EZ Air terms question

[CruisinFinsUp]

Hi, 

We are thinking about a cruise over New Year's, and given the flexibility and cancellation options with EZ Air, we are considering it.  

 

Looking for some advice on the terms and conditions ... 

 

Normally we book air on our own, direct flights on Air Canada, Toronto to Ft. Lauderdale.  Prices over the Christmas Break are high and if we book now, we have very little option in terms of cancellation ( Air Canada $200 fee per leg for changes etc etc).       EZ Air seems to offer some options to hold the flight seats until final payment date on the cruise.  

 

But on the booking page it says "Fare and availability not guaranteed until paid"    and  "$0 due now" " change or cancel flights by Nov 9, 2019 to avoid fees" 

 

How does the "not guaranteed" work with the delayed payment?    Do we have a flight reservation or not?   

 

Also, are there any fees if we do decide to cancel the trip?   I'm seeing different wording on different pages .... 

 

Any advice is much appreciated!    

 

[Coral]

I had booked EZ Air for a trip this summer to Europe. I ended up cancelling the trip before final payment and there were no issues, EZ air cancelled at the same time.

[Hlitner]

Nothing is certain in the travel world :(.  But the norm is that if you reserve an EZ Air flight using their "Flex" option....the cost of the airfare will not change!  However, it is possible that taxes (or related fees) could increase.  We have not heard of that happening, but EZ Air does cover that contingency in their language.  We love the EZ Air Flex option because you do not have to actually commit to the flight until about 45 days prior to the cruise.  Up until that time you can cancel or change flights with no penalty.  However, if you are concerned you do have the ability to ask Princess to immediately ticket the flight (this means you must pay now).  But  once you have it ticketed you are subject to the usual cancellation/change penalties.

 

Hank

[Astro Flyer]

As I recall several years ago airfares could change before payment however they’re now set when booked.  With flexible airfares you can change flights & airfares subject to the restrictions on their chart...up to 45 days in advance.

 

 

[lx200gps]

One thing to keep in mind is that Air Canada is one of the many airlines (along with Westjet) that do not allow seat selection when you book "flexible" EZAir flights with them. Delta and American are airlines that do allow prior seat selection. With AC, you will only be able to select seats once you pay, turning your "flexible" fare into a "restricted, locked in fare.

[CruisinFinsUp]

23 minutes ago, lx200gps said:

One thing to keep in mind is that Air Canada is one of the many airlines (along with Westjet) that do not allow seat selection when you book "flexible" EZAir flights with them. Delta and American are airlines that do allow prior seat selection. With AC, you will only be able to select seats once you pay, turning your "flexible" fare into a "restricted, locked in fare.

 

 

Thanks -- I'll keep that in mind and watch how the planes fill up.   Luckily the kids are older now (19 & 16) so I think we can wait until Princess pays for the flights and book seats then ... we'll get at least 2 & 2 together I'm sure.     

[CruisinFinsUp]

Thanks  Hlitner & Astro Flyer   - I saw in the small print that Air Canada adds a $25 peak time fee for the holidays ... so we are expecting that.    

 

 

[lx200gps]

6 minutes ago, cruisintoddler said:

 

 

Thanks -- I'll keep that in mind and watch how the planes fill up.   Luckily the kids are older now (19 & 16) so I think we can wait until Princess pays for the flights and book seats then ... we'll get at least 2 & 2 together I'm sure.     

I believe Princess only pays the airline about 45 days prior, so that may not allow a decent selection of seats that close to departure. AC flies pretty full these days ;o(    2+2 could mean an aisle and middle....

 

You can, of course, tell Princess to pay any time, not just at the deadline. That would lock you in and allow seat selection, but you would miss any possible price drops and would be subject to the usual airline change penalties.

[CruisinFinsUp]

1 hour ago, lx200gps said:

I believe Princess only pays the airline about 45 days prior, so that may not allow a decent selection of seats that close to departure. AC flies pretty full these days ;o(    2+2 could mean an aisle and middle....

