Does NCL book basic or regular economy flights?

[ed111]

Google returns contradictory results about whether NCL would book basic economy for their FAS/BOGO promo. Some say they do, some say they don't.

 

This changes the math a bit as international basic economy can sometimes not even include a full size carry on, much less a checked bag.

 

 

 

 

 

[agrimm01]

NCL will book the cheapest flights.  There is much discussion on here as to the value of using NCL bogo airfare.

[Crazy planning mom]

Basic economy  flights.  We bought our airfare to Greece in 2022 through them.  It worked great going there JFK-Rome-Athens.  Unfortunately, my husband caught COVID toward the end of our cruise and we had to quarantine additional days in Greece.  NCL said our tickets could not be changed.  So, we had to buy new return flights.  Fortunately, we had travel insurance 

[pete_coach]

The cheapest flights.

Third party, so NCL will not help if something does not go according to plan.

Lots of posst about the free airfare problems.

[RocketMan275]

9 hours ago, ed111 said:

Google returns contradictory results about whether NCL would book basic economy for their FAS/BOGO promo. Some say they do, some say they don't.

 

This changes the math a bit as international basic economy can sometimes not even include a full size carry on, much less a checked bag.

Sometimes NCL books basic economy, othertimes not.  NCL will book the cheapest flights available and basic economy may or may not be available.

Unless, you absolutely have to book the cheapest flights, book  your own flights.  While some report complete satisfaction with FAS/BOGO, others do not.  How lucky are you?

[9tee2Sea]

they will book basic economy.  BUT, after you get your flight info, you can log on to the airlines website and pay for upgraded seats ( usually, but depends on the airline).  We had basic economy on a flight to Los Angeles-Dubai.  Logged onto airlines website and paid to upgrade to bulkhead, extra legroom seats.  Even got an offer to bid for First class upgrade ( didn't win).  You are correct about the luggage charge.  Depends on your airline, they may even charge you to put your personal item in the overhead bin ( That's what happened to us on a Greek airline  on the way back home).  FYI, using BOGO earlier this year for the Dubai -Athens cruises saved us over $2,000.00.  

[ed111]

OK I think that settles it. Funny enough most google results I could find were confident posts saying NCL does not book basic economy.  Maybe because as someone said basic economy is not always available on all itineraries. 

 

I'm fine with basic economy, it's just when making my decision on whether to use NCL I need to add ~$200 for international checked bags. 

[cruiseny4life]

I've used NCL BOGO Air twice. I've also booked clients using NCL BOGO Air three times. Not once have we been placed in basic economy. We've always been able to upgrade our seats (maybe not to a different cabin, but to seats with more legroom, exit aisle, etc.). We also haven't had to pay for our checked luggage as that was included in our fare. Our experience could be different from other. 

 

As for changing flights, you're out of luck unless the airline changes your schedule. That's happened on both of our flights and we were able to change our flights. We did on one. We did not on the other as the change was negligible. 

 

There are several threads on this topic. Read them skeptically as a lot of folks that would never book NCL BOGO Air like to comment. 

[cruiseny4life]

4 minutes ago, ed111 said:

I'm fine with basic economy, it's just when making my decision on whether to use NCL I need to add ~$200 for international checked bags. 

Not necessarily true. My experience may not be yours.

 

We flew Delta>Air France to Barcelona. We were able to check two bags, carry on two bags, and have two personal bags (like a backpack) per person. This was way too much of a baggage allowance for us, but it is what we were provided. We took one backpack and checked one bag combined (not that, that matters).

[ed111]

14 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Not necessarily true. My experience may not be yours.

 

We flew Delta>Air France to Barcelona. We were able to check two bags, carry on two bags, and have two personal bags (like a backpack) per person. This was way too much of a baggage allowance for us, but it is what we were provided. We took one backpack and checked one bag combined (not that, that matters).

 

Dangit now I don't know who to believe 🙂.   I was also thinking it's possible people don't understand that basic economy is a very specific fare class, and could be confused as regular international economy can often not allow seat choices and be verbally described as "basic". 

 

Though the main thing with "true" international basic economy is it will never include a checked bag, and often the carry on is restricted (either not allowed at all, or has a stingy weight limit). 

 

Any idea if at the time delta even offered basic economy on that route? They don't always. 

 

Also in general international basic economy is much more common of an option now than even 2-4 years.

Edited December 22, 2023 by ed111

[ontheweb]

We flew international this past summer with BOGO, Newark to Heathrow in London with a transfer in Montreal on Air Canada and then back to Newark from Reykjavik on Iceland Air. We were not charged for our checked bags.

