EZAir double the price

[sns1]

I've been checking airfare for March 2025 to Italy from JFK.  We normally book directly with the airline but decided to check EZAir.  It was double the price!   Can this be correct?  I made sure that I was booking the same flights and category. 

[rocker57]

I’m in Canada, and checking EZ Air (Rome as well), it’s a good $3000+ more (business class). I don’t know how others are getting them so cheap.

[cr8tiv1]

That is an abnormally.  Usually they are close to each other or below.  I know that each of my EZ Air bookings were less, except for one.  I booked Delta to Montreal one way.  Just before the 45 day deadline, Delta direct was slightly cheaper.  I cancelled EZ Air, got a refund, and booked Delta directly.  

 

On my flight to LHR, I booked Business Class for what I considered highway robbery (my sister reassured me we got a "good" fare).  It never dropped over the next 330 days.  

 

Just keep checking.  The advantage of EZ Air is that you don't have to pay up front and is flexible until 45 days out.  With directly, you have to shell out the money (in this case, 8 months ahead).  Just make sure you have insurance on a direct booking or see what their refundable/change policy is.  Most often, they will give you credit, but it expires a year after the booking date.

[waltd]

Ive  found if you don't check/book as soon as the seats become available on EZair , depending on demand, the prices go up quickly.  

Everyone is now traveling again.   I don't expect to see rock bottom prices for a while.

[SCX22]

The name of the game with EZAir is to be religious about checking prices. 

 

We're booked with friends on a TA this September.  We got British Airways SFO-LHR for $249 and United IAH-SFO for $249 both in economy.  In total, we paid $498 for our round trip airfare.  This routing would have been around $850 if I booked one way flights with BA and UA.  (I'm the one that books the air for our group so I used my friend's booking who sails solo for the screenshots to show the single person price.)

 

So long as you choose Flexible Air when booking, there is no penalty for cancelling or refaring up to 45 days before the flight date.  No harm no foul.  You can secure a seat through EZAir and if there is a drop in fare, either directly with the airlines or with EZAir, you can weigh your options again.  You don't have this flexibility when booking directly with the airlines, unless you book a more expensive refundable fare.

[JimmyVWine]

15 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

So long as you choose Flexible Air when booking,

What are the features/limitations of “Flexible Air”?  Do you lose control of picking your airline or specific flights?

[cr8tiv1]

The only down size of using EZ Air is that you need to always go through Princess (EZ Air) to deal with any changes or modifications.

 

Out of anyone's control is when an airline makes changes, cancels flights, and/or changes equipment. 

 

I have found EZ Air to be much more reasonable with less risks in most cases.

 

Benefits:

1.  Fare is flexible until 45 days out.  This means you can make changes if the fare drops.  Keep in mind that your original choice may quantity out and may not be available.

 

2.  You don't pay until Final Payment, but still can make adjustments up to 45 days out.

 

3.  Most often, you can choose your seat as soon as making reservation.  This is dependent on carrier's policies (not EZ Air).

 

4.  You can monitor booking directly on carrier, most of the time (even when not eTicketed).

 

5.  You can constantly monitor fares by doing mock bookings.

 

6.  Most often, fares are really good as soon as they open.  Rarely, but does, fare will drop.

 

If you are one that constantly monitors the computer, this is for you.

[SCX22]

41 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

What are the features/limitations of “Flexible Air”?  Do you lose control of picking your airline or specific flights?

 

With Flexible Fares:

• Payment for air is due at final payment for the cruise.
• You can cancel, refare, or change flights up to 45 days of the first flight segment or cruise, which ever is sooner.
• Tickets will be issued (meaning Princess will remit payment for the air to the airline(s) and the airline(s) will issue ticket numbers) 45 days prior to the first flight or cruise, whichever is sooner.

 

With Restricted Fares:

• Payment for the air is due at the time of booking the air
• No changes or cancellations.

 

You might not be entitled to the airline benefits associated with your airline credit card because some require that the reservation be paid with that CC directly to the airline to avail of the benefits.  EZAir acts is a 3rd party and uses a TA to airline payment platform to remit air payment.  The airlines will never know how you paid for the air.

 

You pretty much have to deal with EZAir for any changes.  If the airline cancels or changes your flight times and you will misconnect, for example, you have to deal with EZAir to get rebooked.  If there is a problem the day of travel, the airlines will usually help get you rebooked, but you can also call EZAir or the En Route Desk. 

 

There is are certain peace of mind protections built in with EZAir, like guaranteed arrrival before the cruise or catch up at the next port.  Another is that if something were to happen on your cruise like a late arrival at the disembarkation port, EZAir will automatically rebook you without having to jump through hoops.  See below attachment when the Regal had a late arrival into Port Everglades which dominoed into late disembarkation.  Everyone on EZAir could enjoy the rest of their cruise and were taken care of, while those who booked independent air that were going to miss their flights due to the late arrival were scrambling to make changes.

