Seabourn "Air Credit" on cruises

[FlyerTalker]

22 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Over the years, Flyer Talker has made a believer out of me regarding looking at all the pros/cons of how one books.

 

Thanks much.  My overriding goal is for folks to become educated, informed consumers.  Way too many think of air travel as a commodity item, when it often is far from that.  And your recognition that a "Plan B" is a necessity is great to hear.  And don't forget having the Plan C as well.  😀

 

Cruiseline air can be a very good choice.  It can also be very bad.  Sadly, there is no "one correct answer" as everyone's individual circumstances provide the discrimination needed to make the optimum choice.  Research, analyze, and above all, know what YOUR priorities are.  And keep re-evaluating your priorities - as we become more and more aware, we often find new priorities.

 

 

[FlyerTalker]

3 hours ago, skybluewaters said:

 

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? 

 

Yes and no.  Much would depend on the exact fare rules of the ticket purchased.  Some bulk tickets require that any changes, even in the case of irops, be processed through the bulk ticket purchaser (aka cruiseline).  Others have specific rules regarding irops that are more restrictive than published fare tickets.  And still others have rules that mirror published ticket irops rules.  Probably most fall into that last category, but who knows exact breakdowns since those are proprietary information for the airline and the cruiseline.

 

The devil in the details is that you don't know those rules before you make your purchase.  And sometimes, even then you won't know.  If you are comfortable with opaque rules, OK.

 

Just know...it's not as simple and automatic as the marketing hype makes it seem.

 

 

 

 

[stan01]

 

Are there any tips for multi-leg airfare in conjunction with transatlantic cruises?  Such as flying from the US to Lisbon or Barcelona then from the Caribbean to the US?  Our experience as a US west coast traveler was that FlightAware gave us "good enough" fares and connections for international business class and Caribbean/domestic first class that we didn't bother to seek other alternatives.

[highplanesdrifters]

19 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Thanks much.  My overriding goal is for folks to become educated, informed consumers.  Way too many think of air travel as a commodity item, when it often is far from that.  And your recognition that a "Plan B" is a necessity is great to hear.  And don't forget having the Plan C as well.  😀

 

Cruiseline air can be a very good choice.  It can also be very bad.  Sadly, there is no "one correct answer" as everyone's individual circumstances provide the discrimination needed to make the optimum choice.  Research, analyze, and above all, know what YOUR priorities are.  And keep re-evaluating your priorities - as we become more and more aware, we often find new priorities.

 

 

 

 

Another thanks.  The information you provide gracefully, intelligently, and free of charge is much appreciated.

 

It's a constantly changing jungle out there.

[FlyerTalker]

13 hours ago, stan01 said:

 

Are there any tips for multi-leg airfare in conjunction with transatlantic cruises?  Such as flying from the US to Lisbon or Barcelona then from the Caribbean to the US?  Our experience as a US west coast traveler was that FlightAware gave us "good enough" fares and connections for international business class and Caribbean/domestic first class that we didn't bother to seek other alternatives.

 

This is one place where cruiseline provide air may be financially advantageous.  The  reason for this is the rule on open-jaw pricing.  Open jaw is where there is a triangle involved with three cities (lets call them A, B & C).  There are three sides to the triangle, but only two are flown, with one unflown (the open jaw).  This type of ticket is priced as half of the round-trip for the first flown leg plus half of the round trip of the second.  This becomes advantageous when there is a significant discount for round-trip tickets versus two one-ways -- as many intercontinental tickets are.

 

The issue becomes that in order to be a legitimate open-jaw for pricing purposes, the unflown leg must be the shortest of the three.  And with a TATL unflown segment (say from Barcelona to Miami), that distance needs to be the shortest.  Which makes for VERY few TATL routes that could qualify.  About the only European point that would work would be Lisbon, and that would likely need to go to Barbados or San Juan (as both are more easterly than Miami).  And even then, only Seattle works with San Juan while Seattle, LAX and San Francisco would work with Barbados.

 

One can see actual great circle distances (which are what's used to determine validity, not itinerary routings) by using the Great Circle Mapper:

 

http://www.gcmap.com

 

So, what you are left is looking at airlines that provide attractive one-way pricing for TATL flights.  This will often involve multiple connections, so you have to balance the pricing benefit versus inconvenience.

 

Coming back from the Caribbean, you can find lots of one-way pricing, so that's not so much an issue.

 

Yes, it's a technical issue due to fare rules.  But understanding why some pricing is dramatically different than others is the first step towards making those informed decisions.

 

 

 

 

 

[stan01]

8 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

This is one place where cruiseline provide air may be financially advantageous.  The  reason for this is the rule on open-jaw pricing.

 

 

Thanks for the great explanation!  Will see how it goes for our next bookings in 2025 and 2026.

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, stan01 said:

Thanks for the great explanation!  Will see how it goes for our next bookings in 2025 and 2026.

 

There is also another strategy if you can get the timing right.

 

That would be to be sailing on two crossings, one in each direction.

 

Let's say your first would be in the spring, going MIA to BCN.  And in the fall, do a return BCN sailing to MIA.  And assuming you live in Los Angeles (though this could work from anywhere)

 

Now you buy a pair of round-trip tickets and use them in this order.

 

Ticket #1 is round-trip LAX-MIA-LAX.  Ticket #2 is BCN-LAX-BCN.  You take the flight segments in this order:

 

First, use the first half of Ticket #1 to fly LAX to MIA.

Then sail MIA to BCN.

Next, use the first half of Ticket #2 to fly BCN to LAX.

Come the fall, now use the second half of Ticket #2 to fly LAX to BCN.

Sail BCN to MIA

Use the second half of Ticket #1 to fly MIA to LAX.

 

If you do this all within a year's time, you can probably get round-trip pricing for both tickets. 

 

 

[caviargal]

We used the air credit for our upcoming Encore cruise, r/t Athens.  It saved us quite a bit however, we are Delta flyers and this is on Air Canada in business.  We normally fly Delta One.  Hoping for a good experience.