Use Princess for air or book your own?

[dreaminofcruisin]

20 hours ago, Thrak said:

I use Princess. When we flew to Heathrow for a recent cruise I wanted to fly Virgin Atlantic. They had better seats, better food, and free drinks (even in coach) than Delta, etc. I am not fond of Delta due to past issues pretty much every time we've flown that line. Using every "cheap" booking site I could run down as well as the airline site itself, a one-way coach ticket on Virgin Atlantic was going to cost me something like $3,500 per person. GAH!!! I booked the exact same flights for a bit over $300 per person using Princess EZ Air.

 

Although we just cancelled our Australia/New Zealand cruises for this winter (their summer) I had made EZ Air flight reservations. When I cancelled the cruises there was no issue, no hassle, nothing to cause a problem. I simply cancelled the flights with no penalty at all. I had actually re-booked the flights multiple times as costs changed and, again, there was no fee or penalty involved with making the changes.

 

If you want book Business Class or First Class you can do that right on the Princess site. Alternately, you can book and then go through the airline to upgrade your seats. I don't know if that would require a "firm" booking to do. If so, your change privileges would likely go out the window. I use the "Flexible Fare" option with Princess. It's less expensive and totally flexible. The "down side" is that, with domestic travel, you may not be able to pre-select your seats. When we book internationally I am able to select seats for the international segments but the local stuff (usually Delta) doesn't allow me to select seats until much later.

 

We lately have been always booking with EZ Air and have been happy with that. In the near future, we will ONLY book with EZ Air due to the uncertainty of a vaccine being available, etc. etc. We want to be able to change the reservation and / or cancel up to the shortest time possible. 

 

I think the airline you use and have good or bad experiences with can depend a lot on where you are in the country. We are in the Midwest and Delta always has the most options for us. We have ALWAYS been able to select our own seats with Delta when we book---usually right after flights are released. We did have an issue with seat selection on KLM. We have tried other airlines and keep coming back to Delta for the best service....different strokes for different folks I guess.... 

[Dnoetn]

I have a question which I hope some one might possibly can help answer.  I have booked an upcoming cruise with EZ Air on American Airlines.  If this cruise does occur, when making my final payment I can either use an American Airlines AAdvantage Barclays Mastercard which would allow free baggage for my wife and I or a CITI card which would give 2 % cash back.  Of course the charge would be made to Princess.  The 2% would be the lesser of the two options but I am unsure if booking the EZ Air would transfer over to the airline.  I can't remember if there are two separate charges on my credit card or just one to Princess.  I may be thinking of the two separate charges when I have booked all inclusives.  So any advice of which card to use would be appreciated.  I am a cheapo indeed which likes the best bang for my buck.  Thanks.  

[Thrak]

1 hour ago, dreaminofcruisin said:

We have tried other airlines and keep coming back to Delta for the best service....different strokes for different folks I guess.... 

 

Delta has repeatedly changed flights on us doing things like cancelling our flights and changing them so that the second segment left an hour before the first segment arrived. Impossible. It turned out that the only reason they made the idiot and impossible change was because the initial flight time had changed to depart 10 minutes earlier (or later - can't remember which). Instead of just letting us know about the 10 minute change they trashed the flights completely. I had fun getting it fixed. A 10 minute change in departure time was not an issue for us...

 

Delta also changed flights on us once so that a 7 hour flight from Sacramento to Seattle to Fairbanks was suddenly an 18 hour flight from Sacramento to Los Angeles to Minneapolis/St. Paul to Fairbanks. WHAT? It took me hours of hassle to fix that. I finally got the original flights restored.

 

Then there's the time they changed our flight from LA to Sacramento to happen an hour or more before the ship was even scheduled in port.

 

Delta has not been my friend...

[rdsqrl]

40 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

.  .  .  Delta has not been my friend...

