Choice Air vs. Booking Direct

[Cavatelli430]

We are going on Navigator April 2016 and I've been chomping at the bit to get our airfare booked from CLE or CAK to FLL. We haven't traveled by air in quite a few years and we are in a bit of sticker shock at prices and minimal to nonexistant amount of non-stop flights. Southwest is only booking through beginning of April right now and they seem to be the only airline that doesn't charge for bags. I found Jetblue flights direct & through cruiseair, good thing is they are non-stop both ways, but we'd have to pay for checked bags. Only difference in price appeared to be the $45 processing fee with cruiseair. Anyone have experience using cruiseair they can share and what exactly is the difference between booking direct with jetblue or through cruiseair. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

[Clarea]

Choice Air will usually be slightly more expensive for domestic flights than booking direct with the airline's website.

Edited July 13, 2015 by clarea

[cruisenfever]

Hi Cathy, we are just east of Cleveland, so we fly out of CLE. As Bob as said, Choice Air is not cheap when it comes to domestic flights. You can always do better booking direct.

 

We only use Choice Air if we are flying internationally, but I always compare actual airline airfare before going to Choice Air.

 

If you fly out of CLE on United you will be connecting in Newark (EWR) as there is no direct flight to FLL. I'm not sure about CAK and if you can get anything direct.

 

I know you want to get it booked, but a little patience and a lot of research might pay off for you in the long run.

[Cavatelli430]

Actually the cost with Jetblue was the same as ChoiceAir, only choice air charged the $45 processing fee.

I didn't know if there were any benefits to booking through Choice air for the extra $45.

[Shak]

I live 2 miles from CAK but I check PIT, DTW, and CLE also. More times then not we travel out of PIT. Last lear we got a really nice one way flights both ways to FLL out of DTW. The prices were well worth the trip to Detroit.

 

As far as Choise Air goes some claim they are too restrictive and delays in air travel can work against you. Many don't take into account that not all delays are caused by the the airlines. Cruise ships do arrive late, early, or a diffent port all together.

 

Shak

[KiwiGal117]

Choice Air will arrange (and pay) for you to get to the ship in the event that your flight is delayed and you miss your embarkation. So if you are planning on flying down the day the cruise departs, it might be worth that extra $45 as insurance. If you are going down a day or two before, you may not need it. We were flying from Toronto to Venice a couple of summers ago, arriving the day the cruise was leaving. Our flight was rerouted through Ireland for refueling which delayed arrival in Venice by about an hour. I was a bit stressed that we would miss the boat. We didn't - we still had tons of time - but I did learn that for me, in future, either fly in a few days in advance, or use Choice Air.

[39august]

I believe at some level of C&A, maybe platinum. the Choice Air fee is waived, or certainly used to be. Anyone know? Since RCI/Celebrity's travel insurance now only covers air booked thru' Choice Air, perhaps that is also an incentive to book CA if it is not significantly higher than airline direct. I will be considering this for Dec. 2016 Harmony cruise from FLL.

[Clarea]

I believe at some level of C&A, maybe platinum. the Choice Air fee is waived, or certainly used to be. Anyone know? Since RCI/Celebrity's travel insurance now only covers air booked thru' Choice Air, perhaps that is also an incentive to book CA if it is not significantly higher than airline direct. I will be considering this for Dec. 2016 Harmony cruise from FLL.

I believe the Choice Air Plus fee was waived for Platinum and above, but the basic Choice Air fee ($15 domestic/$25 international) was not waived.

 

I don't recall what the Plus service added, but Patti probably can explain it.

[cruisenfever]

I believe the Choice Air Plus fee was waived for Platinum and above, but the basic Choice Air fee ($15 domestic/$25 international) was not waived.

 

I don't recall what the Plus service added, but Patti probably can explain it.

I have no clue except that it is waived one time for Platinum and above according to the C&A Members Benefits page.

[awhfy]

Jet Blue still offers one free bag. I just booked thru them

[ChattTN]

We are going on Navigator April 2016 and I've been chomping at the bit to get our airfare booked from CLE or CAK to FLL. We haven't traveled by air in quite a few years and we are in a bit of sticker shock at prices and minimal to nonexistant amount of non-stop flights. Southwest is only booking through beginning of April right now and they seem to be the only airline that doesn't charge for bags. I found Jetblue flights direct & through cruiseair, good thing is they are non-stop both ways, but we'd have to pay for checked bags. Only difference in price appeared to be the $45 processing fee with cruiseair. Anyone have experience using cruiseair they can share and what exactly is the difference between booking direct with jetblue or through cruiseair. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

 

It is hard not to want to book early, but there are tons of articles backed with a lot of data that best time to buy domestic flights is 7-8 weeks before departure. Plenty of exceptions including discount airlines and volume of available flights from your origin, but they might be worth the read before booking this far in advance...

