Seabourn "Air Credit" on cruises

[caviarforme]

SB are currently advertising "Air Credit" up to £800 per person on many future cruises (at least on the UK site). This is very different from previous "air inclusive" or "economy air" offers which would give you a discount on the cruise fare if you made your own flight arrangements. The current "Air Credit" offer seems to be restricted to booking flights only with "Flight Ease" - no discount if you book flights elsewhere. Given comment here on Flight Ease price increases  making them uncompetitive, this seems to make the offer of little or no value? In the UK you cannot even see the Flight Ease prices unless you have a booking reference on SB - and that means a minimum of 10% penalty if the booking is cancelled - which also makes the "offer" unrealistic. Any comments/experience?

[Fortunate 2 travel]

DH and I have our first Seabourn cruise in a few months.  Flying from Florida to Barbados.  The air option with Seabourn was on Air Canada and flying us from Miami to somewhere in Canada and then to Barbados.  Uh, no thanks.  Got a non-stop from Miami to Barbados for a significantly lower price.  Why would I fly from Florida to Canada to get to the Caribbean?  We are looking forward to our first experience on SB.

 

[margbem]

We are booked on the Sojourn in November and have got this Air Credit. We have never used Seabourn flights before but there is no alternative price for cruise only so we have taken the flights. We live in Yorkshire and our flights are early evening to LHR from Manchester, overnight stay at the airport (our expense!!) and then 8am flight to Barcelona. A pain as we could fly direct to Barcelona from Manchester but free is free! Homeward journey is also via LHR but all in one day. We will see how it goes!

[stan01]

7 hours ago, Fortunate 2 travel said:

DH and I have our first Seabourn cruise in a few months.  Flying from Florida to Barbados.  The air option with Seabourn was on Air Canada and flying us from Miami to somewhere in Canada and then to Barbados.  Uh, no thanks.  Got a non-stop from Miami to Barbados for a significantly lower price.  Why would I fly from Florida to Canada to get to the Caribbean?  We are looking forward to our first experience on SB.

 

 

Barbados is a real problem because American dominates flights to the US and they pulled themselves out of FlightEase back in May.  I'm not sure if AA is back in yet so flight choices are very limited.  So that one may be AA's fault not FlightEase's fault.  

[Vineyard View]

We have a cruise booked late March. I remain unable to see any flights whatsoever inside my booking. The website has been useless. 
I also cannot see any open cabins after many weeks of searching, as friends may want to join us on our itinerary. 
When I want to book an excursion, there are several sold out already, but that part of the website ‘seems’ to be functioning. 

[stan01]

11 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

We have a cruise booked late March. I remain unable to see any flights whatsoever inside my booking. The website has been useless. 
I also cannot see any open cabins after many weeks of searching, as friends may want to join us on our itinerary. 
When I want to book an excursion, there are several sold out already, but that part of the website ‘seems’ to be functioning. 

 

I'm surprised you can't see flights for March 2025 in FlightEase as bookings for most airlines open about 330 days out.   If I can't see flights and book myself I won't use FlightEase.  Just curious if you've called Seabourn to see what's going on?

Edited August 14 by stan01

[Vineyard View]

I have not called them. Our TA is out of town and I want to walk through it with her as we are using miles, but friends may be interested in joining. I wanted to see cabins and flight costs to share with them. They haven’t cruised much, and never on SB. 
I think she’s back next week , so I will be following up with her mi think it just strange that I can’t view either (cabins available whether logged in or not), or flights when logged in. For multiple weeks now. 

[lisa6191]

On 8/13/2024 at 10:30 PM, stan01 said:

 

Barbados is a real problem because American dominates flights to the US and they pulled themselves out of FlightEase back in May.  I'm not sure if AA is back in yet so flight choices are very limited.  So that one may be AA's fault not FlightEase's fault.  

Yikes! I’m glad we booked before May. We are flying nonstop from Philly to Barcelona and then from Barbados to Philly on American for our TA in November. Flight ease credit made it only $400/person total for both flights, which is an amazing price. Feeling lucky!

[Hlitner]

It is also worth noting that Jetblue has two daily non-stop flights between JFK and Barbados.  Jetblue does not show-up in some booking engines so its best to look on its own website for availability.   It would be a bit of a hassle for those from the UK since they would need to change terminals at JFK.

 

Hank

[stan01]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

It is also worth noting that Jetblue has two daily non-stop flights between JFK and Barbados.  Jetblue does not show-up in some booking engines so its best to look on its own website for availability.   It would be a bit of a hassle for those from the UK since they would need to change terminals at JFK.

 

Hank

 

Brits have it better than US/Canada middle and west coast residents.  There are nonstops from Barbados to London on both BA and Virgin plus they don't have to enter the US on Barbados round trip cruises.