A friend of mine owned a travel agency in the 1990s-2000s.  She says that all the other domestic airlines were willing to pitch in and help agents help their customers if something went wrong, trying to fix agent errors or accommodate a client request.  Except Delta.  She said her agency just referred to Delta as the Just Say No Airline, and the would bend over backwards not to sell a client a DL ticket unless it was the cheapest or the client preferred.  Just because they knew if things went sideways, they'd get no support.  Sounds like they haven't changed. 

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, Thrak said:

 

Delta has repeatedly changed flights on us doing things like cancelling our flights and changing them so that the second segment left an hour before the first segment arrived. Impossible. It turned out that the only reason they made the idiot and impossible change was because the initial flight time had changed to depart 10 minutes earlier (or later - can't remember which). Instead of just letting us know about the 10 minute change they trashed the flights completely. I had fun getting it fixed. A 10 minute change in departure time was not an issue for us...

 

Delta also changed flights on us once so that a 7 hour flight from Sacramento to Seattle to Fairbanks was suddenly an 18 hour flight from Sacramento to Los Angeles to Minneapolis/St. Paul to Fairbanks. WHAT? It took me hours of hassle to fix that. I finally got the original flights restored.

 

Then there's the time they changed our flight from LA to Sacramento to happen an hour or more before the ship was even scheduled in port.

 

Delta has not been my friend...

We once had Delta change a flight from direct from I forget which one of the NY airports to Fort Lauderdale to having a stopover in Dallas. We would have arrived in Fort Lauderdale maybe in time to wave goodbye to our departing ship.

[phabric]

2 hours ago, Dnoetn said:

I have a question which I hope some one might possibly can help answer.  I have booked an upcoming cruise with EZ Air on American Airlines.  If this cruise does occur, when making my final payment I can either use an American Airlines AAdvantage Barclays Mastercard which would allow free baggage for my wife and I or a CITI card which would give 2 % cash back.  Of course the charge would be made to Princess.  The 2% would be the lesser of the two options but I am unsure if booking the EZ Air would transfer over to the airline.  I can't remember if there are two separate charges on my credit card or just one to Princess.  I may be thinking of the two separate charges when I have booked all inclusives.  So any advice of which card to use would be appreciated.  I am a cheapo indeed which likes the best bang for my buck.  Thanks.  

My EzAir payment is added to my Princess cruise invoice so only 1 invoice from Princess.

[paradiselivin1]

We've done it both ways and other people have pointed out the pros/cons for each situation. I don't think I saw anyone mention that a benefit with EZAir is that we were allowed to fly into Lisbon 6 weeks prior to our cruise out of Barcelona. Incredibly flexible with the "alternate" city options so that you can start with a nice road trip prior to your cruise if so desired so you are not limited by having to fly into the city of the cruise departure point. However, for some of our cruises, it made sense to make our own plans ~ simply depends on the offering(s).

[donaldsc]

4 hours ago, dreaminofcruisin said:

 

We lately have been always booking with EZ Air and have been happy with that. In the near future, we will ONLY book with EZ Air due to the uncertainty of a vaccine being available, etc. etc. We want to be able to change the reservation and / or cancel up to the shortest time possible. 

 

I think the airline you use and have good or bad experiences with can depend a lot on where you are in the country. We are in the Midwest and Delta always has the most options for us. We have ALWAYS been able to select our own seats with Delta when we book---usually right after flights are released. We did have an issue with seat selection on KLM. We have tried other airlines and keep coming back to Delta for the best service....different strokes for different folks I guess.... 

 

You did not say if you were flying domestically or overseas.  Flying domestically on Delta will not be a great experience but it iis better than Frontier, Spirit or any of the sardine can airlines.  If I am flying overseas, I would never fly on a domestic carrier such as Delta or American if I have any other alternatives.  Foreign flag airlines almost always treat you better than any American flag airlines.  

