Choice Air

[mr walker]

Any Aus/NZ cruisers have experience with booking thru Choice Air? We are needing a one-way airfare Sydney to Calgary, Canada for our self-drive pre-tour thru Canadian Rockies before embarking Rhapsody OTS in Seattle.

 

Checking the website gives us flights with United via LAX for maybe A$400 less than our TA quoted with Air Canada.

 

Experiences good/bad?

 

Thanks

[The_Big_M]

I'm doing so now.

 

One thing to be aware of is it links your booking to the cruise ticket, rather than being independent. That may have some implications for you in terms of flexibility.

 

Also, if you or the cruise line cancel the cruise, the flight ticket is cancelled too. However, that doesn't make the ticket refundable (unless you get a refundable one). It's more around there where issues can arise.

 

Not sure why they do it that way, but it's a bit different from a regular ticket.

 

However, if everything goes to plan and proceeds, it will be as per any other ticket.

[MicCanberra]

Nothing from personal experience but friends had an issue when their cruise was cancelled. They had to claim on insurance for the refund, I cannot remember why that was the case.

[mr walker]

The Big M,

did you go ahead with booking with choiceair?

were you doing it on-line yourself?

 

after confirming some other parts of our trip, came back to choiceair & it sends me now to CruisingPower.com which only TA's can log in to??

 

I have a hard copy of the info I got before, showing airfare of US$861, which is several hundred $'s saving on Air Canada, so we would like to pursue.

[The_Big_M]

Yes, all booked now. Did it all online. Pretty straightforward, but as you're doing, good to be aware of the risks/downsides which aren't made very apparent.

 

Oddly I was allocated the worst seats on the flight, so can't help but be suspicious about that. Perhaps they're using the lowest booking class, as those details are hidden.

 

Odd that you're sent to Cruising power. That's RCL's website for TAs. Maybe they were doing some maintenance and if you try later it will work.