Choice Air

[Azulann]

I too have had flight times change constantly with Delta,but never more than 15 mintues either way.

Delta cancel one flight entirely but that was during the winter. I did call and they rebooked me with the flight times I wanted.

I will continue book on airline web site when flying from MN in the winter!

The weather gods are fickled....:cool:

But flying in the summer or early fall, the weather is not a real factor for where I am going.

 

I did look at AA and the flights to BCN from the east coast cities. Their prices were the same as Delta. I am use to ATL for overseas and South American flights with Delta.

Good luck, and enjoy your vacation.

[Azulann]

Your ticket price isn't that much different than what you saw on Delta, so it may well be a published fare ticket with generous rules and restrictions attached to it. But just for fun.....

 

Do you know for sure whether or not your ticket is re-routable, in the event your flight is delayed or canceled and the next available flight of the same itinerary will get you to your destination too late?

 

Do you know for sure whether or not your ticket is endorsable to another airline, in the event of the same scenario described?

 

You can help me out here for that information, where do I look?

I do have the 13 number e ticket. And on my reservation the flights to BCN are x cataegory and from BCN they are T category.

I could drill down into the small print or links but do not know what I am looking for?

 

I am leaving for BCN three days early and coming home one day after the cruise has ended.

Edited November 9, 2015 by Azulann

[waterbug123]

You can help me out here for that information, where do I look?

I do have the 13 number e ticket. And on my reservation the flights to BCN are x cataegory and from BCN they are T category.

I could drill down into the small print or links but do not know what I am looking for?

 

I am leaving for BCN three days early and coming home one day after the cruise has ended.

 

So my point is proven....you don't actually know what you are getting or not getting, because while you know what fare class you have, you don't know what it means. In other words, you are not going into it eyes wide open as you said. ;)

 

(For what it's worth, those are both discounted published fare tickets (which I suspected given the close price to what DL was asking), and if you are going over 3 days early you have little to worry about.)

[Azulann]

So my point is proven....you don't actually know what you are getting or not getting, because while you know what fare class you have, you don't know what it means. In other words, you are not going into it eyes wide open as you said. ;)

 

(For what it's worth, those are both discounted published fare tickets (which I suspected given the close price to what DL was asking), and if you are going over 3 days early you have little to worry about.)

 

Thanks for you reply. Glad got your proof! LOL

I have many times in the past had a X or T category when I booked a flight on Delta's own site. I can upgrade to Economy Comfort for $119. for the trip from ATL to BCN, but I won't.

Now I am getting emails from Delta to book a hotel with them for 3x per #$ spent.

I am going into these flights with my eyes open as much as I have for the last 20 years I have been flying coach with NWA/Delta etc......:)

I am just an accidental tourist who likes to travel.

Choice Air is what I chose this time.

[waterbug123]

Thanks for you reply. Glad got your proof! LOL

I have many times in the past had a X or T category when I booked a flight on Delta's own site. I can upgrade to Economy Comfort for $119. for the trip from ATL to BCN, but I won't.

Now I am getting emails from Delta to book a hotel with them for 3x per #$ spent.

I am going into these flights with my eyes open as much as I have for the last 20 years I have been flying coach with NWA/Delta etc......:)

I am just an accidental tourist who likes to travel.

Choice Air is what I chose this time.

 

And that's fine. But an awful lot of people THINK they are going into it eyes wide open, but really have no clue. There is no "wrong" choice. If you understand the risks and they fit your level of risk tolerance, go for it. Under the circumstances I think you're fine. (arriving early and all that) :)

[Christine Frances]

Your ticket price isn't that much different than what you saw on Delta, so it may well be a published fare ticket with generous rules and restrictions attached to it. But just for fun.....

 

Do you know for sure whether or not your ticket is re-routable, in the event your flight is delayed or canceled and the next available flight of the same itinerary will get you to your destination too late?

 

Do you know for sure whether or not your ticket is endorsable to another airline, in the event of the same scenario described?

 

I am on the Choice Air website looking for flights to Rome. I am looking at the fare rules for one of the flights - what info should I look for? Is there a set of numbers/code that will give me that info?

[Christine Frances]

I am on the Choice Air website looking for flights to Rome. I am looking at the fare rules for one of the flights - what info should I look for? Is there a set of numbers/code that will give me that info?

 

I found this number (NKX2M1E1) plus this is what is under "Transfers/Rtgs" What else should I look for?