 

For Americans and Canadians on the west coast there is an extra forced overnight.  You either have to stay the night in Barbados and leave on an early morning flight (6:00 AM on Jet Blue, 8:00 on AA) or leave in the afternoon and spend the night at an airport like MIA or JFK before flying to the US west coast the next day.  Clearing customs at Miami can take hours on a bad day even with Global Entry.

 

I'm glad Seabourn is using San Juan more in 2025/26 season for Ovation.  Better air connections in the US and no passing through customs in the US.  The Brits won't agree with me as they will lose their nonstop and have to deal with US immigration.

Edited August 15 by stan01

[Hlitner]

23 minutes ago, stan01 said:

 

Brits have it better than US/Canada middle and west coast residents.  There are nonstops from Barbados to London on both BA and Virgin plus they don't have to enter the US on Barbados round trip cruises.

 

For Americans and Canadians on the west coast there is an extra forced overnight.  You either have to stay the night in Barbados and leave on an early morning flight (6:00 AM on Jet Blue, 8:00 on AA) or leave in the afternoon and spend the night at an airport like MIA or JFK before flying to the US west coast the next day.  Clearing customs at Miami can take hours on a bad day even with Global Entry.

 

I'm glad Seabourn is using San Juan more in 2025/26 season for Ovation.  Better air connections in the US and no passing through customs in the US.  The Brits won't agree with me as they will lose their nonstop and have to deal with US immigration.

Actually, there is a med-afternoon Jetblue flight from Barbados to JFK.  It arrives at JFL around 9:30pm, so folks on the West Coast can generally connect to a "night owl" flight.  The problem is that JetBlue is not part of any major airline Alliance, so ticketing can often mean having to purchase a separate ticket for JetBlue  That also means that at JFK, one would need to retrieve their luggage and re-check it at the Jetblue terminal (Terminal 5).

 

While I am not a fan of Jetblue, living in PA does make getting to Barbados a major pain in the behind.  We have cruised (a few times) out of Barbados, and fo us it means a 4 hour drive to JFK (where we arrange for long-term parking or do a one-way rental car).

 

Hank

[stan01]

37 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Actually, there is a med-afternoon Jetblue flight from Barbados to JFK.  It arrives at JFL around 9:30pm, so folks on the West Coast can generally connect to a "night owl" flight. 

 

Have to go through US customs on arrival at JFK, so I don't think there is a connection even if someone wants to fly a redeye overnight.  Plus plenty of places west of Mississippi don't have a red eye/

Edited August 15 by stan01

[FlyerTalker]

4 hours ago, Hlitner said:

It is also worth noting that Jetblue has two daily non-stop flights between JFK and Barbados.  Jetblue does not show-up in some booking engines so its best to look on its own website for availability.   It would be a bit of a hassle for those from the UK since they would need to change terminals at JFK.

 

Not if they fly JetBlue from London to JFK.

 

Of course, since there is non-stop service on British Airways from LHR to BGI, it's not necessary to transit JFK.

[Hlitner]

7 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Not if they fly JetBlue from London to JFK.

 

Of course, since there is non-stop service on British Airways from LHR to BGI, it's not necessary to transit JFK.

One could have an interesting discussion about BA Business Class and JetBlue's Mint Class.  We have never been big fans of BA Business, but our last flight (from IAD to LHR) had amazing service (A380 aircraft) and came close to making me a fan of BA.  However, their ridiculous Business Class policy on advance seat assignments is still enough to drive me to their competitors.  

[Utopia1]

Jet Blue flies nonstop Barbados- JFK

No mint class -- you can upgrade to extra leg room-- but it is regular economy seating with a little extra leg room.

 

[Hlitner]

4 hours ago, Utopia1 said:

Jet Blue flies nonstop Barbados- JFK

No mint class -- you can upgrade to extra leg room-- but it is regular economy seating with a little extra leg room.

 

It actually depends on the flight.  For example, their Saturday morning 9:29am flight (popular with cruisers) does offer lay flat Mint Class.  When looking at their current flights it is only that Saturday flight (and the return flight) that offer Mint Class.  Personally, we would not generally pay for mint class on a 5 hour day flight....but do like those lay flat seats on overnight or longer flights.  

 

While I am not the biggest fan of Jetblue. we have used them between JFK and Barbados because it is the most convenient flight from the Northeast.   Jetblue also offers some flights from Boston to Barbados including a Saturday morning non-stop (with Mint Class).

 

Hank

[johng75370]

As West Coast residents the one big change to FlightEase that makes the Barbados departures even worse for us is that they used to “absorb” the hotel stay in the flight costs.  We’ve stayed at JFK on our way to BGI compliments of Seabourn FlightEase before, which helped to justify the hassle of getting to BGI. (Full disclosure we’ve also done it on our own to stay at TWA Hotel, which SB did not include 😀.)

Recently we’ve seen that FlightEase is much higher if an overnight is involved (to cover the hotel cost). Overall cost is much higher now through FlightEase versus making our own arrangements. 

