Flight Ease.

[alwaysfrantic]

So the website won’t work.  I called.  Agent was not very versed in travel, actually.  She kept trying to book for the wrong day.  Wouldn’t listen to my preferences for class of airline.  Finally she gets to the flight I’d told her we wanted.  Go through everything.  Names ready to go.  All set.  The computer there won’t work either.  Can’t book.   Forty minutes on the phone and nothing.  

[OlsSalt]

"Electronic interface" is failing all over, not just FlightEase.

 

Banks, hotel reservations, online shopping, fake charges on your credit card account. Bring back pen and pencil and guys in green eyeshades who balance the books every night

[Ready2go11]

2 hours ago, alwaysfrantic said:

So the website won’t work.  I called.  Agent was not very versed in travel, actually.  She kept trying to book for the wrong day.  Wouldn’t listen to my preferences for class of airline.  Finally she gets to the flight I’d told her we wanted.  Go through everything.  Names ready to go.  All set.  The computer there won’t work either.  Can’t book.   Forty minutes on the phone and nothing.  

I have had the same issue for more than a month trying to book a return flight for April 2024 from Europe. When I last called, they could not get any pricing either and it only stops you after you have gone through all the input screens. I have tried flexible and firm fare options, different flight classes, etc with the same result. I have never used flight ease before, so not sure why there is an issue. 
 

The only possible thing I can think of is the return flight is at the end of a TA and I am not flying back to the same airport the ship is leaving from (which flight ease does default to). 
 

the quoted prices are very good, but only if you can actually book. 

[alwaysfrantic]

I actually got the website to load this afternoon but after putting everything in, no luck.  
 

the agent earlier tried to give me a number to call that showed on her screen.  But it was the number I had called.  

[Catlover54]

Perhaps "Flight Ease" should be renamed to "Flight Fretting" or "Flight ____" [ insert another word that begins with an F] 😞

 

Regardless of what cruise line I take, I do my darndest to maintain control of my own flights even if I can't use miles.  I know that usually costs me extra (though not always -- sometimes the cruise line "bargain" rate quotes a higher price, of course with more dependency on the line making errors, than what I can find on my own, and usually it's more or less a wash).  I see it as one of the many extra costs of travel (and boy have long-haul airline prices gone up these days, especially if you want anything other than economy -- even premium economy for many long-hauls is costing more than business class just before Covid).

 

Good luck, this is so frustrating.

This is one of several reasons to have a TA (let *her* do the jockeying with Flight Ease).

 

 

[valancy1]

6 hours ago, Ready2go11 said:

I have had the same issue for more than a month trying to book a return flight for April 2024 from Europe. When I last called, they could not get any pricing either and it only stops you after you have gone through all the input screens. I have tried flexible and firm fare options, different flight classes, etc with the same result. I have never used flight ease before, so not sure why there is an issue. 
 

The only possible thing I can think of is the return flight is at the end of a TA and I am not flying back to the same airport the ship is leaving from (which flight ease does default to). 
 

the quoted prices are very good, but only if you can actually book. 

You should see if you have a personal cruise consultant, or ask for one (you can request one on the website). They book air all the time for people and understand air travel.

[Ineke]

2 hours ago, valancy1 said:

You should see if you have a personal cruise consultant, or ask for one (you can request one on the website). They book air all the time for people and understand air travel.

Yes, we have one and she looked after it all. Reading this, I’m glad we did.

[electro]

16 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

Perhaps "Flight Ease" should be renamed to "Flight Fretting" or "Flight ____" [ insert another word that begins with an F] 😞

 

Regardless of what cruise line I take, I do my darndest to maintain control of my own flights even if I can't use miles.  I know that usually costs me extra (though not always -- sometimes the cruise line "bargain" rate quotes a higher price, of course with more dependency on the line making errors, than what I can find on my own, and usually it's more or less a wash).  I see it as one of the many extra costs of travel (and boy have long-haul airline prices gone up these days, especially if you want anything other than economy -- even premium economy for many long-hauls is costing more than business class just before Covid).

