Regent Botched Airline Flight Home & Will Not Address Its Mistake

[ON cruiser]

2 hours ago, pingpong1 said:

Regent had made those flight arrangements (and collected the money for the tickets) for them and the OP was operating on the fair assumption that Regent would let them know immediately if something had "changed" for any of those those flights.  That was not/is not an unreasonable assumption.

Again, I could not say it any better than Ping-pong in post # 24, above. The original poster also has summed it up that Regent did re-book all but three couples who were on the cancelled flight. Clearly, Regent knew that it was their task to do so. Yet three couples, the original poster amongst them, fell through the cracks.

 

For these folks, Regent needs to take ownership and make it right. I am surprised that they have not done so. To the original poster, as others here have suggested, go to your credit card company, the one you used to pay for the cruise, and initiate a dispute. Hopefully that will get Regent's attention. Also, as others have urged, write to senior executives about this, asking for a reply.

 

I hope you come back to let us know how, or if, this satisfactorily resolves. Good luck! 

[RELS]

3 hours ago, pingpong1 said:

Actually, I was talking about "checking in on line, 24-hours in advance.  NOT checking in at the ticket counter and giving them your suitcases.

 

These COVID days, it is not unusual for airlines to disallow online check in for international flights, especially those returning to the US. We had this experience with British Airways in Copenhagen in mid-June. We could NOT check in 24 hours in advance -- not on the app, not on three different browsers, even when we jumped through the VeriFLY hoops required by BA. We had to wait for the ticket counter, which didn't open until 2 hours before the flight, leading, as you might expect, to some anxiety.

 

This is on Regent to fix.

 

@verenkoffj, I hope you got the contact info for those other two couples with this same issue. Then at least you can share any news on the situation between you.

 

 

[1982CruzStart]

In the past, based on recommendations from the people on this forum, I have written emails to Jason Montague regarding situations i thought required a response.  On both occasions i received a response from him (likely his office and not him personally but who knows) with a satisfactory resolution to my enquiry. I advise that course of action. I don't have the email address off the top of my head but i am sure it isn't that hard to find. 

Good luck. I think the OP has been treated very poorly. 

[Pcardad]

jmontague@rssc.com

 

[Got2Cruise]

12 hours ago, pingpong1 said:

Actually, I was talking about "checking in on line, 24-hours in advance.  NOT checking in at the ticket counter and giving them your suitcases. Yes, I obviously know you have to do that (the latter).  But if you have guaranteed reservations and a seat assigned with any airline...there is actually no technical reason or even a requirement for you to "check-in online" and get a digital/paper boarding pass in advance, before you actually arrive at the airport!  And THAT was what my comment/question specifically related to.

 

If you are flying on Regent's provided air transportation, and If you have a reservation number/confirmation and a seat assignment that Regent provided you....I don't see why there is any "rush" or need to use your own  computer/laptop/cellphone, etc. while still onboard the ship and nearing the time you are taken to the airport (by Regent), to "make sure" the flight has not been cancelled.  I think that would be "Regent's job" to let their customer know if "Regent's Booked Flight" (which they arranged for on behalf of their customer and collected extra funds for that service) had been changed or cancelled.  Isn't that why we're paying them/Regent for that service...."to take all the worry out your/our travel experience"??

 

Yes, I know in this "OCD world" that we live in today....that a lot of people do that (obsessively check their electronic devices for virtually everything)....but technically, there is no reason that someone should have to do that, and particularly in the case where "Regent" was "taking care of the flight arrangements" for the customer.  This "checking in early thing" has only really come into vogue in the past 10-15 years among the majority of the population, and it was the airlines themselves who actually initiated/developed it... in hopes of cutting down on the employee/customer interface that was needed at the airport.  It was mainly developed for the convenience of the airlines...not the passengers.  And a "digital check-in from home" before arriving at the airport is NOT a requirement.

 

There is nothing that "requires" me to "check in early" for a flight (using on line devices before I get to the airport), i.e., "early", as long as I have a confirmation number and a specific seat assignment (as long as I'm not flying Southwest).  And I believe that this was the principle that the OP was assuming and operating under, after having booked a cruise and having paid for Regent to book flights for them.  Regent had made those flight arrangements (and collected the money for the tickets) for them and the OP was operating on the fair assumption that Regent would let them know immediately if something had "changed" for any of those those flights.  That was not/is not an unreasonable assumption.

