International Flights

[sambamama]

What you also are not considering is that you are looking at the lowest class fare. The next class fare usually includes a checked bag. And many domestic flights are getting expensive as well. I know that is how JetBlue does it. Or just don't travel to Europe, or do a Europe cruise and fly RT, so the flight is cheaper than one way. You could check to see if its cheaper to fly out of JFK, too. Or possibly Montreal. But the travel costs may negate the cost of the luggage. Or wait and book a cruise that subsidizes your flight or gives free air.

If you are going to book cruise air, r then make sure you read the cruise air thread so you completely understand air deviation and what you give up by letting the airline pick.. From what it sounds like, NCL has complete choice and could fly you in that day. That's something I would never do. However, here is another option. Get a credit card and earn enough miles to book an award flight. Then you don't have to pay for a ticket or a bag. Or book two transatlantic cruises. 

[sambamama]

What no one has mentioned is especially with foreign flights you should start looking when the flights open up- - about a year out. So you are coming to the party late. It looks like you could have a JetBlue or an AA nonstop flight for around $650 with a checked bag, or at least a carryon, and other choices that involve 12 or more hours in transit. I don't know how far the port is from Heathrow, and if you will be forced to spend the night or have to take flights after 3pm.  I know which one I would pick- a nonstop over a flight with a connection on TAP, Air Lingus, Icelandic. But then I would never be picking a January TA anyway, and I wouldn't be complaining that price was too high. You probably got a great price on the cruise because it was a TA ( they are always cheaper) and its in January. I see it sails out of Miami, and you can fly there with a checked bag for $175.  Also, what you may not know is they add lots of taxes flying out of London, too. So its doubtful you will find $300 flights to Europe with $30 checked bag fees.

[Zach1213]

1 hour ago, sambamama said:

What no one has mentioned is especially with foreign flights you should start looking when the flights open up- - about a year out. 

 

Completely disagree. Maybe if you are using mileage, but even then I am not sure I disagree. Often times, when fares come out, they are towards the higher end because airlines are feeling out demand and what people are willing to pay. It's pretty common that prices start coming down (before, often, going back up). Plus, the further you book out, the more likely you are to see schedule and equipment changes. 

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, sambamama said:

What no one has mentioned is especially with foreign flights you should start looking when the flights open up- - about a year out.

 

Also disagree.  With award tickets, it used to be that seats were dumped as soon as the schedule opened.  That's been replaced for most all carriers with a dynamic allocation of award seats, with real-time integration with revenue management systems.

 

For revenue tickets, the historic pattern has been that at schedule release, inventory is released into the higher fare buckets, with little inventory into lower buckets.  As ticket sales progress through the following months, revenue management gets a still better picture of the specific demand for specific flights.  Inventory starts to be released into the lower buckets.

 

Note - it is not that the "fares" are being lowered.  The fares have already been filed - it's that revenue management determines what inventory can be allocated there.

 

Now, is there one reason to start looking at 11 months out.  Yes....to be learning the market.  So you can understand the vagaries of pricing and availabilties.  But don't be buying your tickets then.

 

 

[julig22]

3 hours ago, sambamama said:

If you are going to book cruise air, r then make sure you read the cruise air thread so you completely understand air deviation and what you give up by letting the airline pick.. From what it sounds like, NCL has complete choice and could fly you in that day. That's something I would never do. However, here is another option. Get a credit card and earn enough miles to book an award flight. Then you don't have to pay for a ticket or a bag. Or book two transatlantic cruises. 

And what you understand is incorrect. NCL does NOT have complete choice. You can pick which day you want to arrive and what day you want to return home. 2 days on either end.  And they even give you a small credit to do so.  But you have to decide in advance, not after the tickets have been issued. 

