FAQ on air travel

Thanks! I'll try all and any of the above. Especially calling AA. We'd love to be able to head on home to Omaha, that's for sure.

 

I appreciate the help. I never think about calling them to see if there are awards on other airlines. The ship leaves LA on Feb. 3 and docks on Feb. 20th in Santiago. We'd like to spend a couple of extra days there.

 

My AA site was showing 20% bonus miles on miles bought. Where did you find the 33% figure?

Edited November 6, 2012 by Nebr.cruiser

Thanks! I'll try all and any of the above. Especially calling AA. We'd love to be able to head on home to Omaha, that's for sure.

 

I appreciate the help. I never think about calling them to see if there are awards on other airlines. The ship leaves LA on Feb. 3 and docks on Feb. 20th in Santiago. We'd like to spend a couple of extra days there.

 

My AA site was showing 20% bonus miles on miles bought. Where did you find the 33% figure?

I think it's a sliding scale, but you're right - I think my math was off. 12K on 40K is 30%, not 33%.

 

Especially on flights to/from South America, because AA has Lan as a partner, the number of potential flights one can use for mileage redemptions is much, much larger than if it was just AA. Lan is a very big airline. Unfortunately, AA is making only slow progress in being able let users access award seat "inventory" online with partners (just a few partners at present) so it's easy to get the impression that these seats are hard to get. They might be, but you can't know for sure without calling.

 

But for example I can see 7 economy-class seats open on an AA flight departing Santiago to Miami on the 21st. You'd need to kill a day in Chile but Valparaiso, Viña del Mar and/or Concon are pretty cool places, as is Santiago itself, so not a huge loss. Getting from Miami to Omaha might involve changing planes again some place (I haven't gone to all the effort) but probably doable. And that's not even being able to see all the Lan flights that might work for you - to Miami, Los Angeles, New York, etc. - from which you'd connect home to Omaha.

Someone said I should check out this board regarding getting air through the cruise line. Not sure what I should be looking for.

We are taking a TA from Venice, Italy to Ft. Lauderdale. Arranging airfare on our own has been complicated and expensive. So I decided to call Princess and ask them. Their rates are AWESOME! I was told (on another thread) to beware and to check here.

What should I be aware of? Complaints? Comments? Suggestions?

Thanks! :)

Someone said I should check out this board regarding getting air through the cruise line. Not sure what I should be looking for.

 

We are taking a TA from Venice, Italy to Ft. Lauderdale. Arranging airfare on our own has been complicated and expensive. So I decided to call Princess and ask them. Their rates are AWESOME! I was told (on another thread) to beware and to check here.

 

What should I be aware of? Complaints? Comments? Suggestions?

There are pros and cons to air travel arranged by the cruise line. A good place to start is reading the discussion in the sticky thread on this forum: Sticky: Cruise Air and Air Deviation Explanation

This is a really odd situation. I booked our airfare from Boise to Miami round trip through Hotwire - booked it in March. Sunday, I decided to check to see what time I had to be to the airport, just to be sure. Keep in mind that Hotwire has not communicated with me regarding any changes, etc. When I happen to use the Delta site to check sky miles, etc., I see that there has been an itinerary change - and I will miss a connecting flight in Minneapolis/St Paul. My flight from Miami now arrives in St. Paul 48 minutes AFTER the flight to Boise has already left. So - I call Delta and ask what to do? She is very helpful and says that since their schedule changed, she can route me through Dallas Ft. Worth, or through Atlanta. She makes the changes on her computer, but tells me that I need to finalize with another agent. When I get transferred, the new agent tells me that they are not allowed to make changes to any Hotwire tickets, and she is sorry - but I need to contact Hotwire. I start calling Hotwire Monday a.m., and get a recording that due to an emergency, they cannot help me. I get that message every time I call, (which I do in between every client!), so finally, in frustration, I choose the option for a new ticket purchase, and magically, someone answers. She says that they can't make changes, but when I point out that on the Delta website, I will miss a connecting flight - she asks for my Delta confirmation number, and she tells me - "I don't see the problem". So - I look on the Delta site while she is on the phone with me, and I see that they DID change my itinerary. I'm scheduled to leave Miami at 11:57 a.m., routed through DTW. So - I tell the Hotwire clerk - "Oh! She DID fix it." (In fact, she had given us the assigned seats that we prefer, etc.) The Hotwire clerk says that she is going to send me a new ticket/purchase confirmation anyway, which she does. The only problem is that when I get the new itinerary from Hotwire, they have me leaving Miami at 7:50 a.m., routed through St. Paul (just an earlier flight than the original one that would have missed the connection). I have emailed Hotwire and explained the difference to them every way I know how - but they keep insisting that they cannot make any changes, and I don't have to confirm my flight with the airline! REALLY?? I'm supposed to trust that Hotwire knows better than the airline?

