Business class not available? Disappointing Viking Air

[janetcbl]

1 hour ago, Codecow said:

I had my wife book our seats.  It resulted in a hassle at de-embarkation trying to get from the port to the airport.  I ended up calling a Lyft myself as despite many trips to guest services they were somehow unable to arrange it.

 

That said, I’d rather have a ground hassle than have to fly in economy or economy plus.

 

The next two we have coming up we used a travel agent who gave us flexibility in booking our business class flights.  Again this means we’re not able to take advantage of their ground transport most likely.

 

In a major city it’s not a problem but I’m a bit worried about getting from the airport in Norway to wherever our hotel is.

If you arrive or leave the same day as the Viking Flights arrive/depart, you can use the Viking Transfer at a cost of $49 pp (2022 price) each way.

[Mich3554]

1 hour ago, Codecow said:

I had my wife book our seats.  It resulted in a hassle at de-embarkation trying to get from the port to the airport.  I ended up calling a Lyft myself as despite many trips to guest services they were somehow unable to arrange it.

 

That said, I’d rather have a ground hassle than have to fly in economy or economy plus.

 

The next two we have coming up we used a travel agent who gave us flexibility in booking our business class flights.  Again this means we’re not able to take advantage of their ground transport most likely.

 

In a major city it’s not a problem but I’m a bit worried about getting from the airport in Norway to wherever our hotel is.

Every cruise I have been on we could have gotten a ride to the airport via Viking had we wanted to go.  At the end of the cruise, you’ll be sent a sheet where you can opt to choose Viking transit and pay $49 pp.  We usually choose to either Uber (FL), Bolt (Prague) or taxi (Bergen, Barcelona, etc).  As I remember it, the taxi from the airport to our hotel in Bergen was about the equivalent of $50.  We were staying within walking distance of the port, near the Raddison Blu where Viking frequently books extensions.
 

So far, the only issue we have ever had was in Santiago, where the flights go and enter through there, but the port is Valparaiso.  This is about 2+ hours away. First cruise, we had our hotel set us up with a vineyard tour that dropped us off in Valparaiso.  That worked very well, but we could have booked something ourselves like this through Viator.  Next cruise, we were getting off the ship in Valparaiso.  That cruise, we had a ton of non refundable OBC, courtesy of Covid closures.  Viator was useless so we got private transport set up by Viking to our hotel.  This was one of the few times we have ever done this (and it killed our OBC balance after a couple shopping trips).

[Codecow]

1 hour ago, LindaS272 said:

Why? Norway is a modern country with 21st century infrastructure. 😎

I have no idea what these towns are like.  I don’t know when our flight gets in (time) and how far from the airport to the hotel.  I have even had trouble in the US getting to the airport in the morning as I would have excepted cabs at 5:30a and was told to just order a Lyft the night before.

We’re getting there a day early so we can have an easy onboarding without having to worry as much about the substantial jet lag I am sure to have on +10h.

 

Last time I did a +9h and had to immediately do stuff the next morning it didn’t work out well for me and I felt sick/off for two days.  Then again I drank at the lounge, drank on the plane, and then when we checked in we immediately had to take a shower and dress for a reception which unfortunately had a hosted bar.  So I learned my lesson on that.

 

2024 cruise with Viking is Norway all around the UK ends in London, hopefully we make it to Shetland!  London I have no worries, I have dealt with trying to get to the airport at 5:30am from Brighton so if I can do that I can get from central London to T5.

[Codecow]

30 minutes ago, janetcbl said:

If you arrive or leave the same day as the Viking Flights arrive/depart, you can use the Viking Transfer at a cost of $49 pp (2022 price) each way.

It almost worked last time but they stuck us on a bus with BA people who were flying out 5 hours later than us and wanted to go on a bus tour on the way.  Didn’t work for me.

 

We’re doing the extension in London and if all else fails I have friends/coworkers in the city who can help us out.

[CCWineLover]

3 hours ago, Codecow said:

I had my wife book our seats.  It resulted in a hassle at de-embarkation trying to get from the port to the airport.  I ended up calling a Lyft myself as despite many trips to guest services they were somehow unable to arrange it.

 

That said, I’d rather have a ground hassle than have to fly in economy or economy plus.

 

The next two we have coming up we used a travel agent who gave us flexibility in booking our business class flights.  Again this means we’re not able to take advantage of their ground transport most likely.

 

In a major city it’s not a problem but I’m a bit worried about getting from the airport in Norway to wherever our hotel is.

Don’t worry. Bergen and Oslo are easy to get from airport to hotel. Bergen easier - simple Flybussen airport bus.  Or even Uber.  Oslo the nice express train to town.

Norway is not a 3rd world country.

[Meander Ingwa]

Almost every major airport has information on how to get to and from.  Bergen has a tram that goes right to the center of the city.  From there everything is highly walkable.  

