Choice Air for Transatlantic Cruise

[Goes Cruising]

This is a really specific question that hopefully somebody has a really specific answer for ;).

I have used choice air before for one way on a transatlantic cruise, but have never booked the entire trip. Flights are just becoming available for my May 2019 cruise and I have been watching for good fares.

Full trip fares (Raleigh to Tampa, London to Raleigh) have been running $2,300 or more. That's not going to happen! I happened to check the London to Raleigh leg, and it is under $500. That means the Raleigh/Tampa leg is $1,800!:eek::eek::eek: That's crazy!!!

Any feedback if I'm just looking too early? Should the full booking become realistic in a few weeks? Should I just go ahead and book the return flight and search other methods for the Raleigh/Tampa leg? If you have had similar experiences, I would very much appreciate feedback!

[Biker19]

Should I just go ahead and book the return flight and search other methods for the Raleigh/Tampa leg?

This. Unlikely the LHR/GTW - RDU leg will go much lower, tough you could probably wait some more and is unlikely to go higher either.

[wendychloecruiser]

Should I just go ahead and book the return flight and search other methods for the Raleigh/Tampa leg?

 

 

Yes.

[Clarea]

This is a really specific question that hopefully somebody has a really specific answer for ;).

I have used choice air before for one way on a transatlantic cruise, but have never booked the entire trip. Flights are just becoming available for my May 2019 cruise and I have been watching for good fares.

Full trip fares (Raleigh to Tampa, London to Raleigh) have been running $2,300 or more. That's not going to happen! I happened to check the London to Raleigh leg, and it is under $500. That means the Raleigh/Tampa leg is $1,800!:eek::eek::eek: That's crazy!!!

Any feedback if I'm just looking too early? Should the full booking become realistic in a few weeks? Should I just go ahead and book the return flight and search other methods for the Raleigh/Tampa leg? If you have had similar experiences, I would very much appreciate feedback!

Only use Air2Sea for the transatlantic portion. Also, it's been my experience that we get better prices with Air2Sea by booking two one-way flights instead of round trip flights.

[Goes Cruising]

Only use Air2Sea for the transatlantic portion. Also, it's been my experience that we get better prices with Air2Sea by booking two one-way flights instead of round trip flights.

 

Do you tend to book as soon as available?

[Goes Cruising]

Only use Air2Sea for the transatlantic portion. Also, it's been my experience that we get better prices with Air2Sea by booking two one-way flights instead of round trip flights.

 

Well that was excellent advise! I just booked the Raleigh/Tampa leg for $166 :confused::rolleyes::confused:

[welshrich]

For the Transatlantic flight check out Norwegian airlines, they do flights from many US cities to London airports at good prices. We have flown with them before and are using them again in October.

[billylen]

I agree with a previous poster. Whenever I have researches fares through a host of travel sites, Choice has always beat them hands down. However, that only works (for me) if I book one way. For some reason if you book the round trip the price is through the roof. So I have learned either one way only or book two separate trips.

 

My .02

[SJS]

If you use Air2Sea for international flights, can you pick airline and flight times that you want?

 

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[Biker19]

If you use Air2Sea for international flights, can you pick airline and flight times that you want?

Yes, out of the choices they provide.

[Clarea]

Do you tend to book as soon as available?

With Air2Sea, you may see some flights available over a year in advance of the flight. I've noticed those tend to be priced very high. I wait until the bulk of the major carriers release their flghts around 330 days before the flight.

[SJS]

Thank you for the information! I'm 315 days away and price being offered is great. Any negatives using them?

 

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[John&LaLa]

Do you tend to book as soon as available?

 

I do, and book on a Tuesday. Not sure it really matters, but someone told me that and it often works.

 

Currently have 6 flights booked either to Barcelona or Copenhagen from Orlando

 

All in Business Class with lie flat seats. Average price under $1,000 with only one stop. :cool:

 

Forgot to add, those are all one way tix

[Thorben-Hendrik]

For the Transatlantic flight check out Norwegian airlines, they do flights from many US cities to London airports at good prices. We have flown with them before and are using them again in October.

Beware they have bigger financial problems and you might loose your ticket....

 

Happened to us shortly before our 2017 TA when AB went out of business! :eek:

[Clarea]

Thank you for the information! I'm 315 days away and price being offered is great. Any negatives using them?