 

So - whom do I believe?? Anyone have that kind of experience that could help me? I have continued to check the Delta website, and there have been no changes made to the new itinerary. When I try to check the Hotwire site, it tells me that the email address I put in is not the email address that matches that itinerary. Hmmmm. I think I know my own email address - the one to which they originally sent the itinerary!!!

Next April, we have flights to and from Rome for our cruise.

DL 6589 JFK to FCO 8 hours 35 min.

DL 245 FCO to JFK 9 hours 55 min.(return flight)

 

As far as I know, they are both non-stop flights.

Why would the return flight be 1 hour 20 min. longer ?

Edited October 5, 2013 by $hip$hape

Next April, we have flights to and from Rome for our cruise.

DL 6589 JFK to FCO 8 hours 35 min.

DL 245 FCO to JFK 9 hours 55 min.(return flight)

 

As far as I know, they are both non-stop flights.

Why would the return flight be 1 hour 20 min. longer ?

 

In the northern hemisphere, winds go west to east. Think about it - most times you are watching the weather, it comes from the west...because winds are pushing west to east.

 

So if you're flying west to east, those same winds are helping to push you. If you are flying east to west (such as Europe to US), those winds are pushing AGAINST you, making you slower. Thus the longer flights.

 

And keep in mind winds increase as you go higher in the atmosphere. So at 35k feet, it's not 20mph winds like on the ground. It can be 100+ mph of winds pushing with or against your aircraft

Edited October 5, 2013 by Zach1213

In the northern hemisphere, winds go west to east. Think about it - most times you are watching the weather, it comes from the west...because winds are pushing west to east.

 

So if you're flying west to east, those same winds are helping to push you. If you are flying east to west (such as Europe to US), those winds are pushing AGAINST you, making you slower. Thus the longer flights.

 

And keep in mind winds increase as you go higher in the atmosphere. So at 35k feet, it's not 20mph winds like on the ground. It can be 100+ mph of winds pushing with or against your aircraft

 

Thank You !

This is set up for question and answers.

We are flying British Airways to London Heathrow arriving at 6:25 a.m. and continuing to Rome on British Airways at 7:30 am. Is there enough time for us to make this connection? Thank you.

Chinooks

We are flying British Airways to London Heathrow arriving at 6:25 a.m. and continuing to Rome on British Airways at 7:30 am. Is there enough time for us to make this connection? Thank you.

Chinooks

 

That's very tight. This is a peak transit time, and security can be very busy. I would want at least 2 hours, honestly

We are cruising in April 2014, just started looking for flights from San Francisco to New Orleans. Southwest airlines has a good rate I think (just under $200 one way) but it has 1 stop with no plane change. I have never done this before, so would like to hear opinions from those who have experienced this. The trip length in total is about 5 1/2 hours. My hubby is worried about not being able to get off for a stretch. Thanks for your help.

I assume you're looking at coach seats (vs business class). Depending on the actual plane, you should try to get "aisles across" if configured 3x3 OR two together if it's a larger plane with 2x4x2. At the bottom line you want leg room. IMHO, even 5.5 hrs non-stop is not really that bad (average time from SFO to JFK or DCA or EWR or LGA on the east coast). Also, use airfarewatchdog or farecompare online to keep an eye on pricing.

