Newbie Viking air question

[Texanniew]

My husband and I will be taking the West Indies explorer trip October 30, 2024. The ship spends 2 days in San Juan so we aren't planning on doing an extension. Will Viking air have us fly in on day 1? At a reasonable time? I am in Houston and United has a non stop flight to San Juan, does Viking usually put you on the easiest flight? Thanks!

[CDNPolar]

14 hours ago, Texanniew said:

My husband and I will be taking the West Indies explorer trip October 30, 2024. The ship spends 2 days in San Juan so we aren't planning on doing an extension. Will Viking air have us fly in on day 1? At a reasonable time? I am in Houston and United has a non stop flight to San Juan, does Viking usually put you on the easiest flight? Thanks!

 

You have two options with Viking Air.

 

Just go with the flow and let Viking arrange your flights in which case you will receive your flights about 75 days in advance of the embarkation.  (This date may change give or take.  It used to always be about 75 days...)

In this option you have no choice, but you do get to play with yoru flights on MyVikingJourney once they are ticketed.  I have never done this.

 

With this option you could be on a direct flight and very early, or you could be on a connecting flight that gets you in later in the afternoon.  There is no telling in advance.  Remember that however early you arrive, you may not be able to access your stateroom until 2pm or after depending on the cabin you have.

 

Your second option is to pay for Viking Air Plus.  Could be. $50 or $100 per person depending on the flights.

 

If you choose this option - which we always have - you can do the research, as you have, and call Viking Air Plus department and ask for the flights you want to have.  If they are under contract then they will book you on the flights you request.  This way you have control over the airline, the route, the time, etc.  We have always gotten the flights we wanted with this option.

 

One of the best parts of selecting your own flights is your disembarkation day.  When others are leaving the ship at 3am and 4am for early flights we are enjoying our last breakfast because we don't arrange our leaving flights before noon that day which means we generally are shuttled to the airport about 9am.

 

Occasionally we have asked for flights that are out of contract and have had to pay a bit more if we wanted those flights.  That is your decision.

 

With Air Plus you have the most control, but you have to pay extra for that control.

 

Otherwise, just sit back and wait for your flights to be confirmed and take what you get.

 

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by CDNPolar

[Texanniew]

CDNPolar, thank you for the great explanation! Do I need to sign up for plus before we are ticketed?

[molymoo]

17 minutes ago, Texanniew said:

CDNPolar, thank you for the great explanation! Do I need to sign up for plus before we are ticketed?

You should sign up for Air Plus as soon as possible.  I am pretty sure that the $50 pp charge is long gone and is now $100 pp and perhaps more.  If you wait to be ticketed you will not be able to change anything without a significant charge (last I heard quoted was $300+).  You can also play around with your flights in MVJ before they are ticketed.  I have played around with our seats more than once on our upcoming Egypt trip and still check regularly for alternative flights for our March trip to Bordeaux.  You can, once the flights are posted (and not ticketed) look at alternative flights, change seats, and upgrade your cabin (sometimes, not always).  Once the flights are ticketed you can only change seats.

 

Oftentimes we have found that when we call to "pick" our flights (after adding Air Plus) none of our choices are available but (as in the case of our Egypt trip) the flights Viking offered were far better than any we had on our "wish list".  They had access to information about flights that we could not yet see in Google.

 

Also keep in mind that ticketing a flight is still not a guarantee that things will not change.  It can always be changed by the airline ... and often is!  And on our cruise last winter we had our homebound flight changed by Viking while we were cruising.  It was a lesson for us as we had upgraded to Premium Economy directly with the airline so lost the $200 for the upgrade and ended up in "lousy seats" on the way home.   Fortunately it was a relatively short flight so not that big a deal really.

[CDR2001]

I agree with the above posters, Air Plus is the only way we book with Viking. Another point, last year we had Air Plus with reserved flights, (not yet ticketed)…but decided to change our travel days and book air independently. All Air and Air Plus fees were refunded…this was prior to the 120 days before the cruise date, but after full payment. I’ve also heard people had no trouble cancelling the air+ prior to the final payment date. Ask when you call just to be sure of the options. 

[CDNPolar]

One other trick that we use, is that once we have the flights booked with Air Plus, and we are comfortable with everything, we will ask for Viking to process the ticket in advance of when they are generally done.  This does not guarantee that nothing will change, but what we have found is that then we can interact directly on the airline site to make any seat changes, etc.  Before ticketing you are kind of in limbo with everything.  Now, word of warning.... if you are using Air Plus and Viking has not as yet ticketed the air, you can still make changes.  If you ask to be ticketed early, then once ticketed changes are charged for...  Not necessarily seat changes, but change to schedule if you want a different flight.

