Messed Up Air, Courtesy Of Hal

[sail7seas]

For the LAST Time, they stated that the reason they changed the flights is that they needed the flight to be in Athens by 12N. My original flight got in at 1PM. The flight they put me on ,THE SAME DAY, got in at 1PM!!!!! And takes 3 hours more travel time.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

 

 

Was this directed at my post?

IF this is in response to me.......

 

YES, I UNDERSTAND.

[HomeLover]

Certainly not....you read the posts. You are one of the good girls

[Boytjie]

Certainly not....you read the posts. You are one of the good girls

 

I guess I am one of the bad boys then... :rolleyes:

 

I understand the annoyance about previously being booked at 1 pm and being told it is too late for embarkation yet ending up being booked for 1 pm anyway.

 

BUT I still believe it is a risky situation, no matter what was involved previously in booking a 1 pm flight. That should be the biggests concern. Even if you got your original flights back I think it would still be risky.

 

I am not cheerleading for HAL here, I am cheerleading for getting to the ship on time.

[Pam in CA]

How many of you CCer's book your own air rather than through Hal, or use a TA to arrange the flight for you? We usually use a TA, but we just book a cruise with Hal, we have not decided whether to do it through Hal or our TA. Do you think there is any advantage to either choice?

For me, it all depends. I don't think there's an "always" or "never" as sometimes it makes sense to book cruise air and sometimes it makes sense to book your own. For instance, there are some embarkation ports that have very flew flights going or coming from the U.S. or none that are direct from the U.S., for example, Manaus, and if you're on a cruise that requires an "open jaw" flight, i.e., arriving and leaving from different airports, often cruise air is the better price. As always, the most important thing is to do your homework and make an informed decision.

[silleecruiser]

For the LAST Time, they stated that the reason they changed the flights is that they needed the flight to be in Athens by 12N. My original flight got in at 1PM. The flight they put me on ,THE SAME DAY, got in at 1PM!!!!! And takes 3 hours more travel time.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

 

Maybe I among of the bad boys - but I DO UNDERSTAND THAT - perhaps you didn't undertand the question I (and one other have posed) - understanding that both flights get in at the same time - but the new one is longer - what were the original flight arrangements i.e. point and time of ORIGINAL departure, point and times of plane changes to get to the 1:00 pm arrival.

 

We are all simply trying to understand why HAL may have been the change that still gets you there at the same time - i.e. better chance of making a connection - bad on-time issues with the original flight.

 

I apologize to you that I did not make my questions clear since I was really trying to understand WHY this may have happened and hoping that you will be able to make you cruise on time.

[HomeLover]

Well, I am still waiting for a final answer, but at least HAL has admitted that the whole thing was their mistake. They have admitted that the original flight should never have been booked as well as the other. We are awaiting word on a hotel.

[Jade13]

Maybe I among of the bad boys - but I DO UNDERSTAND THAT - perhaps you didn't undertand the question I (and one other have posed) - understanding that both flights get in at the same time - but the new one is longer - what were the original flight arrangements i.e. point and time of ORIGINAL departure, point and times of plane changes to get to the 1:00 pm arrival.

 

We are all simply trying to understand why HAL may have been the change that still gets you there at the same time - i.e. better chance of making a connection - bad on-time issues with the original flight.

 

I apologize to you that I did not make my questions clear since I was really trying to understand WHY this may have happened and hoping that you will be able to make you cruise on time.

 

It is pretty obvious to me. I would assume they made the change because it is more profitable for them, even if they refund the air deviation fee (or the change was made in error and now they can not get the original flight back at a rate that would be profitable). I know you wanted to be on star alliance. Are you going to tell us which airline you were on and which one you were changed to? It might make your issue more clear as we understand you do not want to be on this airline, but would be helpful to know which one you find preferable?

 

Also, did you purchase trip insurance and if so which one?

[cccole]

Well, I am still waiting for a final answer, but at least HAL has admitted that the whole thing was their mistake. They have admitted that the original flight should never have been booked as well as the other. We are awaiting word on a hotel.

 

This is positive for you. Too bad you can't get the hotel with the other CC'rs but maybe you'll be close by.

