Jump to content

Choice Air: Helpful Information


Andy

Recommended Posts

Hi Everyone !

 

I recently had the opportunity to meet with Troy Martin, Director of Travel Services for Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. Troy shared with me what his team has been working on, with their guest air programs for Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, and Royal Caribbean. He said that if the opportunity came up to share what we discussed, that he would be glad to get the word out - and would also be happy to answer any follow up questions. Here's what I learned:

 

 

Background

 

In 2009 Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, and Royal Caribbean International rolled out a new air program called ChoiceAir, that was a major departure from the traditional cruise air programs. The drivers behind the new program were to improve customer experience and to adopt a model more consistent with today's more internet savvy consumers - and airlines. ChoiceAir was designed for travelers who make their purchases online at airline and consumer travel websites. It gives them visibility to all of the airlines' schedules and fares that are published, as well as some private negotiated fares on those same flights. The Cruise lines' guests are able to select their flights, study the fare rules, request special services, receive frequent flyer credit, and assign their seats. While this seems fairly basic for a travel website, prior to 2009... none of this was available when purchasing through a cruise line. Choice Air is currently offered in the US and Canada, though the company is evaluating opportunities for all of its international offices as well. In addition to booking ChoiceAir through your travel agent, you can go on the site and book your own. Two of the key value propositions are that the fares are very competitive, and the company provides their Assured Arrival Service. Since both of these offerings have been the topic of several Cruise Critic threads, Troy shared his insights on what is entailed.

 

Competitive Fares

 

RCCL offers nearly all of the same fares offered on consumer and airline websites - typically referred to as published fares, and some web fares. As is typical on the various websites, occasionally you will find a lower fare on one that is not available on the other. This is usually due to timing and airline inventory fluctuations, but for the most part you will see parity. On many routes, you will also find some special RCCL rates that have been negotiated with the airlines. These rates are especially good when shopping closer in, traveling internationally - and even more-so on open jaw (Fly into one city and out of a different city) or one way trips, when many published fares are more expensive. So while there may be some anomalies, you will typically find the same published fares - or better - on ChoiceAir. A frequent topic on Cruise Critic is the value and challenges with Consolidator tickets/fares. Those are not available through ChoiceAir. All ChoiceAir fares carry the standard airline rules, and even the contracted ones are similar. The travelers have all of the airline and RCCL services available to them, and are subject to the airlines rules and restrictions. Troy specifically emphasized that RCCL does not use consolidator-type fares.

 

ChoiceAir: Assured Arrival

 

RCCL is very interested in ensuring you get to your Cruise, and takes advantage of knowing your travel arrangements to monitor your flights, intervening when possible to avert delays due to airline schedule changes, delays, and cancellations. When they are unable to act pre-emptively, they will continue to work with the traveler and airline to find an alternate route - even on another airline - at no additional cost to the guest. This service includes getting the guest to the original embarkation port, or the next available port whenever it is practical. They cover the modified airline ticket, hotels en route (when necessary) and ground transfers. At times, there is controversy over whether this is a guarantee. The truth is... it's not a guarantee. If there are massive flight cancellations for many days due to natural disasters, or if there are simply no commercial seats available that will enable them to re-route, they clearly will not be able to make it happen. If there are government regulations (Jones Act) that preclude the guest from joining in another port (Most often an issue for Alaska, Hawaii, and New England/Canada sailings), they will not be able to help. However, in the vast majority of the situations when flights are delayed or canceled due to weather and mechanicals, the company has been able to get the guest to the ship to enjoy most or all of their Cruise vacation. This is not insurance or a guarantee, but an additional service provided exclusively for guests who book air with them. The benefit to the customer is they have a point of contact if things go wrong, they do not have to spend any money up-front, or file a claim to take advantage of the service.

 

Who owns ChoiceAir ?

 

There is a misconception that ChoiceAir is either a 3rd party website or fulfillment agency. This is not the case. It is a department within RCCL using RCCL technology, and the types of reservations systems used by travel agencies, airlines, and consumer sites around the world.

 

ChoiceAir is a great option for "Do-it-Yourselfers"

 

Troy mentioned that many travel agencies are happy to book ChoiceAir for their customers, and that it is also a great option for people who prefer to "do their own air..." With ChoiceAir, you can shop other sites for pricing and, when ChoiceAir provides comparable or better value, you should feel very comfortable that you will get even more service thana consolidator, consumer site, or even the airline themselves.