 

TF.TRANSFERS/RTGS

 

2 TRANSFERS PERMITTED IN EACH DIRECTION FREE

2 FREE IN EUROPE IN EACH DIRECTION.

AND - 2 TRANSFERS PERMITTED IN EACH DIRECTION FREE

1 FREE BETWEEN AA/AY/BA/IB/US AND AS IN LAX/PDX/

SEA IN EACH DIRECTION

1 FREE BETWEEN AA/BA/IB/US AND AM IN MEXICO IN

EACH DIRECTION

1 FREE BETWEEN BA AND AC IN CANADA IN EACH

DIRECTION

1 FREE BETWEEN AA/BA/US AND WS IN CANADA IN EACH

DIRECTION

1 FREE BETWEEN AA/AY/BA/IB/US AND HA IN HAWAII

IN EACH DIRECTION

2 FREE BETWEEN AA/AY/BA/IB/US AND AA/AY/BA/IB IN

NORTH AMERICA IN EACH DIRECTION

FARE BREAK SURFACE SECTORS NOT PERMITTED AND

EMBEDDED SURFACE SECTORS PERMITTED ON THE FARE

COMPONENT.

[waterbug123]

I am on the Choice Air website looking for flights to Rome. I am looking at the fare rules for one of the flights - what info should I look for? Is there a set of numbers/code that will give me that info?

 

I don't purchase from Choice Air so I don't use their website. However, my understanding from those far more knowledgeable than me that when you purchase through CA you can't see the full details of the rules and restrictions ahead of time. Even on an airline website itself, it can be tricky to find. I know on DL, before you click "purchase" there is find print that something to the effect that if you click purchase you are agreeing to all the fare rules etc. But you have to click through a couple more screens to get to the page that has an entire screen full of tiny print detailing everything under the sun.

Edited November 11, 2015 by waterbug123

[Christine Frances]

I don't purchase from Choice Air so I don't use their website. However, my understanding from those far more knowledgeable than me that when you purchase through CA you can't see the full details of the rules and restrictions ahead of time. Even on an airline website itself, it can be tricky to find. I know on DL, before you click "purchase" there is find print that something to the effect that if you click purchase you are agreeing to all the fare rules etc. But you have to click through a couple more screens to get to the page that has an entire screen full of tiny print detailing everything under the sun.

 

I did another search and I easily found these fare rules (if they are the ones you need) on a BA flight from YVR-LHR-FCO. This is from the first leg. Each tab opens with info. Note - I am just searching on CA & not even putting in a Res # to book.

 

RU.RULE APPLICATION

MN.MIN STAY

MX.MAX STAY

SE.SEASONS

BO.BLACKOUTS

DA.DAY/TIME

SR.SALES RESTRICT

TR.TVL RESTRICTION

AP.ADVANCE RES/TKT

FL.FLT APPLICATION

CD.CHILD DISCOUNTS

TC.TOUR CONDUCTOR

AD.AGTS DISCOUNTS

OD.OTHER DISCOUNTS

SO.STOPOVERS

TF.TRANSFERS/RTGS

SU.SURCHARGES

EL.ELIGIBILITY

AC.ACCOMPANY TVL

TE.TKT ENDORSEMENT

PE.PENALTIES

RU.RULE APPLICATION

SPECIAL TRANSATLANTIC PREMIUM ECONOMY AND ECONOMY FARES

BETWEEN AREA 1 AND AREA 2

APPLICATION

AREA

THESE FARES APPLY

BETWEEN AREA 1/AREA 2.

CLASS OF SERVICE

THESE FARES APPLY FOR PREMIUM ECONOMY/ECONOMY CLASS

SERVICE.

TYPES OF TRANSPORTATION

FARES GOVERNED BY THIS RULE CAN BE USED TO CREATE

ROUND-TRIP/CIRCLE-TRIP/OPEN-JAW JOURNEYS.

THE TICKET IS INVALID FOR TRAVEL IF FLIGHT

COUPONS ARE NOT USED IN SEQUENCE

CAPACITY LIMITATIONS

THE CARRIER SHALL LIMIT THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS CARRIED

ON ANY ONE FLIGHT AT FARES GOVERNED BY THIS RULE AND SUCH

FARES WILL NOT NECESSARILY BE AVAILABLE ON ALL FLIGHTS.

THE NUMBER OF SEATS WHICH THE CARRIER SHALL MAKE

AVAILABLE ON A GIVEN FLIGHT WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE

CARRIERS BEST JUDGMENT

RULES NOT APPLICABLE

35 PASSENGER EXPENSES EN ROUTE

[FlyerTalker]

I did another search and I easily found these fare rules (if they are the ones you need) on a BA flight from YVR-LHR-FCO. This is from the first leg. Each tab opens with info. Note - I am just searching on CA & not even putting in a Res # to book.

