Beware of Flights by Celebrity!

[steveculf]

Flights by Celebrity. 1-60090081280

Italy, Turkey and Greek Islands Cruise, September 26 2022, on board the Celebrity Reflection.  

We initially booked the cruise with inclusive flights in October 2021. While we recognize that changes in the air itinerary are not the fault of Flights by Celebrity, the following list of events certainly were:

6 August 2022-advised that the flights were being operated by Air China. The initial call of two hours resulted in the CSR hanging up on us.

7 August 2022-another call and finally the airline was changed to Air Canada, and we were now advised of changes to the flight which we had to accept.

Identified that my name as spelt on the air ticket was incorrect, we were advised to call Flights by Celebrity within 72 hours of our departure flight to get the name changed.

21 September 2022 called again, and was able to get the Air Canada outbound ticket corrected, however because the return flight was operated by Lufthansa, Celebrity would have to correct, we were advised by Air Canada that the return  ticket would be cancelled at no extra charge and a new ticket issued, therefore no expense to Celebrity.

21 September called Flights by Celebrity, response was that we may have to pay for a new ticket. Then spoke to a supervisor who indicated they would call the following day with the issue resolved.

The call did not happen and we had to call again on 22 September, the day before the flight. Again told the issue would be escalated and that we would be notified by email or phone. Again no response and the cruise had finally started. I dealt with staff on the boat on 4 October 2022 and was curtly advised by the Emergency Travel Team in Miami that this was my issue and that I should be prepared to pay a charge of $1,500 for a new ticket.

5 October 2022 I spoke with the Hotel Director on the boat, who aggressively dealt with the problem and later that day we received a new ticket for my return trip.

You would think that would be an end to it, but no, when we checked in at the Rome airport, we found that in the process of re issuing my ticket in the correct name, Celebrity had cancelled my wife’s ticket home. We then were mandated to pay a fee ourselves to get the ticket fixed. The whole cruise was overshadowed by the fact that we never knew until almost the last day of the cruise how I was going to get home, and that had I never initiated the contact, the issue would never have been resolved, to state that the Flights by Celebrity staff were either lacking in understanding the process, or just simply rude, would be an understatement.

A complaint to the CEO of Celebrity, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo and Wilson Siguenza of Executive Escalations resulted in an offer of $100 on board credit on a future cruise. We responded for a further request for review, and have received no response at all to our last two emails.

Based on the treatment we received, this has to be a red flag to anyone considering using Flights By Celebrity, they absolutely ruined what should have been the holiday of a lifetime.

[DingoMom]

Thank you for your report. What a cluster! We are very leery of FBC. Consumer Beware!

[bikerunner]

I never use third party anymore with Flights, the tickets they're offering are a bulk rate and like you experienced a major issue.  Yes its nice bundling saves lots of money at times but the headaches it can cause are crazy like you dealt with.  

 

[Reel Love]

Ugh.....sorry to hear of your experience steveculf.  I certainly hope that your cruise experience was wonderful but as you noted, understandably overshadowed by concern regarding the flights home.  

[mahdnc]

Thank you for sharing your experience with Plights by Celebrity.  I am sorry that you had to go through it.

[bye-seaya]

I know some folks have had good luck using Flights by Celebrity and cost savings.  Based on our experience we are now in the camp of “never again”. Our cost savings wasn’t worth losing control over the reservation.

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by bye-seaya

[terrydtx]

Never had any problems with FBC and we are booked with them for our Apex cruise in September on business class flights. The few times I have called FBC my questions and or issues have been taken care of in less than 10 minutes.

[Charles4515]

3 hours ago, terrydtx said:

Never had any problems with FBC and we are booked with them for our Apex cruise in September on business class flights. The few times I have called FBC my questions and or issues have been taken care of in less than 10 minutes.

I have had plenty of issues with flights booked directly with the airlines. What could make FBC problematic is that if there are normal airline problems you have a third party added to the mix. I aways compare the FBC with direct through the airline because with most airlines except Southwest and Jet Blue all flights have to be on the same airline. FBC has been able to mix airlines which has worked out to be advantagous. Once I even got refunadable flights for the same fare as non refundable. For a transatlantic cruise which was one way air  I  paid half of what I would have through the airline. I always get the actual airline record locator and keep track of my flights on the airline website.

[terrydtx]

11 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

I have had plenty of issues with flights booked directly with the airlines. What could make FBC problematic is that if there are normal airline problems you have a third party added to the mix. I aways compare the FBC with direct through the airline because with most airlines except Southwest and Jet Blue all flights have to be on the same airline. FBC has been able to mix airlines which has worked out to be advantageous. Once I even got refunadable flights for the same fare as non refundable. For a transatlantic cruise which was one way air  I  paid half of what I would have through the airline. I always get the actual airline record locator and keep track of my flights on the airline website.

I agree, we do the same. We used FBC for our September Apex cruise, we fly to Amsterdam from San Antonio to Amsterdam on United with one stop in Houston and back home from Athens on American one stop in Dallas. These flights are all business/first class and almost impossible to book directly with using two airlines. Our cost is high but when looking at booking direct RT on United or American FBC is a lot less.

