Air Fare Thru princess

[eusftm]

Strongly considering the October 28 day cruise out of LA.  Being on the east coast we will need to get to LA and are considering using the air fare service provided thru Princess.  Having never used this service thru Princess or any other cruise line I have a few questions for any who have used this in the past.......positive or negative comments welcomed.

My biggest concern is that Princess will get us to the first port if the flight is delayed/late and we would not be able to board the ship before it sails.  That is good......but the first port is Hawaii which means that we miss 3 or 4 days at sea and someone will need to provide lodging.  Am I assuming correctly that Princess would cover T&L to Hawaii along with other expenses?

If you have used this service in the past would you use in again in the future?

Other than the arrival guarantee is there any other benefit of using this service?  Asking as Princess does not list SouthWest as a possible carrier and we prefer SouthWest if possible.

Any other information pro or con would be welcomed.

Any pro or con on the 28 day cruise would also be welcomed.  Assume that a four week cruise severely limits any children on the cruise (a plus).  Destinations in the South Pacific are attractive as we would probably never fly directly to Fiji or Tahiti.

Thanx in advance

[Colo Cruiser]

9 minutes ago, eusftm said:

Strongly considering the October 28 day cruise out of LA.  Being on the east coast we will need to get to LA and are considering using the air fare service provided thru Princess.  Having never used this service thru Princess or any other cruise line I have a few questions for any who have used this in the past.......positive or negative comments welcomed.

My biggest concern is that Princess will get us to the first port if the flight is delayed/late and we would not be able to board the ship before it sails.  That is good......but the first port is Hawaii which means that we miss 3 or 4 days at sea and someone will need to provide lodging.  Am I assuming correctly that Princess would cover T&L to Hawaii along with other expenses?

If you have used this service in the past would you use in again in the future?

Other than the arrival guarantee is there any other benefit of using this service?  Asking as Princess does not list SouthWest as a possible carrier and we prefer SouthWest if possible.

Any other information pro or con would be welcomed.

Any pro or con on the 28 day cruise would also be welcomed.  Assume that a four week cruise severely limits any children on the cruise (a plus).  Destinations in the South Pacific are attractive as we would probably never fly directly to Fiji or Tahiti.

Thanx in advance

As you say the big issue would be if you miss the ship you miss 4 sea days.

We use EZ Air all the time.

It is easy to use, it has fantastic prices.

If you book the flexible air then you have up to 45 days before the cruise to cancel the air/change the air/get price drops with no additional fees.

No they do not use Southwest.

The EZ Air prices are very competitive.

The moral of the story is get to the port area a day or more before your cruise that way you need not worry about missing the ship. Stay in San Pedro or Long Beach. There are many hotel options and the cab fare/Uber/Lyft fares are minimal to get to the ship on sailing day. No Stress!!

Especially because it has all those sea days up front.

[RMMariner]

I don't know what Princess does for you if you somehow miss the ship when you are on an EZ flight, but we just never take that chance. We come in a day (usually two) early. It just makes the whole process less stressful.

[skynight]

Princess EZ Air provides next port guarantee if it is legal for them to do so. In your case it is not legal because the first port is a U.S. port. U.S. law prohibits foreign flag ships from taking on passengers in Hawaii and disembarking them back in L.A. as the ship will not visit a distant foreign country. Moral, arrive at least one or more days early. We always allow 3 days.

Princess EZ Air is easy to use, provides flexible fares that are normally less expensive than non-flexible ones. Flexible fares can be changed without penalty up until 45 days before the flights. There are some downsides. One example, on United flights you can not upgrade to extra legroom seats until the flight is ticketed. By that time the seats are gone. 

Edited January 12, 2020 by skynight

[DesertSailors]

First time we have used EZ air (and sure do miss our airline miles).  When are EZ air flights actually ticketed?  We have paid in full, but our flight is still showing as ticket pending at AA.  Thanks!

[nini]

I have learned so much about flying and booking through the cruise line's air.

What I gleaned is that

1. Domestic flights are typically not a great bargain, but international

flights are a real bargain. 

2. Always get to the port a day or two ahead of embarkation. Princess can not help it

if your flights are cancelled. They might get you to the next port, but in your case, that is not

really preferable.

 

Most likely, there would be a very low children head count.

You may do some research on the Cruise Air Forum- there are some very experienced flyers

on that board and lots of real life experiences.

 

[nini]

2 minutes ago, DesertSailors said:

First time we have used EZ air (and sure do miss our airline miles).  When are EZ air flights actually ticketed?  We have paid in full, but our flight is still showing as ticket pending at AA.  Thanks!

We flew to Europe about a year ago and went through the cruise line. Because we have 

our Alaska Visa Mileage card and British Airways is a partner with Alaska, we were able to

get our miles because of that! So, this is also a consideration when choosing your airline-

they may be associated with your airline in which you receive miles.

[riffatsea]

Some airlines still allow you to get your miles when booked by an agent or EZ Air.

