Has Viking airfare gotten too expensive?

[leishirsute]

I expected bundled airfare and cruise to be a much more attractive airfare pricing than do it yourself airfare.

However, for many Viking cruises, the bundled airfare is double what most airlines are charging.

In my instance, I can find most routes for around $700-$900 during the timeframe of the cruise.

Viking is charging $1500 during that time frame.

What is the advantage for paying almost double the cost with Viking for airfare?

[SantaFe1]

I don’t think there is a single answer to this.  Depends where you are flying from and flying to, and the time of year etc. etc.  We use Viking Air Plus (where you get to choose your own flights) about 50% of the time.  Then it is maybe 20% cheaper.  When not, we book our own.  We only fly business class.  But for example, we did the British Isles Explorer cruise in May and saved about $1500 pp.  But on our upcoming Rhine cruise, Viking Air was about $1500 pp MORE than doing it ourselves.  So, just do your homework and do the math and pick what works for you.  There is no advantage to using Viking Air, that I can see, if it is more expensive than what you can get yourself.  (Even with the transfers to and from airport included).  

Edited August 18 by SantaFe1

[taiwan_girl]

Agree with @SantaFe1  We used Viking Air, as it was cheaper that what I could find on my own.  Wasn't too impressed with the airport transfer (had to sit on the bus at the airport for a long time), but overall and at least for this particular trip, it was better to book via Viking Air.  But, I am sure there are cases when the opposite is true.

[island lady]

Airfare with Viking Air was far less than what I could book myself.  I was surprised.  And like others, we book business/first class.  

[CDNPolar]

We have seen both.  We have taken advantage of free air and that really was a savings.

 

We are leaving on a TA Viking cruise in October and we could have saved about $200pp if we booked on our own, but then we would have also had to arrange the transfers and pay for those.  We opted to stick with Viking Air.

 

We are booked on British Isles Explorer in April of 2026 and we thought that the air was way too high so we dropped it from the booking.  We will watch the cost, but are pretty sure that we can beat the price they were asking.

 

Don't have the answer for this directly other than what @SantaFe1 said - depends on when, where, etc.

[TKAdventures]

Viking collects the whole fare a year in advance, including Viking Air. Flights aren't known for at least 6 to 8 months later. If tge Viking Air flights are not to your liking does Viking issue a refund for the air? 

 

We've got a deposit done on a cruise in October 2025 including Viking Air First and need to pay the balance in a few weeks. We'll probably add Viking Air Plus but want to not get locked in with no refund if we don't like their options.

 

Maybe a question for our TA..

[SantaFe1]

4 minutes ago, TKAdventures said:

Viking collects the whole fare a year in advance, including Viking Air. Flights aren't known for at least 6 to 8 months later

Well, this isn’t always the case.  We always have a final payment six months out and so don’t pay for flights until six months out.  If I do flights on my own, I usually have to pay for them about 9 -10 months out, so sometimes Viking’s payment schedule is a bonus.  

[CDNPolar]

35 minutes ago, TKAdventures said:

Viking collects the whole fare a year in advance, including Viking Air. Flights aren't known for at least 6 to 8 months later. If tge Viking Air flights are not to your liking does Viking issue a refund for the air? 

 

We've got a deposit done on a cruise in October 2025 including Viking Air First and need to pay the balance in a few weeks. We'll probably add Viking Air Plus but want to not get locked in with no refund if we don't like their options.

 

Maybe a question for our TA..

 

This is my understanding.

 

You may have to pay for your flights - and Viking Air Plus fee - at the time that you are doing final payment for your cruise.  In fact I am sure that they will want the full amount.

 

My understanding is that until flights are actually "ticketed" you can remove them from your invoice and be issued a refund for the amount of the flights.  I am not sure that you can get the refund for Viking Air Plus.

 

Same with deviation fees - if you are removing the air - you can claim the refund for deviation fees.

 

Oh, and you will have to ASK for the payment terms.  Many of the agents will not just automatically give you this.

 

I think you mentioned your TA - you may need to coach them on this.  We had to coach ours.

 

 

Once flights are ticketed then Viking is liable for the cost to the airline, but until that time, they are only future bookings in their contract with the airline.

 

Suggestion:

 

Viking assign a 6 month payment term to Canadian and US customers if they have a future booking with Viking.

