NCL AIR Luggage?

[asctony]

We are flying from US to Rome using NCL Air. Have not used a cruise line air before. This option was very reasonable. 

Does NCL Air provide free 1 bag?

Can you upgrade to comfort class?

What are some of the NCL Air shortcomings.

Yes, we can call NCL or our TA. However,  thought someone could provide much more info who has used this option. 

Thank you! 

Stay Safe!

[hallux]

Are you using Premium Air or taking the free-at-sea offer of flights?

 

I've used the free-at-sea offer.  Baggage fees are not included.  Once the booking is made (which will likely be in the lowest-fare class or standard coach), you are free to go on the airline website using your confirmation number to select your seat.  If you want to select an upgraded class at that point you can, but it will be an out of pocket expense.

 

The experience with Premium Air may differ, as I see this language on the page regarding that service - 

The types of customized flight itinerary requests handled by the Premium Air Service Desk are date deviations, nonstop service, specific airline, specific flights or specific departure time, stopovers, upgrades to business or first class and gateways not offered in the Air Sea program

Keep in mind that there may be a fee for that deviation, and there would be a difference in fare cost.

https://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/premium-air

[asctony]

5 minutes ago, hallux said:

Are you using Premium Air or taking the free-at-sea offer of flights?

 

I've used the free-at-sea offer.  Baggage fees are not included.  Once the booking is made (which will likely be in the lowest-fare class or standard coach), you are free to go on the airline website using your confirmation number to select your seat.  If you want to select an upgraded class at that point you can, but it will be an out of pocket expense.

 

The experience with Premium Air may differ, as I see this language on the page regarding that service - 

The types of customized flight itinerary requests handled by the Premium Air Service Desk are date deviations, nonstop service, specific airline, specific flights or specific departure time, stopovers, upgrades to business or first class and gateways not offered in the Air Sea program

Keep in mind that there may be a fee for that deviation, and there would be a difference in fare cost.

https://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/premium-air

Thank you very much. We have the free at sea offer as it was half the cost  than what we would normally pay for air. 

You were very informative! 

People like you make this forum a pleasant experience.

Thanks again. 

Stay Safe & Happy Cruising!

[don't-use-real-name]

In upgrading a class of service an affinity with that airline may help !

If the airline NCL provides is not your affinity call and see if it can be changed.

American Express and VISA/Master credit card affinity may help you out here.

That 10 or so hour flight traveling in sardine class can be a challenge -

moving up to the next level of comfort makes a difference.

If in a suite or higher class of cabin - see if NCL can do better with the comfort

or business class ticket. 

[JandC_Cruising]

@asctony

With the promotional air (be it free, 2nd guest free, etc.) NCL will book flights on standard commercial air carriers.  We were booked on United for flights from Ohare to LA (before our cruise was cancelled one year ago tomorrow😪)

Unless they book you on a carrier that has "free bags" standard (such as Southwest for example) your fare will not cover bags.  (or premium seat selections)

However, once you get the air booking, you can contact the airline directly to utilize any airline status you may have on that particular carrier

Again, in our example, we have "status" on United, so we were able to select "economy plus" seats and also get 1 free checked bag each.  So we were going to be covered.

If they had booked us on American, which we almost never fly, we would have had to pay the baggage fee and would have been sitting in the back.

Hopefully, "baggage fee/no baggage fee" will be our greatest worry in short order and we can all get back to enjoying cruising! 

 

 

[hallux]

40 minutes ago, don't-use-real-name said:

If the airline NCL provides is not your affinity call and see if it can be changed.

Once you get to the point with NCL that you know what airline it is, it can't be changed.

 

41 minutes ago, don't-use-real-name said:

If in a suite or higher class of cabin - see if NCL can do better with the comfort

or business class ticket. 

In all of the threads about the FAS air perk in the last 3 years I don't think I've ever seen someone get that change because that would require re-ticketing which they won't do.

