What are you doing about flights

[Tree_skier]

I have flights booked for my Ovation out of Seattle for the end of August.  I am booking with vouchers that I got for flights I cancelled when they cancelled my May Hawaii cruise back in March.  I have used the vouchers for flights for every cruise that I have had cancelled so far. I think I have bought and cancelled four times now.  Alaska Airlines has a really good cancel program.  Each time I cancel they return the vouchers to my account and cancellation date is pushed out 12 months from when I most recently cancelled. So while they get to hang on to my money I get spend it over and over again until things finally kick off.  I got first class return air Fresno to Seattle for 350 pp.  That seemed like a pretty good deal.  I'm getting pretty skeptical that that cruise is going to go.  When the cruise cancels or seems inevitable that it will cancel I'll cancel the flights and book flights for my December cruise on Liberty.  It's fun playing with what feels like free money. 😉 

Edited January 9, 2021 by Tree_skier

[Brucemcdou]

6 hours ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

You book your flights a year in advance?

We do too.  We start monitoring prices as soon as they are posted.  We are captive United customers and United along with most major US, European and Asian airlines  post 11 months to the day in advance.  We simultaneously also start monitoring the "price" using miles for the same flights.  

 

Usually the prices (in both $ and miles) are high initially but then dip after a week or so, then bounce back up until one-two months before the date.  We usually book my partner using miles when the mileage price drops, then I keep looking for those particular flight combinations to drop and buy it using $ for myself - that way I maintain airline status but we minimize the actual cash out of pocket.  Has worked for years to get biz class r/t to Europe, Asia, South America, etc. for a reasonable all-in price.  Biz for the price of economy.  

 

If you need to move or cancel there's basically no charge for mileage tickets (assuming you have upper-tier status with that airline) and a nominal charge for the paid ticket that's usually worthwhile.  

[Milwaukee Eight]

11 minutes ago, Ashland said:

Anyone ? You only have to call you can do this yourself. 

Look on the website of the carrier you want to use and know what you

want before calling the direct number to the cruise air department.

I easily did this for my DL (KLM) flight before I called X.

I just didn’t know if a good TA does this or not?

[Ashland]

Just now, Milwaukee Eight said:

I just didn’t know if a good TA does this or not?

I'm sure they will...but you can also do this yourself...at least look at flights you 

want saves some time regardless of who actually does it. I like to physically see

what my options are...I'm a bit picky when it comes to all the details of the particular flights.

Best of luck.

[rockmom]

7 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

We had to cancel flights to San Juan on Jetblue for a cancelled May 2020 cruise.  We called to cancel and they said we would only get a credit but I fought for a refund and got one.  One leg of the flight had been cancelled by them and we had been rebooked on a flight four hours later, so I think that helped our case for a refund. How flexible has AA been on their credits?  Are they allowing extensions?

Our canceled flight from June 2020 was also for a San Juan cruise.  They were pretty nice about letting us book for this coming July  when the 'rules' stated we needed to use it by June 15th-ish.  Might have been a little sooner, I think a year from our original flight.  My travel buddy didn't get someone quite a nice (she was also on AA, but out of another city, on another reservation).  She did escalate and was able to get them to allow the exception.  So now, no matter if we get to sail in July or not, we are meeting in Florida. We have back up plans booked at a few properties in The Keys and along the SE Florida coast, all refundable, and a refundable rental car.   I hope I don't have any issues with rebooking the ones for next January.  That will be the same situation though--if the cruise doesn't go, since there are 7 of us and that's a lot of $$ (and the only time off for the college-aged kid), we'll rent a place in Orlando. I'm sure we'll be able to find something to do there, lol. 

[Ourusualbeach]

11 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

I just didn’t know if a good TA does this or not?

Yes

[SpainAlien]

I have just booked our flights to Copenhagen in September and Miami in December but that was using vouchers from flights cancelled last year. 

[soremekun]

Due to cruise cancellations, I have credits with United and Southwest.  Thankfully the credits don't expire until about September 2022.  

