FAQ on air travel

[6rugrats]

Hello

 

I recently bought a cruise online with a cruises wholesaler. I don’t understand why it’s impossible to add a flight with my purchase departing from Quebec City Airport in Canada (YQB)? The system shows me all the time that I have to select another departure airport (destination was Tampa, FL with Carnival). However, several major carriers operate in Quebec City Airport YQB (Air Canada, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, etc.). In addition, the metropolitan area of the city serves more than one million people. It’s however possible to add flights from other Canadian airports much smaller like Moncton Municipal Airport (YQM). What's the problem ? To whom should I complain (Cruise Lines, Airlines, etc) ? Why my city is kept out of the network?

 

Thank you for explanations

 

Are you asking why you can't book this airfare through the cruise wholesaler? And they don't offer your desired departure airport? If this is the problem, why would you complain to the airline or the cruiseline?

 

It's not clear why you wouldn't just book the air yourself.

[Master98]

I will try to be more specific.

 

I'm trying to buy a cruise and add an airfare from my departure airport (Quebec City - Canada - YQB). And the Wholesaler doesn't offer the possibility to add an airfare from my departure city. The systems ask me to chose another departure airport like Montreal (YUL).

 

It's frustrating to see that smaller cities can add airfare and not us. It's the same problem with other online wholesaler.

 

I know that I can book the air portion by myself but I prefer to complain now to have the possibility to book both together for my next cruise.

 

To whom should I complain to report this situation?

[greatam]

I will try to be more specific.

 

I'm trying to buy a cruise and add an airfare from my departure airport (Quebec City - Canada - YQB). And the Wholesaler doesn't offer the possibility to add an airfare from my departure city. The systems ask me to chose another departure airport like Montreal (YUL).

 

It's frustrating to see that smaller cities can add airfare and not us. It's the same problem with other online wholesaler.

 

I know that I can book the air portion by myself but I prefer to complain now to have the possibility to book both together for my next cruise.

 

To whom should I complain to report this situation?

 

No one to complain to.

 

There may not be any Quebec City airline connections available. Cruise lines book tickets on bulk contracts from various airlines/airports a year or more in advance. Cruise lines DO NOT book an individual ticket specifically for you. So either there were no bulk booked tickets EVER from Quebec City or Quebec City tickets for your cruise are sold out.

 

You will be far better off to book your own tickets and purchase your own insurance. Bundling your cruise with cruise air can leave you in a bad situation if there is a glitch in the flight.

 

Please read through the sticky about cruise air/air deviation to fully understand how purchasing cruise line air works.

Edited May 30, 2010 by greatam

[vacation fool]

Does anyone have any experience with this company? Is it a "consolidator" meaning that if i had a problem i would not be able to deal directly with the airline?

This is my first transatlantic flight. Want to do MIA-Paris, Paris-Venice a few days later, then home from Barcelona-MIA. The prices right now are outrageous for April-May 2011. Like $1200 pp.

Can anyone steer me clear of which airports NOT to connect in and any suggestions at all are welcome. Thanks

[Globaliser]

Want to do MIA-Paris, Paris-Venice a few days later, then home from Barcelona-MIA. The prices right now are outrageous for April-May 2011. Like $1200 pp.

$1,200 per person is not "outrageous". Yes, it is often possible to get tickets for less than this, particularly for April-May; but that sort of price for a trans-Atlantic ticket is far from extraordinary. So you need to be a bit careful with your expectations.

 

One thing to try is to price a ticket for only Miami-Paris/Barcelona-Miami, to see whether adding the Paris-Venice sector is pushing the price up a lot. That can happen, because you can sometimes find that an extra sector disqualifies you for the lowest fares. If that is the problem, then look also at the total cost for buying Paris-Venice separately. Even if you have to pay something more for baggage because of lower baggage allowances on that one sector, you may still find this a cheaper way of doing it. And because you are spending a few days in Paris first, you have no need for misconnection protection and thus no added risk from buying Paris-Venice separately.

[vacation fool]

$1,200 per person is not "outrageous". Yes, it is often possible to get tickets for less than this, particularly for April-May; but that sort of price for a trans-Atlantic ticket is far from extraordinary. So you need to be a bit careful with your expectations.

