Flights by Celebrity NIGHTMARE

[PTC DAWG]

Just to prove a point, you should turn down the $200 OBC..

[poffles]

14 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

I actually had Delta tell me it was my fault for booking so far in advance.

 

Laughing at this.  Did you respond to ask 'why do you make booking itineraries available so far in advance?'  Yep all your fault 🙃

[Karen450]

We have been burned by FBC.  Simply put, you do not have control over your ticket.  It’s fine if everything goes well, but if it doesn’t, that’s when the nightmares begin. You think you are flying on the operating airline, but then you find out you are booked with the code share.  Need information? Make a change? No one will talk to you because you do not control the ticket. FBC controls the ticket. And FBC is represented by a poorly trained customer service reps.  Each time you call them you get a different response.  It is no better with escalation.  Now with no change fees with major decent operating airlines, the $200 pp cancellation fee per flight imposed by FBC after final payment is no longer a benefit.  I don’t need their guarantee to get me to the ship because I fly in a few days earlier to enjoy the embarkation port.  I don’t find FBC to have advantageous pricing. I’ll pay for my tickets further in advance to save myself aggravating headaches. It is, after all, supposed to be a vacation. 

[Cruise Junky]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I have to say BA use to be a good airlines but has gone in the tanks.    Sometimes BA is the only choice and shocked by their charges.    I recently booked a flight LHR to Barcelona in full fare Business Class.   They charge to pick seats.      The only airline I've ever experience that hit Business class passengers with a fee to select seats.

I just booked the same flight 😂 I think I get off Equinox when you get on.  

[Daneenm]

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I have to say BA use to be a good airlines but has gone in the tanks.    Sometimes BA is the only choice and shocked by their charges.    I recently booked a flight LHR to Barcelona in full fare Business Class.   They charge to pick seats.      The only airline I've ever experience that hit Business class passengers with a fee to select seats.

We experienced the same for our BCN to LHR.  I was shocked to be asked to pay for pre-assigned seats with a Business class ticket!

[Arizona Wildcat]

18 hours ago, NyerinOH said:

The biggest mistake I made was booking airfare via Celebrity for a May Scandinavian cruise, and wondering if others have had issues? I booked the cruise 11 months in advance, and understand flights change.  However, in my case, after my initial flight was cancelled, they waited months, then gave me an itinerary that made no sense, cancelled that, and in the past 2 weeks have had airfare changed FOUR TIMES!!  Now, when I go to pick my seats (I booked Premium Economy), the airline wants to charge me an additional $218 dollars!?  Celebrity has been horrific!!  I booked far in advance so that me and my significant other could sit together, by a window where there are only two seats, and now I can't even get middle seats unless I pay $218?  And there are no window seats available.  Of course, they have all my money, my cruise is in less than 90 days!  

 

A , first welcome to Cruise m I the only one having such nightmares with Flights by Celebrity.  I've loved cruising with them, but after this nightmare, I will never sail with them again!! The only thing they have done was apologize over and over, thank me for my patience (which is long gone) and gave each of us $100 onboard credit, which ironically doesn't even show up on my account.  

 

#Celebrityneveragain

Nyer, first welcome to Cruise Critic.  I presume you did not understand that FBC is NOT a travel agent.   They are a consolidator that gets blocks of tickets and sells those blocks - sometimes for less than you can book direct and sometimes not - with VERY DIFFERENT RULES. 

In a consolidator block of seats you often cannot choose your seats - need to ask first - and FBC and you are we subject to the airline changing your flights and sometimes your fare depending on the booking conditions.  That is the fine print that none of us reads.

FWIW, I NEVER book flights with FBC.  If flying internationally I have a consolidator I use that IS A TRAVEL AGENT.  Also know that the other lines have the same setup.  The advantage of FBC or the rest is not paying till later and often saving a few $$.  I have outlined the disadvantages above.  Depending on if you are past final payment maybe look at booking direct.

There are hundreds of threads about exactly the same issues you have experienced.  The agents did not explain the restrictions and you assumed you were booking just like when you call the airline direct. 

The OBC will not show up until after you board but 99.9% sure it will be there.

