Viking Air Plus business class booking schedule

[SpiritRiver]

If this is discussed elsewhere, sorry to repeat.  We are booked on South American and the Chilean Fjords for January 2023.  We have our outbound flights booked but not ticketed, but I’m told contract seats aren’t yet available for our return from Santiago. That seems odd to me as it’s only two weeks after our outbound flights.  We’ve paid for business class since my husband needs the extra room and comfort on an overnight flight due to age and mobility issues.  Has anyone had experience with booking business class tickets through Viking Air Plus?  I keep being told to call back in a couple of weeks or a month.  Flight options are not plentiful to get us home so my concern is that all business class seats will be sold and none will be available.  It’s already tight according to the airlines’ websites.  

[Liz Masterson]

I would call them back and tell them to you want them to ticket your flights. 

If they can't call back and speak to someone else. It's not uncommon to get different answers from different agents apparently. Lots of new trainees these post COVID days.

 

[Peregrina651]

On the other hand, if the airline has not opened the seats for booking, there is nothing that Viking can do. There is no required date for when an airline must make seats available for booking, only an industry norm. And there is nothing to say that they have to make contract seats available at the same time they open booking to the public.

 

If you are concerned about not getting the seats you need and are comfortable doing so, check out what it would take to book on your own and then decide if that is how you want to handle it. Double check with Viking but this far out, you should be able to cancel Viking Air and get your money back, since the seats have not yet been ticketed.

 

If you choose to book your own flights and you are arriving and departing on Day 1 and Day Last of the cruise, you can buy Viking transfers.

 

 

[Mich3554]

If you are concerned about getting ticketed in business class, you can always book your own seats.  We flew AeroMexico out of Seattle to Santiago, out of Buenos Aires back a few years ago.  We had fabulous connections through Mexico City, the service in business was comparable to anyone else and it was about $2500pp less than what Viking quoted us for flights to South America.  We had no problem getting to/from airports on our own.  We hired a tour guide to take us to wineries, and he dropped us off at the ship in Valparaiso.  We did Iguazu Falls on our own, spending time in BA too.  Our hotel arranged for transit to the airport.  
When you book on your own, you have control.  The other side of the coin is that if a problem arises, you get to deal with it, not Viking.  I’m ok with that, but others may not be comfortable.
 

[SpiritRiver]

23 hours ago, Mich3554 said:

If you are concerned about getting ticketed in business class, you can always book your own seats.  We flew AeroMexico out of Seattle to Santiago, out of Buenos Aires back a few years ago.  We had fabulous connections through Mexico City, the service in business was comparable to anyone else and it was about $2500pp less than what Viking quoted us for flights to South America.  We had no problem getting to/from airports on our own.  We hired a tour guide to take us to wineries, and he dropped us off at the ship in Valparaiso.  We did Iguazu Falls on our own, spending time in BA too.  Our hotel arranged for transit to the airport.  
When you book on your own, you have control.  The other side of the coin is that if a problem arises, you get to deal with it, not Viking.  I’m ok with that, but others may not be comfortable.
 

We like having Viking take responsibility for us from outbound flight to ship to return flight.  In years past we have traveled independently to far-flung places, but at this stage in our lives we would not fare well should something go awry.  So, I persist in getting answers from Viking.  

[evonlef]

A few questions. Have you paid for "Air Plus and Air Deviation" fees? Without those fees, Viking has the option to select or change the airline and departure times. If you made those payments, do you have the booking code for that airline? Then you can google the airline/ booking code and select seats; however, you should be able to call Viking Air and if you paid the above fees, they will help you select seats. I always pay those fees, as I always arrive a few days in advance and want to select which airline and flights I will be booked on. I call cruise flight's airline booking depts and ask if my airline and departure times are acceptable to their price guidelines, as I don't want long flight times or cheap airlines.

