Upgrading OLife Air to Business Class?

[Poly Grad Sweethearts]

We do book business for long flights, and if you do it through Oceania the transfers are easy, so is it worth the money, that is up to you? 

[Flatbush Flyer]

11 hours ago, Poly Grad Sweethearts said:

We do book business for long flights, and if you do it through Oceania the transfers are easy, so is it worth the money, that is up to you? 

No matter how you slice it or dice it, O’s bizclass is NOT a good deal. That bizclass quote may look good at first. But, remember that you’ve already paid for the required coach ticket in your cruise fare and you won’t get credit for it. Add to that the limits on what the contracted airlines and often less than optimum routings (e.g., connections) offered are and how much more it will cost you to deviate (even if your O Club level gets comp deviation fee, you still have to pay the fare difference).

And speaking of deviation: it is my understanding that the O included “transfer” is from airport to ship. What happens if you’re spending several land days pre-embark at a hotel you’ve booked on your own.

IMO, for bizclass, always take the O air credit and DIY.

[roberts2005]

30 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

No matter how you slice it or dice it, O’s bizclass is NOT a good deal. That bizclass quote may look good at first. But, remember that you’ve already paid for the required coach ticket in your cruise fare and you won’t get credit for it. Add to that the limits on what the contracted airlines and often less than optimum routings (e.g., connections) offered are and how much more it will cost you to deviate (even if your O Club level gets comp deviation fee, you still have to pay the fare difference).

And speaking of deviation: it is my understanding that the O included “transfer” is from airport to ship. What happens if you’re spending several land days pre-embark at a hotel you’ve booked on your own.

IMO, for bizclass, always take the O air credit and DIY.

We are booked on the Sydney to Papeete the year after you in 2024. Was wondering how you made out with your airfare.  For us it is a little different as we will start in NY

[Flatbush Flyer]

27 minutes ago, roberts2005 said:

We are booked on the Sydney to Papeete the year after you in 2024. Was wondering how you made out with your airfare.  For us it is a little different as we will start in NY

United flies non-stop from SFO to SYD and from PPT to SFO. The Polaris (their best bizclass) tix were just over $6k per person for the multi-city tix. I also looked at the one way tix alternative and, in this case, it was more expensive.

Just checked and cash price today is approx. the same. And, today, the FF points tix for this itinerary are 375,000 per person.

BTW: the coach air credit from O was $1850 per person. The United coach fare today is $1800 per person.

It would be interesting to know what O would charge extra for those non-stop bizclass tix (in addition to the initial $1850 air in the cruise fare).

Edited July 21, 2022 by Flatbush Flyer

[roberts2005]

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

United flies non-stop from SFO to SYD and from PPT to SFO. The Polaris (their best bizclass) tix were just over $6k per person for the multi-city tix. I also looked at the one way tix alternative and, in this case, it was more expensive.

Just checked and cash price today is approx. the same. And, today, the FF points tix for this itinerary are 375,000 per person.

BTW: the coach air credit from O was $1850 per person. The United coach fare today is $1800 per person.

It would be interesting to know what O would charge extra for those non-stop bizclass tix (in addition to the initial $1850 air in the cruise fare).

Thank you.  It gives me a great benchmark to work with

[ORV]

2 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

What happens if you’re spending several land days pre-embark at a hotel you’ve booked on your own.

I can answer that. You have to fly in on the day of the cruise to get the included transfer. Even if you go back to the airport you still can't do it. When you request the deviation, the transfers are removed from your reservation. Now what you can do is have it on the back end when you disembark, as long as you're flying out that day, which is what I'm doing next year. 

[Mura]

On 6/23/2022 at 9:40 AM, Flatbush Flyer said:

Folsom Mike:

Take it from an old East Sac resident: NEVER ever use O bizclass air. If you call their air dept., the right person will say the same thing. O’s biz class quote is on top of the economy fare you already pay (in order to get the biz class upgrade. 
The O routings/contract carriers often leave much to be desired. Take the “air credit” (From O Life with air and SBC option: choose “no air” on the O web when you do a mock booking. From that number (next page), subtract the value of the O Life SBC from that cruise. The remaining difference is the “air credit.”

 

 

Absolutely.  If you want biz class, book your own.

 

There was one flight some years ago where it WAS worth using O's biz air ... but that was the only time we ever encountered that as a viable option.

 

And if you book your own air, you have more flexibility regarding dates.  If you are one who wants to fly in on the day of the cruise (we aren't), that this wouldn't matter.  But it does for us since we generally fly in a few days early and leave a few days late.

 

On another note, we arrived in London post-cruise several years ago and stayed at a Marriott in central London.  We booked our own rooms there although this was a hotel that O used for it's post-cruise packages.

