Viking air promotion questions

[SoBaycruiser]

I am totally new to Viking and I was wondering exactly how their air promotions work and can you upgrade?  We have cruised a lot and as we have gotten older we try to fly Business class to Europe since our flights are so long from the US west coast.  Normally, we use airline points but the points inflation has made that more difficult in recent years.  So I have a few questions?

1) if you booked your cruise through a TA, do you have to go through the TA to book air through Viking?

2) to use their promotion do you have to accept their choice of flights or can you specify a nonstop flight?

3) currently the promotion says airfare from $799.  Is there a place you can go to on the internet to see what the fare would be from your gateway city or do you (or your TA) have to talk to a rep on the phone?
4) can you upgrade to business and if so do you still get a discounted airfare?  
 

I’d appreciate any input.  Thanks

[Moonlion]

We've used Viking Air on our two previous river cruises, and can answer your first two questions.  For $50pp, we purchased Viking Air Plus which was well worth the price.  It allows you to suggest which flights you would prefer to take (airlines, routes including nonstop), and if available the Viking Air agent will book those flights for you.  Before calling Viking Air, we searched online for a few flight options and were able to get our first choice.  We used a TA but were able to call Viking Air directly to arrange our flights. 

[Heidi13]

9 hours ago, SoBaycruiser said:

I am totally new to Viking and I was wondering exactly how their air promotions work and can you upgrade?  We have cruised a lot and as we have gotten older we try to fly Business class to Europe since our flights are so long from the US west coast.  Normally, we use airline points but the points inflation has made that more difficult in recent years.  So I have a few questions?

1) if you booked your cruise through a TA, do you have to go through the TA to book air through Viking?

2) to use their promotion do you have to accept their choice of flights or can you specify a nonstop flight?

3) currently the promotion says airfare from $799.  Is there a place you can go to on the internet to see what the fare would be from your gateway city or do you (or your TA) have to talk to a rep on the phone?
4) can you upgrade to business and if so do you still get a discounted airfare?  
 

I’d appreciate any input.  Thanks

#1 - Yes, when the cruise is booked with a TA, changes to the booking should be made through the TA. Normally when a TA is involved, all communications from the cruise line come via the TA, however with our cruise last year, we were also copied on all changes/notifications as well as the TA.

 

# 2 - To have more input into flights and also have them confirmed earlier, purchasing the "Air Plus" is highly recommended and at $50 pp, is affordable. With included flights, I did the research, provided our TA with a 1st and 2nd choice of flights and she contacted Viking Air. Both 1st choices were booked and they even did seat selections, based on our preferences. Without "Air Plus" you get Viking selected flights about 75 days before departure, with "Air Plus" you can secure flights about 300 days before.

 

# 3 - Not aware of an online resource for you to research, I believe your TA must contact them

 

# 4 - Yes, Business/First upgrades are possible on some flights. We tried to upgrade using points, but that option is no longer available, so if we wanted to use points, we had to book flights on our own. We had included flights, so didn't have any experience with discounted fare, so best if others answer this part. 

[SoBaycruiser]

27 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

#1 - Yes, when the cruise is booked with a TA, changes to the booking should be made through the TA. Normally when a TA is involved, all communications from the cruise line come via the TA, however with our cruise last year, we were also copied on all changes/notifications as well as the TA.

 

# 2 - To have more input into flights and also have them confirmed earlier, purchasing the "Air Plus" is highly recommended and at $50 pp, is affordable. With included flights, I did the research, provided our TA with a 1st and 2nd choice of flights and she contacted Viking Air. Both 1st choices were booked and they even did seat selections, based on our preferences. Without "Air Plus" you get Viking selected flights about 75 days before departure, with "Air Plus" you can secure flights about 300 days before.

 

# 3 - Not aware of an online resource for you to research, I believe your TA must contact them

 

# 4 - Yes, Business/First upgrades are possible on some flights. We tried to upgrade using points, but that option is no longer available, so if we wanted to use points, we had to book flights on our own. We had included flights, so didn't have any experience with discounted fare, so best if others answer this part. 

thanks!

[duquephart]

46 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

#1 - Yes, when the cruise is booked with a TA, changes to the booking should be made through the TA. Normally when a TA is involved, all communications from the cruise line come via the TA, however with our cruise last year, we were also copied on all changes/notifications as well as the TA.