I’m confused. I always check in early. The earlier you check in, the less likely you will be bumped from a flight. You are even more likely to be bumped by the type of ticket Regent provides. They purchase bulk rate seats, you have less rights with those type of seats. 

[Pizzasteve]

Our family has multiple upcoming Regent cruises booked, and if they responded like this with my parents I would be most annoyed (we book our own because I find their flight services poor).  I hooe they are reading and respond because cancellations are still possible.

 

By the way, I found an annoying attitude to somewhat ignore cruisers who dont have 'status' by Regent.  Prefer Oceana personally.

 

I think the advice to not rely on the cruise line for flight confirmations is good advice.  It can be ignored, but it is good advice.  Free wifi, so...  My guess is that booking a replacement business class flight was big $$$$ at the time, so they willfully forgot.

 

PS.  How much time have you given them to respond.  Staff are short so I wouldnt panic if it has been less than 2-3 weeks.

Edited July 24, 2022 by Pizzasteve

[flossie009]

On 7/23/2022 at 6:04 AM, ON cruiser said:

it appears that Regent dropped the ball here

BA dropped the ball regarding the flight.

Regent seem to have been atrocious in this case with their communication and customer care

[flossie009]

4 hours ago, Pizzasteve said:

By the way, I found an annoying attitude to somewhat ignore cruisers who dont have 'status' by Regent. 

🤔 ??

 

4 hours ago, Pizzasteve said:

My guess is that booking a replacement business class flight was big $$$$ at the time, so they willfully forgot.

Unlikely IMO to be a conspiracy by Regent as you suggest.

Simply an error for which the customer deserves a fulsome apology and reimbursement for the downgraded flight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 24, 2022 by flossie009

[papaflamingo]

20 hours ago, pingpong1 said:

There is nothing that "requires" me to "check in early" for a flight (using on line devices before I get to the airport), i.e., "early", as long as I have a confirmation number and a specific seat assignment (as long as I'm not flying Southwest).  

True, there is no requirement. But if you DO check in 24 hours prior, get your boarding pass digitally, you will avoid the problems that the OP had.  This is still a very "strange" time.  Regent Air is slammed with all the airline schedules, people booking cruises and wanting air deviation, and people with problems.  The airlines are cancelling flights daily.  Sure, Regent should notify you IF they were notified.  But I, for one, will not leave it up to them.  I check my flights frequently simply to avoid any surprises.  I won't be caught going to the airport for a flight that was cancelled a week earlier.  

[PSU]

We recently cruised on Regent with flights provided by them. I always download whatever airline app we are flying on. In this case, a code share AA with British Air PHL to Heathrow and Heathrow to Barcelona. Two weeks before the cruise I realized that the Heathrow to Barcelona segment was missing from the app. I called Regent. They had not been informed so they booked us PHL to Madrid and Madrid to Barcelona.

I always think that in this day and age with canceled flights you must investigate your flight arrangements and check every week. We just saw on the AA app that a flight was changed from PHL to Buenos Aires arranged by Regent for January.

Just keep checking your flight arrangements.

[verenkoffj]

9 hours ago, Pizzasteve said:

Our family has multiple upcoming Regent cruises booked, and if they responded like this with my parents I would be most annoyed (we book our own because I find their flight services poor).  I hooe they are reading and respond because cancellations are still possible.

 

By the way, I found an annoying attitude to somewhat ignore cruisers who dont have 'status' by Regent.  Prefer Oceana personally.

 

I think the advice to not rely on the cruise line for flight confirmations is good advice.  It can be ignored, but it is good advice.  Free wifi, so...  My guess is that booking a replacement business class flight was big $$$$ at the time, so they willfully forgot.

 

PS.  How much time have you given them to respond.  Staff are short so I wouldnt panic if it has been less than 2-3 weeks.

It has been two months. On May 2th after our query, the Guest Relations Admin said he would get back to us. Then nothing.

[verenkoffj]

50 minutes ago, PSU said:

We recently cruised on Regent with flights provided by them. I always download whatever airline app we are flying on. In this case, a code share AA with British Air PHL to Heathrow and Heathrow to Barcelona. Two weeks before the cruise I realized that the Heathrow to Barcelona segment was missing from the app. I called Regent. They had not been informed so they booked us PHL to Madrid and Madrid to Barcelona.

I always think that in this day and age with canceled flights you must investigate your flight arrangements and check every week. We just saw on the AA app that a flight was changed from PHL to Buenos Aires arranged by Regent for January.

