Air reservations through HAL

[Vineyard View]

11 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

I think you should be quite happy with Lufthansa’s business class 😉 

That is what I hear! Thanks for this input kazu.  United is my concern. It’s been several years since we flew international business  with them and it was just okay. Any recent experience with UA would be appreciated. 

Also, do you find that you generally receive the seats that you requested? 

Once booked, how do you check flights to see what new ones may be available without canceling what you have? Do you just click on ‘change flights’.?  I wouldn’t want to cancel what I have by accident. 

Edited September 17, 2019 by Vineyard View

[mr. godfredo]

I just booked through Flightease yesterday for our cruise (June 20, 2020) from Rome to Copenhagen. Our travel plans were a bit complex as I only needed one way (I used miles for my return flight) and on our return, we are flying out from Copenhagen and then staying in Munich for 5 days. They were able to to book my one way flight to Rome and book both my wife and I on the same  return flights with the 5 day visit in Munich, all at a great price. Our economy flights on Lufthansa cost about a third of what was available online. I am pleased as I don't have to pay until 45 days out and I the piece of mind knowing that HAL will get us to the next port should we have flight delays. Also, you can choose what day you wish to arrive and depart if you wish to spend a few days prior to or after your cruise. I feel for International flights it is a no brainer to use Flightease! 

Edited September 17, 2019 by mr. godfredo

[kazu]

1 hour ago, Vineyard View said:

That is what I hear! Thanks for this input kazu.  United is my concern. It’s been several years since we flew international business  with them and it was just okay. Any recent experience with UA would be appreciated. 

Also, do you find that you generally receive the seats that you requested? 

Once booked, how do you check flights to see what new ones may be available without canceling what you have? Do you just click on ‘change flights’.?  I wouldn’t want to cancel what I have by accident. 

 

Haven’t flown United, sorry.  But have done Lufthansa and just last year.  Not quite as good as it used to be (might have been the staff we had) but still pretty dam good.

I usually get the seats I requested.  Once it’s allowed, I go into Manage my bookings (or whatever it’s called depending on the airline) and make sure my seats are the same and/or change them.

 

Some airlines make you wait until your ticket is paid for but a lot don’t.

 

Can’t help you with the last question as I am paranoid about losing my flights, too.  Hopefully someone can give you sage advice.

[fatcat04]

2 hours ago, mr. godfredo said:

I just booked through Flightease yesterday for our cruise (June 20, 2020) from Rome to Copenhagen. Our travel plans were a bit complex as I only needed one way (I used miles for my return flight) and on our return, we are flying out from Copenhagen and then staying in Munich for 5 days. They were able to to book my one way flight to Rome and book both my wife and I on the same  return flights with the 5 day visit in Munich, all at a great price. Our economy flights on Lufthansa cost about a third of what was available online. I am pleased as I don't have to pay until 45 days out and I the piece of mind knowing that HAL will get us to the next port should we have flight delays. Also, you can choose what day you wish to arrive and depart if you wish to spend a few days prior to or after your cruise. I feel for International flights it is a no brainer to use Flightease! 

Good info. I had wondered about the savings when flying one way economy with Flightease. 

[Vineyard View]

Thank you Kazu. I did check on seats and the requests went through but I don’t know if that means they will be secured. 

I am fine with Lufthansa and appreciate your updated experience. I will keep my eye on alternatives to United though! Maybe it will happen, but if not we will enjoy what we have!

I had been tracking Economy pricing with the thought to use miles for upgrade, as well as Business pricing. Flighteaze pricing for both cabin categories was so much lower than I could find direct. 

Do you wait to pay for your flights as Flighteaze allows, or do you book earlier so as to make sure it is buttoned up as far as pricing?

[DoggyDaddy]

Just a word to the wise. If you book a domestic flight directly with an affiliated credit card (such as a Chase United) you usually get a free bag checkin. If you book through Flightease, even though you use the same card, you have to pay for the bag checkin. Just keep that in mind when comparing prices. We were unpleasantly supposed when this happened to us and had to pay $100 more (RT) at the airports. 

 

DD

[kazu]

12 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

Do you wait to pay for your flights as Flighteaze allows, or do you book earlier so as to make sure it is buttoned up as far as pricing?

