone from outside US/CA have any experience with using FBC/CA, and at which terms could you book? Was the advantage of "don't pay for flight tickets until final payment on cruise" also valid for you, or was full payment due immediately? I recall having read some terms (I believe on Choice Air) that the service was actually only available for US/CA residents, ie. European residents couldn't even use the service.
Thanks for any answers!

We are from Europe, our experience :

when we book cruise thru US agency, we could and have booked flights thru Choice Air (Royal Caribbean flight booking vehicle) via website or by calling directly there.  The one-way intercontinental flights were cheaper, European not really, but  rerouting was done with no hassle or cost when Istanbul departure of cruise was changed to Athens a couple of years ago. Once when I booked Med cruise thru European agency, we could not book Choice Air directly online nor by calling - the booking ref was blocked for that.  We could book choice air thru European agency, but prices were double of that shown on choice air website and with airline directly (for Inter-European flight).  So exactly double that I asked if this was price per cabin instead of per person.  Via agency Celebrity replied that prices were just more expensive in Europe !

[waterbug123]

12 hours ago, yvrbos said:

After a call to Celebrity, I was able to get assigned seats.

 

Just understand that technically, assigned seats are "seat requests," and could change.  They can also change if there's an aircraft swap. 

 

10 hours ago, mikkelhansen said:

 

 

[bye-seaya]

Can you book business at time of initial reservation with CA or do you HAVE to upgrade with the airline? I’d like to have business reserved at timing of initial booking if possible. And can you designate the airline you want?

We are flying from east coast to Barcelona fall 2021 and preferred carrier is Delta but in looking (not 2021) dummy flights for 2020 business class pricing is super high. Due to length to get to final destination we need to be able to lay down and grab a little sleep. TIA!

[az_tchr]

1 hour ago, bye-seaya said:

Can you book business at time of initial reservation with CA or do you HAVE to upgrade with the airline? I’d like to have business reserved at timing of initial booking if possible. And can you designate the airline you want?

We are flying from east coast to Barcelona fall 2021 and preferred carrier is Delta but in looking (not 2021) dummy flights for 2020 business class pricing is super high. Due to length to get to final destination we need to be able to lay down and grab a little sleep. TIA!

Generally you must upgrade later. However, have had people post they were about to do it at the time of booking.

As to a long flight. Simply asks to fly in a day or two early. Celebrity Air or not being tired or stressed if flights get are delayed isn't worth it.

[hiccups]

1 hour ago, bye-seaya said:

Can you book business at time of initial reservation with CA or do you HAVE to upgrade with the airline? I’d like to have business reserved at timing of initial booking if possible. And can you designate the airline you want?

We are flying from east coast to Barcelona fall 2021 and preferred carrier is Delta but in looking (not 2021) dummy flights for 2020 business class pricing is super high. Due to length to get to final destination we need to be able to lay down and grab a little sleep. TIA!

If you use the Choice Air website you can select economy, PE or business class pricing.

[mikkelhansen]

4 hours ago, Michidoeme said:

We are from Europe, our experience :

when we book cruise thru US agency, we could and have booked flights thru Choice Air (Royal Caribbean flight booking vehicle) via website or by calling directly there.  The one-way intercontinental flights were cheaper, European not really, but  rerouting was done with no hassle or cost when Istanbul departure of cruise was changed to Athens a couple of years ago. Once when I booked Med cruise thru European agency, we could not book Choice Air directly online nor by calling - the booking ref was blocked for that.  We could book choice air thru European agency, but prices were double of that shown on choice air website and with airline directly (for Inter-European flight).  So exactly double that I asked if this was price per cabin instead of per person.  Via agency Celebrity replied that prices were just more expensive in Europe !

We're booked with a US online TA, so it sounds like we should be able to use FBC. However, our nearest major airport, Billund (BLL), cannot be entered as departure airport, only Copenhagen (CPH). Perhaps they will be able to search from BLL by phone. I'll check it out in June when the 330-day period is reached.

[annandme]

Dumb questions, maybe.  We're booked on the Celebrity Eclipse, April 4, 2021 sailing and need to get to Singapore.  I see a "Flights by Celebrity" link on the Celebrity website, which says "Flights cannot be booked before 330 days of cruise departure".  Okay.  I can also google Choice Air, click on the link, and see Celebrity listed as a choice.  Today if I enter my cruise information, it shows me flight choices that I can book today.

 

Are these 2 different booking sites?  Should I check both "Flights by Celebrity" and "Choice Air" for pricing (along with the airline, directly) or do they both give me the same price, so, it doesn't matter which one I use?

[Bo1953]

14 minutes ago, annandme said:

Dumb questions, maybe.  We're booked on the Celebrity Eclipse, April 4, 2021 sailing and need to get to Singapore.  I see a "Flights by Celebrity" link on the Celebrity website, which says "Flights cannot be booked before 330 days of cruise departure".  Okay.  I can also google Choice Air, click on the link, and see Celebrity listed as a choice.  Today if I enter my cruise information, it shows me flight choices that I can book today.

 

Are these 2 different booking sites?  Should I check both "Flights by Celebrity" and "Choice Air" for pricing (along with the airline, directly) or do they both give me the same price, so, it doesn't matter which one I use?

Pending your motive, check all available sources before pulling the trigger...

 

bon voyage

[ericosmith]

I don't know how you're getting all the possible flight choices this far out.  Most of the US carriers don't release schedules and fares until 330 days.

[annandme]

12 hours ago, ericosmith said:

I don't know how you're getting all the possible flight choices this far out.  Most of the US carriers don't release schedules and fares until 330 days.

 

Through research, I know the exact airline, date, flights and class of service I want.  The airline is, today, posting its pricing for my flights, so, waiting to get more flight choices is not really meaningful to me.

[Jim_Iain]

24 minutes ago, annandme said:

 

Through research, I know the exact airline, date, flights and class of service I want.  The airline is, today, posting its pricing for my flights, so, waiting to get more flight choices is not really meaningful to me.

I believe that the reason you are seeing this is that Singapore Airlines open booking window 355 days in advance of flight.   Many of the other airlines open booking exactly 11 months prior to flight (334-337 days)

 

The reason you may want to book using Flights by Celebrity is that at least on web bookings they offer the No Payment until final Payment Option while I don't seem to find that on Choice Air.

Edited April 22, 2020 by Jim_Iain