Need advice - Princess gave us TERRIBLE flights!

[Lynniepoo]

Hi,

 

we are first time cruisers and we are going on our first cruise in December leaving from Sydney. We booked our flights through Princess - and they gave us impossible, ridiculous flights!! We are flying out of Charlotte, and our flight is from Charlotte to Atlanta, Atlanta to LAX, and then LAX to Sydney.

 

Its bad enough that for the money we are paying, we don't think we should have two connectors, but we only have 40 MINUTES to connect in Atlanta!! I've emailed my travel agent about it...should I call them directly?

 

I'm so disappointed that we have spent SO MUCH MONEY on this cruise and we are being given these flights that we will miss for sure!

[sk8terchick]

Sorry:( to hear about your bad flights. Our last cruise was 3 years ago and we had horrible flights on the way home:mad: So this time we have started booking our own...that is only advice I can give you sorry. Hope you enjoy your trip maybe you can cancel your air & book it yourself?

[Toto2Kansas]

This often happens when allowing the cruise line to book your flights without paying a deviation fee, to have some say so in the choices. Last time we flew back from Sydney (without paying the deviation fee) to Kansas City, Princess flew us from Sydney to San Francisco with an 11 hour layover (yes, 11 hours after getting off a flight of over 14 hours), then San Francisco to Salt Lake City, and then on to Kansas City. :eek: So, I feel your pain. :( It was the last time we allowed Princess to make our flight arrangments.

Not sure what you can do about this now, but definitely call your travel agent and see if you can pay for better connection times.

[katisdale]

When are you scheduled to leave? How much before the cruise are you scheduled to be in Sydney? Has you TA attempted to speak with Princess. Check the airline site to see if the 40 minute layover is even legal in Atlanta for a change. Is it on the same airline? What gates are scheduled for the two planes? If they are close you might make it.

[Lynniepoo]

Hi Katis,

 

thanks for your help.

 

The cruise is scheduled for December. I just saw the flights today and I immediately emailed my travel agent - but she won't get the email until Monday. They are the same airlines, but nothing EVER leaves or arrives on time in Atlanta. For that matter, nothing ever leaves on time in Charlotte either!

 

I am so incensed that they would even book something like this!

[MiddleEarth]

Hi,

We booked our flights through Princess - and they gave us impossible, ridiculous flights!! We are flying out of Charlotte, and our flight is from Charlotte to Atlanta, Atlanta to LAX, and then LAX to Sydney.

 

Its bad enough that for the money we are paying, we don't think we should have two connectors, but we only have 40 MINUTES to connect in Atlanta!! I've emailed my travel agent about it...should I call them directly?

 

I use a great site to find combination flights (even using multiple airlines, code shares and other little twists) It is called Itasoftware dot com. Once there, click on the button to search airfares with QPX

 

This site will present a range of options with almost every carrier with alerts for the number of segments and if there are long or short layovers. Occasionally, an airport change.

 

Codeshares sometimes are cheaper than the actual carrier airline. eg.: Lufthansa sells you the ticket but you actual fly on Air Canada equipment (cheaper than Air Canada sells you a ticket or vice versa.)

 

The site also allows for easy booking of flights for repositioning cruises ie: fly into one city (Rome?) and fly home from another (Galveston).

[imsulin]

It's called an "Air Deviation Fee". That means you pay an extra fee to get more convenient flights. Cruise line have for years purchased "bulk tickets" from various airlines - meaning air with several stops and long layovers... because they get these flights cheaply, and they are rarely convenient, but they will get you there. "Bulk Air" also means you could fly on more than one airline. Best bet is to pay the deviation fee, or book your own air (go early and come back late). Princess is NOT the only line that does this.

 

P.S. Atlanta Hartsfield is the largest International airport in the world. I live two hours away, and know first-hand that flights in and out are rarely on time! When I fly out of ATL, I book the earliest flight out (because the planes are already there) and drive up the day before and spend the night, taking the hotel shuttle to the airport. The escalators, trains, and very long security lines are a deterrent for me. Last few flights, I flew out of Birmingham. MUCH easier!

