Air Plus, Air Deviation, Air Stopover - Viking

[Steerpike58]

We're now booking our third cruise and I'm STILL terribly confused by the various 'air services' that are offered by Viking (don't know if these are industry standard terms or not). I'm aware of at least three - Air Plus ($100 pp), Air Deviation ($100 pp), Air Stopover ($100-$300). Or you can avoid all of these and take your chances with 'what you get' at the 120 day point and make 'some' changes online.  

 

For our third cruise, we are embarking in Bangkok in March. For some reason, we were already assigned a routing (despite not being at the 120 day point) that was SFO-Taipei, Teipei-Bangkok, which wasn't bad (this was 'free airfare' as part of a promotion) but - we want to go via Tokyo instead and spend 5 days there. So my Viking Rep said it will cost $300 (each) for this modification, which we paid.  But no new itinerary has been issued yet, despite the fact we got the first itinerary a few days ago.  

 

My rep put me through to the 'Air Department' to see if they could issue us an updated itinerary, but they said that since are are not 'Air Plus' passengers, they can't help us. They advised us to wait 2 weeks and see what we are automatically assigned, and then potentially sign up for Air Plus. 

 

I've made some notes below that I put together from talking to Viking in the past - but what I don't understand is how these services 'combine'.  That is - if you pay for Air Plus, you get to talk to their agents, and fine tune details, including which airline, where the connections occur, etc. But then if you pay for Air Plus, when would you ALSO need Air Deviation, or Air Stopover?  And if instead you pay for Air Deviation or Air Stopover, do you get to talk to an agent or are you stuck having to do things online?   And, what changes can you make yourself, online, once you get to the 120 day point? 

 

I read the stickied post above "Cruise Air and Air Deviation Explanation" but I don't know how that post relates to the three 'services' offered by Viking. 

 

Notes from prior conversations with Viking:

Air Plus

$100 / pp. Use this to have access to their travel agent to fine-tune flight details – which airline, which stopovers, etc. But not to change end-point destination or date.

Air Deviation

$100 / pp. Use this if you want to fly in early, or fly to another airport. They have a long list of approved airports that can be chosen (but Istanbul is not one of them). Don’t get transfers with Air Deviation.

Air Stopover

$100-$300 / pp. To allow for stopovers at connecting airports on the route (eg, 2 days in Paris).  They have a list of approved airports that can be chosen (but not as long a list as for ‘Air Deviation'). Still get transfers with Air Stopovers. Must arrive the day the ship boards for transfers.

 

Transfers

Can buy transfers if needed - $60 per person per transfer.

---------

When ‘Free Air Fare’ is offered, can upgrade to Premium Economy ($999) and Business ($3,499). Can half these, for just outbound or inbound.

 

[FlyerTalker]

Let me preface -- I am not an expert with Viking, and have never used their air.  But this pretty much boils down to a collection of ala carte services which are independent of each other.

 

As you note, each does something.  Consider that an air itinerary consists of dates, airline, start and end cities, routings and specific flights.  The starting point with a "free air" from Viking is:

 

Viking chosen start city (Air Deviation)

Viking chosen dates (Air Deviation)

Viking chosen airline  (Air Plus)

Viking chosen routing (Air Plus)

Viking chosen flights.  (Air Plus)

Viking destination city (Air Deviation)

 

Want to change any of those?  You need it done through the service noted.  And if you want the stopover, you need to have worked a deviation to change from their standard dates.

 

So, in other words....your free air now becomes an opportunity for Viking to add on a number of service fees rather than just one.  Plus, you are responsible for any difference in cost for the tickets that you choose to change from the "given" starting point.

 

As for getting answers and documentation - that's something your travel agent should be working on for your behalf.  You did book through an agent, right?  Because in the final analysis, booking through an independent agent has you with someone who works for you.  And booking with a cruiseline agent has you with someone that doesn't work for you, but works for the company that is charging you these fees.

 

Decide what you want.  Recognize that you are going to pay for that, both in increased ticket costs plus add-on fees.

 

TANSTAAFL (or TANSTAFA)

 

 

[Steerpike58]

1 hour ago, FlyerTalker said:

Let me preface -- I am not an expert with Viking, and have never used their air.  But this pretty much boils down to a collection of ala carte services which are independent of each other.

 

As you note, each does something.  Consider that an air itinerary consists of dates, airline, start and end cities, routings and specific flights.  The starting point with a "free air" from Viking is:

 

Viking chosen start city (Air Deviation)

Viking chosen dates (Air Deviation)

Viking chosen airline  (Air Plus)

Viking chosen routing (Air Plus)

Viking chosen flights.  (Air Plus)

Viking destination city (Air Deviation)

 

Want to change any of those?  You need it done through the service noted.  And if you want the stopover, you need to have worked a deviation to change from their standard dates.

