Flights through Princess

[sandancer]

We have never used cruise line flights in the past but we are thinking of booking a one way flight following a Transatlantic cruise. Fare is very good. Any drawbacks that anyone can advise on.? Thanks

[Musky Ike]

I find no problems and several advantages using ezair. 

• Low Fares on Flights – Access fares lower than most public prices. We pass the exclusive savings we enjoy because of the high volume of flights we sell on to you. See for yourself!
• Flexibility to Change Flights – Cancel flexible airfare up to 45 days prior to departure with no fees. Plus, book flights now with no amount due until cruise final payment.
• Late Arrival Protection – Rest easy that you'll make your cruise if flights are delayed or canceled and get home if you miss flights because of your cruise or transfer.

Edited May 15, 2021 by Musky Ike

[sandancer]

Thanks. That’s very reassuring. This is only our second Princess cruise although we have cruised now for many years. Definitely going to go for it now. 

[worldtraveller]

The real only disadvantage I have found is that it does not include all flights so if you have a specific one you want it may not be an option.  Just be flexible and it is a great thing to use.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, Musky Ike said:

I find no problems and several advantages using ezair. 

• Low Fares on Flights – Access fares lower than most public prices. We pass the exclusive savings we enjoy because of the high volume of flights we sell on to you. See for yourself!
• Flexibility to Change Flights – Cancel flexible airfare up to 45 days prior to departure with no fees. Plus, book flights now with no amount due until cruise final payment.
• Late Arrival Protection – Rest easy that you'll make your cruise if flights are delayed or canceled and get home if you miss flights because of your cruise or transfer.

One other advantage we unfortunately found out because of the pandemic cancelling cruises last year is that we only had to deal with Princess for a refund, not Princess plus airline.

[sandancer]

That’s exactly why we are booking with Princess. I’m fed up with cancelling flights and getting vouchers for a future flight. If our cruise is cancelled this time I won’t have to worry about that. Also paying for the flight when we pay for the cruise is a bonus. 

[phabric]

If booked Flexible, can modify or cancel up to 45 days of cruise with no $ penalty.

[JF - retired RRT]

On some airlines, if you want a specific seat you have to switch to the nonrefundable version.

We booked Alaska and wanted to upgrade to a premium seat for leg room. Those seats were not available with the Fare Saver version. We had to take a chance and switch to nonrefundable. It worked out, but I was nervous about it until we were on the plane.😂

Also, not personal experience but mentioned in other threads, some airlines won't let you choose a seat immediately.

[triona]

3 hours ago, sandancer said:

We have never used cruise line flights in the past but we are thinking of booking a one way flight following a Transatlantic cruise. Fare is very good. Any drawbacks that anyone can advise on.? Thanks

We are looking at doing the same for our April 2022 cruise round trip . It's our first time with Princess so we will be looking into this. Thanks for any advice.

[merryjewelhound]

We have used Princess air several times. Look at the routes and times. Usually it shows the lowest price first but it takes 8 hours for a 2 hour flight and for $5 more you can get there in half the time. Just check the routes and times. I have had flights where the aircraft is changed or canceled. Just keep an eye on your flight as you would if you bought the tickets. Princess is good about helping you work out any changes.

[franktown]

Used many times.  In my opinion a absolutely great program.  Flexible is the way to go.  

[koolforkatz]

I just booked a one way fare for a transatlantic cruise. Watched when dates were available and then booked right away. I was able to book business for one-eighth the price the airline was selling it for (prices have since gone up somehwat). With their excellent pricing, easy refund policy and not paying until final payment, it is a no brainer for us!

[azbirdmom]

I love using Flexible air.  I usually book as soon as they are available then check for price drops.  When it does, I simply rebook.  No payments due until final payment date and you have the ability to change it until 45 days prior to departure.  I typically book United and am able to select my desired seats on the United website or app after indicating my Mileage Plus number in EZAir.  And if I do want to use miles to upgrade, I either wait until they ticket the flight around the 45 day mark or I ask them to ticket it immediately after paying.  With the uncertainty during the pandemic, I wouldn't book flights associated with a Princess cruise any other way.

[leavingocalaagain]

Lots of good comments.  The fare through Princess is usually pretty good, especially when booking the 1 way fare on transatlantic cruises.  We do take advantage of the extra stop in route  option when we can. We have relatives in the UK and Ireland and try to visit in conjunction with our cruises.  We do  book flexible fares to be able to take advantage of the cancellation up to 45 days ahead of the cruise, but we also periodically check other fares for comparison

[nini]

Highly recommended! We have found that the best way to use it is to book as soon as the fares are available. Then I check in periodically and do a mock booking. If the fares are lower, then you can switch! And payment is not due until 45 days before the cruise.