 

Because Viking have so many cruises that are only $25pp deposit (Again, CAD and USA) you can book a late 2026 cruise, that you might want to go on, pay the deposit, and then you ask for 6 month terms on your current and your future cruise.  This is doable.  We have done it, and others have.

 

As the date moves closer to your placeholder booking in 2026, you might choose to move the deposit to another cruise, or you might want to take that one.... but in the mean time you will book ANOTHER cruise so that you always have one in the future to give you the 6 month payment terms.

 

Yes, we are heading to our 14th Viking cruise, but we have done this for the last number of years, because if you disembark a cruise without a future one booked, you go back to the one year payment terms.  Many times we have moved or modified a future booking, but we have always had at least one future booking.

 

 

Edited August 18 by CDNPolar

[Baron Barracuda]

Recently booked British Isles for next May.  Business class quote I received from Viking Air was too high so will book my own.  They were still willing to sell me transfers to ship from any London airport for $49pp.  I took them up on that.

[Mich3554]

Viking’s price on air for business class has been more than what I can get it for.  For Australia (the next big cruise in Jan) we were quoted $10k pp for business to Sydney from Seattle when we booked our trip.  I just bought our air for $6k pp.  That has been the largest discrepancy I have come up against so far.  Before this trip, the largest difference was $2800 pp.  

 

The only times we have used Viking Air business class has been on a river cruise, if you booked a suite you could get a $1900 business class fare to Europe.  The routing we got had us flying across the US in coach.  I had to buy Air + to get fully business and pay an extra $500 pp in the process.  The second time was for the world cruise, where business air was included.  I paid for Air+ to get us on a nonstop flight to FLL (which turned out being smart as there were snowstorms all over the US and so many were delayed….and a few even missed the ship!).  
 

At this point, I don’t bother with their air department anymore.  I don’t bother with them for ground transport either.  

[SantaFe1]

33 minutes ago, Mich3554 said:

For Australia (the next big cruise in Jan) we were quoted $10k pp for business to Sydney from Seattle when we booked our trip.  I just bought our air for $6k pp.

I’m afraid airfare is just plain going up.  But we had a similar experience.  We were quoted $9500pp for our upcoming River cruise, flying to Basel and home from Amsterdam.  I was able to get tix on Delta/KLM for $6000 pp.  

[SantaFe1]

1 minute ago, SantaFe1 said:

I’m afraid airfare is just plain going up.  But we had a similar experience.  We were quoted $9500pp for our upcoming River cruise, flying to Basel and home from Amsterdam.  I was able to get tix on Delta/KLM for $6000 pp.  

I should modify this and say that when I booked this and took air, before flights actually became available, Viking quoted me $5500 pp, which is what we were used to paying.  But they only had ONE flight for that price and it was terrible.  When I used air plus and requested the flights I wanted, the price went way up!

[Mitina]

A recent change to Viking Air Plus is required full (non refundable) payment at the time you request it.  And the fee for our trip was $150pp. We reserve flights 10 months in advance but only have to make final payment 6 months prior.  I was told if you drop the Viking Air reservation, the Air Plus fee won’t be refunded.

[SantaFe1]

6 minutes ago, Mitina said:

A recent change to Viking Air Plus is required full (non refundable) payment at the time you request it.  And the fee for our trip was $150pp. We reserve flights 10 months in advance but only have to make final payment 6 months prior.  I was told if you drop the Viking Air reservation, the Air Plus fee won’t be refunded.

For our River cruise coming up, we had Air Plus for free when booking our suite.  So when they couldn’t find us any acceptable flights, we could just drop it without incurring any fees.

[Redtravel]

Viking air is convenient.  It is often offered at a low price or free.  That is often a selling promo that attracts bookings. If you book everything from Viking, your trip should be seamless. Viking attracts an older traveler who wants Viking to handle all arrangements.  Many people find arranging their own air, hotels, etc. a chore. Viking can do it all for a price.  Letting Viking arrange everything makes traveling easy.  We price cruises with and without air.  The best reason to book Viking air is the reassurance that Viking will assist if flights get delayed or cancelled. Emergency 24/7 phone works.  

[Mich3554]

1 hour ago, SantaFe1 said:

I should modify this and say that when I booked this and took air, before flights actually became available, Viking quoted me $5500 pp, which is what we were used to paying.  But they only had ONE flight for that price and it was terrible.  When I used air plus and requested the flights I wanted, the price went way up!