 

# 2 - To have more input into flights and also have them confirmed earlier, purchasing the "Air Plus" is highly recommended and at $50 pp, is affordable. With included flights, I did the research, provided our TA with a 1st and 2nd choice of flights and she contacted Viking Air. Both 1st choices were booked and they even did seat selections, based on our preferences. Without "Air Plus" you get Viking selected flights about 75 days before departure, with "Air Plus" you can secure flights about 300 days before.

 

# 3 - Not aware of an online resource for you to research, I believe your TA must contact them

 

# 4 - Yes, Business/First upgrades are possible on some flights. We tried to upgrade using points, but that option is no longer available, so if we wanted to use points, we had to book flights on our own. We had included flights, so didn't have any experience with discounted fare, so best if others answer this part. 

 

We paid $100 pp for air plus for our June 2022 cruise. What am I missing here?

[Heidi13]

22 minutes ago, duquephart said:

 

We paid $100 pp for air plus for our June 2022 cruise. What am I missing here?

 

Sorry, can't answer that one, as both times for us it was CAN $50 pp

[SantaFe1]

41 minutes ago, duquephart said:

 

We paid $100 pp for air plus for our June 2022 cruise. What am I missing here?

According to our TA, different cruises have different amounts pp, depending on length of cruise and difficulty of getting reservations.  So right now we have two reservations, one for which we paid $50 pp and one for which we paid $100.  

Edited March 9, 2021 by SantaFe1

[SantaFe1]

This is from the air plus site:

 

Non-refundable service fees range from $50–$100 USD per person (depending on the itinerary), plus applicable increases in airfare due to customization

[duquephart]

1 minute ago, SantaFe1 said:

This is from the air plus site:

 

Non-refundable service fees range from $50–$100 USD per person (depending on the itinerary), plus applicable increases in airfare due to customization

 

I should have known that. Thanks.

[Islandbc]

3 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Sorry, can't answer that one, as both times for us it was CAN $50 pp

Have you added air plus for the 2023 WC?

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, Islandbc said:

Have you added air plus for the 2023 WC?

Janet - our TA forgot to add it when she made the booking, but is aware of it. Next time she talks to them, she will have it added. We will request same flights as the 20 WC - early AC flight YVR - LAX and then the BA 84 LHR - YVR

[Peregrina651]

3 hours ago, SantaFe1 said:

According to our TA, different cruises have different amounts pp, depending on length of cruise and difficulty of getting reservations.  So right now we have two reservations, one for which we paid $50 pp and one for which we paid $100.  

 

I saw a list once. I think that once we find the list again, we will see that it is the port cities with fewer arrival and departure options that have the higher AirPlus fees.

 

13 hours ago, SoBaycruiser said:

4) can you upgrade to business and if so do you still get a discounted airfare?  

 

From what I understand, they can be upgraded. The economy fare shown on the website is your base fare. If they are offering $799 flights from your city to the destination on the day you book, that is your base fare. The upgrade fees are not a flat fee but depend again on where you start and where you are heading to.

 

BUT, here's the thing you need to know: include the economy flights at booking because you can remove the flights anytime before they are ticketed (somewhere around 90 days). For one, until we get past all of these pandemic fueled cancellations, at least we don't have to worry about getting our money back from airlines for flights we aren't going to use -- and right now, today, this might be more important than which is cheaper.  (You can ask during the booking process what the upgraded air prices will be, just to have that information, but booking the economy seats will mean a smaller pay in full amount; they will collect the difference when you actually upgrade).

 

Still, pandemic issues aside, the big reason you want to include flights at booking is because the information you need to decide if you are flying with Viking or making your own reservations is not completely available until 9-10 months prior to departure. Airline pricing is so volatile, changing from day to day, month to month that you cannot even ballpark March, 2022 prices based on March, 2021 prices -- and this was true even before the pandemic.

 

For those who are price shopping their flights, you might as well include Viking in the mix.  The truth of the matter is that there is no way of telling until you actually compare Viking's price with the airline or 3rd party ticket agency for the actual dates you want to fly whether for your situation it is cheaper to book your flights through Viking or book your own.

 

Finally, if you decide to opt for the Viking flights and especially because you want to upgrade, use AirPlus and choose you flights closer to 9 months prior to departure than 3 months closer to departure.

