Need advice - Princess gave us TERRIBLE flights!

[bhopal21]

If you are on the same airline do you have to go through security again? I haven't flown in years and am really not looking forward to this. Good luck OP, I hope you can get changes made.

 

No you do not have to clear security when making connections in ATL

 

Mike:)

[JAMS1]

Lynniepoo, What did your Travel Agent say or do this am for you?

[Pam in CA]

I have had very good results when booking through Princess air, and have done so for years. When you book through the cruiseline, you are almost always paying a lower fare (unlike someone's comment about "top dollar" as that's just not the case.) They do use consolidators (as do many other cruiselines and tour operators) and Delta seems to be the airline that offers consolidators the most available seats. I've booked through consolidators directly and it's almost always wound up being Delta.

 

Anyway, IMHO, the lesson here is that when you're flying overseas and using cruiseline air, make sure you leave an extra day early. And, book cruise air from a MAJOR international airport hub, such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc. then book your own air to that hub. Many people flying to Sydney from the U.S., fly to LAX the day before, stay overnight and then take the direct flight to Sydney.

 

To the OP, Good luck with your TA and let us know what happens. For those who aren't using cruise air, check out Hawaiian Airlines. They had some great deals for people on our cruise in 2008. Maybe they still do.

[Davey Interweb]

I have had very good results when booking through Princess air, and have done so for years. When you book through the cruiseline, you are almost always paying a lower fare (unlike someone's comment about "top dollar" as that's just not the case.)

 

This isn't the case for many folks; the fares will depend greatly on their gateway and, personally, I have yet to encounter a reasonable fare offered by the cruise lines. I'm lucky in that my TA is okay with giving me flights at cost, so long as I'm the one building the itinerary and not making him do any research. I have an upcoming one-way flight on British Airways to Barcelona and another one way from FLL, and the combined ticket cost was $717 and change. This is $500 less than the fare offered by the cruise line for their mystery flights, and I don't have to pay a deviation fee on top of that. In my case at least, independent air is less expensive than cruise line air better than 9 times out of 10, so there's absolutely no benefit for me to book with them.

[flamomo]

The only time I have used Princess Air was to fly to/from Papeete from Tampa, FL for me, and my cruising buddy from Sacramento. We DID pay the fee so we had some control over our flights, and Princess did a fine job for us, using Delta for me and United for my friend to get to LAX and back home, and Air Tahiti Nui for the LAX-Papeete-LAX legs. The flight times were changed by ATN a couple of times from the initial booking, and ended up working to our advantage.

Best of all, we saved over a third of the cost compared to what it would have cost had we booked our air ourselves.

Too many people only focus on the occasional "problem flights", and don't recognize that the cruiseline CAN do a good job for a lot of cruisers too.

[imsulin]

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.

 

Really? What are they responsible for? TIA.

[imsulin]

The only time I have used Princess Air was to fly to/from Papeete from Tampa, FL for me, and my cruising buddy from Sacramento. We DID pay the fee so we had some control over our flights, and Princess did a fine job for us, using Delta for me and United for my friend to get to LAX and back home, and Air Tahiti Nui for the LAX-Papeete-LAX legs. The flight times were changed by ATN a couple of times from the initial booking, and ended up working to our advantage.

Best of all, we saved over a third of the cost compared to what it would have cost had we booked our air ourselves.

Too many people only focus on the occasional "problem flights", and don't recognize that the cruiseline CAN do a good job for a lot of cruisers too.

 

I agree. Cruise air for international destinations is often the best way to go! Not so much domestic. However, the 40-minute turnover time in ATL for OP is still scary! ATL has T-gates(non-train), and Concourses A, B, C, D, and E (International), all of which must be accessed by train in the bowels of the ATL airport, unless you prefer a very long walk. That 40-minute legal turnover is determined by the FAA, and not by the airline. Domestic or International (better prices) - pay the air deviation fee, and fly a day before cruise!