LOL!  The original flight that Viking Air had was a SEA - NYC - LHR - AMS routing .  I knew Delta had a a nonstop flight, but that would have cost us an extra $2000pp.  We wound up flying SEA-MSP-AMS (only an extra $500) all in business whereas the first routing was mixed class.  I think they gave us an hour in LHR.  That was a mess!

[lackcreativity]

1 hour ago, SantaFe1 said:

I should modify this and say that when I booked this and took air, before flights actually became available, Viking quoted me $5500 pp, which is what we were used to paying.  But they only had ONE flight for that price and it was terrible.  When I used air plus and requested the flights I wanted, the price went way up!

We had a similar experience on our most recent trip, where Air Plus wanted a ridiculous amount above what we had originally paid for our preferred flight. Our preference was from BWI through LHR on to our destination, and they had accepted that choice without additional charge many times before. We settled for the flight they offered, but it involved flying Baltimore to Detroit to Paris to Lyon. Honestly, I was not happy.  

 

To be honest, even our routine trips from Baltimore to Boston are now much more expensive than they were just a few years ago. Thanks again, Covid!

[SantaFe1]

Viking wanted to fly us to Dallas-LHR-Amsterdam-Basel with 80 minutes in LHR.  NO WAY!  Then they told us that coming back from Amsterdam with only one stop would be an extra several $1000. And we had just taken that flight with them a couple of months before for the $5000 pp originally quoted.  The next big flight for us is for the Malta cruise next year.  We are doing the pre-cruise in Madrid but will fly home from Barcelona.  Those flights aren’t open yet, but there are one stop flights currently available.  Viking has quoted us $5500 pp again, but I bet we won’t get the good flights with only one stop for that price, even with the complimentary air plus we have. 

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, Redtravel said:

The best reason to book Viking air is the reassurance that Viking will assist if flights get delayed or cancelled. Emergency 24/7 phone works.  

 

Ha!!!  There is nothing that Viking can do for you that you can't get directly from the airlines themselves.  It's not that Viking has a secret stash of seats just waiting at their beck and call.

 

Take a look at the actual terms and conditions and see just what kind of responsibility Viking has.  Then tell me about their assistance.

 

What you might get is someone else being a middleman, in a far less effective process.

 

 

[leishirsute]

A point that I encountered when paying $25 deposit and holding off on the rest of the payment till later, it does not lock in Viking Trip Insurance cost.  I had trip insurance go up several $100's/pp just waiting 1 day after placing a deposit for $25.

[SantaFe1]

This is just one more reason not to use Viking Insurance, Tripmate.  We have only used it once on the WC where you had to.  

[WanderingBrit]

The Viking airfare quoted to American customers is the same no matter where in the country you're flying from - and so by necessity it is averaging out prices that otherwise have quite a lot of variation.

 

Viking only contracts with a subset of carriers, and so on any specific routing their generic pricing might be higher or lower than you can get for yourself.

 

I'm not sure why it really matters all that much? If you can buy better independently then do so - price/value comparison ought to be at least a part of any financial transaction.

[sharkster77]

We've sailed with Viking river twice, and both times we could not get airfares as cheaply as Viking did.  That said, we always fly coach.  Some who have mentioned Viking Air as being too expensive were pricing business class.  Maybe they can do better on coach fares than business class?

[CDNPolar]

2 hours ago, sharkster77 said:

We've sailed with Viking river twice, and both times we could not get airfares as cheaply as Viking did.  That said, we always fly coach.  Some who have mentioned Viking Air as being too expensive were pricing business class.  Maybe they can do better on coach fares than business class?

To us it is a cruise by cruise situation.  Sometimes Viking Air is cheaper and sometimes the airlines are cheaper.  We have found Viking cheaper for Premium Economy than the airline and the other way around.  We have never booked Business with Viking, we tend to book that ourselves with points.

[leishirsute]

4 hours ago, sharkster77 said:

We've sailed with Viking river twice, and both times we could not get airfares as cheaply as Viking did.  That said, we always fly coach.  Some who have mentioned Viking Air as being too expensive were pricing business class.  Maybe they can do better on coach fares than business class?

We do economy also.I was just surprised to see VIking charging $1500pp for the same destination and dates that this year costs max of $900. I know pricing is unpredictable, but don't expect airfare to rise that much.  If anything, I expect it to decrease.