Why I book my own airfare

We never seem to get full miles points any more...at least on Stat Allisnce or the Delta plan.

 

I suspect that it has more to do with ticket fare code or price than it does with whether we book direct or through a third party-cruise line, orbitz, etc.

This, if you are booking on LH. K class, among others, earns no miles, no matter who you book through.

In the past, if One flew round trip coach from NYC-LAX, they may have gotten 6000 or so points. Today, if that ticket costs $450, they get 450 points. Huge degradation of the program! Consider the points we once got for miles flown on transoceanic flights versus the fraction of what we now get for the ticket price. Huge!

 

How much incorrect information can you post in one day?

 

For UA, AA and DL, there is a multiplier. For base FF members, the earning is at a rate of 5 pts per dollar. Elite members earn at a higher multiple.

 

So that $450 ticket earns a base rate of 2250 points. Not your supposed 450 points.

 

 

OTOH, Alaska still awards on the basis of miles flown. Other airlines may have varying schemes.

How much incorrect information can you post in one day?

 

For UA, AA and DL, there is a multiplier. For base FF members, the earning is at a rate of 5 pts per dollar. Elite members earn at a higher multiple.

 

So that $450 ticket earns a base rate of 2250 points. Not your supposed 450 points.

 

 

OTOH, Alaska still awards on the basis of miles flown. Other airlines may have varying schemes.

 

I am pretty sure the points system for UA is one point per mile, plus bonus if you are in business or first class, plus bonus for status level. Yes there some other criteria for status...minimum spending and minimum segments flown. But if you fly more than 4 or five roundtrip flights, you meet those pretty easy. I never worry about those, just the miles earned.

I am pretty sure the points system for UA is one point per mile, plus bonus if you are in business or first class, plus bonus for status level. Yes there some other criteria for status...minimum spending and minimum segments flown. But if you fly more than 4 or five roundtrip flights, you meet those pretty easy. I never worry about those, just the miles earned.

 

Amazing. I guess neither of you actually bother to read the UA website.

 

FF earning LINK HERE.

Amazing. I guess neither of you actually bother to read the UA website.

 

FF earning LINK HERE.

 

We apologize for being less perfect than you....

Edited September 8, 2017 by CruiserBruce

These changes made to miles earned is why I fly less on UA, unless it's an award ticket, and increasingly book flights on Alaska when possible

Here's the thing....well intentioned misinformation is still misinformation. Referring back to the original source material such as the airline web page, a government web page, the terms and conditions of your trip insurance policy, the terms and conditions of your cruise contract (yes, it is a contract), is always more reliable than our memories or our experience last year or casual conversations with some industry insider.

 

A few years ago I was certain about some nuances of the WHTI (Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative) because of what I had found on the Dept of Homeland Security website. Turns out I was wrong because the government had not updated its own website with new information. Facepalm.

 

 

Moral: it's ok to be wrong and it's ok to be corrected.

 

Moral: it's ok to be wrong and it's ok to be corrected.

 

Agree, except when some "holier than thou" experts take pleasure in correcting others and often fail to even acknowledge that sometimes an opinion isn't wrong even if it doesn't match theirs....

While I mainly book our air on our own I look at cruise air as a tool in the tool box. Rather then just shut the door I like to look at all options when we book our air travel and that includes cruise air. In most cases we book it on our own but once in awhile cruise air has worked for us.

 

I will only book air through the cruise line when I can select our own flights and when I know precisely how all the rules work.

 

Like most things there are pros and cons.

 

For example, even if we can pick our own flights if I choose the cruise air and then if the flight changes (say the connection if one is involved) and I don't like it I have to go back to our TA who in turn has to go back to the cruise line who in turn has to go back to the airline to attempt to change it to what we want. If I had booked the air myself then I can just go to the airline.

 

I think the key to all of this is to do your homework. Know your options. And know any ramifications of that option.

 

And sometimes with all the research in the world you won't be able to figure it all out ahead of time. This is why sometimes experience really matters.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

Keith

Is Cruise Air a type of airfare company? Only asking because with RCCL and their Air2Sea program, pricing is the same as the airline site, I can choose when I fly, after I book I can enter the reservation number on the airline site and choose my seat/any upgrades. I am also able to enter my FF# number in the reservation. I've only used this service for same day flights though, as the perk is I'm guaranteed to make it to the ship that way. I guess my point is, I've not experienced any difference aside from being unable to use miles, but peace of mind knowing I'll make the ship if I have a delay is worth it 😁

 

Very interesting thread!

 

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Except for flights to the nearest port ( Vancouver) . We save anywhere from $500 to $1000 CDN for our flights.

We can also collect the FF for our flights. The only problem with s upgrading our flights but is the rules that the airline imposes on Princess tickets.

 

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Is Cruise Air a type of airfare company?

 

No, it's a generic term for the various air ticket programs offered by the various cruiselines.