[Lynniepoo]

I spoke at LENGTH with my travel agent about the subject of flying and whether I should buy my own tix or not...she never mentioned anything about deviation fees or anything like it!

 

We will NEVER make that connection! My question is, what can I do? The tix are already booked.

[Times Prince]

Hi Katis,

 

thanks for your help.

 

The cruise is scheduled for December. I just saw the flights today and I immediately emailed my travel agent - but she won't get the email until Monday. They are the same airlines, but nothing EVER leaves or arrives on time in Atlanta. For that matter, nothing ever leaves on time in Charlotte either!

 

I am so incensed that they would even book something like this!

As you have booked your cruise through a travel agent, all further communications relative to that booking with Princess must be through that TA.

 

It is unfortunate your TA has no emergency or after hours contact information.

 

What I would do is research possible alternative flights which would connect you with your LAX-Sydney flight. Go to your TA armed with "here are flights I would find acceptable" and then ask her/him to research deviation costs.

 

We recently had a two connection flight booked to get us from South America to Dallas, and our TA was able to quickly contact Princess finding that there was a deviation fee ($75.per person) plus an increase in flight costs as Princess' contract with the air carrier did not include the direct flight. We then had an option to keep our originally booked flight or pay the extra fee and costs.

 

Good luck in finding alternate flights. You might want to consider flying to LA the day before if your schedule allows - the hotel there a the airport is not that expensive.

 

We know what you mean about Atlanta, especially if it is Delta. We nearly missed a cruise because of that combination.

[tequilasunrise]

Hi,

 

we are first time cruisers and we are going on our first cruise in December leaving from Sydney. We booked our flights through Princess - and they gave us impossible, ridiculous flights!! We are flying out of Charlotte, and our flight is from Charlotte to Atlanta, Atlanta to LAX, and then LAX to Sydney.

 

Its bad enough that for the money we are paying, we don't think we should have two connectors, but we only have 40 MINUTES to connect in Atlanta!! I've emailed my travel agent about it...should I call them directly?

 

I'm so disappointed that we have spent SO MUCH MONEY on this cruise and we are being given these flights that we will miss for sure!

 

I'm not surprised there's two connections, since you aren't flying out of a main hub, but that 40 minute connection in Atlanta would worry me a LOT. Even supposing everything is perfect and you make it, odds are too high for my comfort that your bags wouldn't. I'd suck up the deviation fee and get that changed :( Sorry for you tho, Princess air isn't cheap.

[cherylandtk]

Lynniepoo,

 

I see you are new to this site, so first let me say welcome, and to let you know that there is a wealth of information on this site. You may find it enlightening to visit the Cruise Air Forum, where you will find all sorts of advice and good information in the sticky posts at the top.

 

I wish you luck; I would not want your flights either. Unfortunately, cruise air is not obligated to look at connection times, direct routing or convenience. (Which is why few regular cruisers still use it, we have all been burned one way or another.) I am afraid that I have very little to offer you in the way of encouragement on what can be done with your flights. But here are some suggestions:

 

1.Do contact your travel agent and determine if it is at all possible to pay for flight deviations at this point. Likely the answer will be no, but it is worth asking. Also, ask if it is at all possible to get a refund for the flights and book your own.

2. Make sure you have travel insurance that covers flight delays with as small as possible time limits (most policies start at 5 hours, which is not going to be of much help if your connection is only 40 minutes, but at some point the delay will add up to five hours and then your insurance will kick in)

3. Consider giving up the booked flights and buying your own. Expensive, but an option.

4. Research all possible back up flights should you miss your connection in both ATL and/or LAX. If you miss your flights, having the airline(s) pre-programmed into your cell phone with the flight numbers you want may make the difference. Yes, you will have to pay out of pocket, but the first $500 is usually covered by travel delay insurance.

5. Understand that cruise air flights are consolidator class tickets and cannot be used to get you on another airline; this may make the cost of #3 and #4 more palatable.

6. By now I am sure you realize that there is almost no benefit to booking cruise air. Not that it's gonna help now, but don't do it again.