 

One thing to try is to price a ticket for only Miami-Paris/Barcelona-Miami, to see whether adding the Paris-Venice sector is pushing the price up a lot. That can happen, because you can sometimes find that an extra sector disqualifies you for the lowest fares. If that is the problem, then look also at the total cost for buying Paris-Venice separately. Even if you have to pay something more for baggage because of lower baggage allowances on that one sector, you may still find this a cheaper way of doing it. And because you are spending a few days in Paris first, you have no need for misconnection protection and thus no added risk from buying Paris-Venice separately.

 

You are correct, that extra leg from Paris-Vce is doubling the cost! What other airlines besides easy jet for that flight could i check out? Your assessment is greatly appreciated.

[soxie]

I might not have an answer to you flight questions but I'm wondering why you don't cruise out of Baltimore to the Bahamas? You have a lot of selections leaving the Baltimore port now, including RCC.

 

Hi There - Im new to this site and was looking for a few answers to my questions. I have a cruise booked on RCC in Dec leaving out of FortLauderdale to the Bahamas. Im coming from Maryland and trying to findout whens the best time to fly out to your cruise during the december months? is it best to fly out the morning of or a day before? my husband and I were trying to save some money an dnot book a hotel for one night for the cruise but to avoid any major possible storms in the NorthEast I just wanted to be safe. If anyone has some tips on this I would appreciate it. I want to book flights but not sure if I should book a day in advance or the morning of my cruise :-(. Help if you can - thanks so much ...Newbie

[msk993]

New to the boards and have what I think is a very general question so I hope this is the right thread for this.

 

I'll be cruising out of Quebec (YQB) in Oct. The flight to YQB will include 2 flight changes as direct flights are well out of my budget. My concern is the connection time for the last leg of the flight.

 

With the flight I am considering we will arrive at at Detroit (DTW) at 9:28 am and have only 30 minutes to get to our next flight. I'm thinking this is cutting it too close, but other members of my party are saying it's plenty of time.

 

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

[Twickenham]

New to the boards and have what I think is a very general question so I hope this is the right thread for this.

 

I'll be cruising out of Quebec (YQB) in Oct. The flight to YQB will include 2 flight changes as direct flights are well out of my budget. My concern is the connection time for the last leg of the flight.

 

With the flight I am considering we will arrive at at Detroit (DTW) at 9:28 am and have only 30 minutes to get to our next flight. I'm thinking this is cutting it too close, but other members of my party are saying it's plenty of time.

 

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

 

The main problem with that connection time is, if I remember correctly, there are only 2 flights to YQB from DTW a day, and as this is the only city from which Delta has a non-stop flight to YQB, your re-routing options are limited (unless they can put you on an AC flight via YYZ or YUL).

[6rugrats]

New to the boards and have what I think is a very general question so I hope this is the right thread for this.

 

I'll be cruising out of Quebec (YQB) in Oct. The flight to YQB will include 2 flight changes as direct flights are well out of my budget. My concern is the connection time for the last leg of the flight.

 

With the flight I am considering we will arrive at at Detroit (DTW) at 9:28 am and have only 30 minutes to get to our next flight. I'm thinking this is cutting it too close, but other members of my party are saying it's plenty of time.

 

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

IMO, no, it's not plenty of time. Planes usually start boarding 30+ minutes before scheduled departure time. If you haven't shown up by then, you will often lose your seat. If the plane is full, they can close the doors, even if it's before the scheduled departure time, and they rarely open them up again. If this is the last leg, you've already been on two different flights, which increases the chance of delay.

 

Don't book this flight.

[msk993]

Thanks 6rugrats and Twickenham for your input!

 

Really confirms what I was thinking; just too much of a risk that we'll miss the connection.

[jimc_usa]

I have read most of the threads and my question is slightly different.

After a cruise the flight back from Spain would be $1700 one way and $1000 return.

If I booked return tickets and threw the return away............

Would there be any possiblity of financial problems with the airlines and also with immigration, considering we live in the US?

 

I tried Aer Lingus and I don't seam to be able to do a BCN-MSP or Malaga-MSP

Edited August 11, 2010 by jimc_usa

[NSBFloridaRetiree]

I have read most of the threads and my question is slightly different.

After a cruise the flight back from Spain would be $1700 one way and $1000 return.

If I booked return tickets and threw the return away............