 

It's easy to pull up flight quotes, you don't even need a booking.  Pull up any cruise, scroll down past the itinerary, and click flight quotes.  Test it out for yourself.  If you already have a booking, open up the flights section your Cruise Personalizer and click Book Flights.  Once you make an EZAir booking, changing flights is done through the same portal, and instead clicking Manage Flights.

 

You have full choice over the flights you want.  The prices fluctuate depending the flights/airlines/times chosen.  You can choose whatever flight combo you want.  Having said that, not all flights on all airlines will show up.

 

You're at an advantage if you live at a major airport with robust flight schedules.  My home airport is SFO.  I can pretty much fly any where in the world non-stop or one stop.  If I wanted to fly to Rome, for example, I could fly non-stop on United and ITA Airways, through Heathrow on British Airways, through Paris on Air France, through Amsterdam on KLM, through Frankfurt or Munich on Lufthansa, etc.  There's competition so I can get good prices.  If your home airport is a regional airport where only the big 4 domestic airlines have a monopoly over the flights, you won't necessarily get good prices.  Having said that, the savings are prevalent on international flights.  You can usually get a better fare booking directly with the airlines on domestic flights.

[JimmyVWine]

2 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

You pretty much have to deal with EZAir for any changes.  If the airline cancels or changes your flight times and you will misconnect, for example, you have to deal with EZAir to get rebooked.

If you know, does EZ Air work the same way as when dealing with the airline directly?  When AA changes a flight it maps me over to a new flight that it thinks I will find acceptable but if I want a different flight I can book one at no cost. This has already happened 3 times for my upcoming flight to Barcelona. For some reason they thought that changing from a 2 hour layover in CLT to a 40 minute layover would be fine with me when connecting to an international flight. I switched to a connection in PHL that has a layover that is 1:50 at no cost. If I had booked that flight originally it would have cost me hundreds more. But because they changed my itinerary, it opened up that flight at no cost. If I had EZ Air would it work the same way or would I get re-priced if I made a significant change like that (new airport)?

[cr8tiv1]

Yes and No

 

When Air Canada cancelled every morning flight out of Quebec, they automatically booked me on a late afternoon flight with less than 60 minutes to clear immigration in Montreal.  I pleaded, but they could not do anything since "that segment" had reached quantity control (flight sold out for their pricing).  I was in constant contact with EZ Air in case I missed my flight.  They really were not concerned and told me to contact them IF I missed the connection.  I made the flight.

 

On my LHR return flight, Delta changed my flight and automatically rebooked me on a later flight.  Their policy is within 60 minutes.  First call to Delta/EZ Air...no can change.  Second call to EZ Air about a totally different question, net me a change to a more favorable morning flight.  Irony...early morning flight was cheaper than the one they moved me to initially.  

[SCX22]

31 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

If I had EZ Air would it work the same way or would I get re-priced if I made a significant change like that (new airport)?

 

EZAir will always automatically rebook you at the same rate.  What's acceptable to them, however, might not always be acceptable to you.  If what you're re-booked into isn't acceptable to you, then you have to get on the phone with EZAir and plead your case.  If you booked Flexible Air and are 45 days or more prior to your flight, you have the right to cancel and rebook or cancel outright with no penalty.

 

However, there is sometimes a delay in loading new flight schedules into the EZAir system.  Which leads to another point that you should also check the airline by making mock bookings on the operating airline's website to make sure that your flights are still operating as scheduled.

 

In the example below my parents booked their flights on 02/15/23.  Delta had a schedule change on the FLL-ATL-SFO segments.  EZAir automatically rebooked them without having to take any  action on 05/21/2023.  My parents only found out because they got a notification in their e-mail.  To me it seems that the airlines are the ones that auto re-book and it's EZAir's responsibility to notify you.

 

Another point is that United, American, and Delta don't usually finalize their schedules until 4 to 5 months before a specific date.  Expect a flight schedule change if you book your flights far in advance.

[cr8tiv1]

I did receive a notice from EZ Air about my flight changes.  There is a red flag (words) that says to check changes.  I did not receive a notice from Delta, but that may be because I don't have notifications turned on for them.  Had to notify my sister that they also changed equipment and we had to re-select our seats.  

[suzyed]

5 hours ago, sns1 said:

I've been checking airfare for March 2025 to Italy from JFK.  We normally book directly with the airline but decided to check EZAir.  It was double the price!   Can this be correct?  I made sure that I was booking the same flights and category. 

Sometimes we book with EZair and sometimes we pay with miles depending on which is giving us the best deal.   EZ air is a tool.  If after comparing prices, EZ air is twice the price than don't do it that way.  Keep shopping for a better fare.

[SCX22]

3 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

If I had EZ Air would it work the same way or would I get re-priced if I made a significant change like that (new airport)?