7. Make sure your carry-on is packed with as much mix-n-match clothing as you can cram in along with your vital medicines and valuables. You may have to cruise in those clothes for longer than you will want.

8. Plan for the worst, and you will be prepared for any delays that do happen.

[Toto2Kansas]

Do some research over the week end, there won't be anything you can do until Monday when your TA returns your email/call. As said, Princess won't deal with this if you booked through a TA, you will have to wait to speak with him/her and I would bet something can be done here. It might cost you a bit more, but something can be done. Good Luck!

[paul929207]

Cruise lines book air as a way to make additional money. They will book you on the cheapest flight(s) they can find. Two changes to get from Charlotte to Sydney is good.

[imsulin]

I spoke at LENGTH with my travel agent about the subject of flying and whether I should buy my own tix or not...she never mentioned anything about deviation fees or anything like it!

 

We will NEVER make that connection! My question is, what can I do? The tix are already booked.

 

Shame on your TA!! I worked for several years as a TA, and ALWAYS explained and compared the prices and risks of cruise air, cruise air deviation fees, and booking air separately. Did you book directly through Princess? Whatever, keep good notes and ask to speak to a supervisor from whatever agency you booked through. BTW, the FAA determines "legal connection" time - not the airlines. So, they can all do that, regardless of the particular airport. Good luck to you, and please keep in touch!

[flamomo]

Another gripe I have about ATL is that it seems every time I fly through there, my next departure gate gets changed and I end up running and praying that I can get to the new gate, 2 escalators and a trainride, and 2 concourses away, in time.

I think it would be worth the deviation fee to have some control over your flights, AND would strongly recommend you see if you can fly to LAX a day ahead. If so, see if your TA can get your hotel booked through Princess - I know they use the Marriott @ LAX, because I have used it 3 times for cruises out of LA. The charge is $69 pp/pn, and it's a nice place.

[Coral]

Even if you got a hold of your TA today, there is very little they could do before Monday when they could speak with Princess.

 

Maybe because I don't live near a big hub - but 2 connections is not uncommon for me given the distance you are going. That has been pretty common when I have flown overseas the past couple of times. Heck, I just booked some flights to Quebec City and most flights have 2 connections for me to get to Canada. The state of the airlines is not very good right now and there are so many cut backs in the amount of flights out there.....

 

I agree with the others - you probably should have done a deviation and your TA should have told you about it. That is the only way I book through Princess air. Hopefully your TA can arrange something on Monday.

[gatour]

Actually Charlotte is a major hub for US Airways.

 

The hop from Clt to Atl is very short, the plane goes up and then lands. My coworkers periodically drive from Atl to Clt for day meetings and then drive back that that night.

 

Flights in ATL are not ALWAYS delayed. Most of my flights through ATL haven't been.

 

Making multiple hops for International flights is not uncommon even for self booked flights. For example to get back from Barcelona earlier this year, we had to fly from Barcelona to JFK, then Atl and finally to Jax.

 

Maybe too late for you but my recommendation to you is that if your cruise is leaving and returning to the same port, book your flights independently. The only exception would be really exotic ports like Tahiti.

 

For example my aforementioned Barcelona flights was in conjunction with a cruise. As soon as Delta allowed booking (230 days out), I booked my flights since I could only see the flight prices going up. After a couple of months I noticed changes in my flight times that made me uncomfortable, so I called Delta directly and they adjusted my outbound flights. There were several other changes that I needed to make a month or two later due to Delta operational changes, but was able to accomplish them because I had made the bookings myself and was aware of the changes. If I had used the cruiseline flights services, I would have been stressing much like you are now.

[cindep]

Here's another suggestion while you're waiting until Monday:

 

Go to Delta's web site, and see how on-time the flights you are on are running for today/yesterday. You'll also be able to see the arrival and departure gates. Although these are not written in stone, it will at least give you an idea if the flights have a history of arriving and leaving in at least the same terminal. In that case ... with good weather and a little luck, you'll make your 40 minute connection.

 

You don't say how much connection time you have in LAX before going on to SYD. If there is some buffer there ... check out what other flights will get you to LAX. I'm sure there is a solution in there somewhere.