[rfs7306]

What is a affinity call?

[ColeThornton]

3 minutes ago, rfs7306 said:

What is a affinity call?

 

Translation:   "If the airline they choose is not to your liking, call NCL......."

[hallux]

1 hour ago, rfs7306 said:

What is a affinity call?

A punctuation mistake.  "affinity" would be referring to an airline with which you participate in the frequent flyer or rewards program...

[julig22]

Once you get your final booking information, then you can go directly to the airlines to get/change your seat assignment or upgrade if you wish - depending on the airline.

 

Overseas flights may include checked luggage, domestic would not (unless Southwest).  It depends both on the airline and the destination.  I don't remember paying for checked luggage to London or NZ when I used NCL flights.

 

Can't vouch for accuracy but this site says American, Delta and United allow 1 checked bag on international flights. https://www.skyscanner.com/tips-and-inspiration/airline-baggage-sizes-fees-carry-checked-luggage

[asctony]

Thank you all for your information. 

Stay Safe!

Happy Cruising when it all begins again.

[Nola26]

14 hours ago, asctony said:

We are flying from US to Rome using NCL Air. Have not used a cruise line air before. This option was very reasonable. 

Does NCL Air provide free 1 bag?

Can you upgrade to comfort class?

What are some of the NCL Air shortcomings.

Yes, we can call NCL or our TA. However,  thought someone could provide much more info who has used this option. 

Thank you! 

Stay Safe!

Baggage fees and seat upgrades would be handled with the airline NCL books for you. Under the FAS promotion NCL will book you a main cabin seat. You can then contact the airline with you confirmation number and select your seat, including taking advantage of any upgrades the airline offers and pay any fees directly to the airline. The same is true of baggage fees, often airlines include a complimentary checked bag for international travel, but you'll need to verify the policy once you are booked. 

 

Our experience was wonderful using the NCL Air promotion from Newark, NJ to Barcelona 2019

- NCL booked nonstop Main cabin economy seats on United, we called to select seats

- My frequent flyer status allowed us to select seats in Premium Economy at no charge

- Friends paid a fee to United to upgrade to premium economy

- At least one checked bag was complimentary, I probably had more allowed due to status, but I think we likely checked one each

I have booked the promotion again, Newark to Athens in September, final payment not due yet so flights have not been assigned. We have about 2 months to decide if we plan to sail. We'll all be fully vaccinated prior to our decision day.

[Sailing12Away]

Julig nailed it above. Once you've got your record locator number you can log into the airline's website directly with that to manage your flight. Most airlines will let you pick your seats (some for a fee) and upgrade to comfort plus (for a fee) at that time if you choose. 

 

99% of international flights will include 1 checked bag for free, even if you're in regular coach. Alitalia has an upgrade bidding system similar to the NCL cabin upgrade bidding system, where you can put in an offer to upgrade your seats to business class.

 

So really it will all depend on which airline you ultimately get assigned to, but even with paying $30/bag I'm sure you're still getting a better deal using air through them than on your own. If not, you can always cancel the air so long as it's before your final payment date if you find a better option on your own.

[asctony]

13 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

Julig nailed it above. Once you've got your record locator number you can log into the airline's website directly with that to manage your flight. Most airlines will let you pick your seats (some for a fee) and upgrade to comfort plus (for a fee) at that time if you choose. 

 

99% of international flights will include 1 checked bag for free, even if you're in regular coach. Alitalia has an upgrade bidding system similar to the NCL cabin upgrade bidding system, where you can put in an offer to upgrade your seats to business class.

 

So really it will all depend on which airline you ultimately get assigned to, but even with paying $30/bag I'm sure you're still getting a better deal using air through them than on your own. If not, you can always cancel the air so long as it's before your final payment date if you find a better option on your own.

Thank you! You all have been very informative and helpful. 

Stay Safe! 

Happy Cruising when it starts again.