Give me patience… Viking Air Plus trials

[mhb1757]

It really wasn’t a complicated request. Having paid for air plus I called yesterday to request flights. After a near eternity on hold I finally reached an agent and Yes the flights I wanted were in contract so no extra fee. Got them booked (very slowly) and a mere 1 hour and 48 minutes later the call ended. Very nice, polite man, I didn’t get the idea he was terribly knowledgeable but he got the flights booked. 
sadly I forgot to request that they go ahead and ticket the flights now so I can pick preferred seats and/or upgrade with miles (I have platinum status with Delta and can’t do anything until flights are ticketed and if I wait until Viking tickets them 60-75 days out the comfort seats are gone). In the past all I had to do was ask them to ticket now and the agent did it in about 30 seconds.
 

Today I have another 45 minutes on hold before someone answers, and again it’s a nice guy but seems to know even less than the first one. Tells me I have to book comfort seats thru Viking, that I won’t be able to upgrade via Delta, I’m pretty sure that’s not right but I have $$ left on my voucher so fine, I’ll book it thru Viking. He puts me on hold for another prolonged period only to come back and tell me what I knew already, nope I have to book comfort seats thru Delta. I ask him to go ahead and ticket the flights now, at first he says he can’t do that I have to wait. I ask him to please check with his supervisor. He agrees, yes, another 10+ minutes on hold. And surprise…. Yes he can go ahead and ticket the flights now, so hold again while that happens, another 10 minutes on hold and boom, I am disconnected. There’s 1 hour and 27 minutes of my life wasted. 
on a positive note, it probably saved me from losing my mind… if I had had to listen to one more round of that annoying “Traveller” song it might have done me in. 
 

This is the first time I have had contact with Viking Air since covid. Was this typical or did I just have extraordinarily bad luck?  This sure isn’t the same level of service they used to provide. 

[Cadodge]

I agree. Pre-covid we had excellent service and knowledgeable people helping us when dealing  directly with Viking. This time around the agent and the flight desk people seem to newbies. Was originally told by each that our pre-extension hotel had no more rooms and we needed to make our own transfer and hotel arrangements since we were flying in early. Then our travel docs arrived a month later and show we have a room and transfers. Called back and the flight desk (after holding for 45 minutes) verified that "of course you have transfers and a room." So we canceled the other arrangements. 

[mhb1757]

I’m not sure if this makes any difference but both agents were obviously working from home… first guy’s dogs kept barking and today it was kids in the background. Neither of which bother me at all but I’m wondering if maybe that slows things down a lot…maybe home internet speeds are way slower than in a call center and you have to call the supervisor instead of wave them down?  I don’t know, just guessing but it was terribly inefficient. 

[bbtondo]

Tip:  The minute you get a customer service rep on the phone for any company and get that sinking feeling that you know more than them.... Hang up and call for someone else.

[Triptkr]

17 minutes ago, bbtondo said:

Tip:  The minute you get a customer service rep on the phone for any company and get that sinking feeling that you know more than them.... Hang up and call for someone else.

Sage advice however it would seem that action needs to be taken with every Viking customer service phone one makes.   I can not believe the lack of knowledge that is on the other end of the phone line each time I've called...getting different answers from different employees...incredibly frustrating when spending good money on a product!   Once onboard, it seems that Viking has it together but before that point---I can't believe they've lasted this long.

[bbtondo]

Just now, Triptkr said:

Sage advice however it would seem that action needs to be taken with every Viking customer service phone one makes.   I can not believe the lack of knowledge that is on the other end of the phone line each time I've called...getting different answers from different employees...incredibly frustrating when spending good money on a product!   Once onboard, it seems that Viking has it together but before that point---I can't believe they've lasted this long.

1000 percent agree!  

[deec]

we did Viking air this time...we were NOT able to upgrade to DELTA comfort or FIRST CLASS using miles or $$$!  only able to do it through Viking at a much higher cost.  We usually book our own air BUT since it is easier during COVID's changing rules about getting $$ back we did it this way...so we are stuck with economy air !!! 😞

[Twitchly]

Even before Covid, it was stories like these that made us resolve to book our own air. We’ve also found cheaper or equivalent deals that way. So thanks for the heads up, everyone. 

[takemewithyou]

2 hours ago, mhb1757 said:

It really wasn’t a complicated request. Having paid for air plus I called yesterday to request flights. After a near eternity on hold I finally reached an agent and Yes the flights I wanted were in contract so no extra fee. Got them booked (very slowly) and a mere 1 hour and 48 minutes later the call ended. Very nice, polite man, I didn’t get the idea he was terribly knowledgeable but he got the flights booked. 
sadly I forgot to request that they go ahead and ticket the flights now so I can pick preferred seats and/or upgrade with miles (I have platinum status with Delta and can’t do anything until flights are ticketed and if I wait until Viking tickets them 60-75 days out the comfort seats are gone). In the past all I had to do was ask them to ticket now and the agent did it in about 30 seconds.
 

