Crazy ticket idea or just too expensive?

[CruisingSince2012]

I have permanent TSA Precheck, but not Global Entry.

 

The leading option at this point is booking a flight the cruise line offers if there are any with good times in both directions.

[em-sk]

What is a GDS?

 

Of course the 24-hour window is only relevant if your travel times and dates are flexible. That is not always the case for my travel partner.

 

GDS stands for Global Distribution System. It is basically the computer system that manages issuing the tickets. Today most airlines contract with one of the major GDS operators to run their reservation system. The major GDS are interconnected to share data and booking between each other. In addition to airline tickets, the GDS platform does hotel reservations, car rentals, train tickets etc.

 

Your travel agent will normally have an account on one of these and issue your ticket from their GDS account. In the old days the computer on your travel agent desk would have been a terminal connected to their providers GDS mainframe.

 

When building a ticket a travel agent can use the default connections suggested or can force the GDS to make the connection longer etc.

 

Major GDSs include Amadeus, Sabre, and Travelport,

 

Not all airlines use GDS. The discount airlines for example.

 

 

(Side note, I am not a travel agent. However I have worked on software projects in a number of industries including transportation.).

[CruiserBruce]

Waterbug, look at my signature. My next trip will be a Budapest to Vilshofen river cruise with 3 days in Prague tacked on the end. I expect to fly all directions with only one ticket, but will ask my travel agent about this if it makes sense financially.

 

Seeing "Signatures" is a feature that can be turned off. Many people do. You should not assume everyone can see your Signatures.

[terry&mike]

I have permanent TSA Precheck, but not Global Entry.

 

The leading option at this point is booking a flight the cruise line offers if there are any with good times in both directions.

Since you don't have Global Entry, but will be traveling internationally, I advise you to get the Mobile Passport app for both you and your traveling companion. This will help you clear immigration faster on your return when you hit US soil.

[CruisingSince2012]

Seeing "Signatures" is a feature that can be turned off. Many people do. You should not assume everyone can see your Signatures.

 

This is it for those people:

 

Next cruise: Ama Sonata, June 12-24 2019, Budapest to Prague

[sumiandkage]

I do have Global Entry, which speeds things up. Even if you don't have Global Entry, the Mobile Passport Control app will expedite things quite a bit. My friends who don't have Global Entry were about 15 minutes behind me in the process, and used the Mobile Passport app.

 

The down side of the Mobile Passport app is that if you answer the question honestly about 'are you bringing back any food items or alternately have you been hanging out where livestock have been present?' it forces you to go through a manual ICE station anyways. And you will confuse the nice immigration official at JFK because the explanation of your answer is not about food in your bag, which is, like, 99% of the time that question creates a flag but rather because you were hiking in sheep pastures in Wales. Then since they aren't quite sure what to make of you, they send you to secondary agricultural screening where they aren't quite sure what to do with you either so they just x-ray your checked bags but not your carry ons and send you on your way.

 

(and we still had time for restrooms and snacks before our connecting flight even though it was only just over a 90 minute connection)

[Globaliser]

This is it for those people:

 

Next cruise: Ama Sonata, June 12-24 2019, Budapest to Prague

So are you asking specific questions about this trip, or just random abstract ones? What sort of help is it that you would like?

[waterbug123]

Waterbug, look at my signature. My next trip will be a Budapest to Vilshofen river cruise with 3 days in Prague tacked on the end. I expect to fly all directions with only one ticket, but will ask my travel agent about this if it makes sense financially.

 

1. Signatures can be turned off so that they aren't visible.

 

2. I have no way of knowing if THAT is the trip you're posting about. Maybe you have a land-based trip coming up but are asking here because you know you can get some answers

3. Maybe you are are planning a cruise that isn't booked yet and are trying to research air travel options before booking and listing it in your signature.

4. Maybe you're already booked on another cruise you're asking about but didn't remember to put it in your signature yet.