Just keep checking your flight arrangements.

British Air app was down all day of our departure date. The day before Regent sent us info on our departure with no mention of cancellation or re-routing. Other cruisers were notified. 6 other cruisers were not and left stranded. Regent even matched the time of the bus departure for us with the time of the cancelled flight, which we learned at the counter had been cancelled days ago. This was not a last minute cancellation.

[verenkoffj]

20 hours ago, RELS said:

 

This is on Regent to fix.

 

@verenkoffj, I hope you got the contact info for those other two couples with this same issue. Then at least you can share any news on the situation between you.

Will do. We are going up the food chain and contacting the management this time. 

20 hours ago, RELS said:

 

 

 

[verenkoffj]

20 hours ago, 1982CruzStart said:

In the past, based on recommendations from the people on this forum, I have written emails to Jason Montague regarding situations i thought required a response.  On both occasions i received a response from him (likely his office and not him personally but who knows) with a satisfactory resolution to my enquiry. I advise that course of action. I don't have the email address off the top of my head but i am sure it isn't that hard to find. 

Good luck. I think the OP has been treated very poorly. 

Thanks, will do.

[RetiredandTravel]

5 hours ago, flossie009 said:

 

Unlikely IMO to be a conspiracy by Regent as you suggest.

Simply an error for which the customer deserves a fulsome apology and reimbursement for the downgraded flight.

 

 

Agreed.  This is obviously Regents responsibility and error and I doubt it was intentional.  Unfortunately these cruise lines have a habit of putting their head in the sand in these situations.  IMO the worst part is not acknowledging the error and apologizing.  Regent generally reimburses $2500 to Europe if you make your own flights.  So in this case I believe Regent owes $2500 (1250x2) - coach ticket + some goodwill.   I would think a $1000 FCC each is in order.   If they continue the radio silence I'd contact my credit card company.

 

 

[ysolde]

On 7/22/2022 at 10:10 AM, Pcardad said:

No blame to the OP but he is not the only person reading this. Others can learn from the range of possible experiences and take steps to ensure that if problems do occur, they are minimized.

 

I recently had a flight home cancelled - my app alerted me and gave me options. Regent would have been useless in this situation as, even if I could get them on the phone, it would be far more efficient to simply re-book at the airport.

 

Life isn't perfect - stuff happens. The information in this thread helps people to identify what went wrong (as best we can getting one side) and make suggestions to solve this issue and to help others prevent similar situations from impacting them. As I said very early on...it isn't personal.

I have never traveled on Regent, or used Regent Air, before (my first Regent cruise got delayed by Covid earlier this year).  I honestly don't know how some of these things work with Regent: for example, if my Regent Air flight gets cancelled or significantly delayed, and I fix the problem on my own, am I now liable for the cost of the flight?  Isn't this the sort of thing that the airline is supposed to sort out with Regent?  How proactive am I allowed to be in this situation?

[Dolebludger]

I also doubt any conspiracies at work here. The airlines and cruise lines are understaffed and really fouled up. Because of this, many or us (I suspect) are refusing to undertake long distance travel until this mess works itself out (if ever). And the problem is not confined to airlines and cruise lines. So we put all our purchases on our card (AmEx Platinum). If we don’t get what we paid for, we do a charge back on the card. It has always worked so far. So I advise the OP to determine the price difference between the business air he bought from Regent and the economy air he got, and charge it back against his purchase from Regent. 

[pingpong1]

15 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

So I advise the OP to determine the price difference between the business air he bought from Regent and the economy air he got, and charge it back against his purchase from Regent. 

Okay - That prompts a question...  I think what you're suggesting that the OP actually pursue (a Credit Card "charge back"), is impossible to accomplish with any mathematical accuracy or verifiable and reimbursable expense.  We (the Regent customer) doesn't really "know" what the "actual air cost" is/was (to us or Regent) for separate air legs of any one particular business/economy air ticket/reservation that might be "purchased or booked" on behalf of each individual customer, as part of Regent's "all-inclusive" cruise fare feature.  But we do know with certainty that it wouldn't be the same exact price, or have any relationship to the "air credit discount" offered by Regent to anyone who wants to make/buy their own flight arrangements, vice what Regent's "actual ticket cost" is in any particular circumstance.