 

Good luck, this is so frustrating.

This is one of several reasons to have a TA (let *her* do the jockeying with Flight Ease).

 

 

I have checked the prices on flight ease for the few HAL cruises I have taken and have coming up and the price is always the same or more expensive than what I can book on my own. 

I'll stick to booking direct with the airline.

[valancy1]

The only thing is that Flight Ease guarantees you get to the ship.  So if something happens and you miss the ship due to an airline snafu, they will get you to the ship.  

[Roz]

1 hour ago, electro said:

I have checked the prices on flight ease for the few HAL cruises I have taken and have coming up and the price is always the same or more expensive than what I can book on my own. 

I'll stick to booking direct with the airline.

 

I've had the same experience.  I don't know where people are coming up with these so called good fares. 

[Woofbite]

I'm frustrated that they have had our money for months and still haven't ticketed the flights.  Noticed last week seat reservations has been cancelled.  Called to reinstate, Nobody knows what happened.  HAL unable to rebook original seats but did get one flight booked with an acceptable alternate.  Other flight I was told to contact carrier.  Naturally AA said nope they couldn't do anything until ticketed.  Until then contact HAL.  And so it goes....

[valancy1]

1 hour ago, Woofbite said:

I'm frustrated that they have had our money for months and still haven't ticketed the flights.  Noticed last week seat reservations has been cancelled.  Called to reinstate, Nobody knows what happened.  HAL unable to rebook original seats but did get one flight booked with an acceptable alternate.  Other flight I was told to contact carrier.  Naturally AA said nope they couldn't do anything until ticketed.  Until then contact HAL.  And so it goes....

If you want them ticketed, then ask for early ticketing.  Or pay for restricted air, and they would then be ticketed.  The purpose of flexible air is to reserve the flights, not ticket them until closer to sailing.  Having sold air for a long time, I'll say that no matter who you go through, there are certain carriers that won't even show a seat map until the ticket is issued with a bona fide ticket number.  The purpose of flexible air is to hold the space.... without penalty until final payment, and closer to the time of sailing, issue said tickets with the airline.  If you don't like that model, then consider asking for early ticketing or purchase restricted air or purchase yourself.  Airlines cannot help you (generally speaking) when a third party owns the reservation. Will you occasionally get a person that might be able to assist? Yes, but don't be upset when they don't.  The booking number/ record locator/PNR is merely a placeholder so the airlines knows inventory.  That's it.

Edited September 15, 2023 by valancy1
Typo

[crazyalbedo]

Also having the same issue with Flight Ease. Complete all the screens then “the flights you selected are unavailable.” Called HAL Travel Services more than once across multiple days. Each call they insist on verbally confirming every single detail of course. Then 15+ minutes later they either tell me they got the same error or they mysteriously hang up.

Edited September 15, 2023 by crazyalbedo

[LocoLoco1]

What is so wrong with Booking and $Paying$ for an Airplane ticket on your home computer directly through the Airline with a Credit Card?? Methinks all this ‘Middle-man’ mumbo-jumbo is oftentimes self-inflicted misery and stress. I have found the fares usually quite similar; usually not enough to get upset about. (But then again I cook my own food…MY way.)

[alwaysfrantic]

15 hours ago, Woofbite said:

I'm frustrated that they have had our money for months and still haven't ticketed the flights.  Noticed last week seat reservations has been cancelled.  Called to reinstate, Nobody knows what happened.  HAL unable to rebook original seats but did get one flight booked with an acceptable alternate.  Other flight I was told to contact carrier.  Naturally AA said nope they couldn't do anything until ticketed.  Until then contact HAL.  And so it goes....

Makes me feel better about the slightly higher prices I paid to book directly with airline.  
 