[ColoradoGurl]

It is hard not to want to book early, but there are tons of articles backed with a lot of data that best time to buy domestic flights is 7-8 weeks before departure. Plenty of exceptions including discount airlines and volume of available flights from your origin, but they might be worth the read before booking this far in advance...

 

I don't know about that. I booked airfare on American Airlines 8 months in advance to Puerto Rico and got tickets for $345/pp round trip. 1 month later the cost went way up and has held pretty steady at $1400 for the same flight; however drops here and there to around $1020 have happened, but no less than that. I'm 3 weeks out from my cruise and have checked every day, and at the 7 week mark it was still $1400. I wouldn't risk waiting to buy airfare until the last minute; if you see a price you're willing to pay, buy them.

[ChattTN]

I don't know about that. I booked airfare on American Airlines 8 months in advance to Puerto Rico and got tickets for $345/pp round trip. 1 month later the cost went way up and has held pretty steady at $1400 for the same flight; however drops here and there to around $1020 have happened, but no less than that. I'm 3 weeks out from my cruise and have checked every day, and at the 7 week mark it was still $1400. I wouldn't risk waiting to buy airfare until the last minute; if you see a price you're willing to pay, buy them.

 

My comment was related to domestic flights not international. OP is looking to get to FLL from CLE. International flights have different set of "general booking guidelines". Also, it is important to know the markets you are trying to fly between and the season. All markets have unique dynamics that influence pricing, but in general buying too soon and too late can and likely will increase the cost.

[ColoradoGurl]

My comment was related to domestic flights not international. OP is looking to get to FLL from CLE. International flights have different set of "general booking guidelines". Also, it is important to know the markets you are trying to fly between and the season. All markets have unique dynamics that influence pricing, but in general buying too soon and too late can and likely will increase the cost.

 

Gotcha! I'm flying from Denver so Puerto Rico isn't an international flight for me. But I do know there are supposed to be some tricks to the timing of airfares, I'd just be nervous relying too heavily on them especially within a 7 week timeframe, cause by then you're locked into your cruise and have to buy airfare at whatever price you can find.

[RADICALBURN]

Try Frontier airlines. They have direct flights................RADICAL

[Shak]

It is hard not to want to book early, but there are tons of articles backed with a lot of data that best time to buy domestic flights is 7-8 weeks before departure. Plenty of exceptions including discount airlines and volume of available flights from your origin, but they might be worth the read before booking this far in advance...

 

When I book a cruise I start researching flights and how much they are going for so I have a pretty good idea what to look for as far as times and price. If I am departing on the day the cruise gets back flights nearest to noon is what I am looking for and if possible a nonstop flight. On a busy port day in Flordia many are doing the same so if a nonstop or good flight times come up within the price range I am looking at I'm booking it regardless of the time frame. Yes I may have spent a few more dollars but I rather do that then wait and take the chance on missing out on the flight I want.

 

Shak

[M&M cruiseaholics]

Jet Blue just instituted baggage fees for first bag. They now have a 3-tier pricing model.

[mbarnes27]

I'd hold off on booking your flight until around 2 months prior. There's obviously a method used by airlines that is similar to cruiselines in that they want to sell high when demand is high and lower prices when the demand is lower. They always want their planes to be full which is why they have these crazy stops now. If you book too early the airline doesn't feel any pressure to give up great rates because they aren't worried yet about empty seats. Likewise if it's too close to your departure date there's a decent chance the plane is close to full and the demand is high enough that the airline can almost issue to the highest bidder (not literally but they don't mind holding those last few seats at a premium for people who are forced to pay it for business purposes).

 

Like an earlier post mentioned, use Kayak to search more than just CLE and CAK. I used to live in Bedford so I was right about halfway between the two. At times it was worth it to fly out of Detroit. Just do a search from a suburb nearby to FLL and it should bring up an option to search 4 airports within a set distance at the same time.

