The advantage to me of using EzAir?

[donaldsc]

We have never ever booked a flight through the cruise line.  We will never ever book a flight through the cruise line.  I want to be in control of my flights as much as I can.  I want to be able to call the airline and discuss my flight options before I book.  I want to be able to look at an airplane seating chart and pick the exact seats that I want.  I want to be able to pick my seats when I book and not be told that the airline will pick my seats for me.  Sometimes it takes a bit of research to find the right flight but it has always worked out in the end.

 

Can anyone tell me what the advantage to me of using EzAir is.

 

DON

Edited October 7, 2023 by donaldsc

[SCX22]

51 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

I want to be able to call the airline and discuss my flight options before I book.

 

What is there to discuss?  You're probably in the minority here.  All fight info is online and by calling and booking through a call center with a human, many airlines charge a booking fee.  That's really an antiquated way of making airline reservations.  If you book it yourself online, you don't pay a fee.  Airlines have made it so that you can do everything your self efficiently.  This has lowered the man power required to run the airlines (no need to have as many call center agents) and made airfare cheaper.

 

51 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

I want to be in control of my flights as much as I can.

 

With Princess you can be.  If you book a flexible fare through EZAir, you can can rebook as many times as you want up to 45 days of the first flight segment.  The caveat is that that you can only pick from the flights that populate EZAir.  Having said that, I've never had a problem choosing flight times that work.  This is one of the reasons why I will always live next a big city with an airport with many flights domestically and locally.  It's great to be able to fly to so many places with no stops or one stop.

 

51 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

I want to be able to look at an airplane seating chart and pick the exact seats that I want.

 

You can do that with EZAir as well.  Some airlines like Lufthansa charge for ALL economy seat assignments made prior to check-in.  Other airlines like British Airways waive the economy advanced seat assignment fee with booking a corporate fare through EZAir.  Some airlines will only allow seat assignments on the ticket has been ticketed.  In this case, you can wait for your flexible fare reservation to be ticketed by EZAir at 45 days and make your seat selection then OR you can pay for your ticket in advance of final payment and request early ticketing.  If you choose the latter option, you waive the privilege of making changes to your reservation up to 45 days of the first flight.

 

51 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

Can anyone tell me what the advantage to me of using EzAir is.

 

 

Pricing.  EZAir has great pricing on air, especially for international flights, international business/first, and cruises that require one way tickets because the cruise begins and ends in different ports, i.e. a Transatlantic that begins in Southampton and ends in Fort Lauderdale.  Not always the case, so it pays to do the research and check the prices directly with the airlines.

 

Flexibility.  With Flexible Fares you can cancel or make changes all the way up to 45 days of the first flight segment.  If you find a lower fare directly with the airlines, you can cancel your reservation with EZAir and book directly with the airlines.  If you find a lower price with EZAir, you can cancel and rebook.

 

Payment.  You can make air reservations up to 330 days in advance of the last flight segment, but will not have to pay for the flights until final payment of your cruise.

 

Cruise interruption.  If in a one in a million chance something happens on your cruise and you book through EZAir, EZAir will help you rebook a flight home.  If you book your own flights, and something happens with the ship, you're on your own.  Happened with the passengers who were on the Ruby Princess when it hit the dock in SF and decided not to cruise.  Those who booked with EZAir were rebooked flights home at no extra charge.  Also happened with the Carnival Pride when it lost power and was stuck in Europe this summer.  If in the event that your cruise gets cancelled, as RC and X have done to some sailings, you won't be left holding the bag on the airfare, like you would be had you booked directly with the airline.  

 

As long as you know what you're getting your self into, EZAir is a great resource.  Many people who have problems with EZAir don't know the inner workings of air travel and place blame on EZAir.

Edited October 7, 2023 by SCX22

[Steelers36]

Excellent post, @SCX22.

[phabric]

I always book EzAir and watch the price. I have never had any problems using them.

 

I booked when EzAir released flights for my Nov 9 cruise to arrive a day before and fly a day after our cruise.

 

Nov 7 - Air Canada - non stop - YYZ-FCO - Premium Economy 

Nov 24 - Air Canada - non stop - FCO-YYZ - Premium Economy 

 

I received notice that my return on Nov 24 was no longer a non stop.  Air Canada put us on Nov 25, non stop, Air Canada.