Today I have another 45 minutes on hold before someone answers, and again it’s a nice guy but seems to know even less than the first one. Tells me I have to book comfort seats thru Viking, that I won’t be able to upgrade via Delta, I’m pretty sure that’s not right but I have $$ left on my voucher so fine, I’ll book it thru Viking. He puts me on hold for another prolonged period only to come back and tell me what I knew already, nope I have to book comfort seats thru Delta. I ask him to go ahead and ticket the flights now, at first he says he can’t do that I have to wait. I ask him to please check with his supervisor. He agrees, yes, another 10+ minutes on hold. And surprise…. Yes he can go ahead and ticket the flights now, so hold again while that happens, another 10 minutes on hold and boom, I am disconnected. There’s 1 hour and 27 minutes of my life wasted. 
on a positive note, it probably saved me from losing my mind… if I had had to listen to one more round of that annoying “Traveller” song it might have done me in. 
 

This is the first time I have had contact with Viking Air since covid. Was this typical or did I just have extraordinarily bad luck?  This sure isn’t the same level of service they used to provide. 

Very similar to my experience this past couple of weeks!  My first time doing all this.  First Viking cruise.

[JeriGail]

3 hours ago, mhb1757 said:

It really wasn’t a complicated request. Having paid for air plus I called yesterday to request flights. After a near eternity on hold I finally reached an agent and Yes the flights I wanted were in contract so no extra fee. Got them booked (very slowly) and a mere 1 hour and 48 minutes later the call ended. Very nice, polite man, I didn’t get the idea he was terribly knowledgeable but he got the flights booked. 
sadly I forgot to request that they go ahead and ticket the flights now so I can pick preferred seats and/or upgrade with miles (I have platinum status with Delta and can’t do anything until flights are ticketed and if I wait until Viking tickets them 60-75 days out the comfort seats are gone). In the past all I had to do was ask them to ticket now and the agent did it in about 30 seconds.
 

Today I have another 45 minutes on hold before someone answers, and again it’s a nice guy but seems to know even less than the first one. Tells me I have to book comfort seats thru Viking, that I won’t be able to upgrade via Delta, I’m pretty sure that’s not right but I have $$ left on my voucher so fine, I’ll book it thru Viking. He puts me on hold for another prolonged period only to come back and tell me what I knew already, nope I have to book comfort seats thru Delta. I ask him to go ahead and ticket the flights now, at first he says he can’t do that I have to wait. I ask him to please check with his supervisor. He agrees, yes, another 10+ minutes on hold. And surprise…. Yes he can go ahead and ticket the flights now, so hold again while that happens, another 10 minutes on hold and boom, I am disconnected. There’s 1 hour and 27 minutes of my life wasted. 
on a positive note, it probably saved me from losing my mind… if I had had to listen to one more round of that annoying “Traveller” song it might have done me in. 
 

This is the first time I have had contact with Viking Air since covid. Was this typical or did I just have extraordinarily bad luck?  This sure isn’t the same level of service they used to provide. 

I researched my flights, found the ones I wanted, and forwarded them to my TA, and then she called Viking and got my flights.  I was probably lucky too, but I had no issues getting my flights and upgrading my international flight to economy plus on the airline's site (no PE on that flight).

[CCWineLover]

Agree with everyone.  We only use Viking Air now due to COVID cancellation/rerouting/flight delay issues.  When that is lessened, we will go back to doing it ourselves.  SO much less hassle, often less expensive and certainly one "feels" more in control.  I would say Viking Air Plus is only good for those who just wish regular Economy (or the chance to buy a Economy Plus / not PE seat if they are available once ticketed).  If you wish Premium Economy or Business Class then you are better on your own (once the COVID situation has lessened).  I view the hassles and extra added expense with Viking Air during these tough airline times to be just an extra added insurance payment.  That helps me feel better about the mess.

Edited February 17, 2022 by CCWineLover

[CCWineLover]

8 minutes ago, JeriGail said:

I researched my flights, found the ones I wanted, and forwarded them to my TA, and then she called Viking and got my flights.  I was probably lucky too, but I had no issues getting my flights and upgrading my international flight to economy plus on the airline's site (no PE on that flight).

Jeri - you were indeed lucky.  And that was before the real Omicron mess and the added airline flight delays and changes through this wintertime.  Let's hope that will die down sometime.

[takemewithyou]

1 hour ago, JeriGail said:

I researched my flights, found the ones I wanted, and forwarded them to my TA, and then she called Viking and got my flights.  I was probably lucky too, but I had no issues getting my flights and upgrading my international flight to economy plus on the airline's site (no PE on that flight).

After several phone calls to Viking Air Dept and being on call forever, I gave up and turned my reservation over to my TA.  I usually use a TA anyway.  She took over and got me ticketed.  Less than 60 days now to my cruise.  I think having a TA to back you up is worthwhile dealing with air Dept.  Others may disagree……

[Mich3554]

I recently booked flights for our GE cruise in April.  Our assigned flights were unacceptable, so I researched the flights, had about 4 alternatives in each direction listed and called Viking Air.  While I couldn’t get my preferred flight, I was able to get an acceptable alternative.  These were business class seats.  
 