 

Example:  Me flying from Phoenix to Barcelona (at my own expense), would be a different actual cost than another passenger, who might be flying from Dulles to Barcelona, instead.  But...Regent would offer us both the same exact "air credit" amount (in advance of the cruise) if we both were arranging/paying for our own air transportation from those two completely different departure airports (rather than using Regent's air).  And those same "air credits" given to both of us would NOT be close to the same "price" that Regent would actually be paying the airline/s for our respective flight tickets, if we were using Regent's "included" air transportation.

 

So how would anyone actually "know" with any accuracy at all, what the specific "price difference" would be, when requesting a "price difference charge back" for having been put in an "economy seat" (at the last minute) from Europe back to the U.S., vice having been assigned a "business class seat", instead?

 

In their fare structures, Regent (purposely) does NOT break out the individual prices/costs for "included air fares" in the total cruise fares they charge every passenger on all itineraries.  And I think the T&C's well-insulate Regent from giving individual refunds back for circumstances such as what occurred here.  That actual air cost information is really "unknowable" to the public and would be proprietary.

 

But I'm also not suggesting, that this should prevent Regent from at least voluntarily and pro-actively (for the purpose of promoting good customer relations) offering FCC's to the OP as compensation for the unfortunate circumstances that occurred to them.  Regards.

 

 

Edited July 25, 2022 by pingpong1

[verenkoffj]

Thanks everyone for all the helpful input. We emailed Jay Montague, President & CEO of Regent, yesterday. We will share with you any reply we get or the time that has gone by with no response. A company like this, who prides itself on luxury/service and is competing with the likes of other ultra-luxury lines, should be held accountable for not living up to its motto: "World's Most Luxurious Line."

Edited July 26, 2022 by verenkoffj

[Dolebludger]

If the OP seeks protection from his credit card company, he needs only to find the cost of business air at the time and subtract the cost of economy then, and claim the difference. If Regent wishes to claim different prices based upon some “special deal” it has, that is up to it.

[cwn]

16 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

If the OP seeks protection from his credit card company, he needs only to find the cost of business air at the time and subtract the cost of economy then, and claim the difference. If Regent wishes to claim different prices based upon some “special deal” it has, that is up to it.

Our experience is that the cc would not charge back a partial amount, but only the full amount charged. Said That would get their attention asap and we would be able to settle with them on an amount. Worked like a charm and we were satisfied with the end credit.

[1982CruzStart]

59 minutes ago, verenkoffj said:

We emailed Jay Montague, President & CEO of Regent, yesterday. We will share with you any reply we get or the time that has gone by with no response.

It may take some time as he is currently on or just finishing a cruise with his family as someone posted that he did a town hall on one of the ships.  He certainly was responsive in the past so good luck. i hope this situation is resolved to your satisfaction. 

[Brownie54]

BTW, his first name is Jason, not Jay.

[verenkoffj]

Thank you Cruise Critic responders. Your input has really helped us to find some closure to this issue We emailed Jason Montague on Monday. We heard back from him this morning after 2 months of silence from the RSSC customer relations team: Three days later we received his apology and some feedback. See below:

 

"My sincere apologies for your experience traveling back home.  The unprecedented amount of recent airline cancellations and changes has caused significant issues unfortunately across the fleet.  Typically when an airline cancels a flight the airline auto rebooks the canceled guests on another flight.  This apparently happen for a few but not all of the guests.  Unfortunately they also have not been proactive in notifying us directly on these cancellations so we were not aware of it either.  I circled with the team and they are working on your refund for the reduced air passage you received and they should be in touch by early next week on this.  Again my sincere apologies for the experience you encountered getting home."

 

Our experience serves as a warning to future cruisers. It occurred during the spring of 2022, before the big airline fiasco this summer, when air travel was not so popular, and air travel has only gotten worse since then. The airlines are a MESS, even their pre-check app wasn't working. It was out for a long time. Call the airlines directly if their site is down.  Communication between Regent and the airlines is weak. Always be prepared for a worse case scenario. Keep records of all transactions (i.e., air flight numbers, dates, names of people involved, etc.) Don't rely on RSSC Customer Relations to help. Start there, and then pass on the info to someone higher up, like Jason Montague. Above all, don't give up.

 

Thanks again. We will be cruising with Regent again soon.

[Dolebludger]

I like the response. I fing Mr. Montague’s description of the condition of airlines to be unfortunately very accurate. For that reason, we avoid airlines until this mess with them is over. It is strange that airlines were given $billions so they could retain staff during the shutdown, but apparently didn’t spend the money as intended, and now are too short staffed to operate with any degree od efficiency.