 

To add, a warning will pop up when the minimum connection time is too short.  In the event that you get auto rebooked on a flight with a connection time that is too short, EZAir is usually pretty good about allowing you to rebook to a different flight at no extra cost.  EZAir will only force you to take the short connection if there are no other viable options.

 

It took me a while to find an example, but the pop up below showed up when trying to book an AA flight FLL-DFW-SFO on AA with a 40 minute connection in DFW.

[cr8tiv1]

28 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

 

To add, a warning will pop up when the minimum connection time is too short.  In the event that you get auto rebooked on a flight with a connection time that is too short, EZAir is usually pretty good about allowing you to rebook to a different flight at no extra cost.  EZAir will only force you to take the short connection if there are no other viable options.

 

It took me a while to find an example, but the pop up below showed up when trying to book an AA flight FLL-DFW-SFO on AA with a 40 minute connection in DFW.

 

I got the warning for my 60 minute connection.  I pleaded my case.  Even told EZ Air that they could re-route me.  No deal.  They said I could do it.  Ha!  I did, but it took some creative interventions.  I was the last one through the door before the flight closed.  I even tried to go standby on an earlier flight.  First on the wait list.  FULL.  

[PR-Texas]

We originally booked EZair with Delta (DFW-LAX-SYD) with a 2.5 hour layover in LAX.  Then Delta changed the flight time so we had a 5.5 hour layover in LAX I started looking at alternatives to spending 5+ hours in LAX. Used EZair to change to to a direct flight DFW-SYD with Qantas for shorter travel time although more money. As I continued to monitor I found the same flight at a lower cost I changed to that flight.  Exact same flight, just $468 cheaper.  I still check occasionally but it's back up now.

[Cruise Raider]

We’ve booked with EZAir several times in the past and have saved many when traveling internationally.  Now, I don’t see such savings anymore and some flights are actually cheaper on the airline’s website but the benefit of using them is that they claim to guarantee to get you to the ship, even though it might be in the first port.  I know some friends were traveling domestically and they actually chartered a flight for them and others that were booked on the same flight.  We even left port late about 45 minutes while waiting for their flight.  They made it in the knick of time.  
The flexible fare option is fantastic and gives you the ability to make changes to your flight 45 days ahead of your trip.  

The cons I see when using them is that they can be difficult to deal with if there is a change made by the airlines.  They may cancel or change the flights leaving you or your TA to deal with that.  The airlines won’t be able to help you as you’ve booked through a third party. 
They also don’t always use airports that are the most convenient and don’t always list every flight you might be able to book through the airlines.  Oddly enough, the Southwest airfare they now have listed, in my experience, only have restricted fares.  
 

This is what was listed on the Princess EZAir website as far as changes you make to the restricted fares.  Someone here on CC said they were charged their full ticket price for the changes.  Yikes!  
 

 

 

 

[Abercrombie2019]

18 hours ago, sns1 said:

I've been checking airfare for March 2025 to Italy from JFK.  We normally book directly with the airline but decided to check EZAir.  It was double the price!   Can this be correct?  I made sure that I was booking the same flights and category. 

We used EZair for two of our last three cruises.  In 2022 we could fly Toronto to LA for less with EZair.  In 2023, EZair was double the price of booking direct with Air Canada for Toronto to London, so we booked direct with AC.  In 2024, EZair was about even with the cost of booking direct with the airline for Toronto to Miami, so we booked the Flexible Fare with EZair.

 

We always book Flexible Fare when we use EZair.  We try to book direct flights if they are available, and we check the website almost daily to see if the prices have dropped.  We have been able to re-fare our flights a few times, including once after Final Payment (but before the 45 day cut off).

 

Prices can changed dramatically in a short time period on EZair - so it pays to check often.

Edited July 15 by Abercrombie2019

[susancruzs]

As others have said, a matter of checking often, I use EZ air because I'm 2 hrs. from Des Moines or Minneapolis and Midwest weather is tricky.  Also don't usually fly unless I'm cruising.  

 

I just saved several hundred because Delta changed my flights Quebec/FLL cruise, October.  I changed to American, get better connection times and same terminal rather than long walks.  Couldn't believe price difference.

[shiner6]

17 hours ago, waltd said:

Ive  found if you don't check/book as soon as the seats become available on EZair , depending on demand, the prices go up quickly.  

Everyone is now traveling again.   I don't expect to see rock bottom prices for a while.

I have found this to be true also. We booked our Barcelona flights with EZair when we booked our cruise. The price has now tripled!

[9tee2Sea]

I just booked a Panama Canal cruise ( Miami-Los Angeles) using EZ Air. The flight times given were great ( doing a red eye and arriving very early morning day of cruise..I know it's a risk).  The price on the flight I chose was only $20.00 more per person than if i booked on the airlines website.  I also paid for the transfer from airport to ship ( I know Uber is cheaper, but I want a no brainer this time around).