Will using HAL to book our flight(s) save us money?

[FlorenceItaly]

@Hlitner - Thanks for chiming in.  I meant to tag you and say HELP, lol.

[SSBrickNJ]

25 minutes ago, FlorenceItaly said:

If you feel like it call the number, if not try in a bit.  It sounds like the site is not working properly.  I am an early riser and have luck with early morning.

I needed to tap on the outgoing flight....and THEN it provided the return flight 😉

[SSBrickNJ]

6 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Try using NYC as your airport code and, if the site is working properly, you should see multiple flights from both JFK and EWR.   Also keep in mind that the cruise lines do not contract with all the airlines so it is possible (but unlikely) that there are no available seats for that route on that day.  

 

If you still do not get any results you might want to call the cruise line and have them take a look.

 

Hank

I received great service and help by calling the Flight Ease Customer Service # 1-800-628-4771

 

[SSBrickNJ]

If I book this tonight...it is added to my booking and the balance is due May 4th.

Here's my question, what if we find something on our own that is better.

For example United has not posted there flights and rates for our dates yet.

Can I book here using Flexible Rate and then cancel with no obligation PRIOR to our May 4th balance due date?

[FlorenceItaly]

5 minutes ago, SSBrickNJ said:

If I book this tonight...it is added to my booking and the balance is due May 4th.

Here's my question, what if we find something on our own that is better.

For example United has not posted there flights and rates for our dates yet.

Can I book here using Flexible Rate and then cancel with no obligation PRIOR to our May 4th balance due date?

YES you may.  I am surprised United has not posted their flights and rates yet.  Our return flight from Amsterdam on June 5 is on United VIA EWR onto GSP.

[SSBrickNJ]

Booking on the site now.

I'm going for it!

$2,978.02 Taxes and Fees included

[FlorenceItaly]

5 minutes ago, SSBrickNJ said:

Booking on the site now.

I'm going for it!

$2,978.02 Taxes and Fees included

You may go on the airline site and try to book your seats.  Just a thought.

[SSBrickNJ]

23 minutes ago, SSBrickNJ said:

Booking on the site now.

I'm going for it!

$2,978.02 Taxes and Fees included

I am done.

The site displayed :

CONGRATULATIONS! Your flight leaves in 171 days

It shows my price and gives me my Air Booking Number.

How exciting!

Now I have to go on SAS's website....create a user name and password? 🤔

If "Yes" then I enter my booking number and select my seats? 🤔

Edited February 9, 2023 by SSBrickNJ

[FlorenceItaly]

13 minutes ago, SSBrickNJ said:

I am done.

The site displayed :

CONGRATULATIONS! Your flight leaves in 171 days

It shows my price and gives me my Air Booking Number.

How exciting!

Now I have to go on SAS's website....create a user name and password? 🤔

If "Yes" then I enter my booking number and select my seats? 🤔

I think you will need the Airline Locator number to select your seats.

[richstowe]

49 minutes ago, FlorenceItaly said:

You may go on the airline site and try to book your seats.  Just a thought.

On my last cruise I couldn't book seats until the flight had been paid for . 

[StLouisCruisers]

1 minute ago, richstowe said:

On my last cruise I couldn't book seats until the flight had been paid for . 

Depends on the airline.  I choose seats on Delta immediately.

[FlorenceItaly]

I chose seats on United immediately.

[vicd1969]

1 hour ago, SSBrickNJ said:

 

Now I have to go on SAS's website....create a user name and password? 🤔

If "Yes" then I enter my booking number and select my seats? 🤔

Wait a minute - are you going on SAS's site because your United booking is a codeshare with SAS and the actual plane is an SAS flight, or is it the other way around with an SAS booking but a United airplane? If it's the former, not sure you will be able to select seats since most European carriers require a fee for advance seat reservations. If you're flying on a United plane, you should be able to reserve seats. 

[SSBrickNJ]

24 minutes ago, vicd1969 said:

Wait a minute - are you going on SAS's site because your United booking is a codeshare with SAS and the actual plane is an SAS flight, or is it the other way around with an SAS booking but a United airplane? If it's the former, not sure you will be able to select seats since most European carriers require a fee for advance seat reservations. If you're flying on a United plane, you should be able to reserve seats. 

Neither.

Forget United.

I've done nothing with United.

I booked SAS and just will hypothetically check United in the near future.

[SSBrickNJ]

2 hours ago, SSBrickNJ said:

Neither.

Forget United.

I've done nothing with United.

I booked SAS and just will hypothetically check United in the near future.

I used HAL's Flight Program called "Flight Ease" to book SAS.