 

For Canada Air we were not supposed to be able to pick our seats to be assigned without extra pay until much later. But I had told the air representative when I called to give our loyalty number and request vegetarian meals that we were going on a cruise from there to celebrate our 46th wedding anniversary. He then said could I hold on, and he would see what he could do. He then assigned our seats, and I thanked him.

 

BTW, anyone who ends up with Iceland Air, they do not include a free meal even on transatlantic flights. We had flown with them before and knowing that bought food at the terminal for our flight back home.

[julig22]

3 hours ago, ed111 said:

OK I think that settles it. Funny enough most google results I could find were confident posts saying NCL does not book basic economy.  Maybe because as someone said basic economy is not always available on all itineraries. 

 

I'm fine with basic economy, it's just when making my decision on whether to use NCL I need to add ~$200 for international checked bags. 

Baggage is completely dependent on the airline. Most major carriers include at least 1 bag for international flights. So it's more a matter of the airline, not necessarily the ticket designation. I've used NCL for quite a few overseas flights, never paid for checked luggage. But if you get booked on one of the barebones airlines, you may have to pay. It happens.

[med02]

We received our flight information today for our return flight from Rome to Minneapolis and NCL booked us with Delta. It must not have been the lowest fare category as we were able to select our seats right away. It also appears that one checked bag per person is free for the international flight. For our flight to Orlando before departure we were booked with Southwest Airlines. This will be a new experience for us as we have never flown Southwest before. But it seems as if there is no checked bag fees with them, and you do not select seat assignments as they have general boarding. Our BOGO fare was great so we will just go with the flow.

[luv2kroooz]

6 hours ago, pete_coach said:

The cheapest flights.

Third party, so NCL will not help if something does not go according to plan.

Lots of posst about the free airfare problems.

This is a very good point and, based on the complaints that I read on here, one I think that a lot of cruisers don't fully grasp because it is different from the competition. The other lines will typically work to get you on a different flight when the unexpected occurs. I know last week or whenever it was that all the ships were delayed getting into Florida ports due to wind, Royal rearranged travel for all their air passengers. Even more impressive, if you had independent air arrangements, they agreed to cover the first $200 of change fees as a courtesy to their valued guests. That was over and above what was required in my mind.

 

NCL would have promptly dismissed you and told you to go file a claim with your travel insurance after you found your own way home. Just have to fully understand what you are getting with NCL air. Very affordable, until the unexpected happens.

[shof515]

on the topic of ncl air flights, i noticed on the Alaska precruise tours for the bliss/encore it says ncl will fly you from anchorage to Seattle on the day of the cruise in economy class. does this cover the airline check bag or is that an extra cost? hopefully these type of flights is a reasonable time and not like the 1/2am flights times 

[UKstages]

there is indeed contradictory information here and i'm willing to bet, as a frequent flyer, that it's because some folks in this thread may not understand what "basic economy" means. some may think the word "basic" is being used as a pejorative adjective to describe the economy class of service. you don't like economy so it's "basic."

 

others may correctly understand that "basic economy" is actually a no-frills class of service below economy that typically doesn't allow rebooking or the checking of a bag or the selection of a seat before checking in at the airport. "basic economy" appeared on the scene a few years ago and is generally viewed as a push for incremental revenue by the airlines. that may seem like a contradiction in terms, since the fares are lower, but the real purpose of basic economy fares is to encourage people to buy up to economy to avoid the restrictions.

 

much of this is irrelevant when it comes to NCL, because they are not buying basic economy fares. in fact, they are not buying economy fares, either. they are buying air tickets in bulk, at greatly reduced prices. when they commit to that purchase, they don't yet know what their specific needs are. they just know, based on past bookings, that they will likely need X number of tickets to rome, X number of tickets to LA and so on. they are making a commitment to the various airlines to buy X dollars worth of their product over a set time.

 

but they don't actually begin booking those tickets until just two weeks or so before they need them and when they do it, it's a bit of a war dance and negotiation between NCL and the individual airlines. that's why the flights generally suck... they are buying remaindered unsold inventory. but they are buying it at bargain basement prices because it's a perishable product. that's why they can get such good rates. and why they actually make money selling you half price airfare. even at "half price" or "second guest flies free,"  most times NCL customers are paying more for their flights than NCL is. sometimes, they get burned. but almost always, they make a small profit on reselling their bulk air purchase.

 

and that brings us to bags. most airlines charge non-status customers for bags these days. (that's airline status, not NCL latitudes status). so many cruise guests, perhaps most, will pay for bags. you're paying for the bag because you have no status on the airline, not because those weasels at NCL booked you a basic economy fare. even if you had booked a full fare economy ticket directly with the airline, you'd still - in most cases - pay to check a bag. most economy fares no longer include free checked bags, unless you have status on that particular airline. sometimes, however, a bag is included in international fares.