[Breckski]

I looked at the OP's cruise and it looks like Viking is charging 699 for the airfare now.  Of course, he/she could have booked with a free airfare promotion.  But let's assume they didn't, and the fee is 699.  Then you add 100 for selecting your flight.

 

Why would one use Viking air when you could be in complete control of your airfare and likely save money?  I know they arrange for transfers, but even paying for a cab I think it'd still be cheaper on your own.  And have full control of the process.

 

I did a quick search on kayak for November 2023, and it looks like direct airfare from Houston to San Juan is a bit over $600.

[CDNPolar]

5 hours ago, mwike said:

I looked at the OP's cruise and it looks like Viking is charging 699 for the airfare now.  Of course, he/she could have booked with a free airfare promotion.  But let's assume they didn't, and the fee is 699.  Then you add 100 for selecting your flight.

 

Why would one use Viking air when you could be in complete control of your airfare and likely save money?  I know they arrange for transfers, but even paying for a cab I think it'd still be cheaper on your own.  And have full control of the process.

 

I did a quick search on kayak for November 2023, and it looks like direct airfare from Houston to San Juan is a bit over $600.

 

We play with this kind of thing all the time.  If air is free then we will go through Viking - and pay the $100 for Air Plus.

 

If we can get air at a better price, or just be fully in control, then we do the air ourselves...  but that comes with some cost sometimes too... we will tend to go a day ahead, because if we are doing the air ourselves and there are delays, cancelations, or issues, then we are on our own to get to the ship, whereas Viking would assist if they do the air.  So, we now have a hotel night to pay for, but that is also part of our piece of mind. 

 

It is always a balance of cost vs. benefit.

[Breckski]

4 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

We play with this kind of thing all the time.  If air is free then we will go through Viking - and pay the $100 for Air Plus.

 

If we can get air at a better price, or just be fully in control, then we do the air ourselves...  but that comes with some cost sometimes too... we will tend to go a day ahead, because if we are doing the air ourselves and there are delays, cancelations, or issues, then we are on our own to get to the ship, whereas Viking would assist if they do the air.  So, we now have a hotel night to pay for, but that is also part of our piece of mind. 

 

It is always a balance of cost vs. benefit.

I understand the "if free" aspect, but I don't understand the benefit aspect.  Doesn't one still have the same risk of flight issues whether booked through Viking or not?  Viking isn't going to delay the sailing for one's travel woes regardless of who's supplying the travel.  

 

I wouldn't imagine Viking has any significant pull with the airlines in case of delays or cancellations.  This is really the reason for my original question.  Other than cost savings, I can't determine any other benefits other than transportation to/from the airport.

[OneSixtyToOne]

36 minutes ago, mwike said:

I understand the "if free" aspect, but I don't understand the benefit aspect.  Doesn't one still have the same risk of flight issues whether booked through Viking or not?  Viking isn't going to delay the sailing for one's travel woes regardless of who's supplying the travel.  

 

I wouldn't imagine Viking has any significant pull with the airlines in case of delays or cancellations.  This is really the reason for my original question.  Other than cost savings, I can't determine any other benefits other than transportation to/from the airport.

If there is an airline delay and the ship sails. Viking will attempt to get their air passengers to the next port. This happened on our last cruise. There was an air traffic control strike as well as weather issues. We departed Venice and picked up 80 passengers at our next stop in Split.

Edited September 8, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[springtravel]

On our last Ocean, we had to leave original embarkation port 10 hours early. There were appx 100 pax that didn't make it onboard. If they had viking air, Viking got them to the next port.  If they traveled on their own, the had to find transportation to the ship. We arrived 2 days early, on our own air, so we didn't worry, but was worth noting for future trsvel.

[LindaS272]

We had Viking Air on our SA cruise on Jupiter Feb. 27 - Mar. 15, 2020. If you recognize the dates, you’ll know why we were glad we had Viking Air to get us out of Buenos Aires as Argentina closed their airports due to the Covid pandemic.

 

Since we were leaving two days earlier than planned (end of cruise was March 15 , but we had booked hotel & returning air for March 17), Viking made heroic efforts to get all their air passengers re-routed to get home. We were originally on a flight from BA to Dallas & then Seattle; but they had to route us BA to Miami to Charlotte, NC, then cross country to Seattle. I can’t even remember if we had the same airline—but Viking made it happen.

