Viking Air Plus

[worldtraveler1234]

Currently Air Plus is not available until 60 days prior to departure. I thought that the value of Air Plus was to allow early bookings and allow deviations to arrive early or depart later that the scheduled cruise. In order to plan outside excursions the arrival and departure information is needed. We have paid willingly for this consideration. In our past 10 years+ we have always used Air Plus to reserve flights as much as 9 months out. We were able to customize flights and choose seats.

 

If Viking is no longer able to provide this service, they should not offer and charge for it.

Any thoughts?

[MikeyB]

What everyone will tell you, is that you just need to call Air Plus and book your flights.

Enough said.

[worldtraveler1234]

Did you miss the point that they are not taking calls unless you are 60 days or less days from departure? Not from passengers or travel agents.

[FlyerTalker]

FWIW, I looked into Viking air for an upcoming cruise.

 

Prices were far more than what I could get buying directly from the airline.  In addition, I could not get the details on the fare rules for the tickets, meaning I was potentially buying a ticket with greater restrictions, especially in the case of irops on my flights.

 

Just one data point, but know that you are not always getting a better or less expensive product with cruiseline air, Viking or otherwise.

[Azulann]

During the time of COVID, Viking Air plus  for $50.00 per person is still up and running.

 As Flyer Talker says  do your homework first.

I booked a cruise for Oct  , it included free air, and paid for  Air Plus, $50.00pp.

 We gave our TA the exact flights we wanted from Barcelona to home. We got the flights and are using the Viking charter on United  to Malta. This was done  before 60 days.

The "60 days " recording  is when  when you dial  the air plus number..

It is because they are busy booking these Welcome back cruises, many with free airfare in August.

 I had a problem with my first United flight  and confirmation number. I called  when I was at  57 days and got through , and problem was fixed. 

[bbtondo]

1 hour ago, worldtraveler1234 said:

Did you miss the point that they are not taking calls unless you are 60 days or less days from departure? Not from passengers or travel agents.

I don't believe anyone missed your point.  What people are telling you, and I agree and done this, just because the recording says 60 days, ignore it and stay on the line and they will help you.  

[MikeyB]

Dear "Worldtraveler",

No, I did not miss your point.

I have 4 ocean cruises this year.

For two of them I heard the recording first about 60 days.

I ignored it, then booked my air with an Air Plus agent.

It would be crazy to wait till 60 days to book your air.

You have a choice to make.

Those are my thoughts.

[Maggers]

I'll add to what others have said. Ignore the 60 day warning on the recording and Air Plus reps will still be happy to help you.  Our Viking rep had told us to do this.

Edited August 21, 2021 by Maggers
Clarification

[worldtraveler1234]

Thanks..I will try

[What was that?]

We - a party of four - are about 150 days out from our Northern Lights cruise, and the airline (American) is changing its schedule. Again. I had called a few months back and arranged the most comfortable itineraries I could put together for departure and return, and then again to revise that when the first round of schedule changes came through. Now I will have to do that again once the dust settles and the new flight schedules have been loaded at Viking. I have had to do this during Covid, of course, and I just had to decide to navigate thru the calling barriers and wait for an agent.

When I called this morning (to learn what the current access program is), here is what I found:

• First there is a greeting that requests you wait until you are within 60 days of travel, with the statement that Viking "cannot help you" if your travel is more than 60 days out.
• Next I was given the choice of indicating whether I was a travel adviser (#9) or a consumer (#4): I chose #4.
• Finally, I was asked to press #1 if I was calling in reference to my Air Plus reservation.
• Then, of course, I was put on queue for the next available agent - which can take a while...

I called today to check the access because it has changed frequently this year, and I wanted to be sure I was giving the up to date information.

It is probably a good idea to keep an eye on your air reservations - both on MVJ and the airlines' websites - so you will know if changes are made. I do it about weekly, and have found that after the airline changes their schedule it usually takes a few weeks for the changes to filter thru to Viking. Also, sometimes not all of an airlines flights show up on Vikings contract until a few weeks after that.

I'll probably wait until September to tackle these latest changes, some of which have produced impossible connections, and others with uncomfortable connections or routing.

 

Edited August 22, 2021 by What was that?
Grammar

[worldtraveler1234]

.Got through today at 11am ,just as they came on line. Right about ignoring the recording.Able to book reasonable flights and seats but will keep an eye for changes.

Thanks for the input.

[FlyerTalker]

4 hours ago, What was that? said:

after the airline changes their schedule it usually takes a few weeks for the changes to filter thru to Viking. Also, sometimes not all of an airlines flights show up on Vikings contract until a few weeks after that.

 

And beyond that....not all flights are available under cruiseline air contracts.  So what might be an excellent change option if booked directly from the airline may either be:

 

Not available under the contract.

 

Not available due to lack of inventory, which may have been taken by regular airline customers in that interval between the airline change and its availability to Viking.

 

Caveat emptor

[What was that?]

1 hour ago, FlyerTalker said:

And beyond that....not all flights are available under cruiseline air contracts.  So what might be an excellent change option if booked directly from the airline may either be:

Not available under the contract.

