Upgrading airfare to premium economy

Booked air thru Oceania to Reykjavik. Delta told us we could not upgrade because of the way Oceania booked. Five days away from departure and we cannot upgrade seats.

Do not know if Delta does this or not but when you login 24 hrs prior to your flight some airlines will off upgrades for a fee at that time or you can ask at the check in counter

Might be an option

We booked our air thru Oceania and it's on Delta to Reykjavik. I had no problems upgrading my seats once they were ticketed which was about 38 days out. I did it myself on my computer and paid with a credit card.

Would be interested in the details. How were you booked and what upgrade did you get.

I was hoping to change to a seat with more leg-room, the Delta "Comfort Seats". I can pay to move closer to the front of the plane, but it is the same type seat. There are no longer two seats together in the Delta Comfort Seats ( there were when we first got our tickets, but I was not allowed to change! Go figure.)

I did get to change to Delta comfort with more leg room. We are flying from Houston to Minneapolis to Reykjavik all on Delta. About 50 days out I called Oceania To ask when they would ticket the flights. At the time she told me 45 days but that because of the way Oceania books I might not be able to upgrade my seat. So I called Delta and she could see my reservation but since it was not ticketed she told me to check everyday to see if the Delta comfort seats were still available. Some of them did sell out but when Oceania finally ticketed the flights I was still able to grab 2 seats together with more legroom but I did have to pay extra for them. Sorry you did not get to do that.

Let me further add, that due to new policy changes at the three major US airlines, some, both domestic and international, fares are being sold that are non upgradable, period. That "period", also includes those having status with the airlines. Period includes not only a move from Economy to BC, but also a move up into a better economy seat.

 

As flyers and travelers race to the cheapest seats possible, they are going to have to become increasingly more aware of which Class of seat they, or the cruise lines or travel groups, book them into. The rules are changing quickly in this matter. What was policy six months ago, is totally different today. Buyer Beware!

This is one of the few times I think it is unfortunate that with the recent CC upgrade we are no longer able to add a subject / title to our posts, though they were most often misused.

If we could I would suggest that pinotlovers post should have "NOW READ THIS". There is good advice there.

As much is possible I won't bog this down with details of "me" except to say I went into this with eyes wide open and chose to allow O to pick my flights. I'll write the details up in a separate post.

Bottom line is with the race to the bottom by the major American airlines I can no longer take O's flights. It's not O's fault unless, unlike all other cruise line / tour sellers who also provide air, either "included" or as an optional purchase, they can make contracts to purchase higher than the lowest category from the major airlines.

As pinotlover warns this new low category cannot purchase an upgrade, and more important to me, cannot even purchase seats in advance. That is a deal breaker for me.

Consequently, from this point forward, with the exception of one cruise I have already booked with premium economy air and that will be on a European carrier, all my O cruises will now be purchased without airfare. Whether I take the air credit or choose the cruise only fare will depend on what is on offer at the time. And to O that means loss of revenue as they will no longer get the US$350 deviation fee from us (which is $300 more than a TA who charges a fee to book air would cost me)

We lucked out because the flights O chose for us had great flight times but more so I was helped by a rep on AA to actually get seats but that was an exception and just as they were transitioning. (I will not comment further on the experience with Air Canada.)

So be warned, unless you want to take the chance and sit in middle seats or in different parts of the plane from your travelling companion, do not take the lowest class airfare on these major American airlines.

And as pinotlover wisely warns at the end of their post, this is constantly changing so if someone got something it does not mean you will too.

I paid a deviation and picked my flights which were approved within 2 days and then moved my seat on line. My cruise is 7 months away and purchased as soon as flights opened, which I believe is 8 months out. Delta and air France it was easy.

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My cruise is with Oceania

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Oceania advertises that their O Life promotion provides free air plus either on board credit, a beverage package, or excursions. But beware if you need to upgrade your flights to business class or to first class. A surprise and hidden costs are lurking.Unlike other cruise lines, Oceania’s upgrade applies only to the international segments of flights; domestic segments are booked economy. This information is not provided up front, and I discovered it long after final payment when the air itinerary was provided and I looked for seat assignments. In my case, a Tahiti to Los Angeles segment was business class, but the Los Angeles to Miami segment was economy. I was offered an upgrade to first class on the latter segment for an additional $875 per person. A search through the fine print of the Guest Ticket/Contract did reveal the statement “Upgrades apply to International flights and may not apply to U.S. domestic or intra-continental flights within North America…”

My flights are domestic from Tampa to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Papeete, Los Angeles to Tampa all premium comfort on delta and Air France on my cruise on Oceania. Have confirmation and assigned seats which I moved on line. No problem and cheaper than I could have got on my own for the flights I wanted

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Sorry Air France is international but also premium comfort

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Do you have to pay the $175 pp deviation fee if you are asking O to include your home airport as a secondary airport in their ticketing process?