Would there be any possiblity of financial problems with the airlines and also with immigration, considering we live in the US?

 

I tried Aer Lingus and I don't seam to be able to do a BCN-MSP or Malaga-MSP

 

After living in Italy for a year, I flew back from Milan. I booked a Milan-US return ticket and threw away the return.

[greatam]

I have read most of the threads and my question is slightly different.

After a cruise the flight back from Spain would be $1700 one way and $1000 return.

If I booked return tickets and threw the return away............

Would there be any possiblity of financial problems with the airlines and also with immigration, considering we live in the US?

 

I tried Aer Lingus and I don't seam to be able to do a BCN-MSP or Malaga-MSP

 

You won't find a continuing flight on Aer Lingus into MSP. So book AerLingus/IcelandAir/Lot, etc. etc. on the one way basis, then a separate ticket from your US gateway (generally JFK/ORD/BOS to MSP. And if you are on a repo cruise, you still have to get from MSP to most likely Florida to join the ship. An open jaw, internal USA ticket can also be a money saver-MSP to cruise departure point, then US international airport gateway to MSP.

 

Yes, you will have to recheck your luggage. But you have to do it anyway-every entry into the USA requires a Customs check AND reclear through security, as you have handled your baggage. One nice thing about AerLingus-when you fly out of Dublin or Shannon into the USA-you are precleared through immigration. NO NEED to stand in long immigration lines, just grab your luggage from baggage claim, walk it through Customs and go on about your business.

 

Yes, the airlines COULD come after you if you do "throw away" ticketing. Will they???-chances are very, very slim unless you make it a habit. I wouldn't use your FF number-too easy to track you down. And sometimes when you book the RT, IF you book it properly, you can save a chunk of money. Example: Spring repo to Europe-most likely arrives sometime in April-before May 15. This is when air fare is generally cheaper than peak summer season. Then book the return for mid October/early November-this is another time the airfare is generally cheap. You will have to play around with this as some fare classes do not allow a stay for longer than 30 days. But if you read the fare rules, you can often save some decent money by booking both segments in "low" seasons. Good luck in your search.

Edited August 12, 2010 by greatam

[Twickenham]

I have read most of the threads and my question is slightly different.

After a cruise the flight back from Spain would be $1700 one way and $1000 return.

If I booked return tickets and threw the return away............

Would there be any possiblity of financial problems with the airlines and also with immigration, considering we live in the US?

 

I tried Aer Lingus and I don't seam to be able to do a BCN-MSP or Malaga-MSP

 

Don't forget the possibility of buying enough AA miles for a one-way reward ticket. In fact, they're having a special right now:

 

Special Offer: Earn up to 12,000 bonus miles!

Now through August 31, 2010, purchase the American Airlines AAdvantage® miles you need to book an award flight now and you'll earn 3,000 bonus miles for every 10,000 miles purchase, up to 12,000 bonus miles!

 

So, if you can get availability on the day you need to travel (you can check this without having the miles), you can purchase 20,000 miles at $500+tax, get 26,000 miles including bonus, and use these to book your one-way TA flight.

 

The ability to book one-way awards with AA makes this a very attractive option for one-way TA flights, even without the bonus.

[jimc_usa]

You won't find a continuing flight on Aer Lingus into MSP. So book AerLingus/IcelandAir/Lot, etc. etc. on the one way basis, then a separate ticket from your US gateway (generally JFK/ORD/BOS to MSP. And if you are on a repo cruise, you still have to get from MSP to most likely Florida to join the ship. An open jaw, internal USA ticket can also be a money saver-MSP to cruise departure point, then US international airport gateway to MSP.

 

Yes, you will have to recheck your luggage. But you have to do it anyway-every entry into the USA requires a Customs check AND reclear through security, as you have handled your baggage. One nice thing about AerLingus-when you fly out of Dublin or Shannon into the USA-you are precleared through immigration. NO NEED to stand in long immigration lines, just grab your luggage from baggage claim, walk it through Customs and go on about your business.

 

Yes, the airlines COULD come after you if you do "throw away" ticketing. Will they???-chances are very, very slim unless you make it a habit. I wouldn't use your FF number-too easy to track you down. And sometimes when you book the RT, IF you book it properly, you can save a chunk of money. Example: Spring repo to Europe-most likely arrives sometime in April-before May 15. This is when air fare is generally cheaper than peak summer season. Then book the return for mid October/early November-this is another time the airfare is generally cheap. You will have to play around with this as some fare classes do not allow a stay for longer than 30 days. But if you read the fare rules, you can often save some decent money by booking both segments in "low" seasons. Good luck in your search.