It depends on the airline's own rules.

[nini]

2 minutes ago, riffatsea said:

Some airlines still allow you to get your miles when booked by an agent or EZ Air.

It depends on the airline's own rules.

Very true- I guess Alaska is easy to work with. We use Alaska for domestic flights- our favorite.

[DesertSailors]

21 minutes ago, DesertSailors said:

First time we have used EZ air (and sure do miss our airline miles).  When are EZ air flights actually ticketed?  We have paid in full, but our flight is still showing as ticket pending at AA.  Thanks!

Actually called Princess and got the answer to my question ~ if anyone else needs the information, it is not ticketed until 45 days prior to the flight on flexible fare tickets.

Edited January 12, 2020 by DesertSailors

[tk2fast]

Only fly Delta; most on time airline. AA the worst. EZ air rates a little lower for us.

We arrive a day or so early.

[Coral]

4 minutes ago, DesertSailors said:

Actually called Princess and got the answer to my question ~ if anyone else needs the information, it is not ticketed until 45 days prior to the flight.

You can choose to have them ticketed early. There is an option in EZ Air now or you can have your agent do it.

[fredflint]

Since you will be flying with the time zone if you pick an early flight you will probably have lots of options if your flight is cancelled.   If you book your own flight how would it be different?  Just fly out a day ahead and pick a hotel using priceline.

[princess09]

Fly the day before. It’s the least stressful way to begin a vacation. 

[cherylandtk]

52 minutes ago, skynight said:

Princess EZ Air provides next port guarantee if it is legal for them to do so. In your case it is not legal because the first port is a U.S. port. U.S. law prohibits foreign flag ships from taking on passengers in Hawaii and disembarking them back in L.A. as the ship will not visit a distant foreign country. 

This is correct for the two-week Hawaii itineraries, but OP is on the 28 day which goes to Tahiti. Thus the PVSA does not apply on this itinerary.  
 

Still, given the first port timing and location, I also suggest OP fly in a day early, and purchase insurance as well as relying on the EZ Air guarantee.  The EZ Air technically just gets you transportation; insurance covers your missed trip days and many of your incidental costs during those days.

[Colo Cruiser]

29 minutes ago, riffatsea said:

Some airlines still allow you to get your miles when booked by an agent or EZ Air.

It depends on the airline's own rules.

Wow I never knew that.  🤔

What airlines don't give mileage for flights through EZ Air?

[Colo Cruiser]

33 minutes ago, DesertSailors said:

Actually called Princess and got the answer to my question ~ if anyone else needs the information, it is not ticketed until 45 days prior to the flight on flexible fare tickets.

Sometimes.

We had a booking from January 2019 for a cruise on the Crown in October.

Final payment was in July. We did not pay anything other than the deposit early.

My United EZ Air flexible air  booking showed ticketed in March 2019. 

 

[Steelers36]

Once you have paid in full (or sooner if happy with the fare charged), and assuming you have not seen fares moving lower, I would just go ahead and ticket so I could select seats.  I am watching my flights daily.

 

[franktown]

27 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Wow I never knew that.  🤔

What airlines don't give mileage for flights through EZ Air?

I have gotten miles using ezair on both AA and Delta.  Just added my frequent flyer # when booking thru EZair.  On United I had to go to my flight confirmation page and add my FF#.  Not sure why.

[skynight]

43 minutes ago, cherylandtk said:

This is correct for the two-week Hawaii itineraries, but OP is on the 28 day which goes to Tahiti. Thus the PVSA does not apply on this itinerary.  
 

Still, given the first port timing and location, I also suggest OP fly in a day early, and purchase insurance as well as relying on the EZ Air guarantee.  The EZ Air technically just gets you transportation; insurance covers your missed trip days and many of your incidental costs during those days.

You are correct. I misread it as an October 28th Hawaii cruise and not an October 28day cruise as mentioned. The risk is the 4 day crossing. The upside is a nice hotel in Hawaii until the ship arrives.

[Colo Cruiser]

16 minutes ago, franktown said:

I have gotten miles using ezair on both AA and Delta.  Just added my frequent flyer # when booking thru EZair.  On United I had to go to my flight confirmation page and add my FF#.  Not sure why.

I don't think I have had any issues getting mileage through EZ Air regardless of the airline.

As long as I sync up the frequent flyer # with the EZ Air booking through the airline website.

I try to book United when possible and use my Chase Mileage Plus Club Visa to pay for the cruise.  

I added my United Mileage Plus # in EZ Air as I booked the air.

Sometimes I have to go in to the United website and add my United booking # to find/sync the MP number to the air booking.

[RotaryMike]

Haven't had issues getting airline miles posted.  When you check in for your flight be sure they have your frequent flyer info posted.

 

We booked our upcoming Hawaii cruise and ezair using future cruise credits,didn't have to pay any deposits, had AA seats booked 9 months befor flying, paid in full 91 days before and we each got $100 OBC.  Can't beat that.