Viking Air...success with same day flights

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

We will be flying into Thunder Bay using Viking Air.   We typically fly in a day early, but Viking Air is saying they cannot accommodate that into Thunder Bay since it is a one day flight.  (not overnight)  Our concerns are cancelled/delayed flights we are encountering.  We know booking through Viking Air it's on them, not us, to get us there, but has anyone had experience with this?  What happens if we are cancelled and miss boarding the first day?  I realize we overnight there, but we'd miss that first night and the next day at Thunder Bay.  

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, Sunflower & The Scientist said:

We typically fly in a day early, but Viking Air is saying they cannot accommodate that into Thunder Bay since it is a one day flight.  (not overnight) 

 

Wow, that is a lame excuse. I'll bet it has nothing to do with it being a one day flight. Flights into Miami and Puerto Rico are one day flights and folks are able to deviate to arrive early.  More likely, it is because Thunder Bay is a small  domestic airport with no direct flights from the US -- not even from Duluth, the nearest US city. (Google "direct flights from YQT" to learn more).

 

I would call Viking Air again (and again) until you find someone who is willing to explain the situation to you and answer question.

 

I would also do a bit of investigating as to what flight plans look like from your home airport to Thunder Bay.  You might not want to be at Viking's mercy, even if they have a really good deal on the flights. You may decide that it is worth paying the fee for custom air and have some say in your flights. 

 

Also, Viking has just arrived on the Great Lakes in the past few weeks and there is not a lot of actual experience to draw on. Maybe one boat-load has flown into TB so far. Getting answers won't be easy.

 

Finally, you might try asking this question of the Expeditions thread as well -- if you haven't already.

 

 

[CDR2001]

Do you have Viking Air Plus? That is needed in order to get a one day deviation, and choose your specific flights. I agree to check flights for yourself, it could be the small airport issue as stated. Good luck.

[MarkTapley]

@Sunflower & The Scientist
 

You’ve been given good advice above.  Just to add my thoughts.  I see you’re from Kansas City.  Your best route seems to be on Air Canada.  They have a morning nonstop to Toronto Pearson Airport, with a second nonstop flight onto Thunder Bay.  That’s the only one-stop routing I saw on Google Flights.  I’ve flown from Chicago to Toronto many times and it’s a good airport to connect in. You’ll have to clear immigration there.

 

Since Thunder Bay is a somewhat difficult airport to get to, you’d be wise to go a day ahead, if you’re at all risk-adverse.

[RD64]

Being from northern Ontario there are surely more than two daily flights to Thunder  Bay on Air Canada- there are three to Sault Ste. Marie and we are much smaller. Perhaps Westjet and their code share partners may provide better options.

[MarkTapley]

10 minutes ago, RD64 said:

Being from northern Ontario there are surely more than two daily flights to Thunder  Bay on Air Canada-

Not sure if you are replying to me, but I did not say there were only two daily flights to Thunder Bay on Air Canada.

 

I said the best routing from Kansas City to Thunder Bay is on AC with one stop in Toronto.  Two separate AC flights:  MCI to YYZ and YYZ to YQT.

[RD64]

My apologies - in my head I read only two flights.

[CurlerRob]

40 minutes ago, RD64 said:

My apologies - in my head I read only two flights.

That aside, your question piqued my interest. I took a quick look at Air Canada and WestJet schedules - arbitrarily picked June 21st.

 

The two carriers have 7 flights from Toronto to Thunder Bay that day - but only 1 of them arrives in the am. The 2 next earliest arrive at 4pm - which is likely late to make the ship that day. All the rest are later than that. As well, the aircraft are all smaller - about 76 passengers max - which complicates the matter.

 

Pure speculation, but it led me to wonder if Viking is chartering out of Toronto in order to get a larger number of pax to the ship in a timely fashion - that would potentially explain their 'same day' issue.

 

Obviously, if you are travelling independently and want to arrive a day or more early, the flight selection is larger. However, my experience in flying to northern Ontario is that there is always heavy traffic - business and pleasure - so book early if you choose to do it on your own. 🍺🥌

[shadowlover]

You will have to pay the deviation fee to fly a different day.  Worth it for peace of mind.

[Peregrina651]

Just a reminder that Viking doesn't offer Air Plus on all itineraries and this may be one of them.

 

That said, if you find someone in Viking Air who will talk with you, you might be able to talk them into an overnight in Toronto at your expense.  There  are some restrictions on the timing. I can never remember if it is that your flight to Toronto must depart within 24 hours of the departure to Thunder Bay or your arrival in Toronto must be within 24 hours. 

