Long haul flights - arrange your own or through Cunard?

[Windsurfboy]

From UK one way fares are extortionate for most direct flights , so it's miles , or Cunard.

 

Return  flights, we'd  always go at least a few days earlier so book directly with airline. Book directly as has been said before, if you book with TA , it doesn't have same protection as booking with Cunard. If things go wrong much easier to deal with airline yourself than via 3rd party , often time matters.

 

If you have to fly on the day, then go with Cunard. However don't automatically expect them to hold ship for more than an hour or so the economics don't stack up unless there's a planeful. But they will be responsible for  getting you to next port.

[Victoria2]

31 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

From UK one way fares are extortionate for most direct flights , so it's miles , or Cunard.

 

Return  flights, we'd  always go at least a few days earlier so book directly with airline. Book directly as has been said before, if you book with TA , it doesn't have same protection as booking with Cunard. If things go wrong much easier to deal with airline yourself than via 3rd party , often time matters.

 

If you have to fly on the day, then go with Cunard. However don't automatically expect them to hold ship for more than an hour or so the economics don't stack up unless there's a planeful. But they will be responsible for  getting you to next port.

Which is why we book through Cunard and have the cruise and flight on the same booking invoice/booking reference.

 

Each to their own. Having had an anxious time decades ago when a hurricane might have caused havoc with our booking, it's now up to Cunard to get us to the ship somehow should plans go awry or give us a full refund.

[david63]

There is no right or wrong answer to this and we all have to make our own judgments. For me I like to be in control of my flights.

 

There are several factors to take into account.

 

1. The time of year - December to mid February can be problematic due to weather although the majority of scheduled flights with major airlines manage to get away eventually - unlike some of the budget airlines.

2. Distance - for long haul I would build in at least two, probably three, days pre cruise partly to have some flexibility and partly to get over jet lag. For short haul then one additional day would normally be enough.

3. Price - it can sometimes work out cheaper even with hotels added in to fly one, two or even three days earlier. Also from what I have seen with any cruise line's flights they are usually more expensive than self booking unless they have a "special offer" on at the time of booking.

[Victoria2]

For me I like to be in control of my flights.

 

This comment crops up so many times.

 

We choose the airline and through choosing the routing/itinerary, we choose the aircraft and thus the aircraft configuration;  we choose which class to fly in; we choose the routing/itinerary and as we pay when the flights become available which is usually approx. 11 mths in advance, we choose our seats as soon as the scheduling is released.

 

All this is on our Cunard booking/ through Cunard and comes under one booking reference and  all facilitated by our wonderful TA.

 

I am genuinely interested david63, so costings apart, please would you tell me what more you do in order to be in complete control of your flights?

 

 

[exlondoner]

35 minutes ago, david63 said:

There is no right or wrong answer to this and we all have to make our own judgments. For me I like to be in control of my flights.

 

There are several factors to take into account.

 

1. The time of year - December to mid February can be problematic due to weather although the majority of scheduled flights with major airlines manage to get away eventually - unlike some of the budget airlines.

2. Distance - for long haul I would build in at least two, probably three, days pre cruise partly to have some flexibility and partly to get over jet lag. For short haul then one additional day would normally be enough.

3. Price - it can sometimes work out cheaper even with hotels added in to fly one, two or even three days earlier. Also from what I have seen with any cruise line's flights they are usually more expensive than self booking unless they have a "special offer" on at the time of booking.

Also

4. Temperament.

If you are a neurotic worrier like me, you would be willing to pay more for great protection. Many, less neurotic, would risk it. Mind you, for me, it is irrelevant, because I am such a neurotic worrier, I don’t fly at all.

[david63]

10 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

I am genuinely interested david63, so costings apart, please would you tell me what more you do in order to be in complete control of your flights?

Having had bad experiences with travel agents in the past I prefer to do everything myself and as far as booking flights through a cruise line that, in my view, is no different to using a TA.

[exlondoner]

3 minutes ago, david63 said:

Having had bad experiences with travel agents in the past I prefer to do everything myself and as far as booking flights through a cruise line that, in my view, is no different to using a TA.

Haven’t you ever made mistakes yourself? It seems quite a common thing when people are booking airlines.