The HAL website is seriously deficient with FlightEase being even more infuriating.  On rare occasions that the FlightEase pages loaded I’d input everything and then get a message that it couldn’t be booked.   Every. Single.  Time.  

[alwaysfrantic]

10 hours ago, crazyalbedo said:

Also having the same issue with Flight Ease. Complete all the screens then “the flights you selected are unavailable.” Called HAL Travel Services more than once across multiple days. Each call they insist on verbally confirming every single detail of course. Then 15+ minutes later they either tell me they got the same error or they mysteriously hang up.

My agent after a half hour plus said there is a number listed you can call…..it was her number.  If they are using the same screens we are they out to say upfront that they are currently unable to book anything and once the website if fixed they will call us back or put a notice on the website tgat it is functional again. 

[Woofbite]

20 hours ago, valancy1 said:

If you want them ticketed, then ask for early ticketing.  Or pay for restricted air, and they would then be ticketed.  The purpose of flexible air is to reserve the flights, not ticket them until closer to sailing.  Having sold air for a long time, I'll say that no matter who you go through, there are certain carriers that won't even show a seat map until the ticket is issued with a bona fide ticket number.  The purpose of flexible air is to hold the space.... without penalty until final payment, and closer to the time of sailing, issue said tickets with the airline.  If you don't like that model, then consider asking for early ticketing or purchase restricted air or purchase yourself.  Airlines cannot help you (generally speaking) when a third party owns the reservation. Will you occasionally get a person that might be able to assist? Yes, but don't be upset when they don't.  The booking number/ record locator/PNR is merely a placeholder so the airlines knows inventory.  That's it.

 

[Woofbite]

 there are certain carriers that won't even show a seat map until the ticket is issued with a bona fide ticket number.

 

I was able to book seats immediately after the Flight Ease reservation made in May and they showed in the separate airline systems until about a week ago when they suddenly vanished.

 

I'll definitely call HAL and tell them to get the tickets issued because all sorts of things can go wrong with reservations prior to that.  I wasn't aware they would issue them early.  I called right after final payment was due and all they said was tickets would be issued a couple of weeks before the trip - no mention that early ticketing was possible.

[Torquer]

11 hours ago, LocoLoco1 said:

What is so wrong with Booking and $Paying$ for an Airplane ticket on your home computer directly through the Airline with a Credit Card?? Methinks all this ‘Middle-man’ mumbo-jumbo is oftentimes self-inflicted misery and stress. I have found the fares usually quite similar; usually not enough to get upset about. (But then again I cook my own food…MY way.)

We have found that the prices through Flight Ease for international business class travel to be substantially less, than you can get directly through the airline or any other discounter...sometimes half the price.  That is why we use them.  For economy or domestic travel, we have found comparable prices and sometimes cheaper elsewhere, so we usually don't use Flight Ease for these.

 

The other two advantages of Flight Ease:

• Supposed assistance to get to the ship if your flight is cancelled/delayed.  We have never needed this and have read varying degrees of success in CC with this on how much help HAL provides.
• We also like the ability to keep searching for better/cheaper flights up until final payment with Flight Ease.  On almost all cruises, we have changed our flights at least once after the original booking with Flight Ease.  Of course this can lead to the drama being discussed in this thread.

[valancy1]

48 minutes ago, Woofbite said:

 there are certain carriers that won't even show a seat map until the ticket is issued with a bona fide ticket number.

 

I was able to book seats immediately after the Flight Ease reservation made in May and they showed in the separate airline systems until about a week ago when they suddenly vanished.

 

I'll definitely call HAL and tell them to get the tickets issued because all sorts of things can go wrong with reservations prior to that.  I wasn't aware they would issue them early.  I called right after final payment was due and all they said was tickets would be issued a couple of weeks before the trip - no mention that early ticketing was possible.

It's called Early ticketing.  They should read disclosures to you as well.  After final payment is made they usually do it about 75 to 60 days prior because they are working on that schedule for all bookings, I'd suppose.