We have also found that bargains are not really to be found so much on domestic flights, however, great deals on international. You favorite airline may not be available either.

AND! We were able to get credit for our miles.

[pupydog]

Booking flights through Princess paid off big time for us. We were in the middle of a 32 day South America cruise on the Coral when the pandemic hit. Our end port was supposed to be Ft Lauderdale but we had to get off in Buenos Aires. Princess had to make arrangements and pay for us to get home. Those on the ship who made their own travel arrangements had to scramble to find flights and pay huge costs. 

[caribill]

14 hours ago, pupydog said:

Booking flights through Princess paid off big time for us. We were in the middle of a 32 day South America cruise on the Coral when the pandemic hit. Our end port was supposed to be Ft Lauderdale but we had to get off in Buenos Aires. Princess had to make arrangements and pay for us to get home. Those on the ship who made their own travel arrangements had to scramble to find flights and pay huge costs. 

 

I thought Princess would cover those increased costs even though the passengers had to do the booking effort themselves.

 

However, even though domestic flights may not be a bargain, using EZAir for them has two benefits:

a) No loss of funds if Princess cancels the cruise

b) If flights will be missed because of Princess schedules, Princess will do the rebooking for you.

[sandancer]

In these uncertain times the security mentioned by caribill in items a&b is very reassuring. I had actually booked flights direct with the airline and cancelled them in favour of Princess flights. Exactly the same flights and actually at a slightly less cost. Win/win I think. 

[dave_k58]

On 5/15/2021 at 5:31 AM, sandancer said:

We have never used cruise line flights in the past but we are thinking of booking a one way flight following a Transatlantic cruise. Fare is very good. Any drawbacks that anyone can advise on.? Thanks

I check airline flight costs all the time - its just something I like to do - and have yet to find anything close to EZ-Air

[sandancer]

We usually like to stay pre and post cruise, especially if cruising from Fort Lauderdale where we have friends and I was very happy that we were still able to do this and stay on for a week after the cruise. We didn’t even pay a deviation fee. 

[Reina del Mar]

Have booked flights through Princess but have also booked independently. Tend to book through princess when visiting a. Country which is new to us, or we’re not so sure of language (South America). Sometimes it is more expensive to use Princess, other times their prices are better than we can book for ourselves. They will usually try to find your chosen route/ airline.

 

We had a slight issue years ago when we booked through Princess when there was a problem with an ash cloud meaning many flights were cancelled. I would have been able to change our BA flights more swiftly than Princess as I was only dealing with one flight and Princess had many people to re schedule. Having said that, they got us to the pre cruise hotel just six hours later than we should have got there. So pleased we were flying in a day early and using Princess hotel and transfers on that occasion.

[long cruiser]

we use princess for all our trans Atlantic flights.princess has the greatest business class seat prices.

long c ruises

 

[nini]

8 hours ago, caribill said:

 

I thought Princess would cover those increased costs even though the passengers had to do the booking effort themselves.

 

However, even though domestic flights may not be a bargain, using EZAir for them has two benefits:

a) No loss of funds if Princess cancels the cruise

b) If flights will be missed because of Princess schedules, Princess will do the rebooking for you.

Excellent points.

[LibertyBella]

I once used Princess air for a Baltic Cruise and the routing was terrible (Philly-Chicago-Denmark). What was even worse was that the international Chicago flight was cancelled due to weather, and we had to overnight in Chicago airport (at our expense) and wait for Princess to book us on another flight the next day after many phone calls. 

Thank goodness I had three hotel nights in Denmark pre-cruise so I did not miss the cruise. Of course I also had insurance that I filed to make up for the hotel night loss, but I could not make up the extra day of sightseeing. What I learned was never again.

Now I book all my own cruise air, direct non-stop if possible, at least three days in advance for international, at least one for domestic. I always take insurance for international travel, and I make sure I have a credit card available for any major emergency last minute flight changes. Occasionally I use frequent flyer miles and fly for free. My peace of mind is paramount especially for arriving--I am not quite as stressed returning after the cruise.

Of course the Covid experience was unique and changed the landscape a bit, but I still will not deal with the cruise lines for airfare, although it can sound enticing and easy.

[caribill]

12 hours ago, LibertyBella said:

I once used Princess air for a Baltic Cruise and the routing was terrible (Philly-Chicago-Denmark).

 

How long ago was this?

 

Until a couple of years ago, Princess selected the routing when you used Princess for the air arrangements and you had to take what they picked.

 

But for the recent years, you get to pick the routing from a list of available flights. If you do not find a routing that suits you, you don't have to make the airline booking via Princess.