[david63]

31 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Haven’t you ever made mistakes yourself? It seems quite a common thing when people are booking airlines.

No-  and I have booked many flights, some with complicated routing, all around the world without any problem and also dealt with cancellations and re-routing.

[exlondoner]

5 minutes ago, david63 said:

No-  and I have booked many flights, some with complicated routing, all around the world without any problem and also dealt with cancellations and re-routing.

You are clearly very competent. I should always assume there were people more competent than I to do it, like people whose job it was.

[Victoria2]

52 minutes ago, david63 said:

Having had bad experiences with travel agents in the past I prefer to do everything myself and as far as booking flights through a cruise line that, in my view, is no different to using a TA.

You haven't really  answered my question. You said you want control and I asked what do you do for 'control', that I haven't specified?.

 

I take that you won't use an agent, but our agent is our go-between and  books our flight requirements with Cunard and so they're not agent booked flights, they are Cunard booked  flights, cruise and flights booked with Cunard by our agent.

 

Cunard booking our exact requirements is exactly the same, control wise, as you self booking your flights but with the added protection for us if things go whatsist up, it's in Cunard's ball park to sort it out somehow.

 

So please correct me if I'm not seeing the whole picture, but the only difference apart from the cost differential is our flights are bundled up with the cruise for our own peace of mind, and your flights are booked separately. As such, we are just as much in control of our flight choices by dictating our exact requirements to  Cunard, as you are by booking direct with the airline.

 

We have just gone about booking in a manner which suits us, as you do to suit yourself but the control is there, either way.

 

 

 

[david63]

@Victoria2 As I said before there is no right or wrong way to go about this. We all do what we are comfortable with. You do it your way and I do it my way and at the end of the day as long as we both get on our respective cruises does it matter?

[NE John]

19 minutes ago, david63 said:

@Victoria2 As I said before there is no right or wrong way to go about this. We all do what we are comfortable with. You do it your way and I do it my way and at the end of the day as long as we both get on our respective cruises does it matter?

I am envious of @Victoria2’s wonderful service she receives from her travel agent. That person sounds like her family member at this point!
I would easily cede travel planning control to a good TA. So far no luck because I’m a travel planning geek. 

[Victoria2]

9 minutes ago, david63 said:

@Victoria2 As I said before there is no right or wrong way to go about this. We all do what we are comfortable with. You do it your way and I do it my way and at the end of the day as long as we both get on our respective cruises does it matter?

OK, you won't give any details so I assume one is as good as the other and and you are right, t doesn't matter in the slightest except when saying one can control one's flights if booking direct with an airline, when the issue revolves around booking direct or through Cunard where one has just as much control,  is to obliquely infer one system has more control  than the other which is giving a false impression of the booking facility available when  choosing flights and booking with Cunard.

 

Neither one is more efficient than the other and neither one is less efficient. Personal choice is all

[Victoria2]

3 minutes ago, NE John said:

I am envious of @Victoria2’s wonderful service she receives from her travel agent. That person sounds like her family member at this point!
I would easily cede travel planning control to a good TA. So far no luck because I’m a travel planning geek. 

Not a family member but has become a friend over the years. There are many agents out there, just as good. The trick is to find one. 🙂

[exlondoner]

2 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

OK, you won't give any details so I assume one is as good as the other and and you are right, t doesn't matter in the slightest except when saying one can control one's flights if booking direct with an airline, when the issue revolves around booking direct or through Cunard where one has just as much control,  is to obliquely infer one system has more control  than the other which is giving a false impression of the booking facility available when  choosing flights and booking with Cunard.

 

Neither one is more efficient than the other and neither one is less efficient. Personal choice is all

One would certainly be less efficient than the other if I were doing it. 😀

[ExArkie]

For a few years, most recently in 2019, I was teaching a class in the UK and once in Ireland. For a few years in a row, we were on the mid-December (usually around the 15th) westbound transatlantic coming home from the assignment, preferring a one-way business class flight for the outbound.

 

Booking one-way fares from the US on a US-based airline is typically exorbitant, generally the same as a full fare round trip. At one time, using miles was half a round trip, but most airlines have changed that policy now, so it is no longer universally true. I was able to get good pricing a few times on a European carrier leaving out of Toronto, but those were relatively rare. I used Cunard Air a few times, since they were able to come up with business class seats that were usually less than one-half the round trip ticket price I was finding. I had pretty much as much control over things as I could desire.