 

I paid at final payment and did early ticketing a few days later and saw Air Canada ticket number.   Around 42 days, I was checking Air Canada site to see if I could add my personal details.  I noticed my return Nov 25 flight had changed to 1 stop on Nov 24. My agent or myself did not receive any notification of any changes.  I called EzAir.  He was able to change back to Nov 25, non stop for my booking and my cousin’s.  We lost our 2x2 seats and now in a row of 4.

 

The price now is double what I am paying.

Edited October 7, 2023 by phabric

[teecee60]

16 hours ago, donaldsc said:

I want to be able to look at an airplane seating chart and pick the exact seats that I want.  I want to be able to pick my seats when I book and not be told that the airline will pick my seats for me.  

 

Can anyone tell me what the advantage to me of using EzAir is.

 

I have booked flights through EZ Air for 12 out of my 13 Princess cruises, and I have had access to the aircraft seating charts, and picked the exact seats that I want, each and every time.

 

The advantage of using EZ Air... is that it will almost always save you several hundreds to several thousands of dollars on international flights... while locking in current prices AND being able to cancel those flights and rebook later at a lower price.  Name one airline or travel site that lets you do that.

 

For the the November 10th Sky Princess Transatlantic, I can get a one way flight from Tucson to LHR for $360pp through EZ Air. Just do a quick search what that flight would cost ANYWHERE else.

[happy42cruise]

One more advantage that hasn't been mentioned is "Same Day Late Arrival Protection – If, on the day of travel, you miss your cruise embarkation due to an airline delay or service disruption, Princess will work with the airline to provide flights to the next appropriate port at no cost to you."

[Paula_MacFan]

We just flew to Europe on United using EZ Air booking.  We flew first class and saved $$$ over what we would have paid on our own.  I was able to immediately book our seats at the time of booking, and I managed our flights from the time of booking until the time of flight on the United app.  Never did I need to contact anyone at EZ Air for anything.  I also received all pertinent notices directly from United regarding our flights, such as pre-ordering meals, pre-checking bags, and gate information.

 

And of course all the other obvious benefits already mentioned by others -- the ability to price lock and refare up to 45 days under flexible fares (which I've done many times using the website, very easy), Princess insurance covers your flights, etc.  

[love to cruz]

I just checked our one way flight from London to Tampa. Our same exact flight by the airline is $5899. We are booked with an EZ air flexible flight for $1949.96. If the price goes down (which it has a few times) we merely cancel the existing booking & book at the new lower price.

For international travel we always use EZ air.

[satxdiver]

I book through EZair almost all of the time.  It allows one to change reservations up until 45 days before the first flight and I don't have to pay for them until I make the final payment for the cruise.  I always have them buy the ticket as soon as I make the payment and then go to the airline website to manage my flights.  Once the ticket has been paid the airline treats it as flight(s) booked through them.  In almost all cases so far the airline wanted more money for the ticket than EZair but I still check every time.  

[Steelers36]

Of late, the EZ-Air debate threads are outnumbering most other debates, including dress recommendations for dinner.  It really is a personal thing and the circumstances of airlines of choice and pricing at time of booking.  Some folks want to work directly with an airline directly and some will go EZ-Air if/when it provides a savings.  There has been a TON of documentation on personal experiences with fares and savings one way or the other.  Obviously, I suppose, members will continue to post and inquire, but the situation is never going to change.

 

The best advice is to price EZ-Air and your favorite airline and then consider what the price difference means to you and understand EZ-Air provides flexibility. 

[SCX22]

If I may add...

 

If choosing to book directly with the airline, please don't waste the reservation center's time on discussing flights for new reservations.  By doing this, you are holding up the line for those on hold with pressing rebooking needs.  The tools are online to make new reservations yourself efficiently and in an informed manner.

[phabric]

On 10/7/2023 at 10:32 AM, phabric said:

I always book EzAir and watch the price. I have never had any problems using them.

 

I booked when EzAir released flights for my Nov 9 cruise to arrive a day before and fly a day after our cruise.

 

Nov 7 - Air Canada - non stop - YYZ-FCO - Premium Economy 

Nov 24 - Air Canada - non stop - FCO-YYZ - Premium Economy 

 

I received notice that my return on Nov 24 was no longer a non stop.  Air Canada put us on Nov 25, non stop, Air Canada.