Not available due to lack of inventory, which may have been taken by regular airline customers in that interval between the airline change and its availability to Viking.

I can only add that, since flights are not always added to the contract immediately, routine checking may have a beneficial result - caveat cruiser!

[Laurie17]

Another good reason to use a Travel agent and let them spend time on hold.  We have Air Plus for our May cruise and TA reached out to us with Viking proposal for flights. We had voucher money to use and our TA was able to get flights changed to a carrier with better connections and upgrade our seats.  We realize flight schedules may change but feel better that we have locked in preferred airline and seat upgrade 

[What was that?]

5 minutes ago, Laurie17 said:

Another good reason to use a Travel agent and let them spend time on hold.  We have Air Plus for our May cruise and TA reached out to us with Viking proposal for flights. We had voucher money to use and our TA was able to get flights changed to a carrier with better connections and upgrade our seats.  We realize flight schedules may change but feel better that we have locked in preferred airline and seat upgrade 

Right, Laurie. Whatever you can use to get the best result.

I prefer to call Viking Air Plus direct because I have specific preferences (as you) and will know how to evaluate any new alternatives the agent may offer. Otherwise I just tell them what I want - from my research - and have usually had no trouble.

By the way, I have run into that "not under contract" several times, waited a week or two, and magically it was under contract. Don't give up hope if you have preferences.

[PKNC]

Just saw this thread, as I signed up for shore excursions today and have not received any info on our airline reservations for an early departure on Nov. 15, which is 70ish days away. I will ignore the recorded request to wait 60 days and see what happens.

[PKNC]

I have been researching flights from Istanbul to the US, and see that it's quite a long way back. There are several options for a flight with an overnight layover in Frankfurt, London, etc. These look appealing to me, has anyone had experience booking an overnight layover flight with Air Plus? We would stay at a hotel connected to the airport or nearby, simply to rest. Of course, COVID testing may throw additional complexity into the mix. 😞 

[FlyerTalker]

25 minutes ago, PKNC said:

I have been researching flights from Istanbul to the US, and see that it's quite a long way back. There are several options for a flight with an overnight layover in Frankfurt, London, etc. These look appealing to me, has anyone had experience booking an overnight layover flight with Air Plus? We would stay at a hotel connected to the airport or nearby, simply to rest. Of course, COVID testing may throw additional complexity into the mix. 😞 

 

I have no idea why you aren't seeing same-day options.

 

Then again, you don't mention where you are flying to, when, what search site you are using.  And many other details.

 

GIGO

[BlairsvilleCruiseGirl]

Viking is currently offering $1299 plus $3499 (round up to $4800) for Business class on our Med cruise in May 2023.  It's, of course, way too early to book our flights, but to get an idea of cost if I booked it directly, I did a search for the same time frame in 2022.  Delta is offering perfect non-stop flights for 2022 and I'm assuming (fingers crossed) they'll have the same flights in 2023.  However, Delta is currently charging over $8000 for these non-stop flights (and the crazy thing is, if I drive a little further away to a different airport and then "connect" through my airport, it's cheaper then if I just catch the non-stop directly!  But that adds about 4 hours to the trip which we don't want to do).  

To add to the situation, I'm going to have to pay for the cruise and $4800 airfare by March 31, 2022, which will be several months before the flights would be available for direct booking.

So my questions to those of you that have used Air Plus in the past:

1.  If the cost of flights is a lot more then what Viking is offering, i.e. $8000 vs $4800, will Viking

      a. Let me book the more expensive non-stop flight?  Assuming they have allocation/contract for                  those flights

      b. Let me book non-stop but charge me the difference?

2.  If, when it comes down to booking the flights, Viking won't let me have the non-stop flights, can I cancel the Air Plus and get a refund of both the $4800 and the $50 Air Plus surcharge? 

[PKNC]

21 hours ago, BlairsvilleCruiseGirl said:

Viking is currently offering $1299 plus $3499 (round up to $4800) for Business class on our Med cruise in May 2023.  It's, of course, way too early to book our flights, but to get an idea of cost if I booked it directly, I did a search for the same time frame in 2022.  Delta is offering perfect non-stop flights for 2022 and I'm assuming (fingers crossed) they'll have the same flights in 2023.  However, Delta is currently charging over $8000 for these non-stop flights (and the crazy thing is, if I drive a little further away to a different airport and then "connect" through my airport, it's cheaper then if I just catch the non-stop directly!  But that adds about 4 hours to the trip which we don't want to do).  

To add to the situation, I'm going to have to pay for the cruise and $4800 airfare by March 31, 2022, which will be several months before the flights would be available for direct booking.

So my questions to those of you that have used Air Plus in the past:

1.  If the cost of flights is a lot more then what Viking is offering, i.e. $8000 vs $4800, will Viking

      a. Let me book the more expensive non-stop flight?  Assuming they have allocation/contract for                  those flights

      b. Let me book non-stop but charge me the difference?