 

Have you started packing? That can be fun!!!!! Cherie

[HomeLover]

Same Airline. Do not like a 4 hour layover starting at 525 AM in Frankfurt where nothing will be open and I do not speak the language.

Thanks Cherie

[RedmondCruiser]

Rule one -- never arrive by air the day of the cruise. We did this until one day we almost missed the sailing. ( not to be done again )

Rule two - Yes HAL home office can screw things up. Some times I think that they are there own worst enemies.

Rule three --- Go on the cruise and you will find that the crew can make everything OK. One day with the friendly crew of Holland America can make everything good. Then just go and enjoy the cruise.

[Jade13]

Same Airline. Do not like a 4 hour layover starting at 525 AM in Frankfurt where nothing will be open and I do not speak the language.

Thanks Cherie

 

Cherie, what is the other layover? I am telling you, you will have to walk off a plane on the tarmac, get on a bus, go to the terminal and go through security again. I have been in Frankfurt in 2007 and 2008. You need at least 3 hours to ensure you will make your flight. We were over an hour late getting into Frankfurt this year. We made the flight but our luggage did not. Btw, everyone spoke English.

 

Also, the airport is huge. You will most likely be switching terminals and expect at least a 30 minute walk. I suggest downloading a copy of the terminal plan (or you can rip it out of the carrier magazine on the plane. You really need it for this airport.) I suggest you post on the "Cruise Air" site and ask about the airport. There are lots of missed connections there.

[sail7seas]

You just convinced me to never fly through Frankfurt, Jade.

 

 

No place on earth I want to go badly enough to put up with that. :)

 

These days...... everything has to fit into my 'comfort zone' or I'm not interested. Not for Love 'nor money. :D

 

[Copper10-8]

Cherie, what is the other layover? I am telling you, you will have to walk off a plane on the tarmac, get on a bus, go to the terminal and go through security again. I have been in Frankfurt in 2007 and 2008. You need at least 3 hours to ensure you will make your flight. We were over an hour late getting into Frankfurt this year. We made the flight but our luggage did not. Btw, everyone spoke English.

 

Also, the airport is huge. You will most likely be switching terminals and expect at least a 30 minute walk. I suggest downloading a copy of the terminal plan (or you can rip it out of the carrier magazine on the plane. You really need it for this airport.) I suggest you post on the "Cruise Air" site and ask about the airport. There are lots of missed connections there.

 

I'm not the sharpest pencil in the box but I don't believe HOMELOVER's name is Cherie;)

 

But that's beside the fact, me thinks, with this latest admission from those STUPID folks at HAL, HOMELOVER will be a happy camper soon plus he/she might just get a full deviation fee refund plus a free night hotel in the beautiful city of Athens out of this deal! What's a mother to do> Life, as we know it, is good!

Oh sorry,

I UNDERSTAND now!:)

[Copper10-8]

Silly me, one more thing: Those lederhosen-wearing, Volkswagen-building, Oohmpapa-band playing, Octoberfest-celebrating Germans, most, if not all of them, speak very passable English, down there at INTERNATIONAL Flughaven Frankfurt. Ach du lieber!;)

[arabrab]

D had a connection time of under an hour at Frankfurt (Lufthansa to Lufthansa) in January and again in July, and neither time was there any kind of problem, either for her or her luggage.

 

If I were the OP I'd be pretty frustrated at HAL's idiocy (probably money-grubbing idiocy) -- sentencing her to three hours more travel time while at the same time leaving the alliance she paid extra to use is a bit much, particularly when it gets her to Athens at the same time.

 

But the many posters here who can't get off the bandwagon of "fly in a day early" seem tone deaf to the OP's original complaint. We get it that you think she ought to fly in early. But you sound like a teenager answering a "what time will you be home" question with "The Red Hot Chilli Peppers are my favorite band." The OP wasn't asking if she should fly in a day early, or if flying in the day of the cruise was a bad idea -- she was pointing out that all HAL's changes that were ostensibly due to a (new) requirement that the flights arrive by noon ended up with a flight schedule that was not a minute better than her old schedule.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

The OP has left me scratching my head on a couple of issues - What was the original itinerary and routing? what is their originating gateway? What Star Alliance hub outside of FRA were they originally to connect through? (Austrian via VIE or SAS via CPH are the only alternatives I can think of, other than UA/US/BMI through LHR - which is HELL!!!!) Does the original routing/schedule still exist or has one of the originally booked flights had a time change/been cancelled? We are missing too much information here .........

