Change in Custom Air Procedures

[BQEC]

20 minutes ago, mrstanley said:

This is insane!

I think all Regent passengers should know exactly what the new procedures are regarding the Air Department.

 

 

With your permission, I am going to drop a letter to form a new post, "This is inane!" (thanks for your inspiration)

[mrstanley]

❤️

[RetroRod]

4 hours ago, BQEC said:

Sounds about right!

What “sounds about right”???

[BQEC]

6 minutes ago, RetroRod said:

What “sounds about right”???

Reference #99. 

[rallydave]

17 minutes ago, BQEC said:

Reference #99. 

Got to use the HUCA method. Hang up acall again until you get the identical responses from at least  3 consecutive calls

[asnaleah]

On 7/7/2022 at 9:40 AM, Dwtlion said:

Mike, thanks for your reply. However, I would like to know the reasoning as I am hard pressed to understand unnecessarily burdening TAs. Prior to the advent of the form, I talked directly to the air department. I can't now email them?

I did this as well. My TA gave permission for the air department to work directly with me. But this was before the new form.

[Johnthesailor]

The response time under the new method is much longer than ever before and longer than the stated response time (7-10 days).  We submitted the form (actually, we called and reservations -not air ops- filled it in for us) 13 days ago.  Have not heard a thing.  The cruise is not until next year but it is still frustrating not knowing if our preferred flights are being sold out for the number of seats allotted to Regent.

We are not liking this new system but it remains to be seen if our preferences will be fulfilled.  We had also been considering a European cruise this year but have pretty much eliminated it due to the air hassles.  Probably do a Caribbean cruise this winter instead to minimize the to/from hassles.

 

 

 

[Go9ersjrh]

I added a night in a hotel on June 27 for our August 24 cruise this year out of Barcelona.  We already had our flights for arriving the day of embarkation.  Given all the air travel issues, I decided to go in a day early.  After almost 3 weeks, I do not have an updated flight schedule.  The portal shows that I am staying in a hotel the night before boarding the ship, but I'm not flying in until the next day.

This is our first Regent cruise.  They really need to figure out their air scheduling.  I gave them 2 weeks before I contacted our TA.  I'm hoping that I get revised flights soon.  It's only a week until we are 30 days out.

[Pcardad]

15 hours ago, Go9ersjrh said:

I added a night in a hotel on June 27 for our August 24 cruise this year out of Barcelona.  We already had our flights for arriving the day of embarkation.  Given all the air travel issues, I decided to go in a day early.  After almost 3 weeks, I do not have an updated flight schedule.  The portal shows that I am staying in a hotel the night before boarding the ship, but I'm not flying in until the next day.

This is our first Regent cruise.  They really need to figure out their air scheduling.  I gave them 2 weeks before I contacted our TA.  I'm hoping that I get revised flights soon.  It's only a week until we are 30 days out.

Paying the deviation fee at 270 days is a no-brainer. $175 is nothing vs the cost of the trip and getting good flights makes a HUGE difference.

Edited July 15, 2022 by Pcardad

[Go9ersjrh]

1 hour ago, Pcardad said:

Paying the deviation fee at 270 days is a no-brainer. $175 is nothing vs the cost of the trip and getting good flights makes a HUGE difference.

We did not book this trip until May.  The flights they selected for us arriving the day of embarkation were fine.  I knew there were limited choices.  The problem is that the flights have not been updated to account for the night in a hotel prior to boarding the ship.  I knew that Regent was having a problem with their air department.  I just didn't expect it to be this bad.  They have had 3 business weeks since I made the change and I leave in 5 weeks.

[Pcardad]

15 minutes ago, Go9ersjrh said:

We did not book this trip until May.  The flights they selected for us arriving the day of embarkation were fine.  I knew there were limited choices.  The problem is that the flights have not been updated to account for the night in a hotel prior to boarding the ship.  I knew that Regent was having a problem with their air department.  I just didn't expect it to be this bad.  They have had 3 business weeks since I made the change and I leave in 5 weeks.

I believe you can get them on the phone if you are within 30 days...

[Go9ersjrh]

Thank you - I will try that once I get to 30 days.

 

[Go9ersjrh]

OK - issue resolved.  We are canceling the extra night in the hotel and keeping our original flights.

[CJANDH]

40 minutes ago, Go9ersjrh said:

OK - issue resolved.  We are canceling the extra night in the hotel and keeping our original flights.

May be a bad decision with all the problems at European airports. I would recommend the day before arrival and hang in for a Regent Air response.

[GOARMY]

Go--

 

Amplify CJANDH's advice.  In this environment, relying on arrival by air at any European embarkation Port city on day of sailing--is relying of hope over experience.