 

RU.RULE APPLICATION

MN.MIN STAY

MX.MAX STAY

SE.SEASONS

BO.BLACKOUTS

DA.DAY/TIME

SR.SALES RESTRICT

TR.TVL RESTRICTION

AP.ADVANCE RES/TKT

FL.FLT APPLICATION

CD.CHILD DISCOUNTS

TC.TOUR CONDUCTOR

AD.AGTS DISCOUNTS

OD.OTHER DISCOUNTS

SO.STOPOVERS

TF.TRANSFERS/RTGS

SU.SURCHARGES

EL.ELIGIBILITY

AC.ACCOMPANY TVL

TE.TKT ENDORSEMENT

PE.PENALTIES

OK...if you note, the "RU.RULES APPLICATON" shows up twice. What follows is the info for that section of the fare rules. All of the other lines with two letters and a dot indicate different sections of the fare rules.

 

From just what you posted, there is one item of note. It says a "special" fare. This could indicate something out of the norm or could be just there for no big reason. But something to note.

 

The other places where you want to look are: TR.TVL RESTRICTION (this may place some limitations on how you can fly) FL.FLT APPLICATION (this may restrict you to specific flights, either routings or numbers) SO.STOPOVERS (details what the rules are for "stopovers" aka over 24 hour "layover") TF.TRANSFERS/RTGS (details rules for "transfers" aka "connections of under 24 hours - also rules for routings for your trip. Could limit you to particular routes or connecting cities) TE.TKT ENDORSEMENT (spells out if your ticket can be endorsed over to a different carrier or only good on the specific carrier).

 

And, yes, they put everything into caps, a holdover from long-gone days of ancient computing.

 

Finally, the code "NKX2M1E1" is the actual fare basis code for the "fare" you are purchasing.

[Christine Frances]

Thank you so much for the easy to understand explanation:). I have used CA many times, had both refundable and non-refundable fares and have had issues (flight changes) that either CA or the airlines sorted out quickly. Tks to you and everyone on this board stressing the importance of knowing the fare rules I made an effort to find them lol. Do you check the "rules" every time you buy a ticket? With all these years of flying we never have :(

Edited November 12, 2015 by Christine Frances

[FlyerTalker]

Thank you so much for the easy to understand explanation:). I have used CA many times, had both refundable and non-refundable fares and have had issues (flight changes) that either CA or the airlines sorted out quickly. Tks to you and everyone on this board stressing the importance of knowing the fare rules I made an effort to find them lol. Do you check the "rules" every time you buy a ticket? With all these years of flying we never have :(

Well, I pretty much am always buying published fare tickets from the airline. So I know that they have fairly standard rules on endorsements and most always have reasonable rules on routings and transfers. Those are the biggies. Now, sometimes I have found a great price for a city-pair and then found that the rules don't allow the routing I want. Or the day of the week that I want.

 

Simple rule of mine...the more critical the travel, the more I check the rules. If I just need to get to XXX sometime in a two day period, it's different than I absolutely positively have to be there. (To steal from an old FedEx commercial).

[waterbug123]

I did another search and I easily found these fare rules (if they are the ones you need) on a BA flight from YVR-LHR-FCO. This is from the first leg. Each tab opens with info. Note - I am just searching on CA & not even putting in a Res # to book.

 

I'm a little confused about you saying you are not putting in a reservation number. So you are just doing a generic search? It sounds like perhaps those links are giving you general information about possible rules or a range of rules, The actual rules or specifics will vary from one ticket to the next, particularly if you are comparing a published fare ticket bought via CA, vs. a "specially negotiated fare" bought via CA. So you need to check the specific details for the actual ticket you are considering purchasing. Or is this what you found when you clicked on a specific ticket with a specific price? (Hard to tell since what was cut and pasted isn't actually a link) But yes, generally speaking this is the type of info you are looking for. Too often people assume that since they know they bought a "nonrefundable coach" ticket they know the fare rules. ("I know it's nonrefundable, so I know what I'm getting.") Or because they have a record locator and can choose seats they believe they are good to go. Kudos to you for realizing there was info you didn't have, and taking time to understand the value of having that info and searching for it. :)

Edited November 12, 2015 by waterbug123

[Christine Frances]

Choice Air is completely different from the old "cruise air" that was bundled into your booking, fare included in your final pay't and with the actual flights assigned later.

 

Through RCI, Celebrity or Azamara you can research flights just like Kayak, Expedia etc. For example, if you are looking at a Med cruise next June, when you go to CA you need to select the cruise line, ship & sail date. You have the option to use one tab if you already have a reservation or the other "Quick flight search" tab if you are just browsing.