 

 

 

Thanks for the reply - since I retired I do not fly much anymore...

I have lots of time to check any scenario from MSP-SJU and either BCN or AGP - MSP and it's not until next May.

An open jaw is around $1550 (maybe best bet)

One way to SJU could be $150 and the return as much as $1700

I am not an AA FF so Twickenham's idea will not work and the Delta FF is just ridiculous. But thanks for the info - I am open to any/all ideas.

Edited August 12, 2010 by jimc_usa

[Twickenham]

I am not an AA FF so Twickenham's idea will not work and the Delta FF is just ridiculous. But thanks for the info - I am open to any/all ideas.

 

Why not?

 

You don't need to have flown a single mile with AA - just join their FF program and purchase the total number of miles required for your flight. The only restriction is that you can only purchase 40,000 miles per member per year. You can even check FF ticket availability without having any miles (I have done this numerous times).

 

What would prevent you from executing this scenario?

[jimc_usa]

Why not?

 

You don't need to have flown a single mile with AA - just join their FF program and purchase the total number of miles required for your flight. The only restriction is that you can only purchase 40,000 miles per member per year. You can even check FF ticket availability without having any miles (I have done this numerous times).

 

What would prevent you from executing this scenario?

 

Nothing actually. I will check into it. Thank you

Is there a special way to make this work as an open jaw oe one way - I keep getting "No American, American Eagle, or American Connection service is provided between the cities requested."

Edited August 12, 2010 by jimc_usa

[greatam]

Nothing actually. I will check into it. Thank you

Is there a special way to make this work as an open jaw oe one way - I keep getting "No American, American Eagle, or American Connection service is provided between the cities requested."

 

DO NOT THINK you are going to get a discount fare from MSP. MSP is the flaw in the ointment and trying to use miles on AA from MSP is a futile effort. AA does NOT have a lot of flights into MSP and seats are limited.

 

OBVIOUSLY, you are not sailing out of Minneapolis. You need to get to Florida, New York or someplace else to join your cruise. What Twickenham suggested about BUYING AA miles and booking a flight FROM MSP may not work. As I posted previously, take a look at ORD, JFK or BOS for AA gateways for your transatlantic flight. As I posted previously, find an open jaw MSP to wherever the cruise departs from, THEN a flight from a European departure point (BCN, LHR, AMS or wherever in Europe) to a US GATEWAY. GET CREATIVE-use your brain and all the search engines to get yourself home.

Edited August 13, 2010 by greatam

[jimc_usa]

GET CREATIVE-use your brain and all the search engines to get yourself home.

 

I was hoping that if I looked helpless someone would do it for me :D

[6rugrats]

I was hoping that if I looked helpless someone would do it for me :D

 

I've noticed that strategy can usually work pretty well on CC. Not speaking about you, but I have never seen a board with so many people asking the most basic questions, that they could find answers to in less than a second, with a google search.

[greatam]

I was hoping that if I looked helpless someone would do it for me :D

 

I give-got 1.5 hours of free computer time now. Bored here at work (BIAP-Baghdad)-cargo plane is 2 hours late so means I will be working until midnight again.

 

What departure day, which airport??? How many people, etc. etc. All particulars, please.

[jimc_usa]

I've noticed that strategy can usually work pretty well on CC. Not speaking about you, but I have never seen a board with so many people asking the most basic questions, that they could find answers to in less than a second, with a google search.

 

It was tongue in cheek

[jimc_usa]

I give-got 1.5 hours of free computer time now. Bored here at work (BIAP-Baghdad)-cargo plane is 2 hours late so means I will be working until midnight again.

 

What departure day, which airport??? How many people, etc. etc. All particulars, please.

 

Are you serious?

[greatam]

Are you serious?

 

Yes-it's almost 2AM, the cargo plane just landed, I now have to work until about 6AM. While I am waiting for the plane to be unloaded to get the food manifests, your little project will give me something to do for an hour or so. Don't know what I will come up with, but something hopefully suitable.