For 2021, I have three cruises out of NJ and one out of Boston.  I'm just gonna do the 4 hour drive for the cruises out of NJ and catch an Uber for the Boston cruise.

[John&LaLa]

5 hours ago, Ashland said:

I'm sure they will...but you can also do this yourself...at least look at flights you 

want saves some time regardless of who actually does it. I like to physically see

what my options are...I'm a bit picky when it comes to all the details of the particular flights.

Best of luck.

 

Good advice, nice to look and try different options

[cured]

I booked my flights for this summer as soon as SW released them. One leg is on vouchers the other leg with points. Either way, I can cancel at anytime with no penalty. And the vouchers are good till Dec 2022 so can use them next year if needed (and things are better next year.) The points will just go back into my RR account.

 

Since booking the flights last month, I have already made 4 price adjustments. Love SW even if we have to fly into LaGuardia rather than Newark for Cape Liberty.

[Airbear232]

On 1/9/2021 at 6:55 AM, vacationlover_mn said:

I’m approaching the time where is normally start checking flight prices...  but, who knows what next feb will bring?

 

I’m curious what you guys are doing for your flights... are you just holding off and not even checking prices?  Booking and paying to move your flight if needed?

 

if I book the flight through my TA and RCI, will it lift and shift for free, if RCI makes me lift and shift the cruise?

 

thx!

We book all through Air2Sea, it's easier if they cancel.

 

[smokeybandit]

12 hours ago, cured said:

I booked my flights for this summer as soon as SW released them. One leg is on vouchers the other leg with points. Either way, I can cancel at anytime with no penalty. And the vouchers are good till Dec 2022 so can use them next year if needed (and things are better next year.) The points will just go back into my RR account.

 

Since booking the flights last month, I have already made 4 price adjustments. Love SW even if we have to fly into LaGuardia rather than Newark for Cape Liberty.

 

I thought only those flights canceled in the spring had Dec 2022 dates. Otherwise it's the standard 1 year.

[BoozinCroozin]

We bought our flights for March and now finding they are non-refundable. We won't use them for a Summer cruise assuming it goes. If March is canceled we will book for Thanksgiving and use the vouchers there.

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, BoozinCroozin said:

We bought our flights for March and now finding they are non-refundable. We won't use them for a Summer cruise assuming it goes. If March is canceled we will book for Thanksgiving and use the vouchers there.

March 2021? There's no chance, you will be cruising if your cruise is in 3 months. 

[Milwaukee Eight]

27 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

March 2021? There's no chance, you will be cruising if your cruise is in 3 months. 

Royal is waiting to suck in all those final payments before canceling. 

[MiniChunks]

I just made final payment on our April 2021 cruise, and am still holding out on booking flights. We are also in the group that typically books flights very close to the time they are released, but they were extremely expensive back then, and then COVID hit, so I never booked. I'm still pretty confident we won't be sailing from San Juan in April, and will wait another month or so to seriously start looking at airfare. 

Edited January 11, 2021 by MiniChunks

[cured]

12 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

 

I thought only those flights canceled in the spring had Dec 2022 dates. Otherwise it's the standard 1 year.

Not sure. But under travel vouchers mine say they expire Dec, 2022 so I am going with it. But thanks for the heads up that it might be a glitch. I just took a screen shot for proof.

[CanadaRob]

I like many here have some credits, I too use air2sea for international and I have used them for domestic and for this new current reality will do so again. 
I also will book 11 month’s out when I can, even now because of the flexible cancellation policies in place.

[Jeff13]

We use Southwest.  We have rebooked our flight 3 times so far and with the new extension to April, we will be doing it again.  Never a fee.  Although, booking as soon as the flight is available, like 6-9 months in advance, gets the best price.   Booking with only 4 months advance is always more expensive.  These changes are making our flight go up in cost!  Although after our March cruise just got cancelled, our next one is in October, so we may get a better price that far out.  I have not looked yet today.

[Cigar King]

We just booked our flight to Orlando for November 24th.  Our return flight is not available yet.  We'll probably book that once it comes out, but, right now the 4:30 departure looks like what we would have.  Not thrilled, but, I can always change if a better flight comes out.