 

 

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I'm confused re: code share. I'm booked on flights with LH with 9000 flight numbers but exact flights are also shown as United with their flt numbers. Where do I check in? What luggage rules apply? TPA > ORD > FRA > VCE

I'm confused re: code share. I'm booked on flights with LH with 9000 flight numbers but exact flights are also shown as United with their flt numbers. Where do I check in? What luggage rules apply? TPA > ORD > FRA > VCE

 

You always check in with the airline that is actually operating the flight. Thus, if your ticket says 'Operated by...', that is the airline you check in with. If there is no such mention, then the airline you bought the ticket from is the operating airline, and you check in with them.

You always check in with the airline that is actually operating the flight. Thus, if your ticket says 'Operated by...', that is the airline you check in with. If there is no such mention, then the airline you bought the ticket from is the operating airline, and you check in with them.

 

thanks for the reply!

 

More confusion.....My PNR pulls up on LH but not on United. If I check in at United, will they have my reservation? Since United is a bit more liberal with carry on weight, will LH honor those guidelines?

thanks for the reply!

 

More confusion.....My PNR pulls up on LH but not on United. If I check in at United, will they have my reservation? Since United is a bit more liberal with carry on weight, will LH honor those guidelines?

 

Who is actually operating the flight - Lufthansa or United?

Who is actually operating the flight - Lufthansa or United?

 

Operated by United.

Operated by United.

 

Then United rules apply. You'll want to contact Lufthansa for your United PNR, then I believe you'll be able to access your reservation on the United site.

Then United rules apply. You'll want to contact Lufthansa for your United PNR, then I believe you'll be able to access your reservation on the United site.

 

Thank you so much for all your Help! :)

I'm confused re: code share. I'm booked on flights with LH with 9000 flight numbers but exact flights are also shown as United with their flt numbers. Where do I check in? What luggage rules apply? TPA > ORD > FRA > VCE

 

Ethel --

Judging by the info that you posted on the Roll Call for the Regal, you will be on UA 944 (ORD/FRA).

 

Then, LH 324 (FRA/VCE).

 

Took the same flights last Oct. for the Royal TA.

 

United luggage rules apply. Check in at United. Luggage will be in VCE.

 

See you on the Regal.

 

Transfering in FRA was not a problem last Oct.

We are booking a north bound AK cruise for next summer. Cruise departs Vancouver and disembarks at Seward. We'll rent a car for a week or so before flying back to OKC. I know I can search on Kayak, but I thought I'd read on here years ago about a couple of other sites that were better for finding these kinds of flights at better pricing. Suggestions?

I know I can search on Kayak, but I thought I'd read on here years ago about a couple of other sites that were better for finding these kinds of flights at better pricing. Suggestions?

Were you thinking of http://matrix.itasoftware.com? I think most regular users would agree that it's currently the most powerful publicly-available search engine for published fares because of the number of options you can specify and filters that you can use for refining results.

We are booking a north bound AK cruise for next summer. Cruise departs Vancouver and disembarks at Seward. We'll rent a car for a week or so before flying back to OKC.

I know I can search on Kayak, but I thought I'd read on here years ago about a couple of other sites

that were better for finding these kinds of flights at better pricing. Suggestions?

For a starter, you are looking for an open-jaw ticket, (also called multi-city).

It's a round-trip ticket in which the traveler does not arrive to the same city of departure and/or does not depart from the same city where he first landed.

I'm curious about what you find for "better sites".

Edited July 31, 2014 by $hip$hape

Were you thinking of http://matrix.itasoftware.com? I think most regular users would agree that it's currently the most powerful publicly-available search engine for published fares because of the number of options you can specify and filters that you can use for refining results.

 

Thanks! This is the one I remember using before.

We are taking TA in May to Barcelona. Any good hotel suggestions for 3 night stay?