[SWFLAOK]

After paying for an upgrade to business class through Viking, and questioning them 3 times about whether we could make the Delta connection, we were told that Delta said we could and they would not let us move our business class seast to the next flight out of Atlanta. Our first flight was delayed on both arrival in Miami, and arrival to Atlanta, as we anticipated. Our business class flights were given to economy plus travelers on the next flight, and we were forced to take their seats on a flight 3 hours later.

We asked Viking to refund what we had paid for the business class upgrade, and they told us we would need to contact Delta. We contacted Delta, and they told us that Viking had already been given the refund. It took many months before Viking gave us several hundred dollars back which was much less than we had paid for the upgrade.

We have never had a good experience on Delta, and will never accept a flight on them again. We also will never trust Viking for a flight. We enjoyed our Viking River cruise other than the Delta flight which they would not let us change when Delta gave us a connecting flight time of just over an hour.

For our Viking Ocean cruise, we booked our own flight in first class, and the flight credit more than covered it. We are only flying one way since the cruise returns to Florida.

[CCWineLover]

Your experience is again another example of why although we love Biking Cruises, we NEVER use Viking Air.  Too many hassles just like yours. We learned our lesson.  
 

[gma1]

Natashla...have you tried calling the airline direct & asking if you can upgrade & pay the difference? We called direct to Delta & paid them for just an economy plus upgrade each for our long flight back from Santiago, which we also have free air from Viking. I don't know if Air Canada will let you do this but it might be worth a try!!!! We have always had good service from Viking Air also in the past. A couple times we have paid the extra $50 (it is more now) to choose our own airline & flights. 

[gma1]

12 minutes ago, gma1 said:

Natashla...have you tried calling the airline direct & asking if you can upgrade & pay the difference? We called direct to Delta & paid them for just an economy plus upgrade each for our long flight back from Santiago, which we also have free air from Viking. I don't know if Air Canada will let you do this but it might be worth a try!!!! We have always had good service from Viking Air also in the past. A couple times we have paid the extra $50 (it is more now) to choose our own airline & flights. 

Our  upgrade was economy comfort plus... (more leg room & tilt on seat back ) so not as expensive as business class but still worth a try. 

[natshala]

1 hour ago, gma1 said:

Our  upgrade was economy comfort plus... (more leg room & tilt on seat back ) so not as expensive as business class but still worth a try. 

 

2 hours ago, gma1 said:

Natashla...have you tried calling the airline direct & asking if you can upgrade & pay the difference? We called direct to Delta & paid them for just an economy plus upgrade each for our long flight back from Santiago, which we also have free air from Viking. I don't know if Air Canada will let you do this but it might be worth a try!!!! We have always had good service from Viking Air also in the past. A couple times we have paid the extra $50 (it is more now) to choose our own airline & flights. 

Thank you! I’ll give it a try.

[WanderingBrit]

On 10/1/2023 at 2:17 PM, Codecow said:

I have no idea what these towns are like.  I don’t know when our flight gets in (time) and how far from the airport to the hotel.  I have even had trouble in the US getting to the airport in the morning as I would have excepted cabs at 5:30a and was told to just order a Lyft the night before.

 

Every aspect of travel is simpler, cleaner, and overall more pleasant in Norway than almost anywhere in the US.

 

Our last cruise had us flying Bergen - Copenhagen, Copenhagen - Reykjavik, Reykjavik to Chicago. After polite, considerate staff and terminals with hardwood floors and Scandinavian decor, arriving in O'Hare felt like we'd landed in Afghanistan after a terrorist attack.

[MimiDo]

For our expedition cruise last April we paid $1000 each to upgrade our Viking Air flights to Business. When the tickets were issued all the seats were in economy, both Denver to Ft. Lauderdale and Toronto to Denver return.  When I called to complain Viking Air claimed Business seats were not available — even though I could see on my computer that they were available on .United, Delta and American.  So we cancelled Viking Air and booked directly — saved a few dollars, too.

 

Our ship was significantly delayed due to fog several times when docking for debarkation in Toronto.   I think the first person left the ship at 3 pm instead of 6 am.  The passengers booked on Viking Air had to wait very long times to get their new bookings in multiple rounds of delays, and many ended up on flights either very late that night or before dawn the next morning.   I on the other hand used my iPad to rebook my self-purchased seats on United — not  once but twice — quickly and easily.

 

Finally I think when you book internationally on Viking Air upgraded seats when you pay the surcharge are only guaranteed for your trans ocean flights, nit for your domestic connecting flights.