Edited March 1 by Arizona Wildcat

[Arizona Wildcat]

2 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Just to prove a point, you should turn down the $200 OBC..

Really?

[Shiba_Lover]

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I have to say BA use to be a good airlines but has gone in the tanks.    Sometimes BA is the only choice and shocked by their charges.    I recently booked a flight LHR to Barcelona in full fare Business Class.   They charge to pick seats.      The only airline I've ever experience that hit Business class passengers with a fee to select seats.

Qatar does as well.  I just booked business class on Qatar through FbC because I was able to get the flights for 4K less per person than I was booking direct with Qatar.  When I priced on Qatar site, outbound I could pick seats for free, but return would require paying to pick seats.  Same via FbC.  Weird and frustrating.  BA does waive the fee if you have Gold status in their frequent flyer program.

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, NyerinOH said:

The prices were no cheaper or expensive than others I saw independently. My thought was having that added layer of assurance if flights were cancelled, if something happened where I would miss the departure, I knew Celebrity would get me to the next port to catch my cruise, whereas if I booked my own airfare, I was on my own.  I was still planning to arrive the day before, but back in June of 2023, airlines were a hot mess with schedules.  

 

As you noted, the benefit was I locked my airfare cost (mostly, not 100%) and didn't have to pay for it until 90 days prior to cruising.  If I cancelled my cruise, I didn't lose any money related to airfare.

 

Like many other things - it may be more smoking mirrors than reality.     I had a problem a number of years ago -  I forgot my Passport and had to run back home to retrieve.    I called FBC to have them re-route me under their Guarantee.     I was told that the ticket was a promotional AA fare and not valid for interline booking.    AA was fully booked on all routes on that day but they assured me they could get me to the next port 3 days later.    I declined.   I was able to get a future flight credit on AA to use within one year.

 

I ended up doing a quick Mileage booking on United on a flight leaving one hour from booking out of my closer airport San Jose.    Since I had no luggage (Iain took all the luggage and continued on.    It was  a crazy route --- San Jose - Vancouver - Vancouver to Frankfort and Frankfort to Rome.   I arrived 3 hours after Iain in Rome.  

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, Daneenm said:

We experienced the same for our BCN to LHR.  I was shocked to be asked to pay for pre-assigned seats with a Business class ticket!

 

As you also know there really isn't much difference in Business Class on European flights.   Same seats as coach but they block off the middle seat.  

 

I decided the heck with it -  I'm not pay something like £40 to select a seat.    Back to FBC -  they also indicated there was a fee for seating.    Funny thing about FBC -  they were offering a Code Share on Iberia (Same BA Flight) with no seat charge -- but they upped the fare to include it.

[Gia2cats]

Without going in to the long saga with Flights By Celebrity, I also will not ever use them again. And yes, it is British Airways. Our flight home is Venice to Heathrow, then Heathrow to Baltimore.  Had no trouble booking seats 9 months ago on the first leg of the flight. When it came to the second leg, BA website showed all the Economy Class seats I could book. I booked Premium Economy.Could not access the PE class. And this was a month after final payment…

Flights by Celebrity kept saying it was a technical issue on BA’s part. To add to the confusion, Celebrity actually booked everything through Finn Air, a partner, but we’re flying American to Italy and BA home.

My travel agent and I both spent hours on the phone. I was finally able to book seats and have a PDF of the chat with BA. We shall see.

[critterchick]

The only time I will book through the cruise line is when the price is significantly lower than booking direct. That hasn’t been the case since the pandemic - it used to be that one way international air could save a couple of thousand dollars (business class) but I haven’t seen it the few times that I’ve looked.

All airlines that I’ve used in the past few years have changed their flights at least once.  I try to remember to check monthly up until a couple of months out and then I try to remember to check weekly.

[Lastdance]

I am having a huge issue with them that has been going on for over 5 weeks.  FBC blames Celebrity and Celebrity blames FBC; I am caught in the middle and just following the written rules, but so far, very little is happening except for a verbal comment that I should see X number of dollars in the future.  Companies can take your money quickly,  but getting it back, even when following the rules, can be a nightmare.  I will never use them again!  I will never use them again!  I will never...