 

And just another "heads up" ... you're not flying until December. There's a fairly good chance DL will change your flight times between now and then so anything is possible. The good news is if they change the times to something impossible, they are usually very good to work with to get something better at no cost to you. Don't panic ... I feel confident this can be fixed. Good luck and happy cruising!

[EGG]

I don't know anything about Charlotte - Atlanta but maybe you can drive to Atlanta and find one of those stay and park for free hotels, or only pay for a different flight from Charlotte to Atlanta. Or if you know of a direct flight to LA, pay for that, even if you need to go in the day before. Just make sure if you do this, the airlines know.

[robgvic]

I usually book my own air but the main advantage of booking with Princess is that they are responsible if your flights are late even if it involves missing the cruise.

[cacy6893076]

It's called an "Air Deviation Fee". That means you pay an extra fee to get more convenient flights. Cruise line have for years purchased "bulk tickets" from various airlines - meaning air with several stops and long layovers... because they get these flights cheaply, and they are rarely convenient, but they will get you there. "Bulk Air" also means you could fly on more than one airline. Best bet is to pay the deviation fee, or book your own air (go early and come back late). Princess is NOT the only line that does this.

 

P.S. Atlanta Hartsfield is the largest International airport in the world. I live two hours away, and know first-hand that flights in and out are rarely on time! When I fly out of ATL, I book the earliest flight out (because the planes are already there) and drive up the day before and spend the night, taking the hotel shuttle to the airport. The escalators, trains, and very long security lines are a deterrent for me. Last few flights, I flew out of Birmingham. MUCH easier!

 

could not have said it better. All cruise lines work this way that's why they are cruise, not air lines

[Toto2Kansas]

I usually book my own air but the main advantage of booking with Princess is that they are responsible if your flights are late even if it involves missing the cruise.

 

Sorry, but this statement could not be farther from the truth. Princess is not responsible for the flights in any way. Insurance will assist in catching up with the ship, but Princess is not responsible for flights that are delayed, cancelled, or for any other reason that a flight might not make it in time, they are just booking the flights for you. Do they assist in some cases, yes. But they don't always, and booking Princess arranged flights so that Princess is responsible for getting you to the ship is just not the case. Insurance is what assists for a delayed or cancelled flight. ;)

[G'ma]

Hi Katis,

 

thanks for your help.

 

The cruise is scheduled for December. I just saw the flights today and I immediately emailed my travel agent - but she won't get the email until Monday. They are the same airlines, but nothing EVER leaves or arrives on time in Atlanta. For that matter, nothing ever leaves on time in Charlotte either!

 

I am so incensed that they would even book something like this!

 

I can understand your worry...and perhaps your TA can make some changes for you.

 

However, please know that Princess has NO control over what the airlines book for you. Princess negotiates with different airlines on price....but have no say at all about which flights you will be on or what schedule you have. All the airline has to do is schedule you to arrive before your cruise. Sometimes you can pay a "deviation" fee charged by the airline and collected by Princess to get a better air schedule...but not always.

 

Hopefully, everything will work out for you...at least you're on the same airline.. Next time, have your TA book your flights for you instead of the cruise line. It might cost a little more but at least you won't have to worry about connections....

[Tiffany's mom]

You may be able to change the flight yourself if all the flights are with the same carrier or co-share. I looked up legal connection time for atl and the site I used(airtravel.about.com/od/airports/a/minimunconnect.atm) was domestic to domestic 55 minutes.

 

Delta change our flight for next month and it was not a legal connection time so I call them. I said to the agent - you changed my flight time and now it is not legal - so we got it changed. I would try to do it myself. It would be a lot easier.

[JAMS1]

Please tell us you are getting into Sydney at least a day ahead of your cruise?

If not call your TA and make sure she changes your schedule to get you to Sydney 1+ days before your cruise.

If you ad a Pre-Cruise day to your schedule and ask TA to make sure you have at least 2 hrs at every connection, that should work. Also if you leave out on the earliest flight of they day incase of a connection mishap, there should be more options to get you to your final destination in time.

In the winter so many things happen with flights, it would be horrible if you did not make it to the ship in time.