Interesting change to Viking Air

[FlyerTalker]

9 minutes ago, orchid2010 said:

We used Air+ again and upgraded to premium economy, hoping that helped a bit.  One thing I learned -- you can pay for premium economy, but they only give it to you on the transAtlantic portion of the flight.

 

There is a reason for that.

 

There is no "Premium Economy" that is offered domestically, with a very few exceptions.  What is marketed at "Main Cabin Extra", "Comfort Plus" and "Economy Plus" are NOT "Premium Economy", which is a separate fare class.

 

Premium Economy is distinguished by use of different seats, with fewer seats per row.  Although the MCE/C+/E+ products give some extra legroom, the seats are the same as standard economy.

 

Know your products.

 

15 minutes ago, orchid2010 said:

For changes in seat assignments, I find it easier to go directly to the airline's website. That allows me to see where ALL the seats are on the flight, not just the small section Viking contracted. 

 

Viking, or any other cruiseline, does not contract for specific seats and/or section of the cabin.  They contract for tickets.

 

 

[LibertyBella]

2 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

And of course you know that the cruise price is inflated to cover that "free" air.

 

Just as it is inflated to cover the "free" shore excursions in each port.

 

Just as Regent, Silversea, Seabourn and Crystal include "free booze".

 

TANSTAAFL

 

 

 

 

Cruise costs fluctuate depending upon market conditions (time of year, popularity, etc., etc.)  In my many decades of cruising I have been offered lots of extreme bargains. For example, just this year Carnival offered me a 10 day British Isles cruise in August for only $200.00 (NOT casino), and even though I found RT air to LHR for only $800.00, I decided not to go because my first decision about cruising is NOT based on price (but it was tempting)! 

 

For me, itinerary is always the first priority (where do we want to go in a particular year, what is still remaining on the destination bucket list), and scheduling to match our work calendar is second.  We have dogs, and we must reserve their boarding months in advance as well.  Because we love to sightsee, sometimes we spend more on excursions than on the cost of the cruise!

 

I always know my cruise cost per person per night, and I compare prices across diverse cruise lines and other possible travel dates. Guess what--I rarely drink alcohol, and never eat seafood, but DH does enjoy both, so he can have my share of drinks and lobster.  I also thoroughly research all destinations, and shore excursion possibilities and costs.

 

Finally, I  collect FF miles and hotel and cruise credit card points, so yes, sometimes we do travel "free."  Yes, buying all that dog food constantly means that sometimes I can go away without spending anything.

 

P.S. As youths, we traveled all over Europe with backpacks, sleeping bags and a tent for months with a train pass, and a $10.00 day budget.  We even went all the way to Egypt and spent weeks there (cheap hotels cost only about $1.50 pp in Luxor, but the toilets were just holes in the ground). Nowadays we like a little more luxury.

 

 

[Breckski]

5 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

And of course you know that the cruise price is inflated to cover that "free" air.

 

Just as it is inflated to cover the "free" shore excursions in each port.

 

Just as Regent, Silversea, Seabourn and Crystal include "free booze".

 

TANSTAAFL

 

 

This is why I view it as a negative whenever I see a Viking cruise I'm interested in offering free airfare.  I'm never going to use Viking air due to lack of control, and I view the free airfare as me paying a higher fee for the cruise than necessary.

 

Maybe I'd use free air if doing a cruise to Antarctica leaving from BA.  There are only limited options for to BA from the US and no real issues with the actual flight as it's easy to sleep since no significant time zone changes.

[FetaCheese]

11 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

There is a reason for that.

 

There is no "Premium Economy" that is offered domestically, with a very few exceptions.  What is marketed at "Main Cabin Extra", "Comfort Plus" and "Economy Plus" are NOT "Premium Economy", which is a separate fare class.

 

Premium Economy is distinguished by use of different seats, with fewer seats per row.  Although the MCE/C+/E+ products give some extra legroom, the seats are the same as standard economy.

 

Know your products.

 

 

Viking, or any other cruiseline, does not contract for specific seats and/or section of the cabin.  They contract for tickets.

 

 

Paid for Economy Plus last year on UA EWR/BCN.  1st and last time.  For $169pp, a total waste of money.  At that time, was not aware of dif between PE and E+.

 

A fellow V cruise pax, over 6', on same flight, was about 10 rows behind us, reg econ.  He said his seat and pitch were just fine.

Edited August 29, 2023 by FetaCheese
Addl info

[FetaCheese]

21 hours ago, LibertyBella said:

 

I cruised on both Princess and Viking this year and used air with both of them.  There is a significant difference between the air process, especially if you receive "free" air on Viking. We rarely upgrade our flights to business, as we can more or less handle the economy area as long as we have decent seats (two together, or two aisles.)