Edited January 20, 2023 by terrydtx

[leo72976]

Never had a problem with FBC.  I am a retired airline employee and can tell you I have gotten flights on FBC for less than I could have booked them with my companies discount!  I have also seen times where FBC was more than the rate for the same flight if you booked it directly with airline.  Like anything else, do your research and make the decision that is best for you.  I wouldn’t hesitate to use FBC if they had the best deal.

[Lastdance]

I have had the good, bad and ugly, even doing my research.  Sorry for all the stress that you encounterd, as that should not have happened after the first issue.  of course, customer service is not what it used to be either.

[AnnaNicole]

Sorry that happened to you.

 

Who made the mistake on the name spelling?   Celebrity cancelled your wife's flight when they changed your flight to the right name?  Why didn't Celebrity reimburse you for the cost of your wife's replacement flight?  

 

Did you dispute the charge with your credit card for your wife's original flight?   I would.

[cachouonacruise]

i am sorry OP, for your challenging experience with FBC. I sure can understand your frustration!

 

This said, flights for my first few cruises had to be dealt directly with the airline, because I was using their frequent flyer program. That process proved to be quite challenging.

 

Then the name issue. Having a French Canadian name, which can be spelled in different ways and is really not well understood by American representatives, I always have to check the spelling immediately after making a reservation, and so far, fingers crossed, it's not been an issue with Celebrity.

 

Furthermore, when the pandemic began, we were booked on a cruise from Hong-Kong to Shanghai. Wrong spot, wrong time!
 

Celebrity initially re-routed the cruise to leave run instead from Tokyo to Singapore. This occurred after final payment. It had been my first time using Flights By Celebrity. Oh boy! Was I glad we did! Our departure and return flights were promptly changed at no cost to us. Then, the cruise was cancelled. FBC promptly refunded our airline tickets, without any issue. Wow! 

 

Fast forward to 2022, we booked a cruise to the South Caribbean departing San Juan in March 2023. Initially, the only flights available from our home town, were connecting flights and fairly expensive. Airlines were not completely operational back then. About 4 months later, direct flights became available and appeared to be at approximately the same price. 
 

So, I called FBC and our flights were promptly changed ( I was so happy to avoid the stop over, especially during our Canadian winter) and, the resulting price was cheaper by about $100 CDN per person. Had I booked this economy flight directly with the airline, I know, the airline would not have changed it without financial penalty.

 

In conclusion, nothing is perfect and your experience with FBC is a significant testimony to that effect. However, from our perspective, all of our transactions with FBC were positively impressive!

 

 

 

 

[mandream]

Not doubting or discounting OP's experiences - just offering additional experiences of my own.

 

I never used FBC until recently when there were a number of offers with flight credits. 

 

I got a very good deal on flights for our European cruise last year with different starting and ending cities.  We originally booked with a connecting flight for the outbound leg.  A direct flight was available, but more expensive.  About a month or two before the trip - we received a notice of an itinerary change (flight times) that made the connection doable - but very risky.  I called FBC to say we weren't comfortable with such a short turnaround and ask if we could possibly switch to the direct flight.  They needed to check with the airline, and in the end made it happen for no additional charge.

 

For our March cruise - we were supposed to fly to LA the morning after Chicago was supposed to get hit with that big storm.  We wanted to change our flights to go out a day earlier - the airlines were offering waivers, but wasn't sure if FBC would charge us for changing flights a few days before we were supposed to leave.  They were able to book us on the same flight a day earlier - no charges and we felt far more comfortable.

 

Fortunately, we have hadn't to deal with them for any day of travel issues - but they have been very responsive and helpful when we have contacted them.

 

I would still book on my own unless there were significant savings involved - but if there are, I wouldn't hesitate to go with them again.

 

Mike

[Texed]

On 1/20/2023 at 7:13 AM, terrydtx said:

Never had any problems with FBC  The few times I have called FBC my questions and or issues have been taken care of in less than 10 minutes.

 

On 1/21/2023 at 8:07 AM, leo72976 said:

Never had a problem with FBC.  I wouldn’t hesitate to use FBC if they had the best deal.

Ditto!

[Mom2011]

I wish I had seen this earlier.  We book with flights by celebrity for our upcoming flight to Rome for a Mediterranean cruise, and have experienced lots of changes as well.  Fingers crossed that we get to and from.  

[NMTraveller]

It is stories like this that have me booking directly with the airlines.  Cut the middle man out.

[radarcruiser]

Folks it’s a crapshoot no matter whether you go through FBC or the airline directly. Airlines change so many schedules now so if you book early you are almost certainly going to have to deal with itinerary changes before you leave.  
 

We booked economy plus directly with an airline for our Europe trip last year.  They changed equipment several months out to a jet without economy plus.  They put us in regular coach with no accommodation offer.  I spent about a dozen hours on the phone over four days trying to get resolution.  Finally they gave me a refund.  Called FBC and booked business class for about the same cost.  No issues.  
 