[iancal]

Let's put it this way- would you deal with a TA who routed you Charlotte-Atlanta-LA-and onward when a direct Charlotte-LA flight was available? The answer is a TA who has access to a very inexpensive bulk buy of Delta flights and can make more money sending you this way than sending you the more direct route. Or can charge you even more on deviation for routing you direct to LA when he/she should have done so in the first place. I would drop a TA like that in a heartbeat...this is why we NEVER buy cruise air.

[JLC@SD]

she said (in writing) that if we missed a flight, Princess WAS responsible to get us to the next port or whatever.

 

If worse comes to worse, I found a separate flight the night before from CLT to LAX and I'll book that myself if I have to.

 

She was correct.....Princess will get you to the next port.

 

If you book your own way to LAX.........without cancelling the first two legs of the Princess booking........you may arrive in LAX to find your Sydney trip cancelled.........because you were a no show on your first Princess flight. I would check this out...;)

[jester121]

Let's put it this way- would you deal with a TA who routed you Charlotte-Atlanta-LA-and onward when a direct Charlotte-LA flight was available? The answer is a TA who has access to a very inexpensive bulk buy of Delta flights and can make more money sending you this way than sending you the more direct route. Or can charge you even more on deviation for routing you direct to LA when he/she should have done so in the first place. I would drop a TA like that in a heartbeat...this is why we NEVER buy cruise air.

 

The problem is that the non-stop transcon flights are often much more expensive (whether you're booking at the airline site, Orbitz, or anywhere else) than those with a connection. It's not a cruise air or TA issue, it's an airline industry pricing issue, and has been that way for a long time.

 

As a brief example - I used to fly Chicago to San Diego every week for about 6 months. The direct flight (economy) was $1800, but by driving to Milwaukee, flying to O'Hare (literally flying right over my house) and then on to San Diego the fare dropped below $500 -- and I was sitting in the exact same $1800 seat as I'd have booked before, same flight, same plane. It got me extra segments toward Platinum on AA so I was fine with it, and it saved a ton of money.

[Coral]

She was correct.....Princess will get you to the next port.

 

Not always. We have had people post where the flights to the next port(s) have been full and the only thing they can do is send you home. It is not always possible to do this.

[flamomo]

I sure agree about the 40 minutes in ATL. Enroute to SEA a couple of weeks ago on Delta, all I had was an hour, and I had to REALLY hustle. Had I just had 40 minutes, I doubt I would have made it, because they changed my gate from one almost directly across from the one I arrived at, near the end of the concourse - - to one at the furthest end of the concourse at the other end. That was one long hike in a very crowded coucourse!!

[cruisemom42]

I sure agree about the 40 minutes in ATL. Enroute to SEA a couple of weeks ago on Delta, all I had was an hour, and I had to REALLY hustle. Had I just had 40 minutes, I doubt I would have made it, because they changed my gate from one almost directly across from the one I arrived at, near the end of the concourse - - to one at the furthest end of the concourse at the other end. That was one long hike in a very crowded coucourse!!

 

Living in Atlanta, I routinely have to walk from one end of a concourse to another -- it's only about 10 minutes at a brisk walk; maybe 15 when heavily trafficked. Really, it's not that bad. I think it just seems worse when you are in a hurry.

[threecats]

If worse comes to worse, I found a separate flight the night before from CLT to LAX and I'll book that myself if I have to.

Sounds good, but I hope you are not planning on keeping the first two flights and just not using them. That would result in your entire ticket getting canceled automatically when you don't show up for the first flight. Happened to some friends of mine, who naively thought they could just "skip" a leg of their itinerary.

[CanadaJulie]

Just wondering, I've often seen people being driven on those golf carts from one place to another. I assume it's for the elderly or disabled but maybe they could make arrangements to briskly drive you from your arrival gate to your departure gate with this cart if you can arrange it in advance ?

 

(no idea if they have these in ATL though...)