 

You can, of course, tell Princess to pay any time, not just at the deadline. That would lock you in and allow seat selection, but you would miss any possible price drops and would be subject to the usual airline change penalties.

 

Yup all their flights do seem to be always full.   I highly doubt there will be any price drops for December holiday dates - we want to lock in the already nasty prices before they get worse!   But EZair leaves us the option to cancel if we need to - our plans aren't quite finalized yet.  

 

 

Thanks everyone!

 

[skynight]

My fine print with my EZ-AIr booking, which I just received today, reads as follows:

"Flexible Air rates are not subject to change prior to the receipt of final payment on the cruise and air booking. Flexible Air flights which are confirmed on a booking remain at the same rate, with the exception of a change in taxes or fees or a schedule change resulting in the cancellation or re-booking of flights. After ticketed departure time, no changes are permitted and ticket has no value if guest has not cancelled the ticketed flight reservation."

Note: flexible fares do NOT change, except for taxes and fees. We are flying United and they do allow us to select seats at the time of booking through EZ-Air, although United is probably not a good selection for you. But, I do see that Delta has direct flights from Toronto to Fort Lauderdale. It is my understanding that actual ticketing occurs 45 days before the flight.

 

[land lover]

OP, one thing with EZ air since you have not paid in full,  times can change on your flex flights... In order to keep your original pricing you might find yourself on less desirable flights with no recourse.

 

I have booked with easy air several times in the last few years and only once did my flights not change. I like the option of being able to cancel up to 45 days. So even though some of my desired flights were changed , I have been able to live with the changes because the price was right.

 

[NavyVeteran]

6 minutes ago, land lover said:

OP, one thing with EZ air since you have not paid in full,  times can change on your flex flights... In order to keep your original pricing you might find yourself on less desirable flights with no recourse.

 

I have booked with easy air several times in the last few years and only once did my flights not change. I like the option of being able to cancel up to 45 days. So even though some of my desired flights were changed , I have been able to live with the changes because the price was right.

 

Usually when the flight times change, it's because the airline changes their schedule. When you book as far in advance as most of us do with EZAir for cruises, there's almost always a schedule change or two - mostly minor, but sometimes not. You would have this same problem if you booked directly with the airline and the schedule changed.

[land lover]

3 hours ago, NavyVeteran said:

Usually when the flight times change, it's because the airline changes their schedule. When you book as far in advance as most of us do with EZAir for cruises, there's almost always a schedule change or two - mostly minor, but sometimes not. You would have this same problem if you booked directly with the airline and the schedule changed.

 Sometimes a total flight will disappear because the airline has no longer made it available to EZ air, I experienced this. Advantage with booking with the airline is the airline will work with you when time changes and a flight will never disappear.

[KNJScorpio]

If your flight changes and Princess cannot accommodate you (meaning they cannot find a flight within the same time/airline/price range) then you will need to cancel your flights and rebook at current rates and availability. Basically, let's say the airline (who makes the schedule changes and not Princess) cancels your flights and you call Princess to get you new flights they will advise you that you have to rebook all new flights since your flights were not "Guaranteed" as they were not actually paid for yet. 

 

Hopefully that helps!

[CruisinFinsUp]

 

Deleted

Edited April 15, 2019 by cruisintoddler
Deleted

[CruisinFinsUp]

10 hours ago, land lover said:

 Sometimes a total flight will disappear because the airline has no longer made it available to EZ air, I experienced this. Advantage with booking with the airline is the airline will work with you when time changes and a flight will never disappear.

 

6 hours ago, KNJScorpio said:

If your flight changes and Princess cannot accommodate you (meaning they cannot find a flight within the same time/airline/price range) then you will need to cancel your flights and rebook at current rates and availability. Basically, let's say the airline (who makes the schedule changes and not Princess) cancels your flights and you call Princess to get you new flights they will advise you that you have to rebook all new flights since your flights were not "Guaranteed" as they were not actually paid for yet. 