 

 

I see that you have since re-posted your signature AND clarified that that is the trip you're asking about. Thank you. In the future, please understand that the more specific you are in your post, the more specific (i.e. helpful) answers people can give in return.

 

Oh, and you can book a return with a single connection, over 3 hours (specifically 4-ish or 6-ish hours), by flying PRG-AMS-MCO, or PRG-AMS-TPA via DL/KLM. On the way over you can do a single connection by flying TPA-AMS-BUD.....TPA-AMS is a new nonstop route just announced by Delta to begin next year.

However, now that you've told us your exact itinerary request in THIS thread, I seem to recall that you have ANOTHER thread in which you have stated that you don't want more than one connection, nor do you want to have to drive back to Gainesville after dark, which is a possibility if you are on the 7:13pm arrival into TPA and then have to clear immigration and customs; no security obviously as it's your final destination, but if I/C is long then I suppose it might be dark by the time you get to Gainesville. Just depends on how long the lines are.

Edited August 27, 2018 by waterbug123

[HawksFan74]

Oh, and you can book a return with a single connection, over 3 hours (specifically 4-ish or 6-ish hours), by flying PRG-AMS-MCO, or PRG-AMS-TPA via DL/KLM. On the way over you can do a single connection by flying TPA-AMS-BUD.....TPA-AMS is a new nonstop route just announced by Delta to begin next year.

There is also Lufthansa, with service from both MCO and TPA, so MCO/TPA-FRA-BUD and PRG-FRA-MCO/TPA are available as single connections. FRA-MCO arrives at 5:50 pm, and FRA-TPA at 5:55 pm, so an extra hour or so of daylight than the AMS flights. Note that next June, TPA-FRA is 5x weekly and does not operate on Sundays or Wednesdays.

[CruisingSince2012]

The down side of the Mobile Passport app is that if you answer the question honestly about 'are you bringing back any food items or alternately have you been hanging out where livestock have been present?' it forces you to go through a manual ICE station anyways. And you will confuse the nice immigration official at JFK because the explanation of your answer is not about food in your bag, which is, like, 99% of the time that question creates a flag but rather because you were hiking in sheep pastures in Wales. Then since they aren't quite sure what to make of you, they send you to secondary agricultural screening where they aren't quite sure what to do with you either so they just x-ray your checked bags but not your carry ons and send you on your way.

 

(and we still had time for restrooms and snacks before our connecting flight even though it was only just over a 90 minute connection)

 

I don't undcerstand this at all. Just walking in a sheep pasture gets you flagged for having food in your bag?

 

One of the two women who complained about flying on Iceland Air said she had an apple in her bag that she had forgotten about and was flagged for ittwo or three times. I know fruits are not accepted for export in luggage, but she had a real hard time with "just an apple."

 

Chances are I will not be bringing food home. Therre is plenty of time to eat in the Czech Republic.

[CruisingSince2012]

So are you asking specific questions about this trip, or just random abstract ones? What sort of help is it that you would like?

 

I am just worried about how much layover time is possible if all of my flights are on one ticket. My thinking was if people do not think I am crazy, I can ask my travel agent about it. But if the risk is not worth an extra hour at the immigration airport, I will just talk to her about AA and DL.

[em-sk]

I am just worried about how much layover time is possible if all of my flights are on one ticket. My thinking was if people do not think I am crazy, I can ask my travel agent about it. But if the risk is not worth an extra hour at the immigration airport, I will just talk to her about AA and DL.

 

If you have a strong loyalty to AA and DL then you should ask about those airlines.

 

Why not tell your travel agent I want to go from point A to point B and ask your agent to find the best options for you. Given the airports you are talking about you could fly on a US airlines (AA, DL or United) or a host of European airlines or a Canadian airline like Air Canada.

 

If you ask about a specific routing pretty certain some of us have made connections at those airports and can give you some advise.

