Strange Choice of flights booked by RCI

[swoopy2110]

Hello

 

In May we are sailing on FOT'S. We picked Dublin as our departure point in order to clear US imegration prior to travel. On both the date of departure and return there is a direct flight from Dublin to Orlando.

 

I have today received our flight details for the trip, and RCI have decided to book us with a changeover in Atlanta both ways.

 

Having checked this out, the direct flight seems to be significantly cheaper than booking the flight with a changeover so I am not sure why they have done this ?

 

Anyone else ever had experience of this. is this standard ? would they be willing to swap it if I called them?

 

Any advice appreciated

 

Thanks

[Cruisingthesuitelife]

You can absolutely call and ask them, although they may charge a fee for changing it. Best thing to do is ask.

 

The flight they allocate is purely down to what they have available. I know of transatlantics I have done and know several people all flying home straight after and to the same airport and depending on when it was booked seemed to depend on the flight we were allocated - some Virgin direct, some BA direct, some indirect. I was not on my preferred airline (which was a similar price to the one allocated) but they wanted to charge extra so I just stuck with it.

Edited June 22, 2015 by Cruisingthesuitelife

[swoopy2110]

Cheers, they can only say no I suppose

 

Even weirder, they have added a £7.98 fee to both of us on the booking for "Choice Air Flights"

We don't even have choice air in the UK .. and secondly, no one ever told me they were charging me additional fees!! I'm going to ring up to get that taken off for sure ...

[Cruisingthesuitelife]

Cheers, they can only say no I suppose

 

Even weirder, they have added a £7.98 fee to both of us on the booking for "Choice Air Flights"

We don't even have choice air in the UK .. and secondly, no one ever told me they were charging me additional fees!! I'm going to ring up to get that taken off for sure ...

 

Definitely find out what that fee is. The have tried charging me a deviation fee in the past but they shouldn't have (shouldn't be charged for Platinum and above) and I got it removed when I told them I didn't have to pay it!

 

If it is anything to do with that, this link has the Q&A info: http://www.royalcaribbean.co.uk/frequently-asked-questions/before-you-book/air-travel/ ... Bottom question!

[loubetti]

Just as an FYI, they DID book you on a "direct" flight, but not a non-stop flight.

 

A direct flight almost always has a stop, but proceeds in the general direction of the destination. Eg: New York - Atlanta - Miami. It also has the same flight number. More info here:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_flight

 

http://wayfarer.lifehacker.com/know-the-difference-between-nonstop-and-direct-flig-1646004641

 

Okay, as a pilot, I'm fussy about terminology! :D

[F27TW]

Just as an FYI, they DID book you on a "direct" flight, but not a non-stop flight.

 

A direct flight almost always has a stop, but proceeds in the general direction of the destination. Eg: New York - Atlanta - Miami. It also has the same flight number. More info here:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_flight

 

http://wayfarer.lifehacker.com/know-the-difference-between-nonstop-and-direct-flig-1646004641

 

Okay, as a pilot, I'm fussy about terminology! :D

 

And as a former airline Passenger Service Supervisor, I am even more fussy than a pilot in this area.

 

Sound like OP was booked on two connecting flight numbers. Yes, A direct flight can include stops enroute .. or even be considered a "Change Of Gauge" flight. That's when one single flight number is assigned to multiple legs (ie DUB-ATL-MCO) but where there is a change of plane enroute . Ridiculous? Yes. False advertising and borderline unethical? Yes. Confusing to Pax who think they stay on the same plane? Yes! But the airlines have been doing this for years. An airlines have always sucked in this regard. Passenger convenience is rarely a consideration for airline planners.

 

The bottom line here regardless is that cruise lines and tour companies buy bulk amounts of seats from their preferred suppliers (the airlines) .. so when you book your flights thru the cruise line, you may get really whacked out routings/city pairs ...

 

ATL as a connecting point to MCO isn't too bad ... but you really kinda are at their mercy here ... don't expect that they will always book you on the most direct or perfect flights/routings .. its not usually gonna happen.

Edited June 23, 2015 by F27TW

[garycarla]

The term "direct" is the most misleading, often close to fraud in the airline business.

 

Nonstop is easy. It goes form A to B.

 

Connecting is easy - it connects to another flight in some city

 

Direct flight usually (but not always) stops along the way. Sometimes it even requires a change in planes, but still has the same flight number. Sometimes a DIRECT flight is the same as a NONSTOP - more often it is NOT.

 

Check the details. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER trust what somebody tells you. Check the details.

Edited June 23, 2015 by garycarla

[Desert Cruizers]

We live in Palm Springs, Ca and have never figured out, when we can get a flight for example, Vancouver connecting in San Francisco then unto Palm Springs, yet they will display a route, Vancouver, across to DFW back to LAX then PSP? and this flight will be cheaper then making the 1 stop in SF.

[waterbug123]

 

I have today received our flight details for the trip, and RCI have decided to book us with a changeover in Atlanta both ways.

 

Having checked this out, the direct flight seems to be significantly cheaper than booking the flight with a changeover so I am not sure why they have done this ?

 

Most likely it is because the cruise line got bulk purchased flights that are routed through ATL cheaper than the nonstop.

[nelblu]

I don't understand why you left it up to CA for the flight. When I've used them, internationally, I scope out the flights and instruct them the one that I want booked/fly. Sometimes they will not assign a seat, but that is taken care of by calling the airline.

[Clarea]

I don't understand why you left it up to CA for the flight. When I've used them, internationally, I scope out the flights and instruct them the one that I want booked/fly. Sometimes they will not assign a seat, but that is taken care of by calling the airline.

I believe when UK folks use cruise air, they cannot choose flights as the US/Canadian folks can do with Choice Air.

