EZair snafu

[satxdiver]

Back in October I reserved flights to NYC through EZair for our cruise.  I checked on it several times both with Princess and the airlines.  I had made seat reservations early for our flights.  So today I decided to do my usual check of our upcoming flights to NYC when to my surprise I found out it had been canceled!  Mind you that I paid for the cruise alone with the airline last month when it was due.  The personalizer under flight reservations said that I needed to contact Princess at the usual wait-for-ever non-service.  I called them this afternoon and was sent to three different people in succession with all confirming the flights had been canceled and forwarding me to the next person.  Finally, I was sent to EZair where I was first put on hold for over an hour.  A female agent came on who clearly was in Asia as her English was almost non-existent.  With many repeats I finally was able to describe the problem.  After putting me on hold several times while she looked into the problem and over 30 minutes have passed, she told me that she needed more time and would call me back.  It has now been 8 hours waiting for the alleged call back.  

 

I have always used EZair for all our flights domestic and international without any problem.  But now I am seriously considering making the reservations myself and booking all future cruises through a TA.  Since the pandemic Princess' service has gone to the dogs and very disappointing.

[caribill]

1 hour ago, satxdiver said:

 Mind you that I paid for the cruise alone with the airline last month when it was due. 

 

Did you mean "alone" or "along"?

 

You say the flights are cancelled.

 

Do you mean your reservation was cancelled but the flights still exist or do you mean that the flights themselves no longer exist?

 

If the airline had cancelled the flights, contact the airline to ask what they will do to set up alternative flights. Since they cancelled the flights, it is their responsibility to provide new ones at no extra cost to you.

 

 

[negn]

Airlines are crazy now.  Every flight we have recently booked has been changed and not just by a few minutes.   Craziest is we were booked Hartford to. Miami nonstop.   They cancelled that and tried to send us. Hartford to LA to Miami !!!!   Needless to say, changed airlines

 

[wallyj]

Hi @satxdiver, just wanted to make sure even though you paid for the EZAir flights and the cruise at final payment, you know the flights are not ‘ticketed’ till about 45 days from the first flight date and reports lately, EZAir is even waiting longer, assuming you booked ‘flexible’ fare.
 

A YouTuber who was just on the Regal reported their return  DL flights booked thru EZAir were cancelled because EZAir failed to pay DL. Supposedly, they were rebooked on American for no charge which the passengers did not like, as they have ‘status’ with DL and would not have to pay bags fees and have access to preferred seats. I believe close to flight date, they were able to reach out to DL or EZAir and it was verified they originally had DL flights and were able to get back on the original DL flights which were still operating, but passengers were cancelled because EZAir did not pay on time.

 

Are you still more than 45 days from your flight? If so, and the airline has canceled the flight, EZAir needs to find you an alternate flight at no extra charge to you. If you are less than 45 days from your flight and EZAir still had not ticketed your flight, they are still responsible to rebook you at no extra costs. If EZAir has ticketed your flight and the airline canceled the flight, usually you can contact the airline directly to rebook you on a suitable replacement at no extra cost.

 

I believe most people can relate to this added stress, it sounds like there is still time to get you new flights as your flight is not in a few days? Let us know if you get flights that work for you.

Edited June 16, 2022 by wallyj

[dog]

To OP- do not wait for call back. Get the EZ air number from your travel summary and get a flight booked.

the Princess agent who answers the phone is unlikely able to help.

you can also contact airline with your booking / reference/ ticket number to solve this.

[skynight]

I would contact the airline. Also agree that Princess' customer service has disappeared. Post covid is difficult both financially and operationally, but the total lack of customer service and outsourcing to Asia will only complicate the issue and turn customers away. In your case airlines are going crazy with scheduling causing many issues. It also does not help that Princess introduced a new bug infested app which is causing a tremendous back up in phone service. Terrible management decisions to reclaim their portion of the market. 

[travelhound]

9 hours ago, satxdiver said:

Back in October I reserved flights to NYC through EZair for our cruise.  I checked on it several times both with Princess and the airlines.  I had made seat reservations early for our flights.  So today I decided to do my usual check of our upcoming flights to NYC when to my surprise I found out it had been canceled!  Mind you that I paid for the cruise alone with the airline last month when it was due.  The personalizer under flight reservations said that I needed to contact Princess at the usual wait-for-ever non-service.  I called them this afternoon and was sent to three different people in succession with all confirming the flights had been canceled and forwarding me to the next person.  Finally, I was sent to EZair where I was first put on hold for over an hour.  A female agent came on who clearly was in Asia as her English was almost non-existent.  With many repeats I finally was able to describe the problem.  After putting me on hold several times while she looked into the problem and over 30 minutes have passed, she told me that she needed more time and would call me back.  It has now been 8 hours waiting for the alleged call back.  

