Airfare included?

[ladyxk8]

I paid the air deviation fee so I could select or decline the itinerary provided by Oceania.  We settled on an itinerary until I checked the airline and noticed a segment on return trip from Athens on American Airlines missing.  I contacted my travel agent who informed me the flight was cancelled.  Then the fun began.  No flight to ship without 3 connections.  There were many choices and availability for Premium Economy, but Oceania claimed those flights were not in their "contract."  I gave up and kept the return flight and booked my own outbound flight.  Of course, no refund of the air deviation fee.  Worse yet is that I cannot access my Lufthansa flight online and can only select a seat at check in.  My first Oceania cruise and I'm not feeling very good about it. 

[LHT28]

Did you submit the flights you wanted  before you paid the non refundable  deviation fee?

 The airlines  are in control these days  so might no be in Oceania's control  when a flight is cancelled

 

Your return flight may not be ticketed yet  so until then you probably will not be able to access the account at LH

 

[jazznruby]

59 minutes ago, ladyxk8 said:

Worse yet is that I cannot access my Lufthansa flight online and can only select a seat at check in.

 

54 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Your return flight may not be ticketed yet  so until then you probably will not be able to access the account at LH

Have always been able to access online account with seat selection once I had locator number, whether it was ticketed or not.

[LHT28]

1 minute ago, jazznruby said:

 

Have always been able to access online account with seat selection once I had locator number, whether it was ticketed or not.

we never got the locator number until  cruise  was  PIF

guess you are luckier than I am

[FlyerTalker]

2 hours ago, ladyxk8 said:

Then the fun began.  No flight to ship without 3 connections.

 

Of course, without you mentioning cities and dates, it's impossible to make intelligent suggestions.  Or even use a dart board.

 

 

2 hours ago, ladyxk8 said:

There were many choices and availability for Premium Economy, but Oceania claimed those flights were not in their "contract."

 

That is likely correct.  The inventory available to the general public for purchase directly from the airline is completely different from the inventory available under bulk contract air that the cruiseline has.  So they didn't just "claim" it.....they really don't have it.

 

If you really wanted those choices, you need to buy the ticket yourself directly with the carrier.

 

Finally, seat selection is dependent on the rules of the operating carrier.  A number of them will not allow seat selection until ticketing is completed, and others will not allow for any seat selection without payment of a seat selection fee.

 

 

 

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, ladyxk8 said:

I paid the air deviation fee so I could select or decline the itinerary provided by Oceania.  We settled on an itinerary until I checked the airline and noticed a segment on return trip from Athens on American Airlines missing.  I contacted my travel agent who informed me the flight was cancelled.  Then the fun began.  No flight to ship without 3 connections.  There were many choices and availability for Premium Economy, but Oceania claimed those flights were not in their "contract."  I gave up and kept the return flight and booked my own outbound flight.  Of course, no refund of the air deviation fee.  Worse yet is that I cannot access my Lufthansa flight online and can only select a seat at check in.  My first Oceania cruise and I'm not feeling very good about it. 

Sorry for your disappointing news. But, at least you’re providing yet another example of why it is always better to DIY airfare.

[schmerl]

We book cruise only and book our own air. That way we get what we want, when we want it. They deduct the allowance of their "free" air from the price. 

Edited January 31, 2023 by schmerl

[milleruszk]

We recently had Oceania book our flights.   We requested United and used our United mileage card to book the entire trip.   Oceania got us flights on United as we requested.   However, upon checking in with United at the airport, we were informed that we would have to pay for our checked bags.  Our United card allows us two free checked bags.   The United customer service rep checked our information and told us that our tickets were not paid using our United card.   Oceania had used their account to pay for the tickets.   Therefore we were not entitled to our free bag allowance.  We contacted Oceania when we got home from our cruise and were told that there was nothing they could do for us.   They used my United card to pay for everything on our trip except for the air.  Has anyone else run into this situation?   We have used other cruise lines and tour companies and have never had this happen.  

[ORV]

1 hour ago, milleruszk said:

We recently had Oceania book our flights.   We requested United and used our United mileage card to book the entire trip.   Oceania got us flights on United as we requested.   However, upon checking in with United at the airport, we were informed that we would have to pay for our checked bags.  Our United card allows us two free checked bags.   The United customer service rep checked our information and told us that our tickets were not paid using our United card.   Oceania had used their account to pay for the tickets.   Therefore we were not entitled to our free bag allowance.  We contacted Oceania when we got home from our cruise and were told that there was nothing they could do for us.   They used my United card to pay for everything on our trip except for the air.  Has anyone else run into this situation?   We have used other cruise lines and tour companies and have never had this happen.  