 

I paid at final payment and did early ticketing a few days later and saw Air Canada ticket number.   Around 42 days, I was checking Air Canada site to see if I could add my personal details.  I noticed my return Nov 25 flight had changed to 1 stop on Nov 24. My agent or myself did not receive any notification of any changes.  I called EzAir.  He was able to change back to Nov 25, non stop for my booking and my cousin’s.  We lost our 2x2 seats and now in a row of 4.

 

The price now is double what I am paying.

Again yesterday, my Nov 25 non stop FCO-YYZ has been changed back to Nov 24 one stop with no notification from Air Canada or EzAir and only my booking not the other booking.  In the past, Air Canada did send notification for flight change.

 

EzAir agent said, “if there is any change to the flight it will go back to the original flight”.  My original booking was Nov 24 non stop then Air Canada had canceled that flight and moved us to Nov 25 non stop.  Plus she said there would be a voluntary $ cancellation charge since we are past 45 days.

 

I told her, I did not make any change now.  10 days ago @ 41/42 day, EzAir had changed the flight back to Nov 25 non stop.  
 

She was able to change back after talking to a supervisor with no charge. 
 

I am glad I caught it now and not when I was trying to print boarding pass for Nov 25 to find out we missed the flight.

 

I will now have to keep checking my flights encase they decide to change again.

Edited October 10, 2023 by phabric

[DCThunder]

Two downsides to EZAir that I see

1. You can't redeem any airline or credit card points you might have accumulated to pay for the ticket. 
2. If you book a cruise a year or more ahead of time, you can't book flights until 330 days before the cruise ends.  This makes it difficult to estimate the entire cost of the trip, but this isn't really an EZAir issue as the airlines don't publish their schedules more than 330 days out.

 

Otherwise, everything that everyone else has said in this thread is spot-on.  I was able to book an EZAir premium economy flight, and then contact the airline about using points to upgrade to business class.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I don’t have strong feelings about EZ Air for domestic flights, but personal experience has proved to me I would never book an international flight without using EZ Air. 
 

On the Sapphire Princess, fog closed the port of Shanghai for several hours, delaying our arrival into the port (the disembarkation for the cruise). We missed our original EZ Air flight out of Shanghai. Those passengers with EZ Air flights were fully accommodated by Princess.  Though it took a few hours for things to work out, we were all bused (with an English speaking guide) to a really nice hotel in the city, and our stays there (for more than one night if required) were free.  Then we were bused (with an English speaking guide) to the airport for our new flights. 
 

Passengers who booked flights independently were given free internet and phone usage on the ship to make arrangements. Both means of communication were quickly overloaded. They had to finally get off the ship (about 5pm on disembark day) and were left on their own. They had trouble getting through immigration because their forward travel plans were not finalized. It was a mess. 
 

And then there was the whole “China Visa not required if you are leaving directly out of the country within a certain number of hours” thing. People couldn’t always get flights in that timeframe and then were stuck unable to enter the country. Oy vey. 

[brucedodge]

We do a lot of cruising from foreign ports.  Over at least the last 15 years I cannot remember NOT using EZ Air to fly international business (domestically we don't care).  Always selected the seats at booking, and even though I suppose there could be a glitch, it's never happened to us.  I'm guessing one way business class fare via EZ Air has probably cost us about $1000-$1500 pp.  However, at our ages it's the only way we'll fly transoceanic, and good luck touching those fares booking yourself.  

[JimmyVWine]

I always check EZ Air for overseas flights, but have yet to book one.  With my loyalty status on AA, I can book the cheapest economy ticket that they sell which comes with no perks, (free seats, early boarding, free checked bags) but still get all of those perks due to my status.  EZ Air has yet to offer me a seat that is cheaper than what I have been able to achieve through AA and its international partners.  Were I to book the next ticket level up (Premium Economy), EZ Air would have been cheaper almost every time. But Basic Economy so far has beaten EZ Air every time.  But I will keep checking each time I book a cruise!  Can't hurt to try.  

[cr8tiv1]

I just checked my air fare for next summer.  Booked (on hold) through EZ Air for London.  Fare has gone up $300 in just a month.  I haven't been serious about researching this yet.  But booked as soon as it opened to get direct flights.