 

Princess does allow you to choose all your own flights, any carriers, and you may be paying less through the cruise line rather than booking directly with the airline due to their group purchase, but it is not free.  For example, my open-jaw flight Phila-Rome-Athens-Phila was $2000.00 RT pp using nonstop airlines, with luggage an extra cost. (This was for July, the height of the season.)  With Princess (they have a nice flight search engine function), I was able to connect in Newark (PHL-EWR-FCO/ATH-PHL), and lower the price to $1650.00 RT with seats selected, and luggage included. 

 

I used UA & AA, major carriers with which I have frequent flyer memberships.  I reserved four months in advance and asked to be ticketed approximately three months in advance.  Because I had pre-and post-city stays, no transfers were included. All flights were great --no problems.  Let me say, that if I wanted to go as cheaply as possible, I could have booked connections in Ireland and brought the price down to $1200.00 RT.  But the connections could be risky, and the airline had a reputation for losing luggage. As much as possible I prefer nonstop international flights (and my clothes are too nice to lose!).

 

With Viking (we traveled Phila to Munich/Budapest to Phila); the free air meant they controlled the process.  At no time did I ever know the exact "price" of the tickets.  They selected the carriers, all the flights, and then when the original return was cancelled by the airline, put us on a very LONG multi-connection four country return with diverse carriers. Although the luggage was included, I had issues with the seat selections from the beginning, and had to keep reinstating my seats daily on MVJ.   I was concerned about FF miles for these partner airlines, and I made a point of ensuring I would receive credit directly with the airline desk staff while traveling. My husband, who did not have a FF # on one airline until after the trip, was not able to receive retroactive FF credit because his ticket numbers were not recognized (probably some kind of bulk purchase.)

 

Okay, we put up with all the hectic Viking flights, the running around in the airports for connections, the battle over seats,  etc., because we did not have to spend one extra cent above our cruise fare to travel internationally.   We also had Viking transfers, which were excellent (and free).

 

Would we fly free Viking air again?  Absolutely, eyes wide open, knowing that we could possibly even carry on luggage (as long gowns, tuxedos, and high heels are not required like other cruise lines we use), packing our patience, and being ready for constant change.  Of course, departure airport and destination, and time of year of travel also play a role.

 

If the Viking cruise were my one and only trip, or if my health was not the best, or if budget did not have an impact, then certainly I would splurge and pay extra for better flights and confirmed seats.  However, not having to spend any extra for air is certainly a very nice incentive!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using V free Air PHL/LAX r/t for a December cruise.  Notice on my AA app that I had Res for cruise, about 2 months before flights appeared on MVJ, and flight itin email received.

 

Was really happy with both -- nonstops.  Outbound at 6:15 am could be changed on MVJ to a later time, but at a cost of $338pp.  Not worth it, and 9 am arrival allows some extra time for delays.

 

Inbound is 12 noon.  Perfect, gets us into PHL at a reasonable hour.

 

So far, no changes were made by AA.

[FlyerTalker]

2 hours ago, FetaCheese said:

Paid for Economy Plus last year on UA EWR/BCN.  1st and last time.  For $169pp, a total waste of money.  At that time, was not aware of dif between PE and E+.

 

PE pretty much started with Asian carriers, who were faced with some huge fare differentials between business and economy.  They put this in as a middle ground for those that wanted more than economy, but business was out of reach.  There really is a difference between PE and E+.  I think of it as an enhanced economy rather than "business light".  And yes, it is important to know the different products out there and exactly what you are buying.

 

I could get started on business class intra-Europe, but I'll leave that for another time.

 

 

[deec]

will the leg rest in premium economy be comfortable for 6ft 2in man?  or will his feet dangle uncomfortably?  is PE standard on the major carriers or are some better than others?

 

Edited August 29, 2023 by deec

[FlyerTalker]

13 minutes ago, deec said:

will the leg rest in premium economy be comfortable for 6ft 2in man?  or will his feet dangle uncomfortably?  is PE standard on the major carriers or are some better than others?

 

Who knows?  Height doesn't always relate to leg length, which is the more critical dimension.  You can be over 6 ft and still have relatively short legs.  Or vise versa with short torso.

 

There is a wide variety in the product offered by the different carriers.  So what airline are you considering?

 

 

[shipboy]

10 hours ago, deec said:

will the leg rest in premium economy be comfortable for 6ft 2in man?  or will his feet dangle uncomfortably?  is PE standard on the major carriers or are some better than others?

 

Dee if you have a look at the website (aerolopodotcom), don’t know if links are allowed so typed out the dot, it gives a lot of good information on seating for a whole host of airlines. It’s also far more accurate than seat guru.

Edited August 30, 2023 by shipboy

[Mike07]

15 hours ago, deec said:

will the leg rest in premium economy be comfortable for 6ft 2in man?  or will his feet dangle uncomfortably?  is PE standard on the major carriers or are some better than others?

 

 

 

Depends on the carrier and plane they're using on that route to get an idea of spacing.