 

The standard policy is that the airfare is not paid until final payment is due to Cunard, but one can pay it early - as soon as it is booked - which will help secure the reservation (it is not guaranteed until paid for), select seats, or whatever else is required. I did that, given that if I were booking my own airfare I would be paying immediately anyway. They will provide you with a form to fill out for early payment.

 

I was able to book the flight arriving on the far side of the Atlantic many weeks before the transatlantic departure. I don't know how far back I could have gone, but they didn't charge me any extra for arriving as early as I needed to. I was also able to select which city would be my destination, usually Manchester and one to Dublin. Once, when they told me I'd change planes in Edinburgh to get to Manchester, I had them back up the date a few days and terminate the flight in Edinburgh, where my wife and I were able to visit friends. We booked the train to Manchester ourselves.

 

Cunard Air allowed me to choose which airline I preferred, so I maintained elite status on my airline of choice. After payment with my frequent flyer number attached, I could bring up the reservation on the airline's Web site to do whatever I needed, such as change seats. The airline automatically notified me of any schedule changes, potential weather interruptions, political unrest (okay, not much of that in the UK or Ireland at the time), and so forth. In the event of a cancellation, the airline would have issued me a voucher for the amount paid if the fare class was one that precluded cash refunds (some consolidator tickets apparently are not refundable for cash, while most others are if the airline cancels the flight). With my travel history, using the voucher would not have been an issue.

 

Short version: My experience with Cunard Air, all of which was pre-COVID, was positive. No issues, as much flexibility as I required, and significantly lower prices than I could find on my own.

 

Post-COVID, we have done one westbound TA (again in December because the QG price was nearly the same as PG - our usual booking category is PG) in 2022. We booked one-way air on our own because we found a European carrier that offered a ridiculously low one-way business class fare to Paris. (Train to London, then out to Cornwall and the southern coast, ending up in Southampton for the TA.) So, I cannot state from my own experience how things may have changed after the shutdown.

 

 

 

[Windsurfboy]

Of course one must always compare Cunard to direct scheduled airline. Its all about risk management vs saving and choosing exact flight you want. If you are going a week before, saving wins, on the day, security of Cunard wins. 

 

Talking as a European, (Even if you book through Cunard)  only CONTROL you have is always book a EU or UK airline, and have a thorough knowledge of UK/EU 261. This gives you very extensive rights if flight is cancelled or delayed when other airlines are still flying. Armed with this knowledge you can normally get airline to rebook you, even on another carrier same day. If they refuse buy another ticket with someone else , they will have to reimburse you. This is where you may have to make decisions on the spot. Getting hold of third party TA or even Cunard out of hours could hinder this. Yes some will say they don't have spare cash for another ticket.  Then don't cruise.

 

Some may well say other airlines , Singapore,  Qatar, ... have better service. Thats true, but not as answerable to CAA.

Edited February 27 by Windsurfboy

[Victoria2]

I like that term, 'risk management'.

 

Booking your own flights and managing any change in travel schedules is a risk we were not prepared to take.

 

I remember a Caribbean holiday [not Cunard] when a cruise organised flight was delayed due to seriously bad weather. The ship left on time, without the couple of hundred delayed passengers. They were bussed to the next port of call.

I would want all that sorted for me rather than deal with it ourselves.

 

Horses for courses. Risks were/are not for us.

[Kensington-cruiser]

Thank you everyone for all your useful perspectives and experiences. We are likely going to arrange flights ourselves but fly out early to give us a couple of clear days in Seattle, to get over the jet lag and give us time to play with if anything goes awry with the flights. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

I just booked my flights for my Alaska cruise. Cunard's price for business class was double the price on the United website. So it pays to do your research before you call Cunard. Sometimes their price is better, but today it wasn't.

[NE John]

28 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

I just booked my flights for my Alaska cruise. Cunard's price for business class was double the price on the United website. So it pays to do your research before you call Cunard. Sometimes their price is better, but today it wasn't.

When you goin’?

[3rdGenCunarder]

29 minutes ago, NE John said:

When you goin’?