For example, we have a couple of European cruises booked with both initial flights leaving from Atlanta. O has the Birmingham airport listed as a secondary airport for $199 pp roundtrip. We would instead like to fly out of Montgomery (as it is much closer) and our O PCC told us to call back at the 6 month point to see what the air folks will say. Do you know if O will also charge the $175 pp deviation fee for their effort + the cost of the flight or will it just be the cost of the flight if it is more than $199 pp? Of course, it they charge that extra fee, we can just book the flight from Montgomery to Atlanta ourselves, but would feel more comfortable if it is all included in the O ticket.

As a side note, the only reason we book flights through the cruise is to insure the cruise line will pay to get us to the next port if the flight is delayed or cancelled for any reason and we miss the sailing; otherwise we would book it ourselves.

Do you have to pay the $175 pp deviation fee if you are asking O to include your home airport as a secondary airport in their ticketing process?

 

For example, we have a couple of European cruises booked with both initial flights leaving from Atlanta. O has the Birmingham airport listed as a secondary airport for $199 pp roundtrip. We would instead like to fly out of Montgomery (as it is much closer) and our O PCC told us to call back at the 6 month point to see what the air folks will say. Do you know if O will also charge the $175 pp deviation fee for their effort + the cost of the flight or will it just be the cost of the flight if it is more than $199 pp? Of course, it they charge that extra fee, we can just book the flight from Montgomery to Atlanta ourselves, but would feel more comfortable if it is all included in the O ticket.

 

As a side note, the only reason we book flights through the cruise is to insure the cruise line will pay to get us to the next port if the flight is delayed or cancelled for any reason and we miss the sailing; otherwise we would book it ourselves.

This is my understanding & I could be wrong

You are confusing the two different fees

Deviation fee is if you want to fly in earlier than the cruise or stay longer after the cruise or even choose a specific carrier & there can be an upcharge

Secondary gateways they will charge you the $199 fee for the secondary gateways listed if you want a different gateway it could be the same charge or more depending on their contracts with the airlines flying from those gateways/city pairs

Just put in the flights you want and they will let you know when if there is a fee. If you don't approve it don't accept it.

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As a side note, the only reason we book flights through the cruise is to insure the cruise line will pay to get us to the next port if the flight is delayed or cancelled for any reason and we miss the sailing; otherwise we would book it ourselves.

You might want to read the terms and conditions a bit closer. No where does it state Oceania will do this. Actually it says the opposite. Who told you this?

You might want to read the terms and conditions a bit closer. No where does it state Oceania will do this. Actually it says the opposite. Who told you this?

We read it on the O website under Airfare with OLife Choice, specifically:

"The airfare included with our OLife Choice program* is available in Coach Class from the U.S. and Canadian gateways listed on this page. For your convenience, air transportation from cities not listed on the chart can be arranged upon request at an additional charge. Business and First Class airfares are also available for purchase. On bookings that include air travel, the air arrangements, including routings and selection of air carrier, are at Oceania Cruises’ discretion and are based on flight availability. Should you encounter a flight delay or travel interruption, we will make arrangements to assist you or rebook you on another flight at no additional cost. If you have a preferred air carrier, a mileage program or special scheduling requests, you may wish to make customized changes to the air arrangements provided by Oceania Cruises. For a modest fee, our custom air department is available to assist with specific flight requests."

How would you interpret this statement? In any event when we talk with the air fare folks at the 6 month point, we'll ask them about this statement.

As far as the answers to my above deviation fee question goes, thanks everyone for your thoughts. We weren't sure based on what was said on the website:

"The airfare included with our OLife Choice program* is available in Coach Class from the U.S. and Canadian gateways listed on this page. For your convenience, air transportation from cities not listed on the chart can be arranged upon request at an additional charge...."

As we weren't sure if this was one of the scenarios that fall under the "deviation fee" option, we just wanted to ask and now we know. Thanks!

We read it on the O website under Airfare with OLife Choice, specifically:

 

"The airfare included with our OLife Choice program* is available in Coach Class from the U.S. and Canadian gateways listed on this page. For your convenience, air transportation from cities not listed on the chart can be arranged upon request at an additional charge. Business and First Class airfares are also available for purchase. On bookings that include air travel, the air arrangements, including routings and selection of air carrier, are at Oceania Cruises’ discretion and are based on flight availability. Should you encounter a flight delay or travel interruption, we will make arrangements to assist you or rebook you on another flight at no additional cost. If you have a preferred air carrier, a mileage program or special scheduling requests, you may wish to make customized changes to the air arrangements provided by Oceania Cruises. For a modest fee, our custom air department is available to assist with specific flight requests."