 

As an airline dispatch myslef, I can give these suggestions:

 

If you are connecting with the same airline (ie: Delta CLT-ATL and ATL-LAX) explain your situation to the flight attendants and ask her to ask the flight crew to call their dispatch and ask what gate is assigned for the ATL-LAX flight. That way you'll have an idea of where you need to run for. If you ask nice enough, the flight crew is generally happy to help (ask right after departure though - final approach in ATL is a busy time)

 

As it takes min 30-40 mins to turn an aircraft (deplane pax/bags, refuel and reboard pax and luggage), 9 chances out of 10 that the outbound flight will already be at it's gate so you'll have a fairly good idea. If they change the gate, then likely it'll depart late anyways thus giving you more time to get there.

 

Also, make sure you are seated as far forward in the CLT-ATL flight as possible. Nothing worse that watch 223 other passengers slowly disembark and futz with their bags and kids and jackets and cell phones creating a huge bottleneck just inside the terminal when you yourself are seriously pressed for time.

 

Hope that helps ! Good luck !

Julie

[cherylandtk]

She was correct.....Princess will get you to the next port.

Princess is in no way obligated to do this. They may, out of generosity or good customer service, voluntarily choose to assist a stranded cruise passenger, but their contract clearly states that they book air flights as a convenience to the passengers and are in no way responsible for missed connections, or getting the passenger to the next port. Read section 15(f) of the contract: http://www.princess.com/legal/passage_contract/index.jsp

 

The reported instances that Princess chooses to re-route passengers on their dime usually involves cruise air AND Princess insurance AND a delay created by the cruiseline itself (ship late to port).

[bhopal21]

Living in Atlanta, I routinely have to walk from one end of a concourse to another -- it's only about 10 minutes at a brisk walk; maybe 15 when heavily trafficked. Really, it's not that bad. I think it just seems worse when you are in a hurry.

 

I use it regularly and could not agree more.

 

Mike:)

[MaryPoppinz]

Really? What are they responsible for? TIA.

 

The best source for information about Princess' legal responsibility would be in Princess' COC, not from a passenger posting on a message board. A good travel agent would refer a passenger to a legal document for legal information. That's where we all need to look for this answer.

[Putterdude]

I don't use Princess Air, I like the idea of shopping for my own flights, with departures, connections and arrivals when I want....not when it is convenient for Princess.

[bhopal21]

I don't use Princess Air, I like the idea of shopping for my own flights, with departures, connections and arrivals when I want....not when it is convenient for Princess.

 

Mee too. That is part of my vacation planning and besides I like being in control of my plans as much as possible.;)

 

Mike:)

[Pam in CA]

Just wondering, I've often seen people being driven on those golf carts from one place to another. I assume it's for the elderly or disabled but maybe they could make arrangements to briskly drive you from your arrival gate to your departure gate with this cart if you can arrange it in advance ?

This is for the elderly or disabled. :) And, it's more likely that you'll be wheeled in a wheelchair than driven in a cart. You need to request wheelchair assistance in advance; and, you must wait for the entire plane to deplane before you are assisted off the plane and to baggage claim or your gate, regardless of where you're sitting on the plane. You could be in Biz Class or first row of Coach, you must wait for the plane to empty out. I really don't think this would be of much assistance to able-bodied people looking for a faster way to their gate.

[cruisemom42]

Just wondering, I've often seen people being driven on those golf carts from one place to another. I assume it's for the elderly or disabled but maybe they could make arrangements to briskly drive you from your arrival gate to your departure gate with this cart if you can arrange it in advance ?

 

(no idea if they have these in ATL though...)

 

Julie

 

 

They have them in Atlanta, but they don't go much faster than someone walking at a brisk clip (particularly since people always seem to block their way.....).

 

Only time I ever rode in one was when I was traveling and (visibly) pregnant; the guy stopped to give me a ride. :) I often see a parent with very young children being given a lift on these as well.