 

Only asking because with RCCL and their Air2Sea program, pricing is the same as the airline site

Depending on the specific tickets, you may or may not be purchasing the same tickets as what you would get from the airline directly. The only way to be certain is to compare the actual fare basis code for each. Having the same price is no guarantee of this, and might even be used to disguise any difference.

 

I can choose when I fly, after I book I can enter the reservation number on the airline site and choose my seat/any upgrades. I am also able to enter my FF# number in the reservation.

None of these factors is dispositive in determining the fare basis and ticket you have. Most importantly, they don't disclose the fare rules.

 

I've only used this service for same day flights though, as the perk is I'm guaranteed to make it to the ship that way.

I highly recommend that you check that again. There are a lot of marketing phrases and weasel words, but nothing in the terms and conditions that state you're "guaranteed to make it to the ship". Please report back when you find it.

 

I guess my point is, I've not experienced any difference aside from being unable to use miles, but peace of mind knowing I'll make the ship if I have a delay is worth it

As mentioned, check that premise. If that's the reason you are buying through the cruiseline, you may want to reexamine your "peace of mind".

 

When all goes well, the difference is rarely noticeable. It is when the situation goes bad that the differences may rear their ugly head. If the fare basis and fare rules are different than what you would get with a published fare from the airline (and "fare" does NOT mean "price"), you may have far more limited options and recourse in getting rerouted or reaccommodated.

 

In simple terms, there is more to an airline ticket than the price and the schedule. Every ticket has a "fare", which is comprised of the price of the ticket PLUS the specific fare rules that go with the fare. Those rules are the determining factors when it comes to so many things in irregular operations. There may be restriction on if and how the ticket may be endorsed to another carrier. They may specify specific flight numbers, carriers and routings. Some may not allow any changes, even in case of irops.

 

Unless you can see the fare basis, being on the same flight doesn't mean you have the same ticket. It means that both tickets use the same aircraft. Big difference. To sum up, let me give you a very basic hypothetical. You can buy a ticket to a baseball game from the Yankees or from Sal down the street. Both get you into the game and to your seat. Scenario 1: Weather's great and the game is played. Scenario 2: However, it now starts to rain and the game is cancelled. Turns out that the ticket from Sal doesn't have a provision for a rain check, while the one from the Yankees does. "But they were the same price for the same game". Nope, they were different tickets because they had different rules.

Except for flights to the nearest port ( Vancouver) . We save anywhere from $500 to $1000 CDN for our flights.

We can also collect the FF for our flights. The only problem with s upgrading our flights but is the rules that the airline imposes on Princess tickets.

 

As long as you know that those monetary savings may come with restrictions on your tickets that may impact your ability to reach your cruise, go for it. I have nothing against buying cruiseline tickets to save money.

 

I do have something against buying cruiseline tickets and naively assuming they are exactly the same as what you would get from the airline directly.

 

The informed consumer is my goal. Buy with both eyes wide open and recognize exactly what you are purchasing.

I've only used this service for same day flights though, as the perk is I'm guaranteed to make it to the ship that way. I guess my point is, I've not experienced any difference aside from being unable to use miles, but peace of mind knowing I'll make the ship if I have a delay is worth it 😁

 

Many people will jump on your comment regarding "I'm guaranteed to make it to the ship". If you actually dig into the guarantee it isn't that all encompassing. It actually is worded more to the effect of:

We'll use our best efforts to get you to the ship on time.

We'll assist you in the event of delays or cancellation.

 

 

If you look at what they are promising you'll realize that it's actually impossible to guarantee you will make it to the ship on time. There are often situations (winter storms/hurricanes/equipment (airplane problems)) that mean no force on earth will get you to the ship prior to departure.

 

 

What they will do (similar to what the OP is mentioning) is work with you if there is an issue prior to departure to try and route you to get to the ship on time (leaving earlier, different routing,etc). Should that fail and you miss your ship, they will also work with you to catch up to the ship (is possible given various restrictions on where you can and cannot board the ship).

 

 

All that said, there may be situations where they cannot get you to the ship on time and cannot get you to catch up to the ship. This is why even when using cruise air many people choose to fly in a day or two earlier.

 

 

I use Choice Air when it makes sense and only once have I run into an issue. In that case the Airline (Lufthansa) was able to reroute me to get to the ship prior to departure. Choice Air concurred that the option offered by Lufthansa was the best available and to contact them if I still missed the ship to make arrangement to get me to the next available port. (I made it so never found out how helpful they would be getting me caught up to the ship).

 

 

 

Many people on this forum will also proclaim that "You're not getting the same tickets", "Your tickets will be consolidator tickets", "You'll be stuck dealing with a middle man if a problem does occur". Ultimately you still need to plan your flights and ensure you have enough flexibility to get to your cruise if delays/cancellations occur.