[waterbug123]

On 8/20/2023 at 4:39 PM, Smitheroo said:

Most of the international airlines do not include free checked bags at prices I am willing to pay. At least not the searches I have done recently.  No, many domestic airlines offer fares that I consider reasonable that include a  checked bag. I have plenty of experience flying domestic and I rarely choose the "basic" option unless I dont need to take a lot of clothes. And although I like to choose my seat not being able to is not a deal breaker.  I was surprised when I saw the the reasonable fee that NCL Air charges in their promo  

 

Many?  Other than Southwest, is there any domestic airline that includes a checked bag for pax who do not have an airline branded credit card or status with the airline? 

[6rugrats]

11 minutes ago, waterbug123 said:

 

Many?  Other than Southwest, is there any domestic airline that includes a checked bag for pax who do not have an airline branded credit card or status with the airline? 

Sure, if you are in business or first  class.

[waterbug123]

5 minutes ago, 6rugrats said:

Sure, if you are in business or first  class.

Of course, silly me LOL

[Smitheroo]

1 hour ago, waterbug123 said:

 

Many?  Other than Southwest, is there any domestic airline that includes a checked bag for pax who do not have an airline branded credit card or status with the airline? 

Yes, many of them do.  You just have to reserve from the next category of tickets. For example, on Jet Blue its terms like Blue Basic, Blue Extra, etc.  I used to have a Jet Blue card where I won points based on my spending but I didnt fly often enough to have "status"  and I decided that I didnt want to pay the annual fee for that reason.  So I downgraded and now have a regular Jet Blue card and get no luggage benefits. 

 

[Smitheroo]

On 8/21/2023 at 5:30 PM, 6rugrats said:

Unless you purchase a Basic Economy ticket, all three major US airlines will allow one free checked bag for an international flight, status or no status.  I am really not sure what the question is anymore.  Don't rely on third party webpages to give you accurate information.

I'm not sure what the question is anymore either lol

[Smitheroo]

On 8/21/2023 at 5:56 PM, julig22 said:

On 8/21/2023 at 5:56 PM, julig22 said:

And I don't care how much bad press (justified or not) NCL airfare gets, I'm not about to book a 33 hr flight from London for $300 (no luggage) when NCL will book RT for probably around $600, depending on the itinerary, luggage included. Especially when there is no guarantee that the flight I book has any better chance of arriving on time over the flights NCL chooses!

I agree with you. And a RT for $600 seems  ok to me. I was looking at figures like that for one way and just a carry on.  I dont have a problem with the cost of NCL air, I thought it seemed reasonable.  

[Smitheroo]

1 hour ago, waterbug123 said:

 

Many?  Other than Southwest, is there any domestic airline that includes a checked bag for pax who do not have an airline branded credit card or status with the airline? 

See my answer to this

[Smitheroo]

8 hours ago, sambamama said:

What no one has mentioned is especially with foreign flights you should start looking when the flights open up- - about a year out. So you are coming to the party late. It looks like you could have a JetBlue or an AA nonstop flight for around $650 with a checked bag, or at least a carryon, and other choices that involve 12 or more hours in transit. I don't know how far the port is from Heathrow, and if you will be forced to spend the night or have to take flights after 3pm.  I know which one I would pick- a nonstop over a flight with a connection on TAP, Air Lingus, Icelandic. But then I would never be picking a January TA anyway, and I wouldn't be complaining that price was too high. You probably got a great price on the cruise because it was a TA ( they are always cheaper) and its in January. I see it sails out of Miami, and you can fly there with a checked bag for $175.  Also, what you may not know is they add lots of taxes flying out of London, too. So its doubtful you will find $300 flights to Europe with $30 checked bag fees.

Its obvious that I am an inexperienced newbie with international flights (not exactly a newbie but not recent experience) which is why I asked the question in the first place.   And I wasnt asking about domestic flights. I have plenty of experience with those.   

[Smitheroo]

On 8/21/2023 at 5:30 PM, 6rugrats said:

Unless you purchase a Basic Economy ticket, all three major US airlines will allow one free checked bag for an international flight, status or no status.  I am really not sure what the question is anymore.  Don't rely on third party webpages to give you accurate information.