 

does NCL book the cheapest flights? sorta kinda. but that's because they are buying in bulk, not because they are buying "basic economy" fares per se. they are typically paying far less than the basic economy fare. how each airline treats those flying on bulk tickets varies... sometimes you can choose a seat in advance and check a bag, sometimes not. one thing that has always been clear: if you have status on the airline, your status privileges carry over and you can choose a seat, book exit rows, get free bags and so forth... if those benefits are normally given to you due to your status.

[ed111]

1 hour ago, UKstages said:

there is indeed contradictory information here and i'm willing to bet, as a frequent flyer, that it's because some folks in this thread may not understand what "basic economy" means. some may think the word "basic" is being used as a pejorative adjective to describe the economy class of service. you don't like economy so it's "basic."

 

others may correctly understand that "basic economy" is actually a no-frills class of service below economy that typically doesn't allow rebooking or the checking of a bag or the selection of a seat before checking in at the airport. "basic economy" appeared on the scene a few years ago and is generally viewed as a push for incremental revenue by the airlines. that may seem like a contradiction in terms, since the fares are lower, but the real purpose of basic economy fares is to encourage people to buy up to economy to avoid the restrictions.

 

much of this is irrelevant when it comes to NCL, because they are not buying basic economy fares. in fact, they are not buying economy fares, either. they are buying air tickets in bulk, at greatly reduced prices. when they commit to that purchase, they don't yet know what their specific needs are. they just know, based on past bookings, that they will likely need X number of tickets to rome, X number of tickets to LA and so on. they are making a commitment to the various airlines to buy X dollars worth of their product over a set time.

 

but they don't actually begin booking those tickets until just two weeks or so before they need them and when they do it, it's a bit of a war dance and negotiation between NCL and the individual airlines. that's why the flights generally suck... they are buying remaindered unsold inventory. but they are buying it at bargain basement prices because it's a perishable product. that's why they can get such good rates. and why they actually make money selling you half price airfare. even at "half price" or "second guest flies free,"  most times NCL customers are paying more for their flights than NCL is. sometimes, they get burned. but almost always, they make a small profit on reselling their bulk air purchase.

 

and that brings us to bags. most airlines charge non-status customers for bags these days. (that's airline status, not NCL latitudes status). so many cruise guests, perhaps most, will pay for bags. you're paying for the bag because you have no status on the airline, not because those weasels at NCL booked you a basic economy fare. even if you had booked a full fare economy ticket directly with the airline, you'd still - in most cases - pay to check a bag. most economy fares no longer include free checked bags, unless you have status on that particular airline. sometimes, however, a bag is included in international fares.

 

does NCL book the cheapest flights? sorta kinda. but that's because they are buying in bulk, not because they are buying "basic economy" fares per se. they are typically paying far less than the basic economy fare. how each airline treats those flying on bulk tickets varies... sometimes you can choose a seat in advance and check a bag, sometimes not. one thing that has always been clear: if you have status on the airline, your status privileges carry over and you can choose a seat, book exit rows, get free bags and so forth... if those benefits are normally given to you due to your status.

 

Lots of detailed info, sounds like you are in the industry? This makes sense the mixed reports make more sense. 

 

Btw, I'm disembarking out of Tromso and there doesn't seem to be a flight without a 12 hour overnight layover that day. Someone mentioned in another thread they heard about NCL chartering a flight from Tromso due to limited options. I googled this and couldn't find anything.

 

Any idea if there is any truth to this of NCL ever chartering flights?  Thinking of just adding a deviation to the end to avoid spending 12 hours in an airport overnight.

 

I'm not even sure if charting makes much sense. They would what fly to JFK or Heathrow, and then buy unprotected connections to everyone's final destination?

 

 

 

 

[The Other Tom]

I'm guessing they book consolidator fares, but you should ask on the Cruise Air forum.

Cruise Air - Cruise Critic Community

[julig22]

4 hours ago, ed111 said:

 

Lots of detailed info, sounds like you are in the industry? This makes sense the mixed reports make more sense. 

 

Btw, I'm disembarking out of Tromso and there doesn't seem to be a flight without a 12 hour overnight layover that day. Someone mentioned in another thread they heard about NCL chartering a flight from Tromso due to limited options. I googled this and couldn't find anything.

 

Any idea if there is any truth to this of NCL ever chartering flights?  Thinking of just adding a deviation to the end to avoid spending 12 hours in an airport overnight.

