Changing flight booked thru Princess

[Ratdoggie]

I posted this on the Cruise Air board but thought I'd try the Princess board too. We just got our flight info for our March cruise from Princess, going to and from LA. The flight was booked as part of our crusie package.

 

At the end of the cruise, our ship arrives in LA at 7am, our flight home departs at 6pm and we arrive in Portland, Oregon after midnight. We have friends that booked the same cruise the day after we did. Their flight leaves at 1:38 and they arrive in Portland, Oregon at 6pm (same airline too). Our friends will arrive home about the time we are finally leaving LA!

 

First of all, I'm wondering how they scored such a good flight. Even going down to LA they leave at 10am and we leave at 6:20am but we only arrive 30 minutes earlier than they do in LA (we have a 2 hour layover).

 

Second, what are our chances of Princess changing our flights (this is during Spring break by the way)? I'm calling my TA tomorrow but am wondering if anyone knows what our success rate might be.

 

:eek:

[Caribbean Sunsets]

I posted this on the Cruise Air board but thought I'd try the Princess board too. We just got our flight info for our March cruise from Princess, going to and from LA. The flight was booked as part of our crusie package.

 

At the end of the cruise, our ship arrives in LA at 7am, our flight home departs at 6pm and we arrive in Portland, Oregon after midnight. We have friends that booked the same cruise the day after we did. Their flight leaves at 1:38 and they arrive in Portland, Oregon at 6pm (same airline too). Our friends will arrive home about the time we are finally leaving LA!

 

First of all, I'm wondering how they scored such a good flight. Even going down to LA they leave at 10am and we leave at 6:20am but we only arrive 30 minutes earlier than they do in LA (we have a 2 hour layover).

 

Second, what are our chances of Princess changing our flights (this is during Spring break by the way)? I'm calling my TA tomorrow but am wondering if anyone knows what our success rate might be.

 

:eek:

 

Did your friends also book air through Princess or on their own? Are the two bookings linked together with Princess?

 

I've always done my air separately but perhaps if they know you are traveling together, you can get the earlier flight. Good luck!:)

[Pia1913]

I would try calling the airline directly. They may very well change it for you without any middleman.

[King Neptune]

They will change it for you but it will cost more money. The cruise lines buy seats on certain flights at a discount to them. If you change to a different flight, you won't get the discounted amount. That is what happened to us when we wanted to change some flights. After that, I always book our own air travel.

[Spikesgirl]

We book our air through Princess and then pay the deviation fee to fly when we want and also to pick our own airline. It could be that there are no more availability upn their flight, providing they booked first, but you can always ask. Your TA should be able to come up with that info easily enough. You can also go to the airline web pages and see what they have for availability. Princess willl block a numer of seats and they may have been previously allocated to your booking. It never hurts to ask.

[paul929207]

If Princess can make a change, they will charge you the deviation fee plus any increase in the price of the ticket.

[Ratdoggie]

What bothers me is that I wanted to book the air on our own, we were even going to fly in the day before. But the TA talked us into the cruise air. She said it would be less risky plus she could get a good price. Well, obviously the price was good due to the undesirable time. I'll still give her a call, but it sounds like the consensus is that we will have to pay a fee.

 

Too bad it's Spring break, too late to change our booking and get air on our own as flights are already full. Maybe we will just make the best of it and find something to do that day - I can't stand the thought of hanging around the airport for an entire day!

 

Oh well, lesson learned!

[cherylandtk]

What bothers me is that I wanted to book the air on our own, we were even going to fly in the day before. But the TA talked us into the cruise air.

Then point this out to the TA, and ask her to pay for the deviation. Tell her how disappointed you are with the lousy times and that you trusted her to arrange what she promised.

 

As to your questions: It happened because day of booking has little to do with flight assignments (usually 60 days before the cruise), unless you ask for and pay for a deviation at time of booking. Your friends got lucky and got the good flight, you were unlucky and got the bad one. Sorta like a poker hand.

 

And the second: You can only ask and see if Princess has room left on the better flight and pay for the deviation. If they do not have any consignment seats left, you will probably be offered flights at the time you want, but at a higher cost. Good Luck, but be prepared for any outcome.

[Ratdoggie]

Just thought I'd send an update on the outcome of my situation in case others have a similar situation. My TA was able to find a better flight for us, leaving LA two hours earlier but arriving home 4 hours earlier. As the folks who responded to my post warned me, there is a deviation fee of $50 per person. There are three of us, so it will cost $150. I think I'm going to do it as we will get home at a reasonable time and it will be such a long day as it is with getting up early to disembark that morning.

 

As far as our friends getting such a good flight...they also booked air through the cruiseline, but used a different TA. From my understanding it was simply luck of the draw. Kind of a bummer that we have to pay more because of it. :(

[cherylandtk]

Ratdoggie,

 

I am so glad it worked out for you. Despite the $150 it could have been worse. Now, may I suggest, please go back over to the Cruise Air forum and read the sticky note at the top of the page entitled "Cruise Air and Deviation Explained". It goes into more detail as to how this all works, how your friends got lucky, how your TA should never have told you she could deliver on cruise air-something she has no control over-and remember it the next time someone tells you "Oh it's just simpler this way" HA!

 

And I think you still have a case for asking your TA to absorb at least part of the deviation fee. Very glad these flights were still in the bucket for you, too.