....so, even though I was not on SAS's website I am now never the less SAS's new customer.

[Torquer]

On 2/9/2023 at 6:18 PM, SSBrickNJ said:

Now I have to go on SAS's website....create a user name and password?

If "Yes" then I enter my booking number and select my seats? 🤔

You should be able to change your seats directly from FlightEase.  Just select "Change Seats".  After you do this, it may take a couple days until the SAS website shows it. 

 

All you need to see your booking on the SAS website is the airline confirmation number, which is different than HAL's Air Booking Number.  You don't actually have to create an account on the SAS website, but you may want to in order to enter a frequent flyer number.  Hint:  unless you plan to fly on SAS a lot, I would recommend using a United frequent flyer number (or other Star Alliance airline that you use a lot) so you get your miles credited to an airline you might actually be able to use the miles with in the future.

 

Now I would also recommend every few weeks that you go directly to the SAS website and confirm they still have your booking and your seat assignments.  For our flight in June on SAS, somehow our seat assignments got lost two months after we booked the flights and seats.

[terrydtx]

We have very successfully used HAL Flight Ease and saved a lot over booking directly, especially with booking Business Class or first-class airfare. Last year we used FE for our Oosterdam cruise from Venice for RT business class to Rome and home from Venice on two different airlines. It saved us about $1500pp over what we could have booked directly, for this case last year it saved even more. my wife got Covid before we returned to Venice and we had to spend 3 nights quarantined in a Venice Hotle and we missed our flights home. After we were cleared to fly home with negative tests, I called the emergency FE number in Seattle at 4am their time to get flights home. FE has emergency reps 24/7 and the rep I talked with got us booked on BC seats for the next day from Venice and it did not cost us anything extra. If we had booked directly with the airlines, we probably would have had to buy new tickets at our expense to get home. There was another couple in quarantine with us in Venice and they did not use FE and had to buy new one-way flights home and hope their insurance would reimburse them.

 

HAL Flight Ease is so easy to book and it the best of any cruise line air app we have used. I wish Celebrity had a flight program as user friendly as FE.

[Native Floridian 26]

19 hours ago, Torquer said:

Now I would also recommend every few weeks that you go directly to the SAS website and confirm they still have your booking and your seat assignments.  For our flight in June on SAS, somehow our seat assignments got lost two months after we booked the flights and seats.

This!  Our original flights with American were cancelled and they said due to nonpayment.  Had to fight to get new flights and the original price we had booked at.

[FlorenceItaly]

I check daily!

[Roz]

I've taken 4 river cruises and have 2 more (back to back) booked for this coming December.  Have always booked air thru the cruise line(s) and saved considerably.  As an example, I just booked round trip to Amsterdam over Christmas and New Year's.  Cruise line's premium economy was $1,490, booking on my own was over $2,000.  

 

I don't know why Flight Ease works for some people and not others.  I'm flying to Buenos Aires in March for a South American cruise.  Flight ease was $5 less.  Big whoop!  Pretty much the same with other cruises I have booked that require international air travel.  

[DCThunder]

10 minutes ago, Roz said:

I've taken 4 river cruises and have 2 more (back to back) booked for this coming December.  Have always booked air thru the cruise line(s) and saved considerably.  As an example, I just booked round trip to Amsterdam over Christmas and New Year's.  Cruise line's premium economy was $1,490, booking on my own was over $2,000.  

 

I don't know why Flight Ease works for some people and not others.  I'm flying to Buenos Aires in March for a South American cruise.  Flight ease was $5 less.  Big whoop!  Pretty much the same with other cruises I have booked that require international air travel.  

There is considerably more demand by cruise passengers for US>Europe flights than for US>South America flights.  There is also much greater capacity from the airlines that needs to be filled, especially in the "off-season" for Europe tourism.  Hence the cruise lines and airlines have more incentive to negotiate better fares for cruise passengers to fill the capacity that exists.  

[Roz]

That makes sense. 

[SSBrickNJ]

3 hours ago, Native Floridian 26 said:

This!  Our original flights with American were cancelled and they said due to nonpayment.  Had to fight to get new flights and the original price we had booked at.

Wow that is scary!

Thanks for the warning!

[mcrcruiser]

You might   look into Norwegian airlines . A couple of years ago I was looking at their prices for premium seating  & they were the best of all airlines

[Native Floridian 26]

14 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

You might   look into Norwegian airlines . A couple of years ago I was looking at their prices for premium seating  & they were the best of all airlines

Norwegian used to be great.  However, they no longer do the Transatlantic flights that saved us so much money.