 

DON

[jagoffee]

3 hours ago, Dnoetn said:

I have a question which I hope some one might possibly can help answer.  I have booked an upcoming cruise with EZ Air on American Airlines.  If this cruise does occur, when making my final payment I can either use an American Airlines AAdvantage Barclays Mastercard which would allow free baggage for my wife and I or a CITI card which would give 2 % cash back.  Of course the charge would be made to Princess.  The 2% would be the lesser of the two options but I am unsure if booking the EZ Air would transfer over to the airline.  I can't remember if there are two separate charges on my credit card or just one to Princess.  I may be thinking of the two separate charges when I have booked all inclusives.  So any advice of which card to use would be appreciated.  I am a cheapo indeed which likes the best bang for my buck.  Thanks.  

If you have a Master Card that includes free luggage on AA, you do not need to use that card to get the free luggage.  You just have to make sure that your FF number is on the EZ air reservation with AA.  As long as your wife is on the same reservation she will also get the free luggage.  The free luggage benefit is tied to your FF number with AA.

[Esprit]

We always book flights through Princess.

Glad we did for our cancelled 2020 cruise. Otherwise we would have ended up with a future flight credit instead of double FCC from Princess.

[Travlin grrl]

I always use EZ Air. I comparison shop with other airlines etc. but find that EZ Air always is the better deal. Especially going international. Also I like how they only show you flights that work with cruise time so there is no wondering if you have enough time or not. Plus you are guaranteed if there is ever a problem, they will fix it for you. And it really is EZ lol. 

[cruisequeen4ever]

Princess EZ-Air provides peace of mind because of its flex fares, enabling you to pay at final payment and make changes up until 45 days before departure and because they’re responsible for getting you to the ship if something goes awry. The fares are usually better than booking on your own, too. 
 

Booking on your own takes away a middle man, so it can be easier to change flights if there’s a flight problem. You can call the airline directly, whereas you have to go through EZ-Air and have them call the airline if you book through them. 

[-Lew-]

32 minutes ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

Booking on your own takes away a middle man, so it can be easier to change flights if there’s a flight problem. You can call the airline directly, whereas you have to go through EZ-Air and have them call the airline if you book through them. 

 

I have been able to deal with airlines directly on eZAir booked flights when they have made an itinerary change that doesn't work for me.  I enter my flights in the FlightView app which will notify me when there has been a flight change.  I then call the airline to rectify the problem. 

[trbarton]

Another advantage is that if you have any airline problems they will take care of you to get you to the ship. It’s like getting insurance for your flight reservation. Every time I have used EZ Air they have been the best price. 
 

Tom😀

[caribill]

13 hours ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

Booking on your own takes away a middle man, so it can be easier to change flights if there’s a flight problem. You can call the airline directly, whereas you have to go through EZ-Air and have them call the airline if you book through them. 

 

If you are referencing a problem on the day of travel, Princess suggests you first try to work it out with the airline and only involve Princess if that does not work.

 

If you are referencing a schedule change by the airline before the day of travel, if the airline has been paid for the ticket by Princess I have found that the airline will work with me to find acceptable alternatives.

[LabLover56]

I booked RT air through Princess for a cruise that is coming up in 2 weeks. I got confirmation numbers and have been receiving periodic schedule changes etc. however, the airline has no record that Princess has ticketed the flight. It appears I have no reservation! I’ve been on hold with Princess for going on 3 hours now and have been transferred twice. Anyone else have this experience?

[SLC1954]

52 minutes ago, LabLover56 said:

I booked RT air through Princess for a cruise that is coming up in 2 weeks. I got confirmation numbers and have been receiving periodic schedule changes etc. however, the airline has no record that Princess has ticketed the flight. It appears I have no reservation! I’ve been on hold with Princess for going on 3 hours now and have been transferred twice. Anyone else have this experience?