 

We are booked on a Viking flight to Prague in two weeks; but there was a change in airline flight times about three months ago which was inconvenient. It was before Viking booked the flight. Because I paid the Air Plus / Deviation fees, Viking changed my booked flights to another airline. But she told me that if it was already booked, that I would have to pay a cancellation fee to change flights, even though the airline is responsible for allowing me to make changes when it changes flight times. 

If you haven't paid those fees, IMHO Viking has the option to change your flights and doesn't have to give you seat information. Most cruise lines have similar policies. I would pay the fees now. 

[SpiritRiver]

2 hours ago, evonlef said:

A few questions. Have you paid for "Air Plus and Air Deviation" fees? Without those fees, Viking has the option to select or change the airline and departure times. If you made those payments, do you have the booking code for that airline? Then you can google the airline/ booking code and select seats; however, you should be able to call Viking Air and if you paid the above fees, they will help you select seats. I always pay those fees, as I always arrive a few days in advance and want to select which airline and flights I will be booked on. I call cruise flight's airline booking depts and ask if my airline and departure times are acceptable to their price guidelines, as I don't want long flight times or cheap airlines.

 

We are booked on a Viking flight to Prague in two weeks; but there was a change in airline flight times about three months ago which was inconvenient. It was before Viking booked the flight. Because I paid the Air Plus / Deviation fees, Viking changed my booked flights to another airline. But she told me that if it was already booked, that I would have to pay a cancellation fee to change flights, even though the airline is responsible for allowing me to make changes when it changes flight times. 

If you haven't paid those fees, IMHO Viking has the option to change your flights and doesn't have to give you seat information. Most cruise lines have similar policies. I would pay the fees now. 

Yes, we have Viking Air Plus and have our outbound flight booked and seats chosen.  It’s the return flights that are not yet available with contract-priced seats.  I am told by a travel agent friend that those seats are usually released 6 months prior at the airline’s discretion.  I find this curious as our outbound flight was booked in May, eight months prior to departure, so I am being persistent in getting both answers and a return flight.  

[SpiritRiver]

21 minutes ago, SpiritRiver said:

Yes, we have Viking Air Plus and have our outbound flight booked and seats chosen.  It’s the return flights that are not yet available with contract-priced seats.  I am told by a travel agent friend that those seats are usually released 6 months prior at the airline’s discretion.  I find this curious as our outbound flight was booked in May, eight months prior to departure, so I am being persistent in getting both answers and a return flight.  

I failed to mention that we have indicated three preferred flights which I have confirmed are noted on our Air Plus booking.  It seems that the outbound route has more options and so was available earlier. Business class is assured, I’m told today.  So, I wait.

[FetaCheese]

4 hours ago, evonlef said:

 

 

4 hours ago, evonlef said:

 

Edited June 9, 2022 by FetaCheese
Mistake

[FetaCheese]

Info please.  Are air plus and deviation 2 separate and distinct fees? Thanks 

[Peregrina651]

32 minutes ago, FetaCheese said:

Info please.  Are air plus and deviation 2 separate and distinct fees? Thanks 

 

Yes, two distinct fees.

 

Air Plus is the fee for having a say in what flights you get (otherwise, it is take what you get) and for any further conversation with Viking Air. The Air Plus also allows you to choose your flights just as soon as they are released (6-8 months out) vs waiting until 75 days out to see what you have been assigned.

 

IMHO, pay the Air Plus fee and choose your flights. With all you are paying for the cruise, you might as well be happy with your flight plan, and especially if you are flying Premium Economy or Business, both of which have a limited number of seats on board.

 

Deviation fee is what you pay to to arrive early and/or depart late. Also note that Viking transfers are not available if you choose to deviate.

 

There is one other fee, that is sometimes combined with the deviation fee, called a stopover fee, for when you spend extra nights in a a city along your flight route. E.g., if your flight plan is Home to Athens via London, you can opt to spend nights in London before continuing to Athens. (Hotels for the stopover are not included).

 

 

 

 

Edited June 9, 2022 by Peregrina651