 

i almost always book my own air.  Viking allows us to purchase seats on the airport shuttle for a very reasonable fee.  But they won’t allow us to do the same when we’re boarding unless we arrive on embarkation day. I would never arrive on the day the cruise boards — we always gonthe day before, even if we spend that night at an airport hotel.  I wish Viking would allow us to book seats on the shuttles as long as we present ourselves at baggage claim checkin on the day of the cruise.  I’ve thought about lying about my flight — but if that flight is delayed how would we explain how we arrived before the plane did?   For our November cruise we’re arriving the day before but staying at the port that night,

 

 

 

 

[SJD117]

3 hours ago, MimiDo said:

I’ve thought about lying about my flight — but if that flight is delayed how would we explain how we arrived before the plane did?

 

Lying to your cruise line is never a good idea.

[CDNPolar]

We typically upgrade to Premium Economy or Business depending on the length of the flights.

 

For the Grand European booking we have next year, which includes free air, we called to upgrade and not told that they were not available but were told that was not part of the contract rates, so we would have to pay $1799pp for PE PLUS a fare upgrade from the contract fare to a fare that allows an upgrade.

 

Not happening... this will be one time that we just go economy.

[FlyerTalker]

22 hours ago, MimiDo said:

For our expedition cruise last April we paid $1000 each to upgrade our Viking Air flights to Business. When the tickets were issued all the seats were in economy, both Denver to Ft. Lauderdale and Toronto to Denver return.  When I called to complain Viking Air claimed Business seats were not available — even though I could see on my computer that they were available on .United, Delta and American.  So we cancelled Viking Air and booked directly — saved a few dollars, too.

 

Must we say this again and again and again.

 

The inventory that you may see on an airline's retail channel is NOT, repeat NOT, the same inventory that is available to the cruiseline.

 

Two completely different animals.  With different fare rules as well.

 

 

[Heidi13]

23 hours ago, MimiDo said:

For our expedition cruise last April we paid $1000 each to upgrade our Viking Air flights to Business. When the tickets were issued all the seats were in economy, both Denver to Ft. Lauderdale and Toronto to Denver return.  When I called to complain Viking Air claimed Business seats were not available — even though I could see on my computer that they were available on .United, Delta and American.  So we cancelled Viking Air and booked directly — saved a few dollars, too.

 

You are under the mistaken belief that Viking Air is a Travel Agent and has full access to every airline seat. They are a bulk purchaser of flight on contract, for pax, officers and crew. They can only offer seats available on their contracts.

 

If using Viking Air, you are wasting your time checking the airline websites

 

23 hours ago, MimiDo said:

 

Our ship was significantly delayed due to fog several times when docking for debarkation in Toronto.   I think the first person left the ship at 3 pm instead of 6 am.  The passengers booked on Viking Air had to wait very long times to get their new bookings in multiple rounds of delays, and many ended up on flights either very late that night or before dawn the next morning.   I on the other hand used my iPad to rebook my self-purchased seats on United — not  once but twice — quickly and easily.

 

Having experienced a similar situation, we may have waited until Viking booked flights, but during the entire time we were relaxing in one of the many quiet nooks & crannies, enjoying a meal, or chatting with other pax. We also had no cancellation fees or extra charges. Viking also took care of all the arrangements getting to the airport.

 

It may have been an easy process to change your flights, but I expect they came with some additional costs.

 

23 hours ago, MimiDo said:

 

Finally I think when you book internationally on Viking Air upgraded seats when you pay the surcharge are only guaranteed for your trans ocean flights, nit for your domestic connecting flights.

 

Negative, we have booked with Viking Air and received business flights in both North America and Europe. However, due to lower demand, I expect they have less contracted Business/First seats on short-haul than long-haul flights.

 

 

[FetaCheese]

@Heidi13

Nice to see you back here on CC.

[MimiDo]

Thank you both.  I do understand Viking Air has limitations.  On the other hand, they said they could provide upgraded air for a fee when i booked and later paid for the cruise —- and then they couldn’t. And we fly out of  Denver — not exactly a minor hub.

 

We incurred no costs for our 2 different rounds of changes.last April.   And we were able to relax because we made the changes quickly.  However Viking Air waited until hey had made changes for ALL their customers — approximately 1/2 to 2/3 of the passengers on the ship — before they notified  any passenger about their new itinerary.  This produced considerable waits and anxiety because passengers wanted to tell their family, etc. their new flight schedule, and didn’t know when they would have that information.  So for a day and a half every conversation on the ship seemed to start with “Did you hear yet”?  Not relaxing at all.

 

You obviously are Viking Air fans.  I have had some good experiences with them, and sometimes their price is definitely competitive.  I was making a cautionary comment, not an attack.  We flew round trip to China with Viking Air in 2019 and saved about  20% on an airline I would not have booked  myself (and it was fine).  I would say I perceive their limitations, and am now more reluctant to part with the control I give up when I book with them partly because I’m a frequent airline shopper.  Something that almost sounds to good to be true is — well, let’s just say might have some downsides.