 

I'm not even sure if charting makes much sense. They would what fly to JFK or Heathrow, and then buy unprotected connections to everyone's final destination?

 

 

 

 

Don't know about Tromso, I'm embarking from there in June so will be looking into it before I make my final payment and flight decisions.

But yes, they have done charters to some locations. I know they've done charters from LAX to Papeete. So yes, they'd fly everyone to a central location, then disperse. They have 2 more legs to get you home, per their operating guidelines.

[cruiser2015]

10 hours ago, shof515 said:

on the topic of ncl air flights, i noticed on the Alaska precruise tours for the bliss/encore it says ncl will fly you from anchorage to Seattle on the day of the cruise in economy class. does this cover the airline check bag or is that an extra cost? hopefully these type of flights is a reasonable time and not like the 1/2am flights times 

That's gonna be extra.

[RaiderFaninNM]

Lots of replies about international flights, how about domestic flights?

I booked our first NCL with BOGO and was about $500 cheaper with the cost of airfare right now. I know the cost fluctuates but just curious....

[Sailing12Away]

There's no easy answer because it's not consistent. Our last NCL trip with booked B1G1 flights had Iceland Air going. Checked bags were free and we could pay $50/pp to upgrade to comfort plus (we did). Could also upgrade all the way to first class if we wanted.

Coming home was on Delta. Could pick the row we wanted and seats in those ~20 rows available to us, but could not pick an exit row or comfort plus or anything else at all. Checked bags were free, but that may just be from my status with Delta and nothing else.

 

So honestly, it's a crapshoot and all depends on the airline. 

[cruiseny4life]

On 12/23/2023 at 8:06 AM, RaiderFaninNM said:

Lots of replies about international flights, how about domestic flights?

I booked our first NCL with BOGO and was about $500 cheaper with the cost of airfare right now. I know the cost fluctuates but just curious....

We took a domestic flight in March, 2022 from SYR>FLL. Worked great! We flew on Delta. We were able to choose our own seats, including upgrade to first class. We chose the cheap seats in the back, but it was nice to have the option. We were allowed one free checked bag. We only had two backpacks and a carryon, so didn't take advantage of the free checked bag.

 

Our flight from SYR to FLL was fine. We stopped somewhere for a transfer and made it to FLL on time. Our flight back was delayed by the airline. We found out the morning we were to fly out. The original flight departed FLL around 12 PM, with an arrival in Syracuse of 4'ish PM. Delta automatically rebooked us on a new flight that arrived to SYR at 11 PM. My husband investigated the Delta app, found new flights that would take us from FLL to the midwest (I forgot where), then on to SYR with an arrival time of about 5 PM. He chose those flights and off we went! 

 

No change fees, no nothing. We were able to choose our seats - cheap seats again. Not a lot of availability anyway, but the option was there. 

 

International and domestic flights (Delta, Air France) all good to us. We definitely enjoyed saving roughly $4,000 in total in 2023 between the two NCL BOGO Air flights we selected. 

[RaiderFaninNM]

5 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

We took a domestic flight in March, 2022 from SYR>FLL. Worked great! We flew on Delta. We were able to choose our own seats, including upgrade to first class. We chose the cheap seats in the back, but it was nice to have the option. We were allowed one free checked bag. We only had two backpacks and a carryon, so didn't take advantage of the free checked bag.

 

Our flight from SYR to FLL was fine. We stopped somewhere for a transfer and made it to FLL on time. Our flight back was delayed by the airline. We found out the morning we were to fly out. The original flight departed FLL around 12 PM, with an arrival in Syracuse of 4'ish PM. Delta automatically rebooked us on a new flight that arrived to SYR at 11 PM. My husband investigated the Delta app, found new flights that would take us from FLL to the midwest (I forgot where), then on to SYR with an arrival time of about 5 PM. He chose those flights and off we went! 

 

No change fees, no nothing. We were able to choose our seats - cheap seats again. Not a lot of availability anyway, but the option was there. 

 

International and domestic flights (Delta, Air France) all good to us. We definitely enjoyed saving roughly $4,000 in total in 2023 between the two NCL BOGO Air flights we selected. 

Awesome, thus curtailed my fears of someone else picking our flights.

We will be flying in from NM to MIA and have always been the one making the choices. This add on of BOGO definitely is worth it if the flights are not crap per say.

Thank you for the reply!! 

[reeinaz]

Most of my flights have been domestic on AA or delta and I have always been able to select my seats and upgrade if I chose to. I had to pay for any checked bags. My international flights were to Panama and 1 free checked bag was included by the airline (Delta) and DR (Delta) where I have to pay for checked bags. I don't have status on any airline.