I don’t think I was on the phone any more than 30 minutes total.  However, in the future I prefer to book my own flights.  

[mhb1757]

Sometimes we book our own air (more often than not actually) but we used Viking Air this time because we had credit left over on the FCC voucher so it seemed silly not to use it. And Viking was able to give me the flights we wanted. I just needed the patience of Job to get it all done. 
But 3rd time was the charm for me. I tried again tonight, was “only” on hold 32 minutes and the lovely lady I spoke with actually knew what she was doing 😱…she had the flights ticketed in maybe 3 minutes. 
As for the sage advice to just hang up and try again when you realize you know more than the agent you are talking to, normally I would agree wholeheartedly, however when you have to spend 45+ minutes on hold to get to an agent I tend to be reluctant to want to try again! 🤪

[MikeyB]

Just an FYI-

Today I booked a cruise and told the Viking agent how I have had problems understanding the language spoken by the Air department lately.

The agent said that post Covid there has been a large turnover in the Air department and that the office was shipped overseas.

[takemewithyou]

1 hour ago, MikeyB said:

Just an FYI-

Today I booked a cruise and told the Viking agent how I have had problems understanding the language spoken by the Air department lately.

The agent said that post Covid there has been a large turnover in the Air department and that the office was shipped overseas.

Yup.  All overseas agents that I have been dealing with

Edited February 18, 2022 by takemewithyou

[molymoo]

9 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

Yup.  All overseas agents that I have been dealing with

We just booked our flights for the summer and there was absolutely no doubt that I was talking to a (delightful and knowledgeable) lady from the Bronx!  Last time I checked that was not overseas!  Just sayin’!

[FlyerTalker]

13 hours ago, mhb1757 said:

when you have to spend 45+ minutes on hold to get to an agent I tend to be reluctant to want to try again! 🤪

 

Hopefully you are not just sitting there waiting for someone to come on the line.

 

Pro tip:  Put the phone on speaker and then go about your business.  When someone comes on the line, say "Be with you in a second as I take you off speaker".

 

You get to be productive during that wait time.

 

So for me, wait times are just like having a roast in the oven.  I don't stand there looking at it through the oven door - I do stuff.

[mhb1757]

2 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Hopefully you are not just sitting there waiting for someone to come on the line.

 

Pro tip:  Put the phone on speaker and then go about your business.  When someone comes on the line, say "Be with you in a second as I take you off speaker".

 

You get to be productive during that wait time.

 

So for me, wait times are just like having a roast in the oven.  I don't stand there looking at it through the oven door - I do stuff.

I do stuff too but there are limits to what you can do while waiting for an answer. And I ran out of those jobs long before someone answered. 

[JMichigan]

On 2/17/2022 at 1:31 PM, deec said:

we did Viking air this time...we were NOT able to upgrade to DELTA comfort or FIRST CLASS using miles or $$$!  only able to do it through Viking at a much higher cost.  We usually book our own air BUT since it is easier during COVID's changing rules about getting $$ back we did it this way...so we are stuck with economy air !!! 😞

When is your cruise? After you’ve flown can you please let us know if you were able to upgrade? My husband is delta diamond platinum and we have a zillion miles so we were hoping to upgrade too and bought the Viking economy plus air. Thanks!

[Heidi13]

4 hours ago, JMichigan said:

When is your cruise? After you’ve flown can you please let us know if you were able to upgrade? My husband is delta diamond platinum and we have a zillion miles so we were hoping to upgrade too and bought the Viking economy plus air. Thanks!

 

If you are using Viking Air, another pax's experience may not be similar to yours. Whether you can upgrade depends on the fare class that Viking books through their contract. Their are no guarantees that you would have a similar fare class. 

[55Division]

Our Viking Air Plus reservations were originally made Main Cabin with Delta. Once ticketed, we upgraded to Business Class on the return with reasonable $$$. Based on the advice on CC, I went on-line to check the reservation. To my surprise, we lost the Business Class upgrade because Viking Air changed our fare class to Economy Plus.  I’m not sure how Viking Air could change the fare class once ticked, but after two hours on hold with Delta and three hours on hold with Viking Air, Viking Air changed the air class back to Main Cabin and Delta reinstated our return flight back to Business Class.

[JMichigan]

11 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

If you are using Viking Air, another pax's experience may not be similar to yours. Whether you can upgrade depends on the fare class that Viking books through their contract. Their are no guarantees that you would have a similar fare class. 

Ok, thanks 

[FlyerTalker]

13 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

If you are using Viking Air, another pax's experience may not be similar to yours. Whether you can upgrade depends on the fare class that Viking books through their contract. Their are no guarantees that you would have a similar fare class. 

 

Took the words right out of my mouth.

 

Everything depends on the fare class (which is different than the class of service) for the specific ticket issued.  Those varying fare basis and the underlying fare rules determine the eligibility and methods for any kind of service class upgrade and/or seat upgrade/selection.

 

And you won''t know those until you are ticketed when buying through a cruiseline.  Any cruiseline.

 

Caveat Emptor.