 

I have always used EZair for all our flights domestic and international without any problem.  But now I am seriously considering making the reservations myself and booking all future cruises through a TA.  Since the pandemic Princess' service has gone to the dogs and very disappointing.

Never book your air with the cruise line.

[azbirdmom]

We had used EZAir almost exclusively for cruise flights but won't do it again until things settle down.  When our originally selected flights for our cruise last month cancelled, we were lucky that new flights had been assigned by United.  It was only EZAir that had the wrong flights for over a month AND Princess didn't pay for the flights at the 45 day point which added a little to the angst.  I used chat on the Princess website and they put us in the resolution queue.  It was all resolved about 30 days before our cruise including the issuance of tickets.

 

Shortly after my experience I listened in on a webinar that Princess held for TAs (and I'm not one) about customer service.  One of the many things they responded to were EZAir issues.  They indicated that pre-pandemic they had a handful of people in that department who could easily respond to EZAir issues.  Now they have the same handful of people in that department but the constant changes and cancellations made by the airlines have meant that they haven't been able to respond as quickly.  They are trying to hire more staff but for now the staff is working on resolving flight issues where the departure date is one month away or less.  That supposedly was an improvement as they had been prioritizing issues occurring within a week or two of a cruise, and they plan to expand out from there.  The message was that they will resolve all flight issues prior to a guest departing on cruises.

 

This is all well and good for a lot of things but doesn't account for preferred airlines where a client might get free baggage, premium seating etc.  And in some cases the best seats may be gone by the time Princess fixes the air booking.  There is always the option of cancelling and rebooking, but at least in my case the flights I originally purchased were significantly less than the current prices (by half!).  For all of these reasons I'm removing EZAir as the middle man so that I can work with the airline directly to quickly take action on any changes as they occur.

[Astro Flyer]

As ‘azbirdmom’ wrote in the most recent Princess sales webinar they stated that due to understaffing in their travel services department they won’t deal with EZair flight issues more than 30 days before a cruise starts. They’re working to hire additional staff & based on some recent posts they’re hiring offshore call centers with staff having limited English communication skills & knowledge. I’ve always had great EZair experiences however sadly that seems to have changed.

 

Edited June 16, 2022 by Astro Flyer

[satxdiver]

We have a cruise in August paid for including the airfare on EZair.  I was on the airline's web site checking another reservation next month and noticed that the flights for the cruise had been canceled.   I went to the Princess personalizer and the flights were listed but when I tried to change them a new page came up saying to call Princess.  I called them last night and after going through three people and finally being connected to the EZair people.  I waited on the phone in the que for over an hour before a woman came on the line who clearly was in Asia as her English was almost not recognizable.  I told her my problem and she acknowledged the paid for flights had been canceled.  After another almost one hour after being put on hold several times she told me she would have to call me back.  I have now waited over 24 hours for the non-existent call back.  I guess I will have to spend most of tomorrow on the phone with Princess to get this ironed out.  I am very disappointed with EZair which I have been using for the last several years but now thinking I need to go back to making my own airline reservations.  Always check your airline reservations with the airline and certainly do not trust Princess.   

[Ken the cruiser]

FWIW we had our EZAir return AA flight from Barcelona in late July disappear back in April. When our TA contacted Princess to find out what’s going on, she was told they won’t look into it until 30 days prior to our cruise start date which was July 2. Sure enough, the replacement flight appeared around June 1st. 

[wallyj]

Hi @satxdiver, I know you are frustrated, but you already started a thread ‘EZair is anything but easy’? A couple days ago.

 

It seems like unfortunately you are caught up with the airlines reshuffling and EZair staff shortages. The last responses to your other thread shared EZair is giving priority to flights within 30 days and yours do not meet that criteria since they are not till August.

 

I know this is not what you want to hear, and if you had originally booked direct with the airlines, you would be dealing with them, but no time machine. You can spend more hours trying to be that squeaky wheel or wait a little till you are within 30 days.

 

Yes, if it was me, I would like to get new flights as seats are being allocated and flight itineraries are being booked so your preferred replacement flight that are available today, might not be available when EZair gets to you.
 

[Rick&Jeannie]

I learned a couple of years ago (the hard way!) that I would prefer to be in control of my own destiny.  After missing a connecting flight in Paris (CDG) with a listed time of 45 minutes I came to the realization that I can do better scheduling my own flights.  That connection time was considered "valid" because it was a shown on the airline's website as a "valid" connection time.  If you've ever gone through CDG on an international connecting flight I think you'll agree with me!

