can you call choiceair for other options?

[lilghallinsf]

Can you call choice air for other options other than what is shown on the website? I didn't see this covered in the choice air thread. Maybe I missed it.

[JTSpitfire]

Can you call choice air for other options other than what is shown on the website? I didn't see this covered in the choice air thread. Maybe I missed it.

 

Yes. If you find a flight on your own which is not posted on Celebrity Choice Air, ask them if they can offer it and match the airline's web site fare. Last time we tried, they did it for us without hesitation.

[lilghallinsf]

Thank you so much. Do you know if this is something I can ask my travel agent to do? i purchased the fare through them with my cruise and it was through choice air. Also, is there a fee for this? I am confused by the choice air plus option and the regular choice air

[RTLS]

Thank you so much. Do you know if this is something I can ask my travel agent to do? i purchased the fare through them with my cruise and it was through choice air. Also, is there a fee for this? I am confused by the choice air plus option and the regular choice air

 

I tried to book a flight to Costa Rica through Choice Air (for an Azamara cruise but the same site as for Celebrity) and found a United flight that I liked but was not showing on the choice air site. When I finally got through by phone to Choice Air I was told that they could book the flight but the cost was $600.00 more than on the UA site! MY TA phoned and also had to wait 50 minutes before getting through only to be told the same thing.

 

Does Choice Air pocket the extra money! I was pretty mad and ended up cancelling the cruise.

[RickT]

My last cruise was booked with a TA and I booked Cruise Air directly. As others mentioned, my preferred flights were not showing up on Choice Air. I gave them the dates, flights numbers and category code and they were able to find the flights and wound up giving me a better price. I usually use ITA Matrix to find a complete list of flights and routings to ensure I have all the necessary information.

 

To RTLS, I assume your issue was a poorly trained rep. Sorry to hear that. That being said, I don't understand why you just didn't book your flights directly with UA and go on your cruise. Oh well.

Edited January 16, 2014 by RickT

[waterbug123]

I tried to book a flight to Costa Rica through Choice Air (for an Azamara cruise but the same site as for Celebrity) and found a United flight that I liked but was not showing on the choice air site. When I finally got through by phone to Choice Air I was told that they could book the flight but the cost was $600.00 more than on the UA site! MY TA phoned and also had to wait 50 minutes before getting through only to be told the same thing.

 

Does Choice Air pocket the extra money! I was pretty mad and ended up cancelling the cruise.

 

WHy didn't you just book the flights on your own? :confused:

[helen haywood]

Sometimes Choice Air has better prices, sometimes they do not. Typically we use Choice Air when we are making a one way flight for a trans-atlantic; their prices are way, WAY, lower than purchasing a ticket directly with the airlines. My understanding is if you are booking a regular round trip flight sometimes the airlines have better prices. Just compare and go with the lowest price.

[Solution]

Sometimes Choice Air has better prices, sometimes they do not. Typically we use Choice Air when we are making a one way flight for a trans-atlantic; their prices are way, WAY, lower than purchasing a ticket directly with the airlines. My understanding is if you are booking a regular round trip flight sometimes the airlines have better prices. Just compare and go with the lowest price.

 

This is very true. I need to fly one way from Toronto to Tokyo to board my Transpacific cruise in May. I searched high and low. The cheapest flight I could get, via the US, for 16 plus hours travel time, was USD 850 per person. I checked Choice Air, and I got a nonstop flight from Toronto to Tokyo for USD 732.... saving me money and cut more than 7 hours of travel time.

[lilghallinsf]

Actually, I have already book through choice air, using my TA and got the flights at a discount of over $1000 per ticket. However, I booked these for the 12th of May, months ago, and I want to change them to the 19th. It would be a different time etc. I have found the perfect flight but it doesn't show up on the choice air site. That was why I was asking. Thank you all so much for your help.

[RTLS]

WHy didn't you just book the flights on your own? :confused:

 

Because Azamara was offering a promotion of up to $1000.00 for air !

[RTLS]

Because Azamara was offering a promotion of up to $1000.00 for air !

 

Meant to say the promotion was only good if air was booked through Choice Air!

[waterbug123]

I Choice Air I was told that they could book the flight but the cost was $600.00 more than on the UA site!

 

Does Choice Air pocket the extra money! I was pretty mad and ended up cancelling the cruise.

 

Because Azamara was offering a promotion of up to $1000.00 for air !

 

Do they pocket the extra money? More likely they had a special deal worked out for certain flights and that's what you saw on the Choice Air site. Given those deals, they could afford to do promotions like the one you were offered. The flight you wanted was not one where they had a special deal, so they would have to fork over more cash and that would eat into the money they were using to offer the $1000 promotion.

[dodger1964]

We've had good and bad luck with their prices. 3 cruises in a row they had equal or cheaper flights and we used them, picking exact flights we would have booked on our own. Cruise this coming November they were twice as much, so we booked with airline.

[richstowe]

I've used Choice Air multiple times and have been very happy with this service.

I have always compared their prices to what I could get on my own (or with a TA), and they generally have been competitive.

 

One issue that has come up is they will book you on connecting flights which are way too close for comfort.

Twice we were offered flights starting from Canada with less then an hour between flight legs, in the winter.:eek:

We chose a safer flight option.

 

Another time they did not show an option that was 4 hours shorter travel time for just $70 more PP.

I found this option on my own after I had already booked non-refundable tickets with them.

I called them angry ! :mad: They listened to my story and quickly got back with the better option. :)

 

Choice Air is a good service but you still need to take responsibility for your own trip.