July. Cruise leaves on the 11th, but I'm flying out a few days early. I'm flying home the day we get back to Vancouver because Air Canada (codeshare with United) has a flight that leaves at 2 PM. 

[Windsurfboy]

14 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

I like that term, 'risk management'.

 

Booking your own flights and managing any change in travel schedules is a risk we were not prepared to take.

 

I remember a Caribbean holiday [not Cunard] when a cruise organised flight was delayed due to seriously bad weather. The ship left on time, without the couple of hundred delayed passengers. They were bussed to the next port of call.

I would want all that sorted for me rather than deal with it ourselves.

 

Horses for courses. Risks were/are not for us.o4 4

 

Our approach to risk is never travel on same day. If you are going to arrive one day early you might as well arrive 3 or 4 days early or longer and have a extra holiday. But we have the time to take that approach.  I don't mind talking to airlines directly, I  think  I understand rules ( Uk/EU 261) as well if not better than most travel agents.

[Victoria2]

7 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

Our approach to risk is never travel on same day. If you are going to arrive one day early you might as well arrive 3 or 4 days early or longer and have a extra holiday. But we have the time to take that approach.  I don't mind talking to airlines directly, I  think  I understand rules ( Uk/EU 261) as well if not better than most travel agents.

I totally agree going a few days earlier could/will probably negate most  flight issues but for us, if going long haul, which we're not now as our cabins of first choice would not be available, it's not just the flights which can be problematic, it's the ship  itinerary  too. A change of itinerary can easily screw up travel arrangements.

 

Luckily at the moment, it won't be an issue for us.

 

[Pushpit]

19 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

Cunard booking our exact requirements is exactly the same, control wise, as you self booking your flights but with the added protection for us if things go whatsist up, it's in Cunard's ball park to sort it out somehow.

There are a few areas where self booking gives you more control. Arguably a bit niche, and I doubt they will shift the dial for you.

 

1) Upgrades, such as POUGs (Virgin and BA), Upgrade Using Avios, Gold Upgrades (on BA), Plusgrade (Star Alliance), Upgrade Promotion. These are usually not offered on Trade tickets, only to direct sales, so people booking directly with the airline.  Free upgrades also tend to be prioritised to direct sales, I had one on the return from my December QM2 since it was the Friday before Christmas and the flights were full. Generally using redemption / air mile options have to be done direct, but there's a wider area of promotional upgrades which just don't filter through trade channels.

 

2) Changes made by the customer: let's say you sail into Brooklyn on Saturday morning and you decide you want an extra few days in New York because the weather is nice, or because someone on board lives in NY and has invited you to their place for a meal. In your case you would ring or email the travel agent - assuming they work at weekends - and get it fixed. But if they don't work weekends you risk being a no-show, since the TA is in charge of the ticket. If you ring the airline they will say "contact your agent, we aren't touching the ticket". Moreover if there is a change of airport the ticket has to be "re-issued" rather than revalidated, and if the TA doesn't have the technical staff working, it has to wait until they show up. A direct booker can either call up or directly make the change themselves in Manage My Booking.

 

3) Cancellations / changes made by the airline: Again only the TA can change the ticket, whereas if you book direct then on those airlines on Amadeus (all the non USA airlines pretty much) there is a Disruption Menu that comes up on Manage My Booking and you can simply choose your alternative. So if you are self booker you get more options, sooner, than a TA. It's not quite as simple as saying that a TA can resolve all irrops more easily, sometimes it's easier for those who self book.

 

4) Tickets not offered to Trade - which overlaps with some of the above: some tickets are only sold direct, so the lowest economy fares typically. At the same time, if buying a one way fare it is usually booked in to the highest fare buckets (Y, B, H) and thus is fairly flexible, and so the online tools to make changes are made available to direct customers but not Trade Customers.

 

5) Status benefits: I'm top status tier with BA so I have a direct line to a named contact in their Special Service Team (Concorde Team). If it's their own ticket they can offer all sorts of help and benefits, but if it's a travel agent ticket they may not even be able to see all the details and are reluctant to get too involved.

 

I fully accept it doesn't work for you, but my particular mindset would not want someone as an intermediary, I would rather control the above areas myself.