 

I just wait and pay it with my cruise.

 

I haven’t seen the prices go up and all the reports here by different CC members echo that.

[Vineyard View]

Thank you once again kazu

[taba]

3 hours ago, DoggyDaddy said:

Just a word to the wise. If you book a domestic flight directly with an affiliated credit card (such as a Chase United) you usually get a free bag checkin. If you book through Flightease, even though you use the same card, you have to pay for the bag checkin. Just keep that in mind when comparing prices. We were unpleasantly supposed when this happened to us and had to pay $100 more (RT) at the airports. 

 

DD

That is an issue with the United credit card, but not with the Delta credit card. I often pay for my Delta flights with non-Delta credit cards, especially for work. I still get the free checked bag benefit for myslef and others in my party as long as I have the e-ticket linked to my frequent flyer account.

[USN59-79]

I used FlightEase last week to book a RT to Hong Kong for an upcoming Westerdam cruise.  The price was about $100. more than I could have gotten from some online air travel sites.  I think it is worth it since HAL will guarantee to get me to the ship if something happens between now and then.  The website isn't  perfect, though.  Although we are 5-star Mariners and have lived near Seattle for the last 40 years, it kept insisting that I was flying from and back to Houston.  Did a similar thing a couple of years ago trying to fly me out of an back to San Francisco.  Every time I change it and go back to the website to do a new flight it reverts back to Houston.  Another problem I noted was that it wouldn't let me book a flight from Taipei to Hong Kong and back for my DW who will be joining me on the cruise from Taipei.  It only has so many airports in its data base and Taipei apparently isn't one of them.

[westcoastcruiser]

On 9/17/2019 at 3:07 PM, Vineyard View said:

That is what I hear! Thanks for this input kazu.  United is my concern. It’s been several years since we flew international business  with them and it was just okay. Any recent experience with UA would be appreciated. 

Also, do you find that you generally receive the seats that you requested? 

Once booked, how do you check flights to see what new ones may be available without canceling what you have? Do you just click on ‘change flights’.?  I wouldn’t want to cancel what I have by accident. 

 

We flew United Business class RT Amsterdam this summer.  We were quite pleased with it.  Seats were very roomy, great selection of tv entertainment, food tasty plus the usual creature comforts.  United is not in my top 10 for domestic travel so I was hesitant booking them through  Flightease but we had no complaints.

[Vineyard View]

westcoastcruiser, thank you for your response to your recent UA International experience. This is reassuring to read. 

Like you - UA is typically way down on my list of chosen domestic airlines so this is encouraging.

[sambamama]

The website even lets you add in a city you want to visit before you sail on your cruise. For example, I am booked on a TA in mid October 2020 sailing out of Barcelona. I can book a flight from JFK to Lisbon and then from Lisbon to Barcelona. I can fly in 2-3 weeks early and go visit Portugal and then go to Barcelona 2-3 days before the cruise sails. 

[richwmn]

On 9/18/2019 at 1:33 PM, USN59-79 said:

I used FlightEase last week to book a RT to Hong Kong for an upcoming Westerdam cruise.  The price was about $100. more than I could have gotten from some online air travel sites.  I think it is worth it since HAL will guarantee to get me to the ship if something happens between now and then.  The website isn't  perfect, though.  Although we are 5-star Mariners and have lived near Seattle for the last 40 years, it kept insisting that I was flying from and back to Houston.  Did a similar thing a couple of years ago trying to fly me out of an back to San Francisco.  Every time I change it and go back to the website to do a new flight it reverts back to Houston.  Another problem I noted was that it wouldn't let me book a flight from Taipei to Hong Kong and back for my DW who will be joining me on the cruise from Taipei.  It only has so many airports in its data base and Taipei apparently isn't one of them.

From what I have been told (twice) HAL is only allowed by agreement with the airlines to book flights from your home to the embarkation point. Several years ago I was in Europe and had to get to Montreal for a cruise, no go, had to book otherwise. I have the same thing coming up next year. I'm doing a TransAtlantic to Amsterdam, then a Med from Venice to Rome. Flightease couldn't book me from Amsterdam to Venice, but could from Amsterdam to Atlanta, then to Venice.