So - if we just changed the routing (via Tokyo rather than Taipei) that would be Air Plus only, but since we want to stopover in Tokyo, that would be a 'date change' and thus, 'Air Deviation' (or 'Air Stopover', if that's really a distinct service from Viking). So at least two sets of fees there? 

 

1 hour ago, FlyerTalker said:

...  Plus, you are responsible for any difference in cost for the tickets that you choose to change from the "given" starting point.

Regarding 'difference in cost' - I was quoted $300 as soon as I mentioned the change, which made it sound like a set fee rather than an actual cost differential. However, I have read that they have negotiated fees so maybe that is what it costs them. 

 

1 hour ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

As for getting answers and documentation - that's something your travel agent should be working on for your behalf.  You did book through an agent, right?  Because in the final analysis, booking through an independent agent has you with someone who works for you.  And booking with a cruiseline agent has you with someone that doesn't work for you, but works for the company that is charging you these fees.

We aren't working with our own agent. We've been working with a Viking sales person for all our trips, and we've been happy with her so far.  I would prefer to use our own agent but ... I don't get to make that decision 🙂 . 

1 hour ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Decide what you want.  Recognize that you are going to pay for that, both in increased ticket costs plus add-on fees.

 

TANSTAAFL (or TANSTAFA)

 

 

 

[FlyerTalker]

16 minutes ago, Steerpike58 said:

So - if we just changed the routing (via Tokyo rather than Taipei) that would be Air Plus only, but since we want to stopover in Tokyo, that would be a 'date change' and thus, 'Air Deviation' (or 'Air Stopover', if that's really a distinct service from Viking). So at least two sets of fees there?

 

Change of routing (which would also involve change of carriers when going SFO-TYO-BKK vs SFO-TPE-BKK) is Air Plus.  Stopover is a function of the airline involved, as a stopover "breaks" the through fare into separate components unless there is specific provision for it in the fare rules.  And it changes the dates from your "given" itinerary, so that's a deviation.  I am going to assume two fees for two different services (in the eyes of Viking).

 

19 minutes ago, Steerpike58 said:

Regarding 'difference in cost' - I was quoted $300 as soon as I mentioned the change, which made it sound like a set fee rather than an actual cost differential. However, I have read that they have negotiated fees so maybe that is what it costs them.

 

If you want something different than the "free" offering, you'll likely pay a fare differential.  You should demand a full itemized listing of what is a Viking fee and what is a change to the airfare itself.  Don't rely on some overall number, that may later get claimed didn't cover XYZ.

 

21 minutes ago, Steerpike58 said:

We aren't working with our own agent. We've been working with a Viking sales person for all our trips, and we've been happy with her so far.  I would prefer to use our own agent but ... I don't get to make that decision 🙂 .

 

Hopefully the person who does make that decision has some good reasons.

 

 

[ericosmith]

1 hour ago, FlyerTalker said:

Stopover is a function of the airline involved, as a stopover "breaks" the through fare into separate components unless there is specific provision for it in the fare rules.  And it changes the dates from your "given" itinerary, so that's a deviation.  I am going to assume two fees for two different services (in the eyes of Viking).

 

I was told by my agent who checked with Viking that the stopover included the deviation fee:

 

Viking has verified that only the higher of the two fees would apply, so if you’re doing the stopover for $300 per person any date changes within 30 days before departure and 30 days after disembarkation would be covered under that fee as well.

 

 

 

[CDNPolar]

Very simply from our use of Air Plus - which we always add to our reservation - if you change any date flying in or out that is a deviation and you will pay the (minimum) $100 pp. 

 

If you want control of the airline, routing, and schedule, you will pay the Air Plus at (minimum) $100 pp.  However, you may want something that is outside of Viking contract rates, and that could and will have an additional fee for you to secure.

 

Also be aware that because it is free air, Viking have some incredible rates from the airlines, and upgrades may either not be available (to premium economy, or business) or at a very high premium additional charge because they are outside of their contract rates.

 

I don't know the stopover rules because we have never done that.

 

If this were me, because I want to have control over my air, I now only use Viking when the air is free, as in your situation, or I book the air myself.  In this case I would pay all the fees and get as much control over the booking as I could.  I would then ask for early ticketing to lock it all in, but then note that if you ask for early ticketing and you want to change anything there will be change fees.  Also locking the tickets in early does not guarantee that schedules will not change, or aircraft, seats, etc.