I havent had any problems with third party websites, at least the more popular ones. I kind of shy away from a name like Cheapflights.com    I often went back and forth between 3rd parties sites and JetBlue's website and saw no discrepencies. I did have to book on JetBlue's website to use points. 

[FlyerTalker]

Whatever happened to:

 

On 8/20/2023 at 1:46 PM, Smitheroo said:

I've got plenty of answers so am not going to comment in this thread anymore

 

Asking for a friend.

 

 

[waterbug123]

1 hour ago, Smitheroo said:

Yes, many of them do.  You just have to reserve from the next category of tickets. For example, on Jet Blue its terms like Blue Basic, Blue Extra, etc.  I used to have a Jet Blue card where I won points based on my spending but I didnt fly often enough to have "status"  and I decided that I didnt want to pay the annual fee for that reason.  So I downgraded and now have a regular Jet Blue card and get no luggage benefits. 

 

Do you realize that you're contradicting yourself?  You were complaining about having to pay fees to check a bag and stated that many domestic airlines include a checked bag.  Then you give an example of Jet Blue including a checked bag if you pay for a higher ticket category, ie pay a checked bag fee. 

1 hour ago, Smitheroo said:

I havent had any problems with third party websites, at least the more popular ones. I kind of shy away from a name like Cheapflights.com    I often went back and forth between 3rd parties sites and JetBlue's website and saw no discrepencies. I did have to book on JetBlue's website to use points. 

You posted a screenshot earlier from a 3rd party site to show that the airlines were charging for a checked bag on international flights, but I don't think you were reading the information correctly.  I saw nowhere that said there was a fee to check a bag.  The closest was something along the lines of "checked bag:  $0-75" or whatever the number was.  That means it's generally going to be $0 unless your bag is overweight or you have multiple bags to check.

[sambamama]

What I should have said is if you are using miles for business or first class, you need to start looking early. If you are looking for economy, there is always more room.  But I always start monitoring flights in case a flight pops up at a price I am happy with.  And no, I have no idea what NCL Air offers-so my opinion was pure speculation. The only time I used cruise air, we were flown in the morning of the cruise.  I would never do that again.  

I don't really think you are looking for advice as you are criticizing most advice you are given. People have given you excellent advice that you are disregarding and criticizing. I only mentioned the low domestic fare to contrast it to the higher international fare.  

And go ahead and rely on a third party website.  It's fine until you have a problem.  Let's see how cheapoair or expedia helps you out.  

[waterbug123]

On 8/19/2023 at 11:22 AM, Smitheroo said:

Last time I was on an international flight......How does this work coming from ship?   Do people here who arrange their own international flights pay these luggage charges?  

 

And to answer your original question, no I do not pay luggage charges for international flights.  As many have already said, the vast majority of airlines allow 1 free checked bag on an international (transoceanic flight), and I can manage a cruise with one checked bag.

Domestically, when a checked bag is not usually included unless one pays a checked bag fee, buys a higher tier ticket that includes the checked bag fee, or pays for a first class ticket, I rely on my airline branded credit card and/or my airline loyalty status to get free checked bags.

[Smitheroo]

58 minutes ago, waterbug123 said:

 

And to answer your original question, no I do not pay luggage charges for international flights.  As many have already said, the vast majority of airlines allow 1 free checked bag on an international (transoceanic flight), and I can manage a cruise with one checked bag.

Domestically, when a checked bag is not usually included unless one pays a checked bag fee, buys a higher tier ticket that includes the checked bag fee, or pays for a first class ticket, I rely on my airline branded credit card and/or my airline loyalty status to get free checked bags.

If you look at the attachment I included earlier you will see that many flights do not included a checked bag, just a carry on.  The super cheap flights dont include either.  

[Smitheroo]

1 hour ago, waterbug123 said:

Do you realize that you're contradicting yourself?  You were complaining about having to pay fees to check a bag and stated that many domestic airlines include a checked bag.  Then you give an example of Jet Blue including a checked bag if you pay for a higher ticket category, ie pay a checked bag fee. 