[Globaliser]

One of the two women who complained about flying on Iceland Air said she had an apple in her bag that she had forgotten about and was flagged for ittwo or three times. I know fruits are not accepted for export in luggage, but she had a real hard time with "just an apple."

There are some places where "just an apple" may well net you a substantial fine. If you cannot be bothered to check that you know the local rules and that you have complied with them, it's your own lookout.

[Globaliser]

I am just worried about how much layover time is possible if all of my flights are on one ticket. My thinking was if people do not think I am crazy, I can ask my travel agent about it. But if the risk is not worth an extra hour at the immigration airport, I will just talk to her about AA and DL.

Why don't you do something like this? It requires an overnight stay at PHL on the way back, but it means that you don't have to drive home in the dark.

 

[Globaliser]

Alternatively, you could do the overnight stay in London, via the most convenient airport for reaching central London:-

 

[Globaliser]

In any event, though, for the usual reasons you will want to think carefully about whether you should fly to BUD (at least) one day earlier. Otherwise, what happens if your journey to Budapest is delayed by one, two, three, six or twelve hours?

[waterbug123]

I don't undcerstand this at all. Just walking in a sheep pasture gets you flagged for having food in your bag?

 

 

It doesn't. The comment was about 2 separate questions that get asked, one being if you're bringing any food back and the other asking if you've been around livestock. The food answers are common but the livestock answers aren't and often the ICE folks don't really know what to do with a particular answer so you get flagged.

 

 

There is also Lufthansa, with service from both MCO and TPA, so MCO/TPA-FRA-BUD and PRG-FRA-MCO/TPA are available as single connections. FRA-MCO arrives at 5:50 pm, and FRA-TPA at 5:55 pm, so an extra hour or so of daylight than the AMS flights. Note that next June, TPA-FRA is 5x weekly and does not operate on Sundays or Wednesdays.

 

Since both you and I posted with some specific itinerary suggestions, the OP has been back but hasn't responded to either of us. It makes me wonder if the OP really wants answers or just wants to argue.

[CruisingSince2012]

In any event, though, for the usual reasons you will want to think carefully about whether you should fly to BUD (at least) one day earlier. Otherwise, what happens if your journey to Budapest is delayed by one, two, three, six or twelve hours?

 

Therre is some confusiojn on my end about when exactly the trip itinerary begins and ends. The cruise itself is June 14-21 I think. But the cruise line offered itinerary addons - two days in Budapest and 3 days in Prague. What does that mean? Do I just check in on June 12 and take a tour in Budapest on June 13 or willI actually do something in the afternoon on June 12 with the cruise line? When I get that part straightened out, I will know if June 11 is a day early.

[CruisingSince2012]

Since both you and I posted with some specific itinerary suggestions, the OP has been back but hasn't responded to either of us. It makes me wonder if the OP really wants answers or just wants to argue.

 

Why would I just want to argue? That was never my intent. It is an honest questoin about booking flights.

[Globaliser]

Therre is some confusiojn on my end about when exactly the trip itinerary begins and ends. The cruise itself is June 14-21 I think. But the cruise line offered itinerary addons - two days in Budapest and 3 days in Prague. What does that mean? Do I just check in on June 12 and take a tour in Budapest on June 13 or willI actually do something in the afternoon on June 12 with the cruise line? When I get that part straightened out, I will know if June 11 is a day early.

The cruise line's website does give you an itinerary including the add-ons.

 

In any event, you've now got pointers for what to look for in your flights.

[waterbug123]

Therre is some confusiojn on my end about when exactly the trip itinerary begins and ends. The cruise itself is June 14-21 I think. But the cruise line offered itinerary addons - two days in Budapest and 3 days in Prague. What does that mean? Do I just check in on June 12 and take a tour in Budapest on June 13 or willI actually do something in the afternoon on June 12 with the cruise line? When I get that part straightened out, I will know if June 11 is a day early.