 

Not worried since I am flying in 3 days ahead.  Never worry about the flight back.  Less chances of problems with a direct non-stop flight.  I have come to believe that any blame is with an airline and not EZ Air.  They are at the mercy of airline cancellations.

[ldubs]

On 10/9/2023 at 4:58 AM, Paula_MacFan said:

We just flew to Europe on United using EZ Air booking.  We flew first class and saved $$$ over what we would have paid on our own.  I was able to immediately book our seats at the time of booking, and I managed our flights from the time of booking until the time of flight on the United app.  Never did I need to contact anyone at EZ Air for anything.  I also received all pertinent notices directly from United regarding our flights, such as pre-ordering meals, pre-checking bags, and gate information.

 

And of course all the other obvious benefits already mentioned by others -- the ability to price lock and refare up to 45 days under flexible fares (which I've done many times using the website, very easy), Princess insurance covers your flights, etc.  

 

Are you able to book specific cabin classes and seats using EZ Air online or does it require special handling?  

[jwattle]

44 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

Are you able to book specific cabin classes and seats using EZ Air online or does it require special handling?  

We booked specific classes and seats

[c-boy]

1 hour ago, jwattle said:

We booked specific classes and seats

[trbarton]

On 10/6/2023 at 11:48 PM, donaldsc said:

We have never ever booked a flight through the cruise line.  We will never ever book a flight through the cruise line.  I want to be in control of my flights as much as I can.  I want to be able to call the airline and discuss my flight options before I book.  I want to be able to look at an airplane seating chart and pick the exact seats that I want.  I want to be able to pick my seats when I book and not be told that the airline will pick my seats for me.  Sometimes it takes a bit of research to find the right flight but it has always worked out in the end.

 

Can anyone tell me what the advantage to me of using EzAir is.

 

DON

I’ve always been able to pick my seats so that’s never been a problem. For me one advantage is that I’m not paying for my booking through EzAir until my final payment is due. I’m continually checking the airfare fare & when the price has gotten lower, as it has many times, my agent has changed my booking to the new fare & if I have found a better deal I can change to that too. I couldn’t do any of that if I had already paid for my fare. 
 

Tom😀

[trbarton]

On 10/6/2023 at 11:48 PM, donaldsc said:

We have never ever booked a flight through the cruise line.  We will never ever book a flight through the cruise line.  I want to be in control of my flights as much as I can.  I want to be able to call the airline and discuss my flight options before I book.  I want to be able to look at an airplane seating chart and pick the exact seats that I want.  I want to be able to pick my seats when I book and not be told that the airline will pick my seats for me.  Sometimes it takes a bit of research to find the right flight but it has always worked out in the end.

 

Can anyone tell me what the advantage to me of using EzAir is.

 

DON

I’ve always been able to pick my seats so that’s never been a problem. For me one advantage is that I’m not paying for my booking through EzAir until my final payment is due. I’m continually checking the airfare fare & when the price has gotten lower, as it has many times, my agent has changed my booking to the new fare & if I have found a better deal I can change to that too. I couldn’t do any of that if I had already paid for my fare. 
 

 My flight from SFO - FLL on December 6, returning December 23, 2023, on United , economy, is now $649.60.  Through EzAir I only paid $495.82. That’s a difference of $153.78. I’m real happy with that & when wanting to book I’ve found that many times the EzAir was much less than booking directly through the airlines. 
 

Why would you NOT consider using EzAit?

 

Tom😀

Edited October 11, 2023 by trbarton

[trbarton]

I just looked at my December 6th flight with EzAir & if I wanted to change my seat assignment I was able to do so. 
 

Tom😀

[cr8tiv1]

As far as I know (not much), Air Canada seems to be one of the few airlines that charges you to pick your seats outside of 24 hour check in.  I wondered IF...I paid for a seat and something changes, do I still get to "pick" my seat on another flight?  Haven't run into this situation, yet.  

 

My pet peeves are having to pay for a seat, pay for luggage, pay for this and that.  Stepping off my soap box.  I guess I could always sit in a middle seat or hand my carry on over to gate staff...... (aka sheldon cooper).

[voljeep]

the OP has not been back - and plenty of solid answers given