 

When we checked in we met a gentleman who was most upset to discover that as a member of Marriott's program he was paying twice as much for his room using O's package than we would have paid if he'd booked on his own ...

 

Mura

[Flatbush Flyer]

29 minutes ago, Mura said:

Absolutely.  If you want biz class, book your own.

 

There was one flight some years ago where it WAS worth using O's biz air ... but that was the only time we ever encountered that as a viable option.

 

And if you book your own air, you have more flexibility regarding dates.  If you are one who wants to fly in on the day of the cruise (we aren't), that this wouldn't matter.  But it does for us since we generally fly in a few days early and leave a few days late.

 

On another note, we arrived in London post-cruise several years ago and stayed at a Marriott in central London.  We booked our own rooms there although this was a hotel that O used for it's post-cruise packages.

 

When we checked in we met a gentleman who was most upset to discover that as a member of Marriott's program he was paying twice as much for his room using O's package than we would have paid if he'd booked on his own ...

 

Mura

Whether it’s hotels land packages or travel insurance, anyone considering using O’s arrangements needs to realize that the pricing is PER PERSON. 
And, yes, we’ve often stayed pre-Cruise at O’s chosen hotels for at least 50% less due to rates “per room” rather than “per person.” 

[Mura]

20 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Whether it’s hotels land packages or travel insurance, anyone considering using O’s arrangements needs to realize that the pricing is PER PERSON. 
And, yes, we’ve often stayed pre-Cruise at O’s chosen hotels for at least 50% less due to rates “per room” rather than “per person.” 

Perhaps I wasn't clear that this is the case (I mean the "per person" part). Of course, that is a BIG part of the calculation. As to our fellow passenger booking into a London Marriott a few years ago, I don't recall if the "package" was per person or not.  On a few rare occasions I have seen offers for those hotel packages that were NOT per person.  But that's awfully rare. 

 

We need to read the details of the "offer" very carefully. I always assume that O is offering a per person rate.  Given that I've been able to book a room at the same hotel for two people that was LESS than half of what O was offering "per person", it was an easy decision.  Then again, O usually offers a few perks to these passengers which might be worth it if you're only booking for one night.  Free transfers?  Maybe a free tour of the city?  We need to do the calculation for ourselves.  In general, I always think that booking on your own -- especially if you are using an O hotel -- is the better bet.

 

Whatever, this fellow passenger would have done better booking on his own given his relationship with Marriott. Do we blame him for not figuring this out on his own???  I don't think so ...Then again, I think he learned his lesson!

 

Mura

[the more ports the better]

On 6/30/2022 at 5:21 AM, Flatbush Flyer said:

SFO as a major Pacific hub for United and their customer service et al. (Including their VISA card) are primary reasons they get most of our business.

Using ITA Matrix for the initial search and UA web for refinement (even knowing about the algorithms), I still usually book over the phone based on UA phone rep search (which can uncover partner connection sale prices) and my friendly request to waive the booking fee.

Hi Flatbush,

 

I used the ITA matrix website, excellent, thx.  I am purchasing biz air and the matrix says $4300.  The UA website says $6600.  I can purchase on Expedia, Lufthansa, Kayak, Orbitz etc for $4300.  I called United and they will NOT match the price.  Really irritates me.  I made her check with a supervisor, same result!  How do you get them to match it?  Obviously, I’m not paying an extra $4600 for the privilege of booking on United.

 

Any pointers would be great.  Thx!!

[LHT28]

3 minutes ago, the more ports the better said:

Hi Flatbush,

 

I used the ITA matrix website, excellent, thx.  I am purchasing biz air and the matrix says $4300.  The UA website says $6600.  I can purchase on Expedia, Lufthansa, Kayak, Orbitz etc for $4300.  I called United and they will NOT match the price.  Really irritates me.  I made her check with a supervisor, same result!  How do you get them to match it?  Obviously, I’m not paying an extra $4600 for the privilege of booking on United.

 

Any pointers would be great.  Thx!!

Are the one on the travels sites  non refundable  BIZ tickets ?

Compare the fare codes  to see if your are looking apples to apples

That might be the difference in pricing

JMO

[the more ports the better]

Thanks LTH.  They are the same fare class.  United has two levels of biz class, I’m looking at the non refundable on all the sites.  It’s crazy.  I can understand if they are selling bulk fares to a travel agent, however, I can purchase the same lower fare on the same flights directly from Lufthansa as both flights are United to and from Frankfort, and the short hops to Rome and from Naples are on Lufthansa.  It’s crazy.  I guess I’ll book on Lufthansa as any issues will probably be in Frankfort so if I need customer service, I can talk to someone in the senators lounge.