 

If you are doing a cruise-sponsored add-on to the beginning and/or end of a cruise, the cruise line generally arranges an itinerary for you. Typically it includes your hotel, possibly some of your meals though this may vary a lot, and some sightseeing with a pre-arranged guide. This information should be available from the cruise company. Ask them for details.

 

 

Why would I just want to argue? That was never my intent. It is an honest questoin about booking flights.

 

Because you seem to question everything people say to try to help. Then when you got answers from two different people that seemed to overcome your main objection to what you'd been finding on your own, you went silent on that issue. So let me ask you: Both I and another poster presented some one-stop options for you, since that seemed to be important. Did you find any of those acceptable and just chose not to respond? Or is there some further objection to those options because you have self-imposed additional parameters for your trip that you still haven't shared?

[CruisingSince2012]

I see that you have since re-posted your signature AND clarified that that is the trip you're asking about. Thank you. In the future, please understand that the more specific you are in your post, the more specific (i.e. helpful) answers people can give in return.

 

Oh, and you can book a return with a single connection, over 3 hours (specifically 4-ish or 6-ish hours), by flying PRG-AMS-MCO, or PRG-AMS-TPA via DL/KLM. On the way over you can do a single connection by flying TPA-AMS-BUD.....TPA-AMS is a new nonstop route just announced by Delta to begin next year.

 

However, now that you've told us your exact itinerary request in THIS thread, I seem to recall that you have ANOTHER thread in which you have stated that you don't want more than one connection, nor do you want to have to drive back to Gainesville after dark, which is a possibility if you are on the 7:13pm arrival into TPA and then have to clear immigration and customs; no security obviously as it's your final destination, but if I/C is long then I suppose it might be dark by the time you get to Gainesville. Just depends on how long the lines are.

 

If I stop at AMS will I really need 3 hours?

 

In late June, sunset is around 8:30-9:00. I don't think 7:13 would be too late for getting out of Tampa and onto the freeway, then finding the right exit to I-75 North. Once we don't have to listen to the Garmin anymore, it is not too bad.

[fbgd]

In late June, sunset is around 8:30-9:00. I don't think 7:13 would be too late for getting out of Tampa and onto the freeway, then finding the right exit to I-75 North. Once we don't have to listen to the Garmin anymore, it is not too bad.

 

Or if you really can't drive in the dark:

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

[CruisingSince2012]

Or if you really can't drive in the dark:

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

 

We did this once. A United gate agent at MCO gave us a vouncer for a shuttle to Quailty Inn. Unfortunately Mom had to pay for the room.

[Globaliser]

If I stop at AMS will I really need 3 hours?

Probably not. But you're the one complaining that you can't find itineraries that have longer connecting times.

 

Of course, if you reduce the planned connection time, you will increase the risk that you misconnect, and that you won't get to your final US airport until long after dark. What you are going to do then?

 

In late June, sunset is around 8:30-9:00. I don't think 7:13 would be too late for getting out of Tampa and onto the freeway, then finding the right exit to I-75 North.

I think you misunderstand. If you arrive at Tampa at 7.13 pm, you probably won't be in your car and on the road for the best part of an hour after that. If the aircraft arrives on time, you still have to wait for the jetty to be connected. Then you will file off the aircraft after a number (perhaps many) other passengers. Then you have to walk to baggage claim. And then you have to wait for your bags to be delivered. Then you have to find the transfer to wherever your car is parked, find the car, load it, and then drive off.

 

So you will very probably be doing most of the driving in the dark. Did you say that this would be a problem?

 

Or if you really can't drive in the dark:

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

We did this once. A United gate agent at MCO gave us a vouncer for a shuttle to Quailty Inn. Unfortunately Mom had to pay for the room.

For clarity: If you follow the suggestions I gave you, you will have to pay for the hotel room. If you want the personal convenience of choosing an overnight stop somewhere along your route because you have some unusual criteria for your journey, don't expect all of the costs to be paid for you.