 

Hopefully that helps!

 

 

Above:  THIS is what I'm concerned about.  

 

Can anyone please elaborate?    Can the agreements between Princess and Air Canada- this is the carrier we've selected -- allow AC to pull the flights?    

 

AC does not generally cancel and change the times of their Toronto - Ft Lauderdale flights.  Especially in peak times (Christmas break) - historically they've adjusted times by a few minutes or added a bigger plane but I've not experienced a cancellation, especially during peak season.  

 

Seems kinda ridiculous that the flights are "maybes" and we might miss the cruise because EZair flights were pulled .....    what am I missing????

[skynight]

34 minutes ago, cruisintoddler said:

 

Above:  THIS is what I'm concerned about.  

Can anyone please elaborate?    Can the agreements between Princess and Air Canada- this is the carrier we've selected -- allow AC to pull the flights?    

AC does not generally cancel and change the times of their Toronto - Ft Lauderdale flights.  Especially in peak times (Christmas break) - historically they've adjusted times by a few minutes or added a bigger plane but I've not experienced a cancellation, especially during peak season.  

Seems kinda ridiculous that the flights are "maybes" and we might miss the cruise because EZair flights were pulled .....    what am I missing????

If you choose flexible air there is no payment until you make final payment for your cruise. So very little risk. If you are nervous book a flight a day early and stay one night in Ft. Lauderdale. Then you have additional flexibility in case of flight changes. I would be more concerned over snow storms and weather delays then AC cancelling or changing flights. If your flight is booked through EZ Air and arrives late Princess knows this and will wait. If it arrives very late Princess will get you to the next port without charge.

Doubtful that during the holiday season AC will be cancelling flights. More likely the times may move around a little.

If you book directly with AC you would have the exact same issues.

[PoohUnderstands]

23 hours ago, lx200gps said:

One thing to keep in mind is that Air Canada is one of the many airlines (along with Westjet) that do not allow seat selection when you book "flexible" EZAir flights with them. Delta and American are airlines that do allow prior seat selection. With AC, you will only be able to select seats once you pay, turning your "flexible" fare into a "restricted, locked in fare.

A week ago I would have agreed with you.  I booked my EZair Business/First Class on 11/10/2018 for a August, 2019 cruise.  I used flexible fares.  At that time I was able to reserve and pick my seats on United (from Denver to Toronto);  as you said, I was not able to pick my seats on AC from Toronto to Copenhagen.  Called AC and received above information.  HOWEVER, last week I was just checking my flights on United and AC websites to make sure all ok, and voila, I was able to pick my seats!  I verified by going back in as if to book myself etc.  and those seats did show taken.  Went back into my reservation, and now shows seat selections!  So my suggestion is to regularly check your flights for time changes, cancellations, etc., but also try to reserve seats and see what happens!

 

Pooh

Edited April 15, 2019 by PoohUnderstands

[Ombud]

5 hours ago, cruisintoddler said:

Can the agreements between Princess and Air Canada- this is the carrier we've selected -- allow AC to pull the flights?    

My issue doesn't exactly relate to OP's concern but might affect others flying this summer. I've paid in full. AA 7/26 SFO-MIAMI with a AC 8/9 YUL-SFO, both NS. Here's the thing: AA is on 737-800, a plane still flying. AC is on 737-Max8, a plane NOT flying but AC has NOT switched that flight over to an alternative plane. EZAir cannot get AC to confirm when it'll switch so I might be overnighting in Montreal on Princess Insurance's dime 👍

 

FWIW: 

AA = American Airlines,  AC = Air Canada 

SFO = San Francisco,  YUL = Montreal 

Edited April 15, 2019 by Ombud

[EllieinNJ]

Off topic and nothing to do with EZ air but when we went to SA in Feb we had reserved seats on Latam Air.  When we checked in they said those seats were not available and had to take an aisle and middle.  Guess who had to sit in the middle?