[Lynniepoo]

Hi everybody,

 

thanks for all the advice!! It has sure come in handy, that's for sure. Here's what has happened so far:

 

I emailed by TA on Saturday, which was the first time I saw the junk flights. On Monday morning she got back to me and said she'd call Princess to "see what she could do." She told me again (in writing) that the advantage to purchasing tickets through Princess is that they would be responsible for getting us to the ship if we missed our flight.

 

I heard back from her this morning and she said that "Princess said the two flights were in the same wing and they had an emergency number for us if we missed the flight." She said our only other option was to change the flights for a $75 fee each. I emailed her back and told her that the flights were unacceptable. I asked her if it was still possible to get a full refund (of the flights) and if so, how long it would take to process. I also asked her why, after all the conversations we had had about flying (I won't get into details, but I was very specific about what types of layovers and flights I wanted), the deviation fee was coming up for the first time now. I told her that I felt I'd spent enough on flights and asked if she would be willing to pick up the cost of the extra flight cost/deviation fees, and that I had found a flight from CLT to LAX the night before that I was willing to take.

 

I haven't heard back from her yet. I know..good luck with that one! =) But its worth a shot!

 

I will keep everyone posted.

[imsulin]

Hi everybody,

 

thanks for all the advice!! It has sure come in handy, that's for sure. Here's what has happened so far:

 

I emailed by TA on Saturday, which was the first time I saw the junk flights. On Monday morning she got back to me and said she'd call Princess to "see what she could do." She told me again (in writing) that the advantage to purchasing tickets through Princess is that they would be responsible for getting us to the ship if we missed our flight.

 

I heard back from her this morning and she said that "Princess said the two flights were in the same wing and they had an emergency number for us if we missed the flight." She said our only other option was to change the flights for a $75 fee each. I emailed her back and told her that the flights were unacceptable. I asked her if it was still possible to get a full refund (of the flights) and if so, how long it would take to process. I also asked her why, after all the conversations we had had about flying (I won't get into details, but I was very specific about what types of layovers and flights I wanted), the deviation fee was coming up for the first time now. I told her that I felt I'd spent enough on flights and asked if she would be willing to pick up the cost of the extra flight cost/deviation fees, and that I had found a flight from CLT to LAX the night before that I was willing to take.

 

I haven't heard back from her yet. I know..good luck with that one! =) But its worth a shot!

 

I will keep everyone posted.

 

Lynniepoo - so glad you've kept us informed! I posted - way back - something like "Shame on your TA for not telling you about the air deviation option to begin with!" That $75.00 deviation fee should have been offered from the very beginning!. If I were you, I'd ask to speak with this TA's supervisor, and use this thread as evidence!. I'll tell you something else. I worked in a brick & mortar travel agency from 1999 to 2003, and then as an outside agent until 2005. EVERY cruiseline I contacted had a huge turnover in reservation agents, they were generally pretty young, read off of a script, and more often than not I'd ask to speak with our Agency rep.to get accurate information. It wasn't just Princess, either. Save all of your e-mails! I live 2 hours from ATL Hartsfield, and haven't flown out of there for three years. It's not so much the concourse "running" or the escalators, or the trains. It's the loooooooooong Security lines that actually go through the Food Court, with sudden putting up of brass poles and black dividers to form even longer lines, confusion about which line to stand in, and just whacky chaos. I think you have a pretty good case! Let's see what Princess will do. Good luck, and keep in touch!

[bhopal21]

and haven't flown out of there for three years. It's not so much the concourse "running" or the escalators, or the trains. It's the loooooooooong Security lines that actually go through the Food Court, with sudden putting up of brass poles and black dividers to form even longer lines, confusion about which line to stand in, and just whacky chaos. I think you have a pretty good case! Let's see what Princess will do. Good luck, and keep in touch!

 

You should really go back and see how it has changed. The only time I have seen lines like that for security is around Thanksgiving or Christmas.

 

And the OP would not even have to clear security making a connection in Atlanta unless they went all the way into the terminal.:confused:

 

Mike:)