FlyerTalker

I am going to assume that after Rio, the ship will make a few other Brazil stops before Ilheus. Are they talking Buzios and Vitoria? Both are delightful stops IMO. (Nothing on the pics for March 6-8) Thanks.

Not sure how you are finding first class seats on United long-haul. Were you talking about business class, which is significantly different from first? Also, your "limited availabilty" is interesting. UA has 48 biz seats on the 789 from LAX to SYD, and 60 seats on the 773 from SFO.

If you are getting this information from a seat map, know that those do NOT show actual inventory. Many times, seats are either unassigned OR are blocked but not associated with actual tickets. So can be highly inaccurate.

Are you talking about the seats available to Viking, or all of the seats on the flight? It's relatively easy to know actual overall inventory.

And even past contracts are no guarantee of the existence of both a) a current contract, and b) inventory available for your particular travels. Suggest a look at this thread for some good posts (and maybe one or two of mine):

In the case of most IPOs, unless you are are one of the investors now going public.....

Appx 3 miles. Less than 10 minutes drive. No big issue getting from A to B.

That's an easy connect there. Though you have SQ/UA connects available in HKG as well. Along with non-stops from SIN to both LAX and SFO. And at LAX, you will go straight to immigration and customs. Lounge access will depend on travel class and if you are connecting past LAX. Not for just arrival at LAX.

Egyptair has a daily non-stop from JFK to Cairo. Anyone that wants to wander on their own can easily get there any time they want.

In WAY too many cases, "Mediocre Travel Agent" is internally redundant. Quality, knowledgeable agents are rare. Way too many order-takers out there.

And as for guessing what's going to happen....I remember how so many here said that Symphony would "have to go around Africa". Maybe CC needs to set up a prediction market? I'd happily invest.

Definitely plan on the Flybus from Reykjavik to KEF. Take the 2pm bus, arrive at 2:45p, plenty of time to check-in, go through immigration and security, do some duty-free shopping and relax. Should give you at least 4+ hours in town - if you are inclined, check to see if they have a tour of the Harpa concert hall available. Bunches of other things to do in walking distance. https://www.re.is/tour/flybus/

And to note, Montreal (YUL) is another AC TATL gateway. In my research, I've found (and flown) AC connections through there to various spots in Europe. IMO, if you have a choice of connecting at YYZ or YUL, there is one preferred option (oui, oui).

My two kopeks: I don't believe that any decision has been made, one way or the other. This is a significant question, and one that, once made, will likely "stick". IMO, Crystal is merely putting a halt to any new bookings on the ATH-AUH segment. Call it a way to freeze the quantity of passenger adjustments that may be necessitated. If and when there need to be itinerary changes, it will be limited to those already on the books.

You don't give specifics as to what is "fairly late", so this is just general advice. If you don't have a flight until late afternoon/evening, my plan would be to do the following. 1) Take a taxi from the port to the BSI bus terminal. 2) Store my luggage at the facility there 3) Spend the day in downtown Reykjavik, browsing as you wish 4) Return to the bus terminal, get your bags, then take the Flybus directly to KEF This has a number of advantages. First, you aren't sitting around the airport for hours. It gives you time to wander through town on your own. And the local taxi + Flybus cost will be significantly less than a taxi all the way from the port to KEF. You might also be able to get Flybus+ service from the port itself. I would check with Flybus to see if this option is available. That way, your port to terminal cost gets blended into your Flybus fare.

And just what is "interesting"? That a contracted ticket is being offered at a lower price than what is likely to be a spot-market ticket? What were you expecting - and more importantly, why? (For the purpose of helping the knowledge of everyone reading)

I've actually been able to get them to turn it down a bit....a smile, a polite request. A couple of degrees, but at least something. OTOH, it gives me an excuse to enjoy a cold beverage -- the onboard Japanese whiskeys have been superb.

UA and AA are only on a very few routes, and DL gives nothing. I find it amusing that JAL loans you a sweater, considering how warm their cabins usually are. (About 75F on my last JAL flight).

So...the OP wants the free air. Thus, they will only get what Viking is offering for that promotion. Much of this discussion seems to involve when you are buying your air through Viking, which is a completely different situation.

Beg to differ. In my experience, if the cruise is being offered with "Free Air", you do not get a reduction in price if you don't take the air provided by Viking. Seems the OP is getting a "Free Air" promotion. If this has changed, please let me know.

www.timeanddate.com

Actually, some are already seasonal, just ending earlier than originally planned. Athens, Barcelona and Venice for example.

AA has announced that they are reducing/ending schedules for a number of long-haul destinations this fall. If you have AA booked flights listed below, you might want to work on alternatives. Or if you were planning on these. JFK-Rome Down to one flight daily eff Aug 5 JFK-Athens Ends Sept 3 JFK-Barcelona Ends Sept 3 JFK-Buenos Aires Down to one flight daily eff Oct 27 PHL-Venice Ends Oct 5 ORD-Paris Ends Sept 3 DFW-Dublin Ends Oct 26 DFW-Rome Ends Oct 26 MIA-Rio Reduced to 10x weekly

Where has your travel agent been through all of this? What are they doing to earn their commission? Or do we have more of an "order taker"? And this is not "insults or negativity". It's cold hard reality.

Where the "scam" word has surfaced. I don't think that cold, hard reality would be appreciated.