You posted a screenshot earlier from a 3rd party site to show that the airlines were charging for a checked bag on international flights, but I don't think you were reading the information correctly.  I saw nowhere that said there was a fee to check a bag.  The closest was something along the lines of "checked bag:  $0-75" or whatever the number was.  That means it's generally going to be $0 unless your bag is overweight or you have multiple bags to check.

I checked a few and the fee was about $75. Maybe if I had checked all of them I would have realized that some did not. (I dont know if that's the case or not) As far as the first part of your comment is concerned, if I contradicted myself it was unintentional.  

[Smitheroo]

My participation in this thread is over. What started out as an innocent question has turned into a personal attack on many levels.   I did not criticize advice, I thanked people except those who couldnt contain their rudeness.    So relax. I wont be harassing you any more.

[Globaliser]

 

7 hours ago, Smitheroo said:

9 hours ago, waterbug123 said:

Many?  Other than Southwest, is there any domestic airline that includes a checked bag for pax who do not have an airline branded credit card or status with the airline? 

Yes, many of them do.  You just have to reserve from the next category of tickets. For example, on Jet Blue its terms like Blue Basic, Blue Extra, etc.

 

That's just like internatonal flights, then.

 

So what exactly is the problem about fares for international flights?

[Bo1953]

10 hours ago, Smitheroo said:

My participation in this thread is over. What started out as an innocent question has turned into a personal attack on many levels.   I did not criticize advice, I thanked people except those who couldnt contain their rudeness.    So relax. I wont be harassing you any more.

I see what the issue is with the "screen shots" provided, you did not click through to a final price in order to determine if in fact there is a bag fee AND if so, what that fee is for the international flights, as far as I can tell. Plus it is for Basic Economy (based on what I read you posted) which is known not to include much of anything but a seat assigned at check in.

 

Once you click through then you can readily see what the "potential" final purchase price AND compare cost of purchasing a basic economy ticket (with add-ons) vs a lowest bucket fare with all included.

 

IMO that is how you can determine the value, to you, and if it is worth the purchase for you.

 

Then you will have better grounds to comment on what fares are for your desired trip and ask about how to get lower fares which I believe is the question not asked directly or initially.

 

bon voyage

[waterbug123]

14 hours ago, Smitheroo said:

If you look at the attachment I included earlier you will see that many flights do not included a checked bag, just a carry on.  The super cheap flights dont include either.  

No, I don't see that, and I think you are reading that site incorrectly.  I'm not trying to bash you, I'm trying to help you from misunderstanding information on a 3rd party site.  Please point out specifically what airline/flights from that site are saying you will be be charged for your first checked bag. 

[waterbug123]

4 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

I see what the issue is with the "screen shots" provided, you did not click through to a final price in order to determine if in fact there is a bag fee AND if so, what that fee is for the international flights, as far as I can tell.

I think she didn't know how to read the site.  A lot of them had something like "checked bag $0-$75" or something like that, and I think she was assuming that because it didn't say "free checked bag" that she would definitely be charged to check a bag.  The reality is that that price range is probably because you get 1 free checked bag ($0) but if you check a 2nd back you'll be charged, or if your first bag is overweight you'll be charged.  And since it's a 3rd party site, they are covering their butt by just giving a price range instead of saying "free checked bag." 

Or as you said, she's just not clicking through to get the details.  Some have an ultra low cost option that maybe doesn't include a checked bag, but the ticket itself is cheaper.   So you either pay for the cheapest ticket and then pay a separate bag fee, or you buy a slightly more expensive ticket and get a free checked bag  and probably some other benefits like advanced seat selection.  Either way, you pay.  She seems to want the very cheapest possible ticket AND to get benefits that come with more expensive tickets which isn't a realistic expectation.

Edited August 23, 2023 by waterbug123