 

Please review my Post #16. 

 

That summarized what was then--and continues to be--a continual reality of airlines' either changing flight times; or simply canceling a flight.  The uncertainty is magnified when two flight segments are involved.    

 

Again, considering the overall cost for a European voyage, an extra night's pre-cruise hotel stay has become the cost of a form of travel "insurance". 

 

GOARMY!

 

 

  

[Lonedaddy]

14 hours ago, GOARMY said:

Go--

 

Amplify CJANDH's advice.  In this environment, relying on arrival by air at any European embarkation Port city on day of sailing--is relying of hope over experience.

 

Please review my Post #16. 

 

That summarized what was then--and continues to be--a continual reality of airlines' either changing flight times; or simply canceling a flight.  The uncertainty is magnified when two flight segments are involved.    

 

Again, considering the overall cost for a European voyage, an extra night's pre-cruise hotel stay has become the cost of a form of travel "insurance". 

 

GOARMY!

 

 

  

I always try to have at least 2 nights prior on international flights and sometimes 3 e.g. New Zealand.  Delays ,luggage issues, jet lag… most of the departure cities internationally are nice with lots to see so well worth the extra nights to me.  

[Go9ersjrh]

I completely understand all the advice and in a different situation would be flying in early.  When everthing was orginally booked we were more concerned about having a negative covid test before we left home than having flight problems.  Changing the booking has become problematic and in the end not worth it.

We are flying Delta from LAX to ATL and then to Barcelona.  I have a list of Delta Flights that will get us to Barcelona in time if we miss our flight.  We will have several days of clothing in our carry on bags.  If we miss the ship, we will enjoy Spain as Regent helps us figure out how to get on it in Cadiz.

I and our TA didn't realize that adding a hotel night through Regent didn't include changing our flghts.  In the end that extra night was going to cost us a significant amount of money.  But now I know - this was a somewhat last minute booking for a Regent newbie.

[mrstanley]

You are lucky that Regent Air put you on a direct flight to Barcelona. Did u pay an upcharge for that flight?

[wcsdkqh]

Agree with mrstanley regarding the direct Delta flight to Barcelona. We were not as lucky flying to Rome this Fall. We requested direct Delta flight, but the best Regent could (or would) do was American Atlanta to Charlotte to London to Rome. Not happy at all about the routing. Plenty of seats available on all flights requested, but apparently Regent has no contracted seats available. This was on day 270, months ago.

[Go9ersjrh]

1 hour ago, mrstanley said:

You are lucky that Regent Air put you on a direct flight to Barcelona. Did u pay an upcharge for that flight?

No upcharge - no air deviation fee.  We let them book our flights with no input.  I am going to check on an earlier flight to ATL out of LAX.  We'll just go to the airport early and see if they can put us on.

[mrstanley]

Hi wcsdkqh,

 

We r going to Rome.

Rome to Miami

 Called Regent air at the 270 day.

We were told No contracts on the direct Delta flight to Rome on the day we wanted to fly. Going to Rome a few days before the. 
cruise. Atlanta to FCO.

We took the flight going thru Amsterdam to Rome and had an upcharge of $500 per person. What a joke!

Called back and got changed to a Airit flight from JFK to FCO. Got our money refunded! 

 I then read on CC that someone who booked after I first called got that direct Delta flight to FCO from Atlanta a month after I called !!

 

Then I’m told it depends on what day u want to fly. What’s the point in deviation if u get bad itinerary?

 

With the new system now of requesting flights it’s going to be a nightmare!

[mrstanley]

You get a totally different answer from every employee at Regent air.

One offered to waitlist us on the Delta flight from Atlanta to FCO .

never heard back.

[wcsdkqh]

We are also flying to Rome 4 days early, so it may well be that going early, there were no contracted seats. I guess it is what it is. Wish I had rejected what they offered, and did a little more back and forth. Such is life in the 1st world.

[SusieQft]

7 hours ago, mrstanley said:

You get a totally different answer from every employee at Regent air.

One offered to waitlist us on the Delta flight from Atlanta to FCO .

never heard back.

Maybe this is part of the reason that they changed the procedure so that now you can't call.  It would give them more supervision opportunity over what is offered.

[howiefrommd]

I just received an email from my TA indicating that Regent is only doing deviations by "priority" and for bookings only within the next three months.  Historically it has been 270 days, which left a variety of opportunities for flights, etc.  I am concerned that reducing the window to 90 days, may restrict availability significantly.  

 

Has anyone heard anything similar?

 

Thanks,  Howie