[SantaFe1]

Wow.  Linda. I didn’t know this.  You were so lucky. Our next cruise wasn’t until April, so it was just canceled.  Hard to remember those times!

 

[Frenchberet]

1 hour ago, LindaS272 said:

We had Viking Air on our SA cruise on Jupiter Feb. 27 - Mar. 15, 2020. If you recognize the dates, you’ll know why we were glad we had Viking Air to get us out of Buenos Aires as Argentina closed their airports due to the Covid pandemic.

 

Since we were leaving two days earlier than planned (end of cruise was March 15 , but we had booked hotel & returning air for March 17), Viking made heroic efforts to get all their air passengers re-routed to get home. We were originally on a flight from BA to Dallas & then Seattle; but they had to route us BA to Miami to Charlotte, NC, then cross country to Seattle. I can’t even remember if we had the same airline—but Viking made it happen.

 

I think Viking always tries to do the right thing.  On March 16, 2020, we were approaching Australia on Viking Orion when the country closed its borders.  Australia allowed the ship to land in Melbourne but all passengers had to disembark and go directly to the airport.  We did not have Viking Air but the captain announced that he would ensure everyone got back home.  Viking guaranteed us seats in the main cabin even though we hadn't booked with them.  We had reservations in Delta Comfort+ so I spent a few hours on the phone trying to change our flights (from Sydney to Melbourne, flying home a week early).  I was eventually able to make the reservations but it was very nice to have a Viking "safety net".  Viking gave us a generous credit for the portion of the cruise we missed.  

[ericosmith]

8 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

We play with this kind of thing all the time.  If air is free then we will go through Viking - and pay the $100 for Air Plus.

 

If we can get air at a better price, or just be fully in control, then we do the air ourselves...  but that comes with some cost sometimes too... we will tend to go a day ahead, because if we are doing the air ourselves and there are delays, cancelations, or issues, then we are on our own to get to the ship, whereas Viking would assist if they do the air.  So, we now have a hotel night to pay for, but that is also part of our piece of mind. 

 

It is always a balance of cost vs. benefit.

If you go early isn't there also a deviation charge in addition to the air plus charge?

[LindaS272]

35 minutes ago, ericosmith said:

If you go early isn't there also a deviation charge in addition to the air plus charge?

Yes—$100 at last quote to us.

[CDNPolar]

I have also seen passengers that used Viking Air that during a cruise last year, the airline went on strike - or something, I don't remember exactly - but many of the Viking Air passengers were booked on this airline and could not get home.  Viking put them in a hotel (and paid for it)  and worked like crazy to get them all home.

 

If you had booked air on your own, you would be on your own with this.  You would be on your own for the hotel, and organizing your air home.  Now, you might have travel interruption insurance that would help with the cost, but you would be left to make all the arrangements on your own.

 

There are advantages to using Viking Air, but we take a risk sometimes and go out on our own.

 

We also if there is a free air deal, take that for sure, because why would you not, and we upgrade to Premium Economy or Business if available and generally get the upgrade for less than or the same as the air would have cost in economy.

 

Thanks everyone for all your stories.

[May B]

Great advice from the Viking community on Cruise Critic! 

[EchoIsland]

We have always arranged our own air for Viking travel.  This time we used Viking Air for our Ocean Cruise departing 22 November from Van to Athens.  We paid $100 pp for a deviation to arrive in Athens a day earlier.  We are 73 days out, so I did a live chat to ask when our flights would be ticketed.  I was told it would most likely be within 20 days (Day 53) or we could pay $100 pp to be ticketed now.  I declined and called the Viking Air Department directly.  We have now been ticketed, no charge.  Another example of different information from different sources.  

[Mich3554]

What I do is accept Viking Air when we book the cruise.  As we get closer to the cruise date, I start looking at flights and see what the difference is, costwise (since we need to book business class).  
 

if I can book cheaper on my own, I do.  I also have to take into consideration the addition of Air Plus as well as the deviation.  I just finished booking our flights for the Northern Lights cruise we are doing in Jan.  I was able to book our flights about $1800 less than Viking, not taking plus and deviations into consideration.  
 

I need to book flights for March as well, and it looks like it’s going to be an even larger savings booking our own.  

[rbslos18]

On 9/7/2023 at 8:30 PM, mwike said:

I understand the "if free" aspect, but I don't understand the benefit aspect.  Doesn't one still have the same risk of flight issues whether booked through Viking or not?  Viking isn't going to delay the sailing for one's travel woes regardless of who's supplying the travel.  