 

[CCWineLover]

58 minutes ago, MimiDo said:

Thank you both.  I do understand Viking Air has limitations.  On the other hand, they said they could provide upgraded air for a fee when i booked and later paid for the cruise —- and then they couldn’t. And we fly out of  Denver — not exactly a minor hub.

 

We incurred no costs for our 2 different rounds of changes.last April.   And we were able to relax because we made the changes quickly.  However Viking Air waited until hey had made changes for ALL their customers — approximately 1/2 to 2/3 of the passengers on the ship — before they notified  any passenger about their new itinerary.  This produced considerable waits and anxiety because passengers wanted to tell their family, etc. their new flight schedule, and didn’t know when they would have that information.  So for a day and a half every conversation on the ship seemed to start with “Did you hear yet”?  Not relaxing at all.

 

You obviously are Viking Air fans.  I have had some good experiences with them, and sometimes their price is definitely competitive.  I was making a cautionary comment, not an attack.  We flew round trip to China with Viking Air in 2019 and saved about  20% on an airline I would not have booked  myself (and it was fine).  I would say I perceive their limitations, and am now more reluctant to part with the control I give up when I book with them partly because I’m a frequent airline shopper.  Something that almost sounds to good to be true is — well, let’s just say might have some downsides.

 

You have learned some valuable lessons.  We too have learned …. We don’t want to give up control and so do our own air now all the time.

I’ve had too many cases where a Viking rep says something that proves not true, so I don’t trust anything g the say anymore regarding air.

 

we really like Viking as a cruise line.  However we buy our insurance separately and our air and/or hotels/transfers separately.  
 

it has always been easy for us to do this as we are travel savvy and often like to upgrade.

 

Perhaps  Viking air works best for those not comfortable with doing their own thing, or simply not knowledgeable enough on the crazy world of airlines these days or those who fly coach and fly in/fly out.

 

something for everyone!

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, MimiDo said:

 

You obviously are Viking Air fans.  I have had some good experiences with them, and sometimes their price is definitely competitive. 

 

 

Nope, not currently a fan of Viking Air or Viking Cruises.

 

In the unlikely event we book another Viking Cruise, we would only use Viking Air when Business flights are included with the cruise. Since we only fly on points and Viking Air will no longer book or upgrade flights with points, we would book our own flights.

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, MimiDo said:

You obviously are Viking Air fans.

 

And you are making an assumption that is not valid.  Why you think so, I have no idea.

 

I point out what are facts.

 

 

[Mich3554]

7 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

You are under the mistaken belief that Viking Air is a Travel Agent and has full access to every airline seat. They are a bulk purchaser of flight on contract, for pax, officers and crew. They can only offer seats available on their contracts.

 

If using Viking Air, you are wasting your time checking the airline websites

 

 

Having experienced a similar situation, we may have waited until Viking booked flights, but during the entire time we were relaxing in one of the many quiet nooks & crannies, enjoying a meal, or chatting with other pax. We also had no cancellation fees or extra charges. Viking also took care of all the arrangements getting to the airport.

 

It may have been an easy process to change your flights, but I expect they came with some additional costs.

 

 

Negative, we have booked with Viking Air and received business flights in both North America and Europe. However, due to lower demand, I expect they have less contracted Business/First seats on short-haul than long-haul flights.

 

 

Viking booked us Seattle to NYC in coach, NYC to AMS in business class.  The direct flight would have cost us $1500 pp more, I compromised and got us business class seats across the US for *only* $500 more than our quoted business class fare (it turned out not to be a deal).  This was for a river cruise we took 7 months before getting onto the WC.  Interestingly enough, when I booked our flights for the WC, I didn’t have near the battle getting business class seats all the way.  These are the only times we have flown Viking air.  When I booked those fares, I was warned that the direct flights I wanted would come with a surcharge.  When I mentioned it was for the WC, there was some backpedaling.  

[SJD117]

The lesson from this thread: Never get between a Viking customer — or a former Viking customer — and his/her preferred Business Class seat. Never, ever, ever. It just wouldn’t be right.   🤣

[FlyerTalker]

6 hours ago, Mich3554 said:

Viking booked us Seattle to NYC in coach, NYC to AMS in business class.  The direct flight would have cost us $1500 pp more,

 

Just so you don't get blindsided in the future.

 

"Direct" does NOT mean "non-stop".  A "direct" flight is one that has no change of flight number between A and B, but it may have both stops and aircraft changes along the way.  A "non-stop" flight is one that makes no stops between A and B.

 

At one time, Southwest had a "direct" flight from Baltimore to Oakland.  It only made EIGHT stops along the way, but it was "direct" because the flight number never changed.

 

BWI-BNA-MSY-DAL-HOU-ABQ-PHX-LAS-LAX-OAK

 

So don't just assume that if you are told a flight is "direct" that you will be on a non-stop.