Cancelling Viking Air

[FLIslandGirl3]

We just received our flight itinerary for our June 2024 trip to Iceland. We don't like the return part. The Iceland to Toronto part is fine with premium economy. From there they want to send us to Newark before sending us home to Orlando. We can get a direct flight from Toronto to Orlando but Viking won't book it without  cancelling the premium economy from Iceland. Makes no sense. We want to book our own flight. Question is do we cancel Viking Air before or after we've booked our new flights?

Thanks for any insight.

[FlyerTalker]

12 minutes ago, FLIslandGirl3 said:

We just received our flight itinerary for our June 2024 trip to Iceland. We don't like the return part. The Iceland to Toronto part is fine with premium economy. From there they want to send us to Newark before sending us home to Orlando. We can get a direct flight from Toronto to Orlando but Viking won't book it without  cancelling the premium economy from Iceland. Makes no sense.

 

It makes perfect sense IF you remember that the airline tickets and inventory sold through a cruiseline is NOT related to the tickets and inventory available on the open market.

 

You are dealing with contract rates, and they often have provisions relating to various classes.  Sometimes they are not combinable, sometimes they are "married" to particular routings, and many many other potentially obscure provisions.

 

 

[FLIslandGirl3]

I understand all that. Question is do I book new flights before I cancel Viking. Two of the flights I book would be the same as Viking.

 

[Peregrina651]

 

 

First, check with Viking. Ask them what the deadline is for cancelling Viking Air. I think it is 70 days out but safer to get the info from Viking.

 

Then, make the new flights before cancelling the Viking flights.

 

 

[FlyerTalker]

2 hours ago, FLIslandGirl3 said:

I understand all that. Question is do I book new flights before I cancel Viking. Two of the flights I book would be the same as Viking.

 

You said "Makes no sense". Which implies that you didn't understand.  I was explaining why it does make sense.

 

As for when to cancel....remember to have the new bird in hand before letting the other one fly away.

[Selion]

I'm going to pose a different question: Is Premium Economy worth it from Iceland to MCO?

 

PE is usually on long-haul widebodies(747, 767, 777, 787, A330, A350, A380, etc).  From Iceland to YYZ, YYZ-EWR, then EWR-MCO all flights are most likely to be on narrow bodies (737, 757, A220, A320, A321, etc).  As far as I know, United, Air Canada and Icelandair don't have true PE seats on their narrow bodies.  Paying PE fares gets you econ+ on narrow bodies, which means same econ seats but with extra leg room.  At least for me, for I'm wide and not tall, those seats don't make sense.  I'll gladly pay PE for TP or TA flights on a widebody for the extra width and more recline of the seats.

 

With that in mind, is cancelling PE and booking econ really a negative?

Edited February 7 by Selion

[ericosmith]

I've canceled Viking air a couple of times both before and after booking my own.  I've had a refund posted the next day.

[BRWolf]

FLIslandGirl3: In your situation, Peregrina651 offers good advice.  Our situation is below. 

 

We liked our flight itinerary for Iceland in July so we had it ticketed.  We go over and return  on a 737 in the forward cabin of 16 seats sometimes designated as Business Class, but on this flight apparently designated as Premium Economy. We don't mind the short hop up to Toronto to catch the flight nor the return home from Montreal in the same type aircraft as our international flight but in the designated Preferred Economy section farther back in the aircraft.   Going to and from Iceland in nice, comfortable seating with pleasant service we consider a bit of "pampering." It is, after all, a vacation where we expect to receive a bit of pampering on the Viking Mars.  

[Mike07]

I don't think Viking is a fan of non-stop flights. Not because they hate the flights in itself, but because non-stop usually has a higher premium than layover flights and Viking looks to minimize their internal costs on air.

[formernuke]

I think it’s more of a function of the two locations involved.  We’re near SanFrancisco and have always had direct Viking provided flights to major European cities 

[Mike07]

20 hours ago, formernuke said:

I think it’s more of a function of the two locations involved.  We’re near SanFrancisco and have always had direct Viking provided flights to major European cities 

 

 

That's good to hear that they give you what I presume are non-stop flights.

 

I personally saw Viking Air provide a solo traveler with a final destination of ATL, an American Airlines flight with layover in Miami. My flight had a layover in ATL.... I forget the airline... started with a D-something. They seemed to be a decent sized player at ATL. Other Viking guests were on my return flight. Maybe Viking just hadn't heard of this legacy American carrier that starts with D that might have provided the guest a non-stop flight. Or, AA had a cheaper fare and decided to undercut their competitor and screw over a Viking guest.

 

My most recent Viking Air itinerary, honestly the flight times are awful as in 5 hour layovers, but it is what it is.

Edited February 9 by Mike07

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, Mike07 said:

I personally saw Viking Air provide a solo traveler with a final destination of ATL, an American Airlines flight with layover in Miami. My flight had a layover in ATL.... I forget the airline... started with a D-something. They seemed to be a decent sized player at ATL. Other Viking guests were on my return flight. Maybe Viking just hadn't heard of this legacy American carrier that starts with D that might have provided the guest a non-stop flight. Or, AA had a cheaper fare and decided to undercut their competitor and screw over a Viking guest.

 

Or maybe, just maybe, there were no seats left in the inventory on the DL flight to ATL.  Further, it's not just about the TATL flights, but the availability of connections to beyond cities.  Viking may have needed to route folks through ATL on DL because that was the only connection available to their end destination that day.

 

It's not just about routing someone to Atlanta. Or putting people on non-stop flights.  It's about fitting ALL of the parts together so that ALL the guests get to their destinations.  Unless you have access to all of the flight arrangements AND knowledge of the negotiated air contracts and their inventories, then it's a huge stretch to blame this on a desire to "screw over a Viking guest".

 

And lest anyone think I'm a Viking apologist (or a cheerleader for cruiseline air), my posting record here at CC should disprove that assumption.

[Mike07]

51 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Or maybe, just maybe, there were no seats left in the inventory on the DL flight to ATL.  Further, it's not just about the TATL flights, but the availability of connections to beyond cities.  Viking may have needed to route folks through ATL on DL because that was the only connection available to their end destination that day.

 

It's not just about routing someone to Atlanta. Or putting people on non-stop flights.  It's about fitting ALL of the parts together so that ALL the guests get to their destinations.  Unless you have access to all of the flight arrangements AND knowledge of the negotiated air contracts and their inventories, then it's a huge stretch to blame this on a desire to "screw over a Viking guest".

 

And lest anyone think I'm a Viking apologist (or a cheerleader for cruiseline air), my posting record here at CC should disprove that assumption.

 

 

Doesn't sound like you know any better than I do.

 

Also, I've never considered you a Viking or Viking Air apologist.