 

I'd also suggest cross referencing Southwest and looking at both round trip and one-way options. I really don't understand the value in booking round trip anymore unless it's cheaper. Once I'm off the plane and on a ship for a week it doesn't matter to me if I'm flying home on the same airline I left with. I recently sent my parents on a cruise and they flew Delta out of CLE and then returned Southwest. There was a baggage fee on Delta but we saved that money on the return flight with Southwest. I ended up still being cheaper that way than if we had done both legs on Southwest with no fee.

[Cigar King]

Here's my advice on air travel. Have your spouse take care of the details. It works for me. ;-)

 

Seriously though, I'd suggest you have a price in mind, and if you see it hit that price, buy. You can use Google for lots of pointers, but generally I think the advice is buy 3 to 6 months out on a Tuesday or Wednesday.

 

FWIW, our last few flights we've just booked first class. With prices being high and all the additional fees, it's worth a few hundred more to be treated like a human again. I realize that's not an option for many, but, you might want to keep an eye on it.

[Creepella]

Here's my advice on air travel. Have your spouse take care of the details. It works for me. ;-)

 

Seriously though, I'd suggest you have a price in mind, and if you see it hit that price, buy. You can use Google for lots of pointers, but generally I think the advice is buy 3 to 6 months out on a Tuesday or Wednesday.

 

FWIW, our last few flights we've just booked first class. With prices being high and all the additional fees, it's worth a few hundred more to be treated like a human again. I realize that's not an option for many, but, you might want to keep an eye on it.

That was one thing I discovered, and I have mentioned this before. ChoiceAir would not (said could not) book first class tickets for me. Told me they would book steerage (for a fee!), and I could contact the airline myself to purchase the upgrade. Guess who didn't go through ChoiceAir?

[cruisenfever]

That was one thing I discovered, and I have mentioned this before. ChoiceAir would not (said could not) book first class tickets for me. Told me they would book steerage (for a fee!), and I could contact the airline myself to purchase the upgrade. Guess who didn't go through ChoiceAir?

I've always been able to book first class when flying internationally and using Choice Air.

[Creepella]

I've always been able to book first class when flying internationally and using Choice Air.

Good point. I have a suspicion they don't consider Canada to USA international.

[Cigar King]

Perhaps it's a domestic thing? Like other's we have found Choice Air excellent for international travel. Less so for domestic.

[cruisenfever]

Good point. I have a suspicion they don't consider Canada to USA international.

Any airport in Canada is considered international when flying from a US city and booking through Choice Air.

 

We flew first class from Vancouver to Cleveland without any problems.

Edited July 14, 2015 by cruisenfever

[Cavatelli430]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Our cruise leaves on a Sunday, so I was checking on Saturday flights. It's actually $300 cheaper to fly down Friday, which more than covers a 2nd night at hotel. This is my 4-yr old daughters first airplane ride & cruise, so I'd rather have the piece of mind and buy the non-stop flights now so we have them.

I want to get our hotel booked too, because they are booking fast and prices are going up since I looked a few months ago.

 

JetBlue does have new baggage/pricing. See below:

 

Blue

Blue Plus

Blue Flex

 

CHECKED BAGS INCLUDED1

0

1

2

CARRY-ON (1 BAG + 1 PERSONAL ITEM)

included

included

included

BASE TRUEBLUE POINTS (PER DOLLAR)2

3

3

3

TRUEBLUE ONLINE BOOKING BONUS (PER DOLLAR)

3

4

5

CHANGES (PLUS ANY FARE DIFFERENCE) OR CANCELLATIONS3

$70 (FARES UP TO $99)

$90 (FARES UP TO $149)

$135 (FARES $149+)

$60 (FARES UP TO $99)

$80 (FARES UP TO $149)

$120 (FARES $149+)

included

SAME DAY CHANGES

$50

$50

included

EVEN MORE® SPEED (EXPEDITED SECURITY)4

$10/$15

$10/$15

included

MOST LEGROOM IN COACH

included

included

included

FREE SNACKS & SOFT DRINKS

included

included

included

FLY-FI® (BROADBAND INTERNET)

included

included

included

DIRECTV®5

included

included

included

SIRIUS XM RADIO®5

included

included

included

JETBLUE FEATURES™ (MOVIES)

$5

$5

$5

LIE-FLAT SEAT, EARLY BOARDING, DINING OPTIONS, DEDICATED CHECK-IN & MORE!

N/A

N/A

N/A