 

I personally find FRA, for all of its convolutions, to be a user-friendly airport and connections there are relatively simple and well signed compared to places like LHR or CDG. 100% of FraPort staff speak English as do all service persons in all shops/restaurants. All signs are in German AND English as well. Many places WILL be open that early in the am w/o a problem - FRA runs virtually 24hrs a day!

[sail7seas]

Thanks, Scottamiller.....

 

I may now be able to put FRA back on my 'might be do-able' list. :D

 

Would have been a shame to dismiss them without good cause. ;)

[Copper10-8]

D had a connection time of under an hour at Frankfurt (Lufthansa to Lufthansa) in January and again in July, and neither time was there any kind of problem, either for her or her luggage..............

 

And you are under the impression that, arriving from the U.S. in Frankfurt, Germany with a connection time of under one hour and having to deal with a huge airport, you can always de-plane, clear passport control, hope for no lines, and find your way to your Lufthansa flight to Athens (hoping and praying that the particular gate for that flight is not in a different concourse/part of the airport)? And all that, anticipating no delay, for whatever reason, at your outbound airport and/or additional delays enroute or on the ground at Frankfurt

[Boytjie]

Same Airline. Do not like a 4 hour layover starting at 525 AM in Frankfurt where nothing will be open and I do not speak the language.

Thanks Cherie

 

Then why travel to other countries that don't speak your language? :confused:

[pipedreams62]

[WeLoveCruising]

The OP has left me scratching my head on a couple of issues - What was the original itinerary and routing? what is their originating gateway? What Star Alliance hub outside of FRA were they originally to connect through? (Austrian via VIE or SAS via CPH are the only alternatives I can think of, other than UA/US/BMI through LHR - which is HELL!!!!) Does the original routing/schedule still exist or has one of the originally booked flights had a time change/been cancelled? We are missing too much information here .........

 

Yes! I agree. :confused:

 

Sail,

I've been through FRA a few times, and havent had any problems. They speak English and things are well marked. I find Paris CDG much more confusing! But anyway, I know I connected once through FRA changing airlines from Lufthansa to Air Malta and although I cant remember if I had to go in/out of security or not, but I dont especially remember any hassles.

[sail7seas]

Worst connection we ever had was Stutgart ..... I may be repeating myself. :) (Don't remember and the thread is too long to look back.)

 

It was Lufthansa to Lufthansa but they ran us around something awful. We were connecting Vienna to Venice.

 

I always hated Charles De Gaulle but Heathrow can definitely be 'challenging'.

Not giving any awards to Atlanta, for that matter.

 

I think I'll stick with sailing out of Boston. D No flights required.

 

 

[WeLoveCruising]

I think I'll stick with sailing out of Boston. D No flights required.

 

 

 

I dislike (translation: am terrified of) flying. That sounds like the perfect choice :D

[AtlantaCruiser72]

as the OP is connecting Non-Schengen to Non-Schengen there is a good chance they will not need to clear immigration in FRA as transit passengers, provided that they are on LH the whole journey. If they are coming in from the USA on US or UA then they may have to clear immigration and go through security again as they are both in a non-sterile area unlinked to the main bulk of LH gates. Again we need more details here :) !!!

[HomeLover]

I am sorry I cannot remember the specific names of the posters, but 1) I LOVE the one with the picture from AIRPLANE

2) The airline on both sets of flights is Lufthansa to Lufthansa except the first which is a code share of Lufthansa/US Air. 3) the connecting times on original itinerary is very acceptable and makeable (when booked it was pretty close).

4) Yes, since they admitted that they made an error, I would be quite agreeable if they booked me a day early and provided a decent hotel.

5) No, my name is not Cherie, I was thanking her for her post.

I hope I covered everything. Suddenly I am not getting notified of new posts.