 

The cut & paste I did was from a specific flight that I found and the rules applied to that specific BA leg (YVR-LHR) of a flight to Rome.

 

CA doesn't always have the best pricing. We just returned from a Japan/China cruise and booked Premium Economy seats (YYJ-NRT-HKG-YYJ) for what I thought was a good price of $1600 direct with Air Canada.

BTW - super impressed with the Dreamliner:)

[waterbug123]

Choice Air is completely different from the old "cruise air" that was bundled into your booking, fare included in your final pay't and with the actual flights assigned later.

 

CA doesn't always have the best pricing.

 

I believe it is Greatam who has a great post somewhere that explains how the only thing that really changed from the old cruise air to Choice Air is the way you search from tickets, and not that the tickets themselves have actually changed.

 

Sometimes with CA you will get published fare tickets that really aren't any different than if you bought from the airline directly. Other times? Well, buyer beware. :)

[peagreenid]

For those of you that have used Choice Air and booked with Delta do you earn Frequent Flyer miles. I saw on their website that you can input your FF Number but was unsure if you earn miles or not.

 

Thanks

Patty

[Karynanne]

Yes. You do earn FF miles.

[NOSaints1]

Why is it cheaper to book RT than a one way?

[Clarea]

For those of you that have used Choice Air and booked with Delta do you earn Frequent Flyer miles. I saw on their website that you can input your FF Number but was unsure if you earn miles or not.

 

Thanks

Patty

The 3 times we have used Choice Air, we have received Delta FF miles. However, that's no guarantee that it will be that way wth every ticket Choice Air sells.

[FlyerTalker]

Yes. You do earn FF miles.

NOT TRUE.

 

Yes, some tickets will earn miles. Will all tickets? No.

 

Completely depends on the fare basis of the ticket you purchase. SkyMiles specifically says that some non-published and bulk fares do not earn miles.

 

So...unless you know the fare basis of your ticket, and can confirm that it is one that DL recognizes for mileage accrual, you are taking a guess.

[waterbug123]

Keep in mind that even if your CA-purchased ticket does earn miles, mileage earning with Delta is now based on the price of the ticket rather than miles flown, so if you are paying significantly less via CA, you will also be earning significantly fewer miles. (again, assuming your particular ticket is eligible to earn miles in the first place.)

[Karynanne]

NOT TRUE.

 

Yes, some tickets will earn miles. Will all tickets? No.

 

Completely depends on the fare basis of the ticket you purchase. SkyMiles specifically says that some non-published and bulk fares do not earn miles.

 

So...unless you know the fare basis of your ticket, and can confirm that it is one that DL recognizes for mileage accrual, you are taking a guess.

 

 

Well I guess I've been fortunate to have always earned miles on British Air.

 

We never fly Delta, due to better flights in and out of San Francisco.

 

We just again booked a one way flight from Barcelona (Business Class) to San Francisco and have been ticketed through CA. The tickets show miles that will be earned. It's a "I" ticket code.

[slidergirl]

Well I guess I've been fortunate to have always earned miles on British Air.

 

We never fly Delta, due to better flights in and out of San Francisco.

 

We just again booked a one way flight from Barcelona (Business Class) to San Francisco and have been ticketed through CA. The tickets show miles that will be earned. It's a "I" ticket code.

 

If you have never flown DL, why did you answer a question on mileage accrual on DL???? Each airline and it's affinity program has it's own rules on what does and does not accrue mileage and at what rates…

 

I never fly BA, due to better flights in and out of my home airport...

[Karynanne]

If you have never flown DL, why did you answer a question on mileage accrual on DL???? Each airline and it's affinity program has it's own rules on what does and does not accrue mileage and at what rates…

 

 

 

I never fly BA, due to better flights in and out of my home airport...

 

 

Why does my answering the question pose a problem to you?

 

We all have information to contribute to this forum.

[FlyerTalker]

Why does my answering the question pose a problem to you?

Well, when the information is:

 

a) Based upon experiences on BA, which the OP is not flying

b) Based upon never flying DL, which the OP is flying

c) Simply flat out wrong

 

Gee...I dunno....seems like that's three strikes towards why this would be posing a problem.

We all have information to contribute to this forum.

Most of us try to make a point of contributing accurate information. Or we make it clear when it is just an opinion, guess or extrapolation.

 

Finally, when the frequent flyers here do make an error, we're the first to fess up and thank folks for the correction.

Edited November 20, 2015 by FlyerTalker