 

I wouldn't imagine Viking has any significant pull with the airlines in case of delays or cancellations.  This is really the reason for my original question.  Other than cost savings, I can't determine any other benefits other than transportation to/from the airport.

@mwikeYou are asking all of the right questions. There still is risk when things go awry. Despite many true stories to the contrary, Viking may or may not be effective in responding when there is a missed flight or cancellation. Logically, given the discount Viking receives, other passengers will be far ahead of the line for help. I think @CDNPolar’s posts are accurate. We choose Viking Air (always Plus) if the price is one we can’t turn down. But we always do it with our eyes wide open. 
 

Viking Air is a work in process. I find the Viking Air experience uneven. I look forward to the day we can book reservations and changes online. 

[CDNPolar]

7 hours ago, rbslos18 said:

@mwikeYou are asking all of the right questions. There still is risk when things go awry. Despite many true stories to the contrary, Viking may or may not be effective in responding when there is a missed flight or cancellation. Logically, given the discount Viking receives, other passengers will be far ahead of the line for help. I think @CDNPolar’s posts are accurate. We choose Viking Air (always Plus) if the price is one we can’t turn down. But we always do it with our eyes wide open. 
 

Viking Air is a work in process. I find the Viking Air experience uneven. I look forward to the day we can book reservations and changes online. 

 

Yes, always eyes wide open when it comes to air whether through Viking or on your own.

 

You do get assistance from Viking if you book air through them and something goes wrong, but if you book on your own, you are on your own.

 

I also agree with your statement that it is a work in progress, but I will add, since the pandemic.  I do feel, but may be wrong, that Viking Air, like many of the Viking pre/post customer service was better prior to the pandemic.

 

We did on our most recent cruise get an email from "Viking Flight Control Center" which seemed very official that our flight out was delayed.  The challenge with this was that it apparently was a notification from British Air, but the destination was wrong...  It indicated the flight to London (BA99) but that is a flight to Toronto.

 

I was for a minute confused when I read this because I know the BA flight numbers because we fly  them often, and I was like BA99 goes to Toronto, not London.

So here is a keying error that someone made, but this is the first time I eveer got this kind of communication from using Viking Air.

 

In the end this flight was delayed over 3 hours but we never got additional emails with revised times.

[rbslos18]

5 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Yes, always eyes wide open when it comes to air whether through Viking or on your own.

 

You do get assistance from Viking if you book air through them and something goes wrong, but if you book on your own, you are on your own.

 

I also agree with your statement that it is a work in progress, but I will add, since the pandemic.  I do feel, but may be wrong, that Viking Air, like many of the Viking pre/post customer service was better prior to the pandemic.

 

We did on our most recent cruise get an email from "Viking Flight Control Center" which seemed very official that our flight out was delayed.  The challenge with this was that it apparently was a notification from British Air, but the destination was wrong...  It indicated the flight to London (BA99) but that is a flight to Toronto.

 

I was for a minute confused when I read this because I know the BA flight numbers because we fly  them often, and I was like BA99 goes to Toronto, not London.

So here is a keying error that someone made, but this is the first time I eveer got this kind of communication from using Viking Air.

 

In the end this flight was delayed over 3 hours but we never got additional emails with revised times.

There have been periodic training issues and inconsistencies. One shouldn’t have to keep calling Viking Air twice or three times to get a knowledgeable agent.
 

In 2021 while on our cruise, our flight from Istanbul was cancelled. We were not notified. We fell between the cracks. The day before I went to check in online to a flight that had been cancelled. The Viking Guest Relations staff was stellar in working this out. 
I’d love to see the possibility of booking  flights online as we experienced with Princess years ago. 

[CDNPolar]

16 minutes ago, rbslos18 said:

There have been periodic training issues and inconsistencies. One shouldn’t have to keep calling Viking Air twice or three times to get a knowledgeable agent.
 

 

No, we should not have to call more than once to get a knowledgable agent because someone not as familiar with Viking, or cruise industry, or the options available to them, they may end up taking the first information given to them as the way it is.

 

Even though the calls are recorded, and there is proof of what you have been told, we were denied the information we were given later, because the agent gave us the wrong information.  The Supervisor acknowledged that we were given wrong information but still would not honour what we were told.

 

 

[Escaper]

The other nice perk is that a Viking rep meets you at arrival airport and ushers you to ground transportation and helps with luggage.  Very reassuring if arriving at large and/or busy foreign airport.

 

Luggage also brought to airlines on return flight home.