I think that is a United card issue. I believe this has come up before. You might have paid for your cruise with the United card, but I'm sure Oceania pays for all the flights from their corporate accounts, not each person's individual card. 

[redraider1966]

5 hours ago, LHT28 said:

we never got the locator number until  cruise  was  PIF

guess you are luckier than I am

Plus 1.

[milleruszk]

12 hours ago, ORV said:

I think that is a United card issue. I believe this has come up before. You might have paid for your cruise with the United card, but I'm sure Oceania pays for all the flights from their corporate accounts, not each person's individual card. 

Exactly.  Not a card issue an Oceania issue.   No other cruise line or tour company operates this way.   They always use the card you supplied to charge the airfare.   Other lines do not use their own charge account.   I never had this problem with any other cruise or tour company.   This should be made clear on their website.  They will not honor your frequent flyer mileage account.

[ORV]

1 minute ago, milleruszk said:

Exactly.  Not a card issue an Oceania issue.   No other cruise line or tour company operates this way.   They always use the card you supplied to charge the airfare.   Other lines do not use their own charge account.   I never had this problem with any other cruise or tour company.   This should be made clear on their website.  They will not honor your frequent flyer mileage account.

They've always honored mine, but I usually fly on AA or Delta, once again I think you're dealing with a United issue and not Oceania. 

 

All I've ever had to do is put in my frequent flyer number on the airline website and I earned miles or got free luggage. 

 

I know we have some regulars here that use United frequently, so maybe they'll chime in with their experiences here. 

 

Just out of curiosity, which other cruise lines or tour companies have booked your air for you and used your card exclusively to pay for it? 

[pinotlover]

For international flights, the discounted bulk rate fare on United includes 1 free bag each. On domestic flights it doesn’t necessarily unless Oceania pays for it as part of the package. If the poster was trying to check more than one bag on an international flight then someone had to pay.  
 

Oceania does indeed make bulk payments to airlines for bookings on an itemized invoice. They don’t make individual payments for each flight. Fwiw, I do both international and domestic wine tours and do the same thing. There is a process to booking those fares and trying to individually pay for each doesn’t make sense within the system.

 

On United, nearly all the ticket mileage credit now comes from ticket costs plus status multipliers. 
 

I believe had the poster paid a deviation fee , and paid any ticket price in advance , they may have gotten Oceania to buy the tickets on their card. If they just remained in the ticket pool, they got pool treatment.

[Sthrngary]

How CruiseCritic.com helps those who are member?  With threads like this one. At first I booked two suites on the Riviera for November 9, 2023.  I booked my own airfare for my wife and me.  However, my friends joining us fought me on booking their own airfare.  I read every post on Oceania Airfare which by the way was not that different from other cruise brands.  Most comments were complaints or nightmares. 

 

I then went on the Delta Airlines Website and booked my friends round trip airfare which is fully refundable and changeable.  It was basically the same price/fare as the $1,000.00 per guest Oceania will discount your full fare.  The Delta Tickets were $1,200.00 per round trip, one check bag of 50 lbs or less was complementary.  Our friends will be on the same flights as my wife and me.  Instead of traveling to Atlanta, GA for flights which is 2.5 hours away, we all go out of our home base airport.  That is a savings in parking, ground transportation and hassle.  We picked our seats months in advance. 

 

When you figure the Oceania Deviation fee, the hassles outlined in this stream by clients, picking your own seats months before flight and our friends get the airline miles and points, it was a no brainer. 

I have not told my friend because he would have said no.  Purchasing the tickets early would have had a charge on his credit card which he would not do. So I purchased it since it was fully refundable to the card used, mine.  

 

I will share what I did with him just before full payment is needed.  My point in writing this is that everyone should do their due diligence on airfare.  Sometimes it is a wash or you can even save some money by doing it yourself when you cruise is far enough in advance.  I hope my experience can be helpful to this stream.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[milleruszk]

3 hours ago, ORV said:

 

 

just out of curiosity, which other cruise lines or tour companies have booked your air for you and used your card exclusively to pay for it? 

We have used Viking, Gate1 and Road Scholars without any issue.   Because Oceania did not use my United mileage card to book the airfare we had to pay baggage fees.

[pinotlover]

3 minutes ago, milleruszk said:

We have used Viking, Gate1 and Road Scholars without any issue.   Because Oceania did not use my United mileage card to book the airfare we had to pay baggage fees.