Yes, there could be negatives. If something goes wrong (weather, mechanical issue, etc.), you may not have the flexibility you would have had if you had you booked directly with the airline, because the fare rules may be different. In other words, in case of issues, you may have to deal with Air2Sea instead of the airline.

[steveru621]

I do, and book on a Tuesday. Not sure it really matters, but someone told me that and it often works.

 

Currently have 6 flights booked either to Barcelona or Copenhagen from Orlando

 

All in Business Class with lie flat seats. Average price under $1,000 with only one stop. :cool:

 

Forgot to add, those are all one way tix

 

I agree, if you want business/first class booking early booking is usually the way to go. I find that Delta does great prices on 4-6 first class seats when they first open for booking.

[John&LaLa]

For the Transatlantic flight check out Norwegian airlines, they do flights from many US cities to London airports at good prices. We have flown with them before and are using them again in October.

Other than direct flights into Orlando, I haven't heard much good about them.

 

They do fly 787, I guess that's good

 

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[ONECRUISER]

With Air2Sea, you may see some flights available over a year in advance of the flight. I've noticed those tend to be priced very high. I wait until the bulk of the major carriers release their flghts around 330 days before the flight.

Agree. I had a Barcelona to Michigan flight at $2300 14months out. At 10 months out is $798 and only $1100 for Business Class(no First Class)...

[pingpong1]

For most international flights on most carriers, Business Class is the "new" First Class. Many airline have eliminated the "First Class" designation for their premium seats/cabin for overseas flights. But the Business Class is now essentially the same as the "old First Class" used to be. Only way to go (if you can afford it).

[AshleyDillo]

Southwest does the RDU to TPA run. $99 one-way with 2 bags.

[kccrzr]

Only use Air2Sea for the transatlantic portion. Also, it's been my experience that we get better prices with Air2Sea by booking two one-way flights instead of round trip flights.

 

Good to know! And counter—intuitive if you’re flying the same carrier both ways.

[waterbug123]

Full trip fares (Raleigh to Tampa, London to Raleigh) have been running $2,300 or more. That's not going to happen! I happened to check the London to Raleigh leg, and it is under $500. That means the Raleigh/Tampa leg is $1,800!:eek::eek::eek: That's crazy!!!

 

The RDU-TPA leg is NOT $1800. What's happening is that you are getting open jaw pricing (into one city, back home out of another), and my understanding of such pricing is that to get a decent rate, the unflown leg needs to be the shortest. In your case, the unflown leg is the leg you're cruising...Ft. Lauderdale to Europe and that is definitely not shorter than RDU-TPA, so the price you're seeing is actually half of a RDU-TPA round trip ticket, plus half of a LHR-RDU ticket. Someone on the cruise air forum can probably explain it better than I can, but hopefully you get the idea.

 

 

 

As you've apparently already seen, booking this as two one-ways, is much more economical! If you were instead flying into Rome and back home from Venice for example (A common example for med cruises), the unflown leg (Rome to Venice) would indeed be the shortest leg, so you'd see more normal pricing and could likely book the multi-city itinerary on one ticket rather than as two one-ways.

[waterbug123]

I do, and book on a Tuesday. Not sure it really matters, but someone told me that and it often works.

 

The day you buy the ticket isn't usually is relevant as the day you plan to fly, and Tuesday is a "relatively" slow day for business travel, so folks often find that flying on a Tuesday is less than business-heavy days/times like Monday morning or Friday afternoon.

 

 

Agree. I had a Barcelona to Michigan flight at $2300 14months out.

 

You likely weren't getting a very realistic price at 14 months out, given that most airlines only sell tickets 11 months in advance.

[waterbug123]

Southwest does the RDU to TPA run. $99 one-way with 2 bags.

 

While that may be the price on SOME days, it isn't the price EVERY day. And it will be a while before Southwest releases fares for the OP's travel dates in May 2019. ;)

[John&LaLa]

For most international flights on most carriers, Business Class is the "new" First Class. Many airline have eliminated the "First Class" designation for their premium seats/cabin for overseas flights. But the Business Class is now essentially the same as the "old First Class" used to be. Only way to go (if you can afford it).

They just changed the name because some companies would not let there employees fly First Class. [emoji6]

 

Just a guess.

 

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