[Tim,n,Sue]

Excellent thread. I learned what some airline terminology actually means.

[nelblu]

I believe when UK folks use cruise air, they cannot choose flights as the US/Canadian folks can do with Choice Air.

 

That's too bad. What is the reason?

[Clarea]

That's too bad. What is the reason?

I really don't know why the UK bookings cannot use Choice Air. I know that if a UK passenger uses a US travel agent to book a cruise, then they can use Choice Air, but not if they have a UK booking.

[nelblu]

I really don't know why the UK bookings cannot use Choice Air. I know that if a UK passenger uses a US travel agent to book a cruise, then they can use Choice Air, but not if they have a UK booking.

 

Thanks for the explanation.

[Cruisingthesuitelife]

I don't understand why you left it up to CA for the flight. When I've used them, internationally, I scope out the flights and instruct them the one that I want booked/fly. Sometimes they will not assign a seat, but that is taken care of by calling the airline.

 

I believe when UK folks use cruise air, they cannot choose flights as the US/Canadian folks can do with Choice Air.

 

In the UK, we can pick flights (most of the time).

 

I have used this facility twice; once for a return flight to the UK after a TA and once for normal round trip flights.

 

For the one way following the TA, I was not told immediately who my flights were with (I booked well outside of the 11 months that airfare opens). Some time after booking they were allocated with BA. I could have changed to Virgin or a different time flight if I had wanted - for a fee. Point is, I could choose to change to a different airline or flight time.

 

For the roundtrip flights I told them who I wanted to fly with, the date and time of both flights and this is exactly what was booked.

 

Both of the above bookings were made directly with RCI in the UK and flights through their air department.

Edited June 23, 2015 by Cruisingthesuitelife

[swoopy2110]

Called them today but they weren't really willing to budge. I suspect it's because they got a cheaper deal as someone said. Ah well, it'll be a new experience for me anyway. I've never flown across the Atlantic before, and now I'm going to connect in an airport too. Sounds like a bit of an adventure anyway.

 

Regarding the £7.98 per person fee they'd decided to add on, I was told that this was because the price of the flights had gone up significantly from what I had originally paid for air fare, so it was being passed on to me (without even telling me). However, as I was a valued 'valued guest', the agent on the phone had just been given permission from his supervisor to waive the fee for me, so took the £15.96 back off the booking... how nice of them.......

[Cruisingthesuitelife]

Called them today but they weren't really willing to budge. I suspect it's because they got a cheaper deal as someone said. Ah well, it'll be a new experience for me anyway. I've never flown across the Atlantic before, and now I'm going to connect in an airport too. Sounds like a bit of an adventure anyway.

 

Regarding the £7.98 per person fee they'd decided to add on, I was told that this was because the price of the flights had gone up significantly from what I had originally paid for air fare, so it was being passed on to me (without even telling me). However, as I was a valued 'valued guest', the agent on the phone had just been given permission from his supervisor to waive the fee for me, so took the £15.96 back off the booking... how nice of them.......

 

Sorry you weren't able to change your flights - I am sure it will all work out fine with changing.

 

I am pleased they took the fee off, so they should! I don't see how they can do this (OK, I know how they can but don't think they should) if they have already been booked. Flights fluctuate all the time - doubt they would reduce it if it went down!

Edited June 23, 2015 by Cruisingthesuitelife

[Thoie]

I've given up booking flights through RCI from UK/Ireland - they always messed me around. I have a preference for shorter flights, limited layovers and expect a certain minimum standard on transatlantic flights (like individual seat screens - it's 2015).

 

Last time I booked through RCI they kept changing the flights as it suited them, including routing me on Continental(?) through Charlotte with an 8 hour stopover. Because they had previously had me on a United flight, I was able to get them to change me back to that, but there were no guarantees.

 

They block reserve certain seats, and can change your flight up to something like 3-4 days before departure, and don't issue the tickets until the last minute.

 

Last time I checked they were also charging me €900 more for the same flight that I could book myself. These days I just book my own. I still keep an eye out - if they were significantly cheaper than doing it myself I'd consider it, but they'd want to be at least €500 cheaper.

[blindone]

Just an FYI---

 

Make sure you have plenty of time to change planes in Atlanta as that is a big airport. In some instances you would have to take their train to get to the other side for your gate. One gal we were trying to book flights to Orlando with told me the flights she was suggesting would be fine . Ha!! We would of had 20 minutes to catch the next flight. No way! We hung up from her and called back later and got the flights we wanted. Good luck.

 

Nancy

[waterbug123]

Just an FYI---

 

Make sure you have plenty of time to change planes in Atlanta as that is a big airport. In some instances you would have to take their train to get to the other side for your gate. One gal we were trying to book flights to Orlando with told me the flights she was suggesting would be fine . Ha!! We would of had 20 minutes to catch the next flight. No way! We hung up from her and called back later and got the flights we wanted. Good luck.

 

Nancy

 

ATL is very large indeed, but it is also a very efficient airport to transit. The 7 concourses are all parallel to each other, and are connected at their center points by the underground plane train. The train runs about every minute or so, and it is less than a minute from one concourse to the next, so you can get from concourse to concourse very quickly. The concourses are also very well marked with good signage. The main thing to watch for is when going down the escalator to the train; depending on which concourse you are going to you'll take the train in one direction or the other, and there are separate escalators that lead to the correct trains. They are well marked, just make sure you go down the escalator marked for the right concourse.

 

If you truly had only 20 minutes between the suggested flights that is not considered a "legal" connection and couldn't have been booked anyway; the Delta booking system would not have allowed it. MCT (minimum connect time) for Delta at ATL is 35 minutes for domestic connections, though I'd suggest a bit longer.