 

I cannot for the life of me figure out why they would rather not have me purchase the fare directly from them.

[LHT28]

13 minutes ago, the more ports the better said:

Thanks LTH.  They are the same fare class.  United has two levels of biz class, I’m looking at the non refundable on all the sites.  It’s crazy.  I can understand if they are selling bulk fares to a travel agent, however, I can purchase the same lower fare on the same flights directly from Lufthansa as both flights are United to and from Frankfort, and the short hops to Rome and from Naples are on Lufthansa.  It’s crazy.  I guess I’ll book on Lufthansa as any issues will probably be in Frankfort so if I need customer service, I can talk to someone in the senators lounge.

 

I cannot for the life of me figure out why they would rather not have me purchase the fare directly from them.

That is a big price difference

Does the UA flight  go on LF  metal?

[Flatbush Flyer]

40 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Are the one on the travels sites  non refundable  BIZ tickets ?

Compare the fare codes  to see if your are looking apples to apples

That might be the difference in pricing

JMO

ITA Matrix is not a third party “travel site.” It sells no tix. It is just a search engine (more robust “big brother” of Google Flights) that shows you the most variety in how to get from A to B (or even to Z).

As I have mentioned in previous posts, airline web searches can be a bit challenging. For example, United doesn’t list all possibilities if you do a full day search (rather than a range within a day). And if there are connections to partner airlines, any sale prices currently on that partner may not show on the web. 

ITA matrix gives you a great overview. With that ITA Matrix info in hand, I always then check the United website (preferred carrier) for their prices and then call them direct to have their rep check prices too ( e.g., s/he can see any partner sale not in the regular United web quote). FWIW, I’ve never been charged the $25 phone booking fee. But, I have saved $100s to $1000s on bizclass that way.

AND BTW, if the pandemic has taught us anything, this is one travel item where you should think twice about using a TA or cruiseline air department. Unexpected flight cancel/bump/time change/etc. Airlines will usually refer you to whoever sold you the tix.

[LHT28]

5 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

ITA Matrix is not a third party “travel site.” It sells no tix. It is just a search engine (more robust “big brother” of Google Flights) that shows you the most variety in how to get from A to B (or even to Z).

 

DUH !!!

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

DUH !!!

 

Oops. “More ports” entire post didn’t populate on my phone- hence the explanation.  Nonetheless, not a reason for anyone to be snarky when we’re all trying to help him/her (and others) out - particularly when some newbie reading this thread now knows about ITA Matrix thanks to my explanation.

 

That said, UA hardware is almost always more expensive for reasons I trust you know and can explain to “more ports.”

If “more ports” does a little searching here on CC s/he will find that there are other ways to look at United routings. 
 

[the more ports the better]

I do understand that I cannot purchase the tickets on their site, they just give you the prices and flight codes.  
 

LTH, yes, the flights are on UA metal to and from Frankfort and on LH metal to Rome and from Naples.  I prefer UA 787’s so I try to book on UA operated flights.  These are 787-10’s both overseas portions so nice spacious biz class.

 

My only guess is that LH is pricing the flights much more reasonable than UA and that is where the third party sites are pulling their pricing from.  Nothing else makes sense.

 

For $4600 I’ll buy directly from LH as their customer service is comparable to UA.

[the more ports the better]

My other issue is that if I earn the PQP for this flight, it will put me over the 1k point for next year.  This makes travel a bit nicer throughout the year as I have a UA branded club card so I’m always at the top of the upgrade list when I hit 1k.  It is fairly unusual to not get upgraded for domestic flights in that situation.  Not sure if it counts towards PQP if I ticket the flight on LH.  I’ve had a bunch of spine surgery and my cord is damaged.  Flying coach is challenging. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

59 minutes ago, the more ports the better said:

My other issue is that if I earn the PQP for this flight, it will put me over the 1k point for next year.  This makes travel a bit nicer throughout the year as I have a UA branded club card so I’m always at the top of the upgrade list when I hit 1k.  It is fairly unusual to not get upgraded for domestic flights in that situation.  Not sure if it counts towards PQP if I ticket the flight on LH.  I’ve had a bunch of spine surgery and my cord is damaged.  Flying coach is challenging. 

Agreed- In particular, flying coach on an intercontinental flight is no longer agreeable for many of us geezers (with/without the back et al. issues). 
It’s too bad that United dumped its Silver Wings program of years ago.

As for the PQP question, I can’t remember. All I know is: if you’re closing in on a million miles with UA, only their tix (start with “016”) on their hardware count count toward lifetime miles. 

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, the more ports the better said:

LTH, yes, the flights are on UA metal to and from Frankfort and on LH metal to Rome and from Naples.  I prefer UA 787’s so I try to book on UA operated flights.  These are 787-10’s both overseas portions so nice spacious biz class.

