Flight Ease Question

[Croooser]

We are exploring the possibility of booking on Seabourn. Is there any way to check Flight Ease pricing for flights prior to booking and having a booking number?

 

I have tried the booking process but have not come across a flight option prior to making a deposit.

 

Have also tried going directly to Flight Ease web page but when I sign in using a Seabourn ID, it says (correctly) that I have no bookings.

 

Thanks

[SLSD]

9 minutes ago, Croooser said:

We are exploring the possibility of booking on Seabourn. Is there any way to check Flight Ease pricing for flights prior to booking and having a booking number?

 

I have tried the booking process but have not come across a flight option prior to making a deposit.

 

Have also tried going directly to Flight Ease web page but when I sign in using a Seabourn ID, it says (correctly) that I have no bookings.

 

Thanks

If you used your own travel agent, he/she can work through this with you.  

Edited July 9, 2023 by SLSD

[Mr Luxury]

1 hour ago, SLSD said:

If you used your own travel agent, he/she can work through this with you.  

Yes,it's a wacky and revolutionary idea.

 But it is the only way to book a cruise and get anywhere.😁

[cruiseej]

5 hours ago, Croooser said:

Have also tried going directly to Flight Ease web page but when I sign in using a Seabourn ID, it says (correctly) that I have no bookings.

 

A travel agent can make a booking for you for 3-4 days before a deposit is required. I don't know for sure, but I thin during that time window, you could check FlightEase. Of course, your cruise would need to be within the next 11 months, which as far into the future as there are flight schedules. And keep in mind that many flights showing currently may be changed by the airlines closer to the time of travel — but at least you'd be able to see what comes up and what the pricing is currently. 

[MBP&O2/O]

I checked Flight Ease myself .... no problem... apart from the price 🙄 ... which was 20% more expensive than refundable flights booked direct with the airline. Same flights of course.

 

[Croooser]

Thanks for the responses. So then, no way for me to check online myself before making a booking. Understand that I can call my TA or maybe Seabourn but I was looking to check on my own prior to booking when comparing options with other cruise lines. Apparently that is not possible.

[Hlitner]

Flight ease can often (not always) offer some amazing deals for international Business/First Class.  We have seldom found it worthwhile for domestic flights although domestic first/business class can sometimes yield some savings.

 

We recently (last week) did a last minute booking for a cruise embarking from Lisbon.  As soon as I booked (through a cruise agent) and got a SB Booking number, I logged onto SB's site to look for one-way biz class air.  There were no decent deals so we quickly booked our flight directly with the airline which was actually slightly less expensive than flex air. 

 

Hank

[jebhoward3]

Booked 20 night ALLURE OF ALOHA HOLIDAY cruise on June 25, 2023.  Yesterday decided to check to see if Seabourn's Flight Ease program would work for us, as we live in a small town with regional airport.  I had already checked the flights/prices for GJT (Grand Junction, Colorado) to LAX with both American Airlines and United Airlines. 

Flight Ease had a Sale for GJT-DEN/DEN-LAX on United.  Snagged flights we would have booked on our own.  Round-trip Sale price with first class seats and Flexible Fare, Total $303.84 for the two of us.  United's website price for same flights was $1058 for one person.  Choose our seats while booking the flights.  Then a few minutes later went to United's website and the booking was there and included the seats we had chose. I cannot believe how they could get such a inexpensive rate.  Will keep checking every couple of weeks to make sure it does not disappear.

[marazul]

We just booked tickets to Barbados in March.  Flight Ease was less than half of what AA was charging.

[CalmSea]

Since the price of Flexible Fare is not guaranteed until the tickets are paid for, what are people's experience with prices changing in the mean time? Also, is it worth asking for "Requiest Early Ticketing" to lock-in the price?

[SLSD]

21 hours ago, marazul said:

We just booked tickets to Barbados in March.  Flight Ease was less than half of what AA was charging.

I have no idea where you live or where you will be flying from, but I am assuming it is not a direct flight.  Our trip back from Copenhagen (tickets purchased through SB) in June was THREE flights.  Not a fun experience.  

[marazul]

They are direct flights with AA.  

[Utopia1]

21 minutes ago, SLSD said:

I have no idea where you live or where you will be flying from, but I am assuming it is not a direct flight.  Our trip back from Copenhagen (tickets purchased through SB) in June was THREE flights.  Not a fun experience.  

 

16 minutes ago, marazul said:

They are direct flights with AA.  

[SLSD]

26 minutes ago, marazul said:

They are direct flights with AA.  

That's great!

[FlyerTalker]

Careful.  "Direct" does not mean the same as "Non-stop".