Yes, same thing happened to us on our Feb 2022 cruise/flight to LAX. Princess never paid American Airlines, and the booking for the flight was cancelled. We paid the airfare to Princess and was on our travel summary, then the $$$ disappeared from our confirmation and booking summary. Princess can’t find that we paid it in their system. Good thing I kept the original summary.  We paid with Princess gift cards also, so there is no way to dispute.  We still have not been refunded our $$$$. Lesson learned: don’t book with EZAir and don’t use gift cards. We were able to book a flight to LAX on a different airline paid extra $$ but made it to the ship. I hope you have better luck getting a refund.

[LabLover56]

Sorry you went through the same thing. I seem to have gotten a resolution. After being on hold for close to 4 hours I got someone in the Air department who said she was rebooking the flights and would send me an email. Same confirmation numbers, but when I got it the itinerary was completely different. They had me flying from FLL to Detroit with a 30 min layover, then flying to SLC with another 30 min layover before the final leg. What a nightmare! 30 mins is not enough in either Detroit (because of the size) or SLC because of the construction which requires shuttle busses from the tarmac to the terminal. My original itinerary had sufficient layovers. I called back, and after another 2 hours on hold on a weekend, I was told that if I didn’t like the itinerary, I’d have to pay a cancellation fee and rebook at the now much higher prices. PASS! So I called back on Monday and got a helpful employee in the Air department who was mortified by the 30 min layovers and actually got me booked on a much better itinerary at no extra cost to me. The airline now acknowledges the confirmation number and itinerary. Fingers crossed.

[ontheweb]

8 hours ago, LabLover56 said:

Sorry you went through the same thing. I seem to have gotten a resolution. After being on hold for close to 4 hours I got someone in the Air department who said she was rebooking the flights and would send me an email. Same confirmation numbers, but when I got it the itinerary was completely different. They had me flying from FLL to Detroit with a 30 min layover, then flying to SLC with another 30 min layover before the final leg. What a nightmare! 30 mins is not enough in either Detroit (because of the size) or SLC because of the construction which requires shuttle busses from the tarmac to the terminal. My original itinerary had sufficient layovers. I called back, and after another 2 hours on hold on a weekend, I was told that if I didn’t like the itinerary, I’d have to pay a cancellation fee and rebook at the now much higher prices. PASS! So I called back on Monday and got a helpful employee in the Air department who was mortified by the 30 min layovers and actually got me booked on a much better itinerary at no extra cost to me. The airline now acknowledges the confirmation number and itinerary. Fingers crossed.

It is amazing how much of a difference it can make as to which customer service representative answers your call.

[dog]

I always book my own air, but this trip the return flight is with EZ air   Half as much as it would be with my airline directly. 

[Electricx]

I tried to book EZair. However, I have 2 middle names...that are on my passport. Apparently, it is a ridiculous ask to have more space to put two middle names in their database. You can even check the box that you have no middle name on the website. But apparently 12 spaces is all you get.

 

I have called numerous times. It cannot be fixed (we can't have the vendor of whatever program you are using add more spaces??). I was told "It's fine, it's no big deal". I have told them numerous times to fly internationally the boarding ticket needs to match the passport, or I could be denied boarding. "Oh it's fine". It seems like such an easy fix. I guess they don't want my money that badly.

[terry.hickle]

I would say book your own flights.  I plan on doing this from now on.  We have two Princess EZ Air flights booked. One in October, 2022 to Sydney Australia and the other in January, 2023 to Antarctica.  We used EZ Air shortly after booking the cruises.  They had wonderful schedules and good pricing.  Today I was notified that my flight to the Antarctica cruise has changed from 2:50PM departure to a 4:35PM departure.  This change shortens our layover and could jeopardize our making our connection.  I first checked online and then called to make a change to an earlier flight.  First, EZ Air representatives don't have the same available flights that you can see on the website.  After selecting the new flight, which the change was free, I was told it will cost $1200 more than my original one.  I asked why I was being penalized for something EZ Air changed.  I was told that the closer to the flight the prices go up and I must pay the difference. My return from Australia was changed from a 1-stop to a 2-stop.  Again any changes will cost me more.  I'm starting to think it's a money making scheme that EZ Air is using.