 

 

They look similar to AC  787's   except the privacy screen between the seats  did not go down  so DH  & I could talk 

one of us would have to stand up  or  just not converse the whole flight

Mind you I slept  most of the flights anyway LOL

[oskidunker]

14 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Agreed- In particular, flying coach on an intercontinental flight is no longer agreeable for many of us geezers (with/without the back et al. issues). 
It’s too bad that United dumped its Silver Wings program of years ago.

As for the PQP question, I can’t remember. All I know is: if you’re closing in on a million miles with UA, only their tix (start with “016”) on their hardware count count toward lifetime miles. 

Agree. Booked United Premium plus for trip from sfo to lhr in Sept. thought about business but cost was too much. They sent me an upgrade offer for $990.00 pp one way. Since flight leaves at noon and we don't need to sleep probably wont do it but still thinking about it.  Anyone flown United Premium Plus? Looks much better than coach.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 minute ago, oskidunker said:

Agree. Booked United Premium plus for trip from sfo to lhr in Sept. thought about business but cost was too much. They sent me an upgrade offer for $990.00 pp one way. Since flight leaves at noon and we don't need to sleep probably wont do it but still thinking about it.  Anyone flown United Premium Plus? Looks much better than coach.

We occasionally will do United Premium Plus on SFO-EWR or return. (It’s an economical cost option when cruise-related multi-city bizclass pricing is not as good as two one-way tix (doing the bizclass portion on the intercontinental long-haul).
 United Premium Plus is pretty much “old” Bizclass with non-lay flat seats that are more ergonomic than the old “easy chairs.” There’s adequate leg room and decent seat-back entertainment. You get an actual meal and no cost booze.

 

FWIW: United’s Premium Plus is far superior to Lufthansa’s “bizclass” on “commuter” connections within Europe (middle seat of three regular coach seats blocked off). But, you’ll usually only find Premium Plus on routes that include an intercontinental leg.

[Hlitner]

On 7/21/2022 at 9:05 AM, Flatbush Flyer said:

No matter how you slice it or dice it, O’s bizclass is NOT a good deal. That bizclass quote may look good at first. But, remember that you’ve already paid for the required coach ticket in your cruise fare and you won’t get credit for it. Add to that the limits on what the contracted airlines and often less than optimum routings (e.g., connections) offered are and how much more it will cost you to deviate (even if your O Club level gets comp deviation fee, you still have to pay the fare difference).

And speaking of deviation: it is my understanding that the O included “transfer” is from airport to ship. What happens if you’re spending several land days pre-embark at a hotel you’ve booked on your own.

IMO, for bizclass, always take the O air credit and DIY.

While we agree in principle, there are issues.  I would remind you that we were booked on a Dec 2021 Marina cruise that was supposed to end in Lima Peru,  Following your advice (and our own good sense) we booked our own Business Class (Delta Airlines) from Lima back to the USA.  Just 3 weeks prior to our cruise, "O" changed our debarkation port to Santiago, Chile (only 1500 miles from Lima).  We were thus stuck with expensive (in terms of miles) Biz Class for which "O" was not offering anything other than sympathy and a few hundred dollars for change fees.   It all worked out as Delta refunded all of our miles (and the associated booking fees) and "O" refunded our cruise fare (after we told them what they could do with that altered cruise itinerary).

 

But folks do need to accept the increased financial risk of booking their own Biz Class and later having "O" either cancel or alter the itinerary.  In fairness to O, these issues are a problem with many cruise lines. 

 

We continue to wonder why "O" does not work with some of the large commercial air booking agencies that can routinely get big Business Class discounts (on normal flights).  As a simple example, we recently flew from Prague back to the USA for about $1000 (United Business Class).  The normal United Biz Class fare for that route is about $4300 (one way) which is what we would have needed to pay if connected to an O cruise.  But because it was booked as part of a Seabourn cruise we saved about $6600 (for two of us) when compared to cruising with "O."

 

Hank

 

 

[PhD-iva]

11 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

 

But folks do need to accept the increased financial risk of booking their own Biz Class and later having "O" either cancel or alter the itinerary.  In fairness to O, these issues are a problem with many cruise lines. 

 

Agree absolutely. That’s why I would prefer to book business class through the cruise line even if it is not the most cost-effective option. 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, oskidunker said:

Agree. Booked United Premium plus for trip from sfo to lhr in Sept. thought about business but cost was too much. They sent me an upgrade offer for $990.00 pp one way. Since flight leaves at noon and we don't need to sleep probably wont do it but still thinking about it.  Anyone flown United Premium Plus? Looks much better than coach.

YIKES  for that price   Book em Dano  😲