First Time Using Choice Air-Question

[teacherman]

I have read MANY of the items on this forum. I do not really understand the "air deviation" thing. We are looking to buy a one way ticket from FCO to DTW following our east bound TA next April. Choice Air, for Celebrity, is offering a good fare for the day ( 3 days after the cruise), time, and airline that we want. They tell me that once I book that flight and pay for it, I will be given a confirmation number, which I can then use to do seat selections. These are standard flights that operate every day, and we have taken these same flights when we have done our own RT flights to Europe. SO, the question is what are the possible problems that could occur if we book this flight through Choice Air? Thank you for any information.

[6rugrats]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=530322

[RickT]

Don't let the link provided scare you away from considering Choice Air. The link discusses various forms of cruise line air and lumps all of them into the same Consolidator type product. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airline_consolidator

 

While it's true you often don't know the exact type of ticket you are buying nor do you know of any unique restrictions that may or may not apply to the ticket they can be worth considering.

 

In your case you are talking about using Choice Air. One big difference between Choice Air and other products is that Choice Air allows you to select your airline and specific flight. You are also looking at a flight 3 days after your cruise ends so needn't worry about flight delays causing you to miss your cruise (you may need to consider the impact of arriving home a day or two late).

 

Others have stated that the majority of the time you'll never know the difference between a choice air ticket and one purchased directly from the airline. You will probably only see an issue if you miss your flight, your flight is delayed/cancelled due to mechanical/weather issues. Worst case scenario is you still have a ticket to get you home and the biggest concern is that ticket may restrict the airline/route you can take to get home potentially causing delays that would be less if you purchased directly from the airline.

 

So, if the savings are worthwhile take a moment to consider it. Before deciding on booking with Choice Air be sure to review all your flight options (ITA Matrix is a good website) and prices.

 

I've used Choice Air a number of times with no issues and the money saved has been put to good use. While it's true I've not experienced any issues with Choice Air I suspect that's the case with the majority of users.

Edited September 15, 2015 by RickT

[Algebralovr]

If you book directly with the airline, will they sell you the flight for the same price? If you call them directly, and perhaps pay the phone fee will they?

 

If you cannot go online to the air carrier website and purchase the flight you want for the same price, I would start by calling the airline and asking about it.

 

Otherwise, book through Choice Air and relax.

 

My experience with Choice Air last in summer 2014 was decent. One thing I noticed was that my eDocs were not released until about 20 days until we left. My TA said it was because of the Choice Air. As a result, I was nervous as to whether we would be able to order our luggage tags. They were finally released, about 20 days out. It was strange.

 

We did have a couple of issues, but they were resolved. We were a party of 5. 3 of us, our flights home went mostly as expected. Two others found they were only issued boarding passes for part of the trip. Our trip home went from one plane change to two changes about 6 weeks before we left, but we were told the airline actually canceled the flight we were originally scheduled to take.

 

Anyway, the middle and last leg there were two of our party who were not fully ticketed for some reason, and no seat was assigned for legs 2 and 3. It had to be dealt with leg by leg. The gate agent in Germany dealt with it, and it was resolved for the second leg.

 

Then, our flight was late taking off with no explanation, and we arrived at Pearson in Toronto too late to clear US Customs and Immigration to board our flight to Chicago. Because the flight to Toronto was 90 minutes late taking off in Germany, Air Canada put us up for what remained of the night and we went back to the airport in the morning. It turned out there was a ticketing issue for the same two passengers, but it was taken care of by the Air Canada agent. In fact, the agent was able to do us a couple of favors!

 

When we arrived to try to clear US Customs and found they had gone and it was dark, we immediately went to the Air Canada agent right there in the same area. While we might have made it under normal circumstances, we had one in a wheelchair, and had to wait for the chair to arrive at the gate. Maybe that helped? Anyway, he looked at what we had, and his first comment was that he couldn't get us all on the same flight to ORD until late the next day. I was disappointed, and commented that it was going to be a problem, since we then had a 7 hour drive home. He then asked, where was home? I said 2 hours outside of St. Louis, and he asked if we would rather go to STL? My response was to ask if he could split us, since the car was at ORD, due to costs. He was happy to do so, and sent me to ORD to get the car, and the rest of the party to STL. The twice daily flights to STL had plenty of room on them! I was wait-listed on the first flight to ORD, but made it on.

 

Basically, Air Canada did their job, and didn't hold against us that we had bought air through the cruise line.

[waterbug123]

Others have stated that the majority of the time you'll never know the difference between a choice air ticket and one purchased directly from the airline. You will probably only see an issue if you miss your flight, your flight is delayed/cancelled due to mechanical/weather issues. Worst case scenario is you still have a ticket to get you home and the biggest concern is that ticket may restrict the airline/route you can take to get home potentially causing delays that would be less if you purchased directly from the airline.

 

 

^^^This probably sums it up pretty well. OP: Just don't get sidetracked by the whole 'it's the same regularly scheduled flights we could book directly through the airline." Yes, they are. But not all tickets are created equal. Airlines sell tickets every day for multiple different prices. Each different price is a different fare code, and each fare code has assorted rules and restrictions attached to it. Some Cruise Air tickets are consolidator tickets, and generally have more rules and restrictions attached than most tickets sold directly by the airline. These rules affect things like whether or not you can be rerouted in the case of a delay/cancellation, or whether your ticket can be endorsed over to another airline in similar circumstances. Unfortunately, it is virtually impossible to see the rules ahead of making a purchase with Choice Air. As RickT says above, most of the time you'll never know the difference, and will enjoy the benefits of a ticket purchased at bargain prices. Since it's after your cruise, you have even more cushion than if you were taking the flight prior to boarding a cruise. Just be aware that there ARE some negative anecdotal reports out there regarding Choice Air and similar programs, just as there are some glowing anecdotal reports. Be fully informed, then make the decision that jives with your personal budget and your own personal tolerance for risk.

[teacherman]

Our last flight to Europe was scheduled by ourselves. Plane had mechanical trouble and had to come back. We had paid for non-stop flights. We were then re-booked by the airline, stopping 2 times, changing planes, etc. So, we ended up missing a concert in Copenhagen and one of our pre-cruise days. Airline also lost our luggage. Since this next one would be after the cruise, and we always purchase travel insurance, I guess if something happened that gave me an extra day or two in Rome, that would be okay.