[Islandbc]

27 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

Janet - our TA forgot to add it when she made the booking, but is aware of it. Next time she talks to them, she will have it added. We will request same flights as the 20 WC - early AC flight YVR - LAX and then the BA 84 LHR - YVR

I have asked for it to be added in the past, but forgot to request it this time, so will also get it added to our booking.

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, Islandbc said:

I have asked for it to be added in the past, but forgot to request it this time, so will also get it added to our booking.

 

Just to clarify for all readers, AirPlus can be be added at anytime up until 65 days prior to departure. There is no need to do it at booking if you don't want to or forget to; you can add it when you are ready to book your flights.

[Clay Clayton]

One other thing to consider since you are new to Viking. Welcome, btw. In addition to the Air Plus which lets you be involved with flight selection, they offer a deviation program.  For another fee (used to be $100pp) you can arrive early or stay later.  If you don’t pay this fee then unless you have unusual circumstances, Viking will have you arrive at the port on embarkation day and   fly home on disembarkation day. We always like to arrive at least a day early and sometimes more than that depending on the city.
 

Additionally, if you pay this fee you can sometimes change your airports.  For example, we had “free” air for our 2019 transatlantic. By paying the deviation fee, we flew into San Juan the afternoon before boarding which allowed my Mother In Law time to see a little bit of Old San Juan (and not have to leave her home at 3:30 am for the outbound flight).  After arrival and a few extra days in Barcelona, we flew ourselves to Rome and then used the “free” return leg to fly back to the US. They won’t allow you to deviate to/from all airports but it certainly made for a much more memorable trip for my DMIL. 

[SoBaycruiser]

22 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

One other thing to consider since you are new to Viking. Welcome, btw. In addition to the Air Plus which lets you be involved with flight selection, they offer a deviation program.  For another fee (used to be $100pp) you can arrive early or stay later.  If you don’t pay this fee then unless you have unusual circumstances, Viking will have you arrive at the port on embarkation day and   fly home on disembarkation day. We always like to arrive at least a day early and sometimes more than that depending on the city.
 

Additionally, if you pay this fee you can sometimes change your airports.  For example, we had “free” air for our 2019 transatlantic. By paying the deviation fee, we flew into San Juan the afternoon before boarding which allowed my Mother In Law time to see a little bit of Old San Juan (and not have to leave her home at 3:30 am for the outbound flight).  After arrival and a few extra days in Barcelona, we flew ourselves to Rome and then used the “free” return leg to fly back to the US. They won’t allow you to deviate to/from all airports but it certainly made for a much more memorable trip for my DMIL. 

 

This was all important information.  Thank you.  Since we didn’t get in under the free air promotion, it sounds more complicated than it is worth for us...even with Air Plus.  While I don’t sneeze at a few hundred dollars, it might be worth it do rid myself of the anxiety I’m feeling now.  We want to fly in early to visit with friends, and all the non stops from LAX to London appear to go into London Heathrow and I thought I saw something about Gatwick for our cruise.  We want the nonstop to get the lay down beds in Business class.  Being we have 8 time zones to adjust to, it makes a world of difference to the beginning of our trip. 
 

I suppose I will try calling them to see what they offer once flights are open for our trip in 2022.  This may be more simple than it first appears.

 

Thank you again.

[Clay Clayton]

Don’t give up on the free air promotion.  If it shows back up you might be able to cancel and get it. Just be sure to check pricing of the total. From my experience, unless it is very close to cruise date (within 2-3 months), when they offer free air, the cruise price is usually higher.  When they offer a promo fare for the cruise, the air is higher.  #KarineGonnaMakeHerMoney 😂

[Peregrina651]

42 minutes ago, SoBaycruiser said:

it sounds more complicated than it is worth for us...even with Air Plus

 

Really, it is not. It takes more to explain the bits and pieces than it does to use them. 

 

Your TA can get you the cost of the upgrade to business now, even if you don't actually add the upgrade at this point. At least you will have the idea of the cost. And, then, you are right, you have to wait until the flights are actually available for booking before you can do anything else.

 

Between now and then, you have plenty of time to think about whether you want to arrive early (you will have to get yourselves to the ship) or not. There is no stress to decide right now, so you will have plenty of time to weigh all your options.

 

Waiting for a free air promotion can be more hassle than it is worth. Trying to snag one means cancelling the old and booking a new -- and you aren't guaranteed getting the same cabin, the same flights with upgrade or even the same price for the cabin. It is not the right choice for everyone. Some people like playing the game and others make their choice and never look back.