 

Companies seem to have a new mode of communication making the customer the issue instead of following their own policies.  It depends on who you talk with, as to what the reply might be.  There seems to be very little consistency between the answers given by representatives; that might be due to personal interpretations of the words/policies.  I have heard enough from these agents to last a lifetime!  Change is the only constant, but getting everything in writing doesn’t seem to work either because the words have different meanings to different individuals.  Buyer Beware!  

Edited March 1 by Lastdance

[Spif Barwunkel]

It is difficult for me to understand how folks can have such a difficult time using FBC. We have always had good experiences the many times that we have used them. I have to believe that in most cases it is user error and/or the inability to best use the system in one's favor. We have a European cruise in May/June '24 and a New England/Canada cruise in August/September '24. Both flight arrangements were made through the cruise line agency. We have been kept apprised of all flight changes and the fact that airfare payment is not required until final cruise payment makes this an attractive option for us. We do make our flight arrangements far in advance as soon as the dates appear on the airline website, about 330 days out. It is absurd to think that you can book too soon. Our seats on the flight to London are now $4000.00 more than when we booked.

 

This is what we do.

 

When our cruise dates appear on the airline website (in this case, Delta), I go to the website, select the flights, select the seats, call FBC and give them the information. Delta allows you to choose seats at the time of booking and without payment. In this case a Delta partner, Virgin Atlantic, is the operator and although it is a Delta flight number, we check in at the Virgin counter. I was given the option to check in through Delta or Virgin. Had I chosen Virgin, seat selection may not have been available until final payment or perhaps not until check in at the airport. There are variations on the theme - if you will - so it pays to know that even partners have differences. When I am finished with the airline booking, I receive an invoice with all necessary information, and I can periodically check my status through the Delta reservation number and the Virgin number. It is quite easy when one knows what to do. It is quite easy to blame someone else when one does not.

 

     

[Lastdance]

26 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

...It is quite easy when one knows what to do. It is quite easy to blame someone else when one does not...

 

I wish it was "quite easy” for my money to be returned🤷‍♀️  The rules are in writing!  Be thankful that you have not had any issues yet; honestly, I hope you never do because it can be quite frustrating, even for a TA.                      

 

 ~Safe Travels

Edited March 2 by Lastdance

[Ipeeinthepools]

On 2/29/2024 at 9:12 PM, wrk2cruise said:

All the airlines seem to be doing this since Covid.  I actually had Delta tell me it was my fault for booking so far in advance.  I had a return flight from Tahiti to RDU where they only have 1 flight a day and it alternates between Air France and Delta (code share partners).  About 2 months before the flight Air France decided not to fly on Mondays anymore, only choice was to move to Delta the next day.  Add $500 resort night at my expense.  Day of flight a couple of weeks ago Delta cancelled due to weather in LA.  I went to the app and moved to  next flight the next day only to find out there were no Premium Economy seats available so they put me in Economy from PPT to ATL and then Comfort Plus to RDU.  It would have added another $500 resort night as well.   Ended up booking on United same day in Premium Economy at an additional $600 more than my original flight.    So Delta cost me $1100 even after being refunded for a flight I never took with them!

 

Just saying it's not just flights by Celebrity.  Last minute flight changes by the airlines cause these problems especially with the limited seats in the premium cabins.

 

I'm not a cheerleader for Delta, but it sounds like Air France was really the source of your problems.  I really can't fault Delta for experiencing weather cancellations or the fact that their flights are full.

[ScotchBoy]

We have just booked our flights direct with the airline, as FBC quoted an additional 25% if we booked through them. It was a no-brainer.

 

25%!! more expensive 😲

[soccermommy]

We’ve used FBC a few times and have discovered that there usually isn’t much of a problem when booking domestic flights, like from Boston to Florida, and have gotten some nice price breaks. But on our last booking with them for our trip to Iceland, we could not access our booking to select seats after making final payment. We called FBC and they said we would get access only when the flight was paid for, and we told them it was, considering this was after final payment. The agent sounded surprised when she found our account, and Icelandair allowed access within the hour. Well, mistakes do happen, and ours was fixed, but we decided to book our own flights for our Eclipse cruise. The prices weren’t that different, anyway.