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

Thanks for your responses.  Yes we are aware of the deviation fee, we've done that.  

 

Viking has us arriving at 4:05 PM on Air Canada.  I am interested in the comment questioning if Viking has a charter from Toronto to Thunder Bay.....this could explain things if that is true.  We've received an email telling us that we will be taken from the airport to a hotel where we will be checking in (tested, but they didn't say that) and then taken to the ship.  So it would kind of make sense to be bringing people in more at the same time to do this.  We arrive in Toronto at 12:34, and leave for Thunder Bay at 2:00.  I am thinking that most locations in the US would be able to arrive  in Toronto prior to 2 PM to be flown to Thunder Bay, more as a group, or a few groups. 

[Peregrina651]

14 minutes ago, Sunflower & The Scientist said:

more as a group, or a few groups. 

 

It may depend on what size planes Thunder Bay airport can accommodate. 

[gbldcl]

We embark in Toronto October 1 on Octantis.

I called Viking Air+ to request a deviation to go in a day early. Yes, I knew there would be a charge. Viking said no deviations allowed for this itinerary. Spoke to Supervisor, same story, no deviations allowed for this itinerary, no reason given.

Gave up and booked my own air, so Viking wins. They do not have to provide my air just because I want to get to Toronto a day early.

[CurlerRob]

3 hours ago, Sunflower & The Scientist said:

Thanks for your responses.  Yes we are aware of the deviation fee, we've done that.  

 

Viking has us arriving at 4:05 PM on Air Canada.  I am interested in the comment questioning if Viking has a charter from Toronto to Thunder Bay.....this could explain things if that is true.  We've received an email telling us that we will be taken from the airport to a hotel where we will be checking in (tested, but they didn't say that) and then taken to the ship.  So it would kind of make sense to be bringing people in more at the same time to do this.  We arrive in Toronto at 12:34, and leave for Thunder Bay at 2:00.  I am thinking that most locations in the US would be able to arrive  in Toronto prior to 2 PM to be flown to Thunder Bay, more as a group, or a few groups. 

Given the arrival time from Viking, it does not appear to be a charter flight as I speculated. You appear to be on the regular Air Canada flight below (ignore the date). I gather you have an overnight on the ship or a very late departure? - missed that in my earlier thinking about the "lateness" of arrivals.
 

Cheers. 🍺🥌

[RD64]

Although it would not benefit those of you flying on a connecting flight from the mid-west…there is always Porter airlines which leaves from Billy Bishop airport in downtown Toronto - avoiding the chaos and madness that is YYZ. There are connecting flights from Boston, Chicago I believe, and several other US cities.

 

The problem is that since the pandemic, the number of regional flights (YYZ to Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Tbay has not reached pre-pandemic levels.

[desert traveler]

We are on the Thunder Bay to Milwaukee cruise in August.  We just got our air info--since we live in Az they have us arriving a day early to Toronto and then the flight to Thunder Bay is the next morning.  I am not aware if Viking is going to book a hotel for the night-but I will be calling tomorrow to find out.  Actually going in a day early if much better as other options were 17 hr plus red eye flights.  We have a direct flight from Phx to Toronto which is great.

 

[SDHusker]

6 hours ago, desert traveler said:

We are on the Thunder Bay to Milwaukee cruise in August.  We just got our air info--since we live in Az they have us arriving a day early to Toronto and then the flight to Thunder Bay is the next morning.  I am not aware if Viking is going to book a hotel for the night-but I will be calling tomorrow to find out.  Actually going in a day early if much better as other options were 17 hr plus red eye flights.  We have a direct flight from Phx to Toronto which is great.

 

We have a simular situation coming up.  Viking Air had to change the flight to the night before and I noticed on the updated invoice that a "forced overnight" hotel had been booked for us at zero cost.  Looks like a nice hotel too.

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

Wow this is very interesting!  We were specifically told that if we lived within a one day flight distance, we could not do that.  I am wondering since you are in AZ, and that flight would obviously be a longer distance, they are doing that.  We are only an hour + flight from Chicago, and then a straight through to Toronto, but they have us leaving at 6 AM and arriving after 4 PM.  That means leaving our home by 3:30 AM, and then who knows what time we will get to board due to needing to clear at a hotel first.  We're going to be exhausted, and rather go in a day early and not have all that stress and exhaustion on boarding day.