Also used FBC to book r/t to Buenos Aires this winter.  Booked economy plus and upgraded to business both ways. 
 

I recommend you never hang up with FBC without first receiving a confirmation email.  Check it over closely.  Make sure your names are correct.  Make sure the flights are on carriers you can live with.  Ask if you can select seats now.  Tell them to ticket your flights as soon as you pay for them.  

[fstuff1]

On 1/21/2023 at 9:07 AM, leo72976 said:

Never had a problem with FBC.  I am a retired airline employee and can tell you I have gotten flights on FBC for less than I could have booked them with my companies discount!  I have also seen times where FBC was more than the rate for the same flight if you booked it directly with airline.  Like anything else, do your research and make the decision that is best for you.  I wouldn’t hesitate to use FBC if they had the best deal.

i only use fbc if they have a sale on their prices else i book direct.

why add a middle man?

 

anyway, never had a problem till my cruise last week.

and it occurred IN THE MIDDLE OF MY CRUISE!

 

4 days of hassle and wondering if the extra charge was removed, would my return flight be canceled because of  more incompetence?

(a one way return flight was now $2000!)

 

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by fstuff1

[Traveling Fools]

It has been several years since we have sailed Celebrity.  The times we did that required us to fly, we used airline loyalty points or booked our own flights.  We are very experienced travelers and tend to really research our flight options.  One of the tools we use in our research is ITA Matrix by Google  https://matrix.itasoftware.com/search.  You can also use Google Air for the same results.  On international flights, we fly Business/First. 

 

We live near Jacksonville, FL, but more often than not it can cost us a lot more to fly R/T from JAX than what it costs to fly from Orlando (MCO) or Miami (MIA).  Because JAX is not considered a Gateway City by the cruise lines, we have to factor in the cost of getting to and from the closest Gateway Cites if we want to use air offered by the cruise lines.  Ironically they are MCO, MIA, and Atlanta.

 

Using ITA Matrix, we are able to manipulate what it cost to fly out of MIA, MCO, and JAX.  ATL is too much of a pain to travel to, so we don’t generally consider departing from there.

 

In the fall of 2019, we booked an Oceania cruise departing Barcelona and disembarking at Venice.  Using ITA Matrix, we found the most affordable business class passage was with Turkish Air.  R/T Business was $2,200 pp.  Although we had to fly through Istanbul, the price was right.  At, the time Turkish Air offered economy fares a one night and business fares a two night layover on them at the Crown Royal in Old City.  We took our two-night layover and extended it by 3 more nights on the return trip.

 

This past November we booked an NCL Polynesian cruise and using ITA Matrix snagged business/first flights on UAL for $2,500 pp.  We didn’t even consider using NCL’s flight program.  And, good thing we didn’t!  NCL booked charter flights or passengers departing out of Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, severely restricting seating options.  To make matters worse, 3 full aircraft didn’t arrive in Papeete until 8PM, and 10PM the night the cruise was supposed to have departed.  The 3^rd charter didn’t arrive until after 1AM.  What a terrible way to start your vacation!

 

Although it is too early for us to book our flights for our next Celebrity cruise (Sept 19^th r/t from Athens),  our research shows that a Miami departure with Turkish Air has the best pricing and shortest overall trip time, including a short layover in Istanbul.

 

Come September 2023, we will get a better idea of availability and costs.

[fstuff1]

3 hours ago, Traveling Fools said:

Although it is too early for us to book our flights for our next Celebrity cruise (Sept 19^th r/t from Athens),  our research shows that a Miami departure with Turkish Air has the best pricing and shortest overall trip time, including a short layover in Istanbul.

 

Come September 2023, we will get a better idea of availability and costs.

 

Why are you booking in Sept, which is near last minute?

[Tyler414]

I used NCL for flights for a NCL cruise and will never use any cruise line for flights, there really was no "problem" other than they choose the worst possible routes and connections.  Got home at 1am the next day, no thanks. 

[mahdnc]

There was a time when the words "cruise only" mentioned at booking time to your TA meant that you were not going to buy airfare through Celebrity.

[RickT]

Someone has to be “That Guy” so I guess it’s up to me.   While I won’t dispute what they claim I do wonder why someone who has never posted on CC chooses to have their first post a complaint?   Perhaps if they were part of this community prior to the issue they could have had a better idea how FBC works.  
From my experience I’ve used FBC but only when there has been a significant savings.  Things can go wrong at any time and the solution often depends on the quality of the help and the flexibility of the customer.  

[drakes2]

On 1/20/2023 at 8:13 AM, terrydtx said:

Never had any problems with FBC and we are booked with them for our Apex cruise in September on business class flights. The few times I have called FBC my questions and or issues have been taken care of in less than 10 minutes.

This morning I had to call FBC 4 times. First 2 calls agent had issues with headset could not hear me. Third call agent could not email tickets and fourth agent gave incorrect record locator number. As usual I finally figured it out for myself.  This upcoming cruise in April will be my second time using them so hopefully no snags. Just wish Celebrity woukd train their phone reps. They are actually quite useless.