2.  If, when it comes down to booking the flights, Viking won't let me have the non-stop flights, can I cancel the Air Plus and get a refund of both the $4800 and the $50 Air Plus surcharge? 

 

Re: 1 - I can only report what my travel agent has told me and my experience with Air Plus twice. My TA told me that in general, Viking will book you on a good itinerary. A non-stop to me would be the best itinerary available. When I requested a change to what Viking offered me, stating that the flight I wanted was the same price or lower, I was told that the price didn't matter really, it's the Viking contract with the airline that matters. That said, both times, I was able to change my itinerary to the one that I wanted.

Re: 2 - I can't answer with certainty, but a TA or someone who has booked several cruises with Viking may be able to weigh in. I think you would be ok if you cancel the entire booking within the allotted time frame and start over, or even make an adjustment before the booking is final. Otherwise, I don't know if you would get a refund of the air plus surcharge and $4800, especially after the booking is final. There are a lot of ins and outs that others may know of. I seem to recall that the $50 surcharge was something to hold off on if you wanted to live dangerously - wait and see what flight Viking offers you, and if you don't like it, then buy the Air Plus. However, I prefer to buy the Air Plus up front because my husband and I have specific preferences for which airports we fly through.

[Squawkman]

1 hour ago, PKNC said:

There are a lot of ins and outs that others may know of. I seem to recall that the $50 surcharge was something to hold off on if you wanted to live dangerously - wait and see what flight Viking offers you, and if you don't like it, then buy the Air Plus. However, I prefer to buy the Air Plus up front because my husband and I have specific preferences for which airports we fly through.

 

This is good advice. My first Viking cruise in 2015 was arranged by a friend who told all 6 of us to get Air+ to assure we'll all be on the same plane. Two years later, after being referred and using the same Viking agent since, I realized we wasted $100 per couple as we would have all been on the same plane if all 3 bookings were made with him. We live near Newark airport, and we never had to change anything for any cruises. But if I lived elsewhere in the USA and required domestic flight connections, I would also probably do Air+ up front.

[BlairsvilleCruiseGirl]

4 minutes ago, Squawkman said:

 

This is good advice. My first Viking cruise in 2015 was arranged by a friend who told all 6 of us to get Air+ to assure we'll all be on the same plane. Two years later, after being referred and using the same Viking agent since, I realized we wasted $100 per couple as we would have all been on the same plane if all 3 bookings were made with him. We live near Newark airport, and we never had to change anything for any cruises. But if I lived elsewhere in the USA and required domestic flight connections, I would also probably do Air+ up front.

We're flying out of ATL, which has non-stop flights, but they're more expensive then 1 & 2 stop connecting flights.  I went ahead and paid the $100 with the hope that we'll be able to specify the non-stop flights.

[Squawkman]

7 minutes ago, BlairsvilleCruiseGirl said:

We're flying out of ATL, which has non-stop flights, but they're more expensive then 1 & 2 stop connecting flights.  I went ahead and paid the $100 with the hope that we'll be able to specify the non-stop flights.

Good luck - hope it works for you. I've haven't done extensive research, but pre-covid, I checked flights offered by United and found direct flights in some cases were cheaper. But if Air+ assures non-stop, it's worth it. If I see that happens, I would get Air+ after the initial flights were scheduled. 

[PKNC]

Update: I waited until the 60-day window before departure to call Air Plus because I wanted to spend time researching itinerary options, and after reading about the neverending flight changes some are enduring, I thought why not wait another week or so, the flight is not going to fill up. I was put through to an Air Plus staff person within 5 minutes or so. Someone answered the phone as part of a screening process, who referred to himself as the "front desk" so to speak, to get my booking number. Not sure if that helped expedite me in the queue or not, I had just received my itinerary, exactly 60 days before departure. I was able to get the exact flights that I wanted. I was prepared with flight numbers, connecting airports and times. The Viking representative will read out your seat numbers as well, so you can adjust them while you have the person on the line if you don't like them. 

 

I've been very happy with my interactions with Air Plus the three times that I have worked with them. In my case, I fly out of Raleigh-Durham, which mandates two connections for this trip. I was originally on the connection through Dulles, which I changed. I used to fly that route for work and it was almost always delayed, even cancelled on me twice. Coming home, I don't care but going, I do. My husband and I learned the hard way, when we flew to Rome a few years ago, we connected through Philadelphia, not realizing that the airport has traffic issues in the winter/spring - which delayed our flight out of Raleigh. We missed our connection (and had Premium Economy), so had to get on a later flight through Amsterdam in Economy, then on to Rome. Our luggage was delayed a few days as well due to all of the confusion.

 

Fingers crossed that our 1.5 hours connecting in Atlanta is good enough this time. I'll be prepared with some additional options out of Atlanta, just in case.

[Eggtuary]

My wife and I got Air Plus for our March 28th sailing out of Venice. We are planning to arrive 2 days early. Upgrading to business class looks quite pricey. But paying for a third seat (to give us room to spread out in Economy) might only be $1000 round trip. Would Viking Air be likely to help us with acquiring a third seat?  

Edited September 15, 2021 by Eggtuary