 

[rim140]

We have a river cruise coming up in November this year (Grand European Budapest to Amsterdam), hopefully it goes...

 

The cruise includes free air, and we paid $50 per person (supposedly allows us to select our flights per our TA).  My question...When and how do we get to see available flights and select what we want? Do we receive emails from TA (or Viking) sometime close to November?

[Heidi13]

25 minutes ago, rim140 said:

We have a river cruise coming up in November this year (Grand European Budapest to Amsterdam), hopefully it goes...

 

The cruise includes free air, and we paid $50 per person (supposedly allows us to select our flights per our TA).  My question...When and how do we get to see available flights and select what we want? Do we receive emails from TA (or Viking) sometime close to November?

 

When we had include flights for the 2020 WC, I provided out TA with our preferred flights shortly after we made final payment. At 6 months out, the timing also worked for the return flights, which had just be posted.

 

If you have made final payment, I suggest you can provide your request for flights anytime.

[rim140]

1 minute ago, Heidi13 said:

 

When we had include flights for the 2020 WC, I provided out TA with our preferred flights shortly after we made final payment. At 6 months out, the timing also worked for the return flights, which had just be posted.

 

If you have made final payment, I suggest you can provide your request for flights anytime.

 

Our final payment is due May 4.  So, when do they normally post available flight schedule, after the final payment? Is it posted online?

[Clay Clayton]

36 minutes ago, rim140 said:

We have a river cruise coming up in November this year (Grand European Budapest to Amsterdam), hopefully it goes...

 

The cruise includes free air, and we paid $50 per person (supposedly allows us to select our flights per our TA).  My question...When and how do we get to see available flights and select what we want? Do we receive emails from TA (or Viking) sometime close to November?

We have had the best luck by providing a list of the flights we would like. GoogleFlights can be your friend for this. 
 

We wanted to fly AA as we had (no more🥲) status with them so could upgrade our flights.  There were also some flights that flew on plans with more biz class seats which increased the possibility of us getting one of them.  So I sent our TA a list with our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices in each direction.  We lucked out and got our first choices! (That’s the DH and the DMIL in their biz seats from Rome to Philly)

Edited April 6, 2021 by Clay Clayton

[Heidi13]

Just now, rim140 said:

 

Our final payment is due May 4.  So, when do they normally post available flight schedule, after the final payment? Is it posted online?

 

Our TA advised they wouldn't book flights until we had made Payment in Full.

 

We didn't receive any flight schedules from Viking Air. I researched our preferred flights, with a first and 2nd choice for the outbound and inbound flights. Provided the information to our TA, who contacted Viking Air to book the flights.

 

They accepted both our 1st choices, booking the flights immediately. Within a few minutes we received the E-Ticket.

[Peregrina651]

47 minutes ago, rim140 said:

We have a river cruise coming up in November this year (Grand European Budapest to Amsterdam), hopefully it goes...

 

The cruise includes free air, and we paid $50 per person (supposedly allows us to select our flights per our TA).  My question...When and how do we get to see available flights and select what we want? Do we receive emails from TA (or Viking) sometime close to November?

 

I can't do the math for you right now but airlines start opening seats for booking 300 days prior to flying. By 270 days all of the airlines should have their flights posted and it is time to have your TA contact AirPlus to start talking flights -- especially if you thinking of upgrading to econplus or business.  It is helpful to do some research on your own; visit one of the booking websites and plug in your dates, etc. While Viking might not offer the flight plan you are hoping for at the $0 price point, it may be available for a small addition fare. Can't hurt to ask about -- especially if it saves connection or crazy early departure times. Who wants to leave for the airport at 3 am?

 

20 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

Our TA advised they wouldn't book flights until we had made Payment in Full.

 

On the other hand, I have booked flights with Custom Air well in advance of full payment. So don't let that stop you from contacting AirPlus to start the process. Worse comes to worse, they will demand the payment before proceeding.

[Twitchly]

Our TA booked our flights today. Viking offered $1200 fares on this cruise, so we started with that, plus the $50 option to upgrade. When our TA asked if we could bump up to the extra-legroom coach seats, Viking said it would be an additional $1K per person!! 😱 So we passed on Viking Air and got the tickets directly from Delta … for $1200. Guess you just have to shop around.