 

How would you interpret this statement? In any event when we talk with the air fare folks at the 6 month point, we'll ask them about this statement.

I was going by this from their website:

"Can I add air to my reservation?

Oceania Cruises, as an added service to our guests, offers arrangements for air travel in conjunction with a cruise. Air arrangements, including routings, are at Oceania Cruises' (or its agents') discretion, and are based on flight availability and agreements among various airlines, Oceania Cruises and independent contractors. Special requests, including class of service upgrades, specific carriers and routing, are at the discretion of Oceania Cruises. Upgrades apply to International flights and may not apply to U.S. domestic or intra-continental flights within North America, Europe, South America, Asia or Africa. Air allowance is subject to prevailing rates at time of change. In making these arrangements, Oceania Cruises acts only as an agent on the guest(s') behalf, and does not operate, control, or supervise any airlines and will not be responsible for carriers failing to meet schedules whether or not air tickets were issued by Oceania Cruises. Air tickets are refundable to Oceania Cruises only and are considered a part of the total cruise or cruise tour fare. Any airline-imposed fees that result from changes to or cancellation of air arrangements are the sole responsibility of the guest. Due to government regulations, if you are delayed or unable to board at embarkation, you may not be able to board at a later time. In such event, Carrier shall have no liability to refund any cruise or cruise tour fares."

We read it on the O website under Airfare with OLife Choice, specifically:

 

"The airfare included with our OLife Choice program* is available in Coach Class from the U.S. and Canadian gateways listed on this page. For your convenience, air transportation from cities not listed on the chart can be arranged upon request at an additional charge. Business and First Class airfares are also available for purchase. On bookings that include air travel, the air arrangements, including routings and selection of air carrier, are at Oceania Cruises’ discretion and are based on flight availability. Should you encounter a flight delay or travel interruption, we will make arrangements to assist you or rebook you on another flight at no additional cost. If you have a preferred air carrier, a mileage program or special scheduling requests, you may wish to make customized changes to the air arrangements provided by Oceania Cruises. For a modest fee, our custom air department is available to assist with specific flight requests."

 

How would you interpret this statement? In any event when we talk with the air fare folks at the 6 month point, we'll ask them about this statement.

Ken, notice it doesn't say they will pay to get you to the next port, although they might. It does say they will assist you or rebook you.

Check out this thread.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2527242

ORV, good points. I guess the best way to resolve this is to just ask the Oceania air folks for the specifics when we talk to them at the 6 month point.

Ken, notice it doesn't say they will pay to get you to the next port, although they might. It does say they will assist you or rebook you.

 

Check out this thread.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2527242

Thanks ORV! Good thread!

Please explain the 6 months out date that is being referred to. A cruiser can arrange air, via a deviation, with Oceania's Air Dept starting at 270 days prior to cruise. This is nearly 9 months out, not six!

Please explain the 6 months out date that is being referred to. A cruiser can arrange air, via a deviation, with Oceania's Air Dept starting at 270 days prior to cruise. This is nearly 9 months out, not six!

I think they are referring to the secondary gateway choices

see post #37

After reviewing the responses on this thread as well as on the one ORV suggested, we have now decided to either book a precruise adventure or at least a hotel through Oceania at least the day before the cruise sets sail just to make sure there is some cushion between the time we arrive at the airport and the day we actually set sail. It will definitely keep the stress level lower in case any air delays are encountered, especially when going overseas, as well as give us more exploring time at the embarkation port.

As a perk for booking these precruise adventures/hotels through Oceania (from what we understand), any deviation fees as well as ship transfer fees are included in the cost.

Again, eveyone, thanks for all of your thoughts!

After reviewing the responses on this thread as well as on the one ORV suggested, we have now decided to either book a precruise adventure or at least a hotel through Oceania at least the day before the cruise sets sail just to make sure there is some cushion between the time we arrive at the airport and the day we actually set sail. It will definitely keep the stress level lower in case any air delays are encountered, especially when going overseas, as well as give us more exploring time at the embarkation port.

 

As a perk for booking these precruise adventures/hotels through Oceania (from what we understand), any deviation fees as well as ship transfer fees are included in the cost.

 

Again, eveyone, thanks for all of your thoughts!

I frequently use Oceania air, fortunately we have enough cruises now to get included deviations. I've always been happy with Oceania air, but I've never had anything go wrong.

One thing to bear in mind when booking your hotel through them that it is per person. So you definitely need to look at what hotels they are using for your port city and what the cost is. Many people find they are better off taking the Olife, then taking the air credit, doing your own air and hotel and transfers, and still saving money. I see yours is a European cruise, many times it's hard to beat the price that Oceania can get for you on an International flight.

You always need to look at each cruise individually and do the math. Like you we fly from a secondary gateway and most often find we can't beat the 198 per person add on to get to a gateway city.