 

 

[Utopia1]

no-- a direct flight means you do not change planes--- but the is a stop or stops

a non-stop mean there aren't any stops until you reach your destination

 

[Mr Luxury]

8 minutes ago, Utopia1 said:

no-- a direct flight means you do not change planes--- but the is a stop or stops

a non-stop mean there aren't any stops until you reach your destination

 

First prize.

A free drink on a Seabourn ship.

[Utopia1]

22 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

First prize.

A free drink on a Seabourn ship.

Sounds good to me!

[FlyerTalker]

58 minutes ago, Utopia1 said:

no-- a direct flight means you do not change planes--- but the is a stop or stops

a non-stop mean there aren't any stops until you reach your destination

 

 

Not quite correct.

 

Non-stop means just that.  A flight from A to B with no stops in between.  However, even with a "non-stop" flight, there may be a technical stop along the way for fuel.  This sometimes occurred on flights from South Africa or Oceania.  And FWIW, a technical stop is where there are no passengers carried just to/from the stop point. 

 

Direct means that there is no change of flight number.  It is quite possible for there to be both stops AND change of aircraft along the way (known as "change of gauge").  A number of carriers have "direct" flights that change aircraft along the way.  Delta notoriously promoted a "direct" flight from MIA to Tel Aviv.  However, it actually was a narrow-body from MIA to JFK and then a switch to a wide-body from JFK to TLV.  But because they had the same flight number, it was a "direct" flight.

 

Southwest had a "direct" flight from BWI to OAK that made seven stops along the way.  You got to see a lot of the WN system for that trip.  But since it was the same flight number, it was "direct".

 

Caveat emptor.

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Not quite correct.

 

Non-stop means just that.  A flight from A to B with no stops in between.  However, even with a "non-stop" flight, there may be a technical stop along the way for fuel.  This sometimes occurred on flights from South Africa or Oceania.  And FWIW, a technical stop is where there are no passengers carried just to/from the stop point. 

 

Direct means that there is no change of flight number.  It is quite possible for there to be both stops AND change of aircraft along the way (known as "change of gauge").  A number of carriers have "direct" flights that change aircraft along the way.  Delta notoriously promoted a "direct" flight from MIA to Tel Aviv.  However, it actually was a narrow-body from MIA to JFK and then a switch to a wide-body from JFK to TLV.  But because they had the same flight number, it was a "direct" flight.

 

Southwest had a "direct" flight from BWI to OAK that made seven stops along the way.  You got to see a lot of the WN system for that trip.  But since it was the same flight number, it was "direct".

 

Caveat emptor.

Hmm... all of this is new information for me.  I always thought direct was nonstop on one aircraft.  

[PRMinx]

5 hours ago, CalmSea said:

Since the price of Flexible Fare is not guaranteed until the tickets are paid for, what are people's experience with prices changing in the mean time? Also, is it worth asking for "Requiest Early Ticketing" to lock-in the price?

I have the same question. I’ve “booked” flex air at a great rate for a cruise in June. Should I ask to be ticketed now? Does anyone have experience with this?

[FlyerTalker]

3 hours ago, PRMinx said:

I have the same question. I’ve “booked” flex air at a great rate for a cruise in June. Should I ask to be ticketed now? Does anyone have experience with this?

 

Many June dates are not even loaded into the GDS yet.

 

Those might be difficult to ticket.  🙂

 

 

[FlyerTalker]

4 hours ago, SLSD said:

Hmm... all of this is new information for me.  I always thought direct was nonstop on one aircraft.  

 

As Paul Harvey used to say "And now you know...the rest of the story."

 

In the airline industry, terminology really does matter.

 

And as to your assumption....all non-stops are also direct, but not all directs are non-stops.

 

 

[PRMinx]

3 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Many June dates are not even loaded into the GDS yet.

 

Those might be difficult to ticket.  🙂

 

 

It is early June. The tickets were “bookable” with great prices on flex. I grabbed them and they are now even showing in my AA account, with seat assignments. I have not yet paid and can apparently change anytime. But, prices can also go up anytime. I can request to be ticketed, but I haven’t clicked that link yet because I’m not sure how it all works and I don’t want to make a mistake. I just want to lock in the great rate and will pay earlier - today even - to do so.

 

Have you worked through this before? Any advice? Thanks 😊 

[FlyerTalker]

7 minutes ago, PRMinx said:

Have you worked through this before? Any advice? Thanks 😊 

 

I have rarely found cruiseline air to be a better proposition than getting my tickets directly from the airline.  Especially because I know that there is more to an airline ticket than just the price.

 

You do realize that you are most likely not buying the same tickets as what you would get from the airline itself?  Have you compared the underlying fare rules?  Caveat emptor.