I’m taking it that you were on a U.S. domestic flight on a bulk rate discount ticket without luggage.

 

A lesson learned. 
 

Oceania air, since the 2014 merger with NCL , is actually ran by NCL. Tens of thousands of airline tickets booked monthly . They don’t pay for them individually. 
 

Actually, with those bulk tickets, the buyer sometimes pays for an allocation of tickets, then later adds the names to the roster of who is actually flying. This process can be very unlike passengers buying individual tickets from A to B. 

[LHT28]

I have never seen a separate transaction on my CC for Oceania air

It is always included in the final payment amount

Usually I just book my own

 

[babysteps]

Different airlines have different policies - the Barclays AA card luggage benefit is per cardholder, whether or not you used that card to buy the ticket. Well, as long as your frequent flyer # is attached to the record 😃 

 

We've used O airfare a total of 3 directions out of 22 so far. Never say never and always check the math!!

[ORV]

26 minutes ago, babysteps said:

Different airlines have different policies - the Barclays AA card luggage benefit is per cardholder, whether or not you used that card to buy the ticket. Well, as long as your frequent flyer # is attached to the record 😃 

 

We've used O airfare a total of 3 directions out of 22 so far. Never say never and always check the math!!

Yes, that's what I was saying in another post. Citi AA is also the same. I really think it's a United policy. 

[pinotlover]

5 minutes ago, ORV said:

Yes, that's what I was saying in another post. Citi AA is also the same. I really think it's a United policy. 

Let me explain where the problem is magnified. Let’s take an example where a Star Alliance partner ( or one world) is involved. Your first leg may be on United or AA and you get your cc luggage 

 benefits on departure. HOWEVER, your return is on a partner flight and they could care less about cc benefits. Your ticket t&c rules. That Citi AA or Explorer card buys you have means nothing on their airline. You pay baggage fees to board.

 

It’s a mess and not OSFA.

[ORV]

1 minute ago, pinotlover said:

Let me explain where the problem is magnified. Let’s take an example where a Star Alliance partner ( or one world) is involved. Your first leg may be on United or AA and you get your cc luggage 

 benefits on departure. HOWEVER, your return is on a partner flight and they could care less about cc benefits. Your ticket t&c rules. That Citi AA or Explorer card buys you have means nothing on their airline. You pay baggage fees to board.

 

It’s a mess and not OSFA.

Yep, ran in to that when I originated on Alaska Airlines out of either Vancouver or Seattle but had booked the tickets on AA. Had to pay the luggage fee but later got it credited by Citi. 

[pinotlover]

36 minutes ago, ORV said:

Yep, ran in to that when I originated on Alaska Airlines out of either Vancouver or Seattle but had booked the tickets on AA. Had to pay the luggage fee but later got it credited by Citi. 

That was domestic. We unfortunately used O Air to the Baltic. O booked us to Newark on United going out. But SAS on the international leg. Coming home SAS wouldn’t recognize our Explorer benefits and Chase said they had no relationship with SAS. One bag each included, but we had an extra bag we had to pay for on the return. $100! Ouch!!

[osandomir]

7 hours ago, milleruszk said:

We have used Viking, Gate1 and Road Scholars without any issue.   Because Oceania did not use my United mileage card to book the airfare we had to pay baggage fees.

It’s specific to United. They require the tickets to be paid with their co-branded United credit card to get free checked luggage. With American, to check your bag for free when flying domestic you just need to have their credit card, but the tickets can be paid with any different one. 

[DCGuy64]

On 1/31/2023 at 6:07 PM, pinotlover said:

It’s a mess and not OSFA

OSFA? One size fits all? I also liked what @Sthrngary had to say, but then he's one of my favorite people here on CC. Always has valuable information. We initially went with Oceania's included airfare, but our flight is to Japan and it's a LOOOOONG way, so we ended up booking our own flights because we wanted to be in Business class, and Oceania had us in Economy. They can upgrade you to Business class, of course, however their price for that was more than we could get on our own. Still, I'm usually a fan of the included airfare.

[Sthrngary]

2 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

I also liked what @Sthrngary had to say, but then he's one of my favorite people here on CC.

@DCGuy64 Thank you for the kind words.  This upcoming cruise for me I am learning so much from this Oceania Board and its members.  When you are used to one brand, in my case NCL specifically in the Haven; you need to kind of start over to find out the ins/outs of your new brands (Oceania) way of doing things. I find the entire process educational and interesting. 

 

Whether it is the Oceania Drink Program, Excursions, Airfare or Specialty Restaurants.  I am learning and making changes to my approach alone the way.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.