Edited August 16 by johng75370

[stan01]

6 minutes ago, johng75370 said:

As West Coast residents the one big change to FlightEase that makes the Barbados departures even worse for us is that they used to “absorb” the hotel stay in the flight costs.  

 

We've stayed at the TWA Hotel as well before, and will do so again.  It's almost as convenient for Delta or American as it is for JetBlue.

 

The inclusive hotel room and transfers is one of my small complaints about FlightEase.  You have to have a long discussion with TA, PCC, or call center about what's actually included in the quoted fare.  The first time we used FlightEase no one told us it included an overnight hotel (or transfers) until we called about 15 days prior to embarkation and found out that a hotel was included but had not been reserved nor communicated to us.  The hotel was on a separate itinerary that was not sent to us.

 

Where we did find FlightEase useful was on transatlantic cruises with one leg to Europe and another leg home from Caribbean.  Also premium fares were competitive.  

 

 

[wesport]

Do the research. Use miles, book direct, then use flight ease. Book the least expensive flight.

[Vineyard View]

I was finally able to view flights in my booking for next Spring. Prices are quite a bit higher than last year for sure!  While we are not flying RT as we did to Venice, we are traveling at a lower season (late. May/early June last, vs late Mar/early April next), I’m quite surprised at almost 30% higher cost…..and horrible return flights with extended layovers at that % increase. From what I am reading, flights haven’t gone up from their record highs, and in some cases have eased somewhat. Last year, FlightEase was attractive.  This year it is not. 

[nancygp]

55 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

Last year, FlightEase was attractive.  This year it is not. 

fully concur!

 

Nancy

[Hlitner]

3 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

I was finally able to view flights in my booking for next Spring. Prices are quite a bit higher than last year for sure!  While we are not flying RT as we did to Venice, we are traveling at a lower season (late. May/early June last, vs late Mar/early April next), I’m quite surprised at almost 30% higher cost…..and horrible return flights with extended layovers at that % increase. From what I am reading, flights haven’t gone up from their record highs, and in some cases have eased somewhat. Last year, FlightEase was attractive.  This year it is not. 

Agree that Flightease (and the similar flight programs of HAL and Princess (both of whom use the same folks as Flightease) are not such a great deal these days.  Airline prices have increased (especially for Business/First Class) and many of the big discounts (such a "P" fares) seem to have disappeared from the cruise line flight programs.  We recently booked a Seabourn cruise that embarks from Japan (next year).  We looked at the Flightease options and found we could do better by booking direct with Turkish Air (where we tossed in a multi-day visit to Istanbul on our way to Japan).  The Flightease prices were about the same as booking direct with the airlines.  Like many frequent travelers, we find that booking direct with an airline can pay big dividends if things go wrong!  

 

We have long suggested, to fellow cruisers, that they always shop around among Flightease and other booking options (such as booking direct with an airline) before making their choice.  Sometimes Flightease is the best deal, but not always!

 

Hank

[FlyerTalker]

10 hours ago, wesport said:

Do the research. Use miles, book direct, then use flight ease. Book the least expensive flight.

 

Only if the price is the overriding, ultimate concern.

 

Otherwise, there is SO much more to air travel than just the ticket price.  Quality of equipment, quality of service, convenience of times and connections and so much more.

 

But, if all that matters is the bottom line price, then book the least expensive.

 

I won't.

 

 

[Hlitner]

3 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Only if the price is the overriding, ultimate concern.

 

Otherwise, there is SO much more to air travel than just the ticket price.  Quality of equipment, quality of service, convenience of times and connections and so much more.

 

But, if all that matters is the bottom line price, then book the least expensive.

 

I won't.

 

 

Over the years, Flyer Talker has made a believer out of me regarding looking at all the pros/cons of how one books.  A smart traveler looks at all the possible options (in terms of flights, airlines, connections, hardware, etc) including "Plan B" which is my label for when things go wrong.  With the airlines this means cancelled flights, major delays, missed connections, etc.  Counting on a cruise line (such as Flightease) to come to the rescue, is the kind of risk I have learned to avoid.

 

When things go bad, one will often be on their own, need to think on their feet, and move quickly.  Booking direct with an airline gives you a better chance of getting the airline's own folks working on your behalf.  When you have a third party involved, be it a cruise line, a booking site like Expedia, etc. you may find yourself in very deep doodoo.

 

Hank

[skybluewaters]

18 hours ago, Hlitner said:

With the airlines this means cancelled flights, major delays, missed connections, etc.  Counting on a cruise line (such as Flightease) to come to the rescue, is the kind of risk I have learned to avoid.

 

So, if you booked with FE and there were cancellations or delays, etc., couldn't you still call the airline directly (or go on the airline's app) and make the same changes that you could if you had booked directly with the airline?