 

Yes...you forfeit those "nice cheap fares" if you pass up EZAir, but the lack stress factor is worth more to me than a cheaper fare.  Also...just try and make changes to your seating...

 

I realize that NONE of what I am saying is helpful to you right now in your current situation...just passing on my experience.  And these flight issues are likely to get worse until the airlines ramp back up their staffing levels.

[cr8tiv1]

@satxdiver

 

BUT that is not what Cal Almaguer (calmaguer@princesscruises.com) said in his recent webinar.  He did mention that they are scrambling to solve issues 30 days out.  But said they are working on:

 

1.  Wait times

2.  Call backs

3.  Dropped calls

4.  etc.

 

I would start looking for receipts, screen shots, and emails of confirmation.

 

This is not the first time this has happened and you will not be the last passenger to lose their reservations.  I am sorry for your distressing situation.  Good Luck.

[geoherb]

1 hour ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I learned a couple of years ago (the hard way!) that I would prefer to be in control of my own destiny.  After missing a connecting flight in Paris (CDG) with a listed time of 45 minutes I came to the realization that I can do better scheduling my own flights. 

 

When booking EZair, we've been able to see how long between connecting flights. I remember once going with a different flight that was slightly more expensive because it gave us time between flights in Toronto (on the way to London). Our flights to London and home from New York (after a transatlantic cruise) were $379.30 per person. Booking them on my own would have been over $1,000 per person. 

[dog]

Same advice I gave on your other thread- don’t wait for call back— call again, first thing in the morning. EZ air, airline, Princess supervisor 

[dog]

20 hours ago, dog said:

To OP- do not wait for call back. Get the EZ air number from your travel summary and get a flight booked.

the Princess agent who answers the phone is unlikely able to help.

you can also contact airline with your booking / reference/ ticket number to solve this.

Same advice- duplicate threads will not solve your problem.  Call again.

[latebloomer56]

8 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I learned a couple of years ago (the hard way!) that I would prefer to be in control of my own destiny.  After missing a connecting flight in Paris (CDG) with a listed time of 45 minutes I came to the realization that I can do better scheduling my own flights.  That connection time was considered "valid" because it was a shown on the airline's website as a "valid" connection time.  If you've ever gone through CDG on an international connecting flight I think you'll agree with me!

 

Yes...you forfeit those "nice cheap fares" if you pass up EZAir, but the lack stress factor is worth more to me than a cheaper fare.  Also...just try and make changes to your seating...

 

I realize that NONE of what I am saying is helpful to you right now in your current situation...just passing on my experience.  And these flight issues are likely to get worse until the airlines ramp back up their staffing levels.

Agree about this airport we had 2 hours and 30 minutes to catch our connecting flight and was in customs line 2 hours and 10 minutes. We got to our gate just before they were going to close the door the last ones who made it. Others behind us by a few people didn't. 

Will pay extra to never go through Paris airport or Toronto.

[Alaskanb]

I make sure I am well aware of what is going on at the airports through which I will be connecting ex time for terminal changes, customs etc. I would rather have a long wait than the stress of a short, even if valid, time to connect. I am treating EZAir like I would my own scheduling and check flights frequently on the airline's website. 

[satxdiver]

Sorry for the earlier posting.  I could not find it and thought it did not post.  After thinking about this I realized I was in the window to cancel my flights without penalty (more than 45 days before) and so I canceled the original flights and rebooked a new one.  The new flights are about the same time as the old one and it was around $50 cheaper!   So, I avoided another exasperating morning trying to contact Princess.  Hopefully this will all work out in the end.  Thanks for the replies.  

[hpeabody]

Sounds good!

 

[wcflats]

Used e z air once..other than the price being so great it was more of a problem than worth the price difference.  We always now just contact the airline directly for scheduling our flights.  Even that’s no guarantee..our most recent trip to Alaska was a delta nightmare.  

[Bgwest]

1 hour ago, satxdiver said:

Sorry for the earlier posting.  I could not find it and thought it did not post.  After thinking about this I realized I was in the window to cancel my flights without penalty (more than 45 days before) and so I canceled the original flights and rebooked a new one.  The new flights are about the same time as the old one and it was around $50 cheaper!   So, I avoided another exasperating morning trying to contact Princess.  Hopefully this will all work out in the end.  Thanks for the replies.  

You found the best workaround of all! 

Nice job!!

[floridababa]

We just dealt with this . I did get my flights reinstated but not as good seats that we had. Never used ez air and don't think I will again