This is all very informative! Makes me glad I have trip insurance too (3rd party). Luckily I have yet to have a bad experience, just trying to be helpful in sharing the experience I have had. Normally we do fly in a day or two prior, I just can't swing the PTO this time 😕

 

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When I use Princess Air, they have a 24 hr emergency number where they can reroute or put you on a different airline . Three times we had problems with flights home from a cruise. Every time the airline treated us like a regular customer. Rescheduled us to a later flight , supplied hotel due to missed connection and a meal voucher at both ends.

 

 

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This is all very informative! Makes me glad I have trip insurance too (3rd party). Luckily I have yet to have a bad experience, just trying to be helpful in sharing the experience I have had. Normally we do fly in a day or two prior, I just can't swing the PTO this time 😕

 

Remember, "insurance" is only there to reimburse actual cash expenses incurred due to covered situations. And it always is important to know just what is covered and what is not, and what the conditions and inclusions are - aka "the fine print". Insurance willl not cover non-monetary losses (such as emotional distress for missing your trip).

In conjunction with a cruise, we ALWAYS book our own air domestic, but whenever we've done a TA or European sailings we ALWAYS book air through the line. Last time it was almost $400 less pp than anything I could get on my own. For that much difference, I don't care about points. Living where we live, and the proximity to JFK where we fly out of, it's almost always a non-stop. And when you book air through the line it pretty much always includes the transfers. Some destinations the airport to the ship can run around $100, another cost to take into consideration. Where you're flying out of, where you're flying to, can make a difference in price, routing, etc, so there isn't a generic "one is better than the other" for everyone, every time. Do your home work, compare and make your decision on what's best FOR YOU.

Have used cruiseline air (Princess, Celebrity)with good success a number of times with being able to select best flights, book seats and a couple of days prior to cruise. Also many times organized from specific airline site.

Most recent experience not so good. Had booked with HAL, direct flights next April to Ft Lauderdale and return from Vancouver after 21 day cruise on Holland America. Apparently airline doesn't have the assigned direct flight to Fll so we were reassigned. So far so good and one stopover OK. Issue is while we are boarding in Ottawa the connecting flight is leaving Montreal with us arriving in Montreal well after the flight has taken off.

I only became aware of this because I had added my flights into the airline app and when just looking at bookings noticed it. On HAL booking original flexible booked flights are the original ones. Am leaving the flights on the booking until near final payment then will see if original flights reappear at airline.

 

 

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Issue is while we are boarding in Ottawa the connecting flight is leaving Montreal with us arriving in Montreal well after the flight has taken off.

 

 

Am leaving the flights on the booking until near final payment then will see if original flights reappear at airline.

 

There's a good chance that there was a schedule change. If you wait, hopefully the airline or choice air will notice that you cannot make that connection, but the will likely rebook you and you'll be at their mercy as to what they choose. I would call NOW, while you likely have multiple options, and get rebooked to something realistic

Same happened years ago to Anchorage. The flight showed up for a couple of weeks 9 months or so out, then disappeared only to reappear 3 months out at a lower rate.

Not too worried and waiting until cruise office settles down post hurricanes. The airline site actually shows a good many flight options at lower rates.

 

 

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The longer you wait to fix this, the less choice you may have.

I think experienced travelers want "control" over things like airfare, hotels, land transport..., I book all of my own air. In addition, because we have plenty to time to travel, we try and make all aspects of our trip enjoyable.

Our last flight to Europe -- booked flight ABQ to NYC and spent three nights in Manhattan; caught an early morning BA flight JFK to LHR (no over-night flight) and spent five nights in London; boarded a BA flight (1stClass) LGW to Rome and spend two nights there; took a car service from our hotel to Civitavecchia to board our Celebrity cruise. Very similar on our return trip, except we did detour down to Southampton to board the Anthem for a 14 day cruise before returning home.

 

Enjoy!

Kel

Great thread. While we normally book our own air (direct with the airlines) one is well advised to check the cruise line offerings on International air fares. For example, we have a Princess cruise that debarks from Singapore and decided to fly Business Class from the East Coast of the USA. We checked every east coast airport's options and the typical one-way business class fare was about $3000 per person (for good airlines such as Singapore Air). But our cruise line (Princess) had a deal with China Air (a decent airline with its home base in Taipei) for about half that price. So booking cruise-air saved us about $3000 for just a one-way flight. Is Singapore Air worth $3000 more (for 2) then China Air? No way. Both have lay flat seats and decent service. While Singapore or Cathay Pacific would be our first choices....China Air is fine (there normal business class fare is more then double the deal offered through Princess).

 

Hank

The longer you wait to fix this, the less choice you may have.

 

 

 

Have been watching air from several airlines...still lots of choices. I never get too preoccupied with air until final payment. If air becomes an issue the cruise can be cancelled with fully refundable deposit.

 

 

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