I always check FBC’s prices to see if there are any good deals, but for international flights, feel much more comfortable doing our own booking. OP, I hope this gets resolved to your satisfaction. 

 

[villauk]

1 hour ago, ScotchBoy said:

We have just booked our flights direct with the airline, as FBC quoted an additional 25% if we booked through them. It was a no-brainer.

 

25%!! more expensive 😲

 

That’s why I suggested to check as it only appears to be favourable on this side of the pond if they are running a promotion. Glad you are sorted 👍.

[Jeremiah1212]

On 3/1/2024 at 3:32 PM, Gia2cats said:

Without going in to the long saga with Flights By Celebrity, I also will not ever use them again. And yes, it is British Airways. Our flight home is Venice to Heathrow, then Heathrow to Baltimore.  Had no trouble booking seats 9 months ago on the first leg of the flight. When it came to the second leg, BA website showed all the Economy Class seats I could book. I booked Premium Economy.Could not access the PE class. And this was a month after final payment…

Flights by Celebrity kept saying it was a technical issue on BA’s part. To add to the confusion, Celebrity actually booked everything through Finn Air, a partner, but we’re flying American to Italy and BA home.

My travel agent and I both spent hours on the phone. I was finally able to book seats and have a PDF of the chat with BA. We shall see.

 

Exactly why you should never book a codeshare through Flights by Celebrity. Or any third party. 

 

When it looks like this and says *Operated by ______    don't book it. 

 

Edited March 4 by Jeremiah1212

[Arizona Wildcat]

On 3/1/2024 at 9:48 AM, CruisingTheWaves said:

More of a reason why I wouldn't book the air this way. Celebrity isn't actually handling it, so their hands are tied and all they can really say is "sorry." My original statement still stands...the more work is contracted out, the less likely it is that the final product will be up to standard. The argument is really then with the contractor, and you may not even know who that is.

Do not understand.  Celebrity is acting as a consolidator.   The arguments (many) posted here are because people do not completely understand the fine print.  Seats booked in a group block have very restrictive rules that vary by airline.  The contract is with the airline.

[Shiba_Lover]

On 3/1/2024 at 6:43 PM, Spif Barwunkel said:

It is quite easy when one knows what to do. It is quite easy to blame someone else when one does not.

 

     

You are incorrectly assuming that those of us who HAVE had problems do not know what we are doing.  Just because you have not had an issue does not mean that those of us who have had issues do not know what we are doing.

Edited March 4 by Shiba_Lover

[Arizona Wildcat]

4 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

Exactly why you should never book a codeshare through Flights by Celebrity. Or any third party. 

 

When it looks like this and says *Operated by ______    don't book it. 

 

What is the issue with a code share flight?  Except for Southwest the main airlines are American or Delta.  If you are going overseas you will have a codeshare flight from Arizona to LAX/SFO/ATL/DFW operated by Delta or American with the international flight operated by whomever.  There certainly is a hassle if you need to deal with seats but that is for many cities the only way to have one ticket.

[Charles4515]

15 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

What is the issue with a code share flight?  Except for Southwest the main airlines are American or Delta.  If you are going overseas you will have a codeshare flight from Arizona to LAX/SFO/ATL/DFW operated by Delta or American with the international flight operated by whomever.  There certainly is a hassle if you need to deal with seats but that is for many cities the only way to have one ticket.

I never had an issue using them with a code share. 

[Jeremiah1212]

13 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

What is the issue with a code share flight?  Except for Southwest the main airlines are American or Delta.  If you are going overseas you will have a codeshare flight from Arizona to LAX/SFO/ATL/DFW operated by Delta or American with the international flight operated by whomever.  There certainly is a hassle if you need to deal with seats but that is for many cities the only way to have one ticket.

 

If you book direct and Delta screws up, you contact Delta. 

If you book via Flights by Celebrity on a ticket from Virgin that is operated by Delta and a problem hits, you now have 3 entities to point fingers at each other to figure it out. Almost every "nightmare" situation related to FBC I see on here has a codeshare flight involved. No one wants to take ownership and fix the problem. 

 

A far as airlines, that's totally dependent on who the predominant carriers are in your area. Since Chicago is a big United city, that's usually my most predominant option followed by American.