 

 

I hope you find Troy's information helpful. If you have questions, please post on this thread, and I will forward your questions to Troy for his response. Please do not ask questions pertaining to your specific booking. Please be patient, as questions will be answered when time permits. Thank you !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great info Andy,

 

If I'd known all of this I would have considered booking my air through choice air, I didn't because I thought it was a consolidator ticket with all the terrible restrictions... also I thought that when they made the choice air switch that they no longer guaranteed that they would get you to the ship... maybe this info should become a sticky?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was always hesitant of the "cruise line/airfare" combo until I looked into ChoiceAir to Barcelona. I was surprised to see a dozen different airlines and itineraries to choose from. Even more surprising was the price! This is added value to the cruise industry, and it's a good partnership. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Andy,

 

Thank you for this information. Most of it is clarification and is almost all positive. Many of us here have been very skeptical of the Assured Arrival aspect. It's good to have it clearly stated that it is not a guarantee (we wish it were, but it's good to know for sure) and it is somewhat reassuring to hear it is a corporate goal to ensure the arrival wherever possible.

 

What I feel is the best news here is that Consolidator tickets are not used.

 

It might appear that all airlines are included but most of the lower fare airlines (Southwest and AirTran come immediately to mind) are not but, certainly, most major airlines are represented.

 

I use ChoiceAir as my benchmark when looking and have used it recently to save major bucks on a one-way flight to Venice. Knowing that consolidator tickets are not involved and hearing "officially" what the policy is on assistance could tip the scales in favor of ChoiceAir when fares are close to the same. I'm a fan of the program.

 

But there is one statement that scares the heck out of me. "There is a misconception that ChoiceAir is either a 3rd party website or fulfillment agency. This is not the case. It is a department within RCCL using RCCL technology.......". :eek:

 

Those of us who "try to" use RCL's website and IT technology are shaking in our boots .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Andy, you always provide really great information. I was very interested in how Choice Air works and so found this posting very informative. Thanks, Alex:)

 

Hi Alex !

 

Thank you for your kind comments. It's much appreciated !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is there a toll free phone number to call in case of emergency or missed flight? How about in Europe?

 

Hi Bubbachief !

 

Here's Troy's repsonse :

==================

 

Yes, the toll free number is printed on the ChoiceAir confirmation, as well as a direct dial number that may be called collect from outside of North America.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Andy,

 

Thank you for this information. Most of it is clarification and is almost all positive. Many of us here have been very skeptical of the Assured Arrival aspect. It's good to have it clearly stated that it is not a guarantee (we wish it were, but it's good to know for sure) and it is somewhat reassuring to hear it is a corporate goal to ensure the arrival wherever possible.

 

What I feel is the best news here is that Consolidator tickets are not used.

 

It might appear that all airlines are included but most of the lower fare airlines (Southwest and AirTran come immediately to mind) are not but, certainly, most major airlines are represented.

 

I use ChoiceAir as my benchmark when looking and have used it recently to save major bucks on a one-way flight to Venice. Knowing that consolidator tickets are not involved and hearing "officially" what the policy is on assistance could tip the scales in favor of ChoiceAir when fares are close to the same. I'm a fan of the program.

 

 

Hi Bob !

 

Here's Troy's response :

==================

 

Bob278, you will find many low-cost and hybrid carriers like AirTran, JetBlue, Virgin America, Frontier, and WestJet on ChoiceAir, in addition to many international low cost carriers. You are correct that Southwest is not currently offered, and we hope to change that in 2012.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Andy:

 

Choice Air has been using this program for some time. I booked my flights to Istanbul about 5-6 months ago using the program. Believed that they charged an additional $25.00 per ticket for the service. The Elite benefit doesn't cover this fee, only covers the booking fee.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Bob !

 

Here's Troy's response :

==================

 

Bob278, you will find many low-cost and hybrid carriers like AirTran, JetBlue, Virgin America, Frontier, and WestJet on ChoiceAir, in addition to many international low cost carriers. You are correct that Southwest is not currently offered, and we hope to change that in 2012.

Andy,

 

Thank you for the follow-up. When I have looked using various scenarios, I have never seen AirTran or Southwest come up in the drop down as an airline I could select. I assumed (see how dangerous that is?) that if I could not select it, it wasn't in the database. But with the merger of those two airlines underway, I would think ChoiceAir will lose Airtran.

 

To clarify Orator's post, the $15 (domestic) and $25 (international) fee is charged to all guests (as he said). The ChoiceAir Plus fee is waived for Elite (and maybe Select?). I'm not all that clear what benefit there is to the Plus service. Would I simply tell them what I want and let them look for it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The fee waiver is an Elite benefit, doesn't apply to Select. Once I have a booking number I go to ChoiceAir web site and see what they list and select what appears to work best for me. I then go to the airline web site and check their prices and flights. You can book ChoiceAir online. The charges may be less if you don't use one of their agents to book. The process is very easy. I've used them for flights on Delta, BA and KLM.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The fee waiver is an Elite benefit, doesn't apply to Select. Once I have a booking number I go to ChoiceAir web site and see what they list and select what appears to work best for me. I then go to the airline web site and check their prices and flights. You can book ChoiceAir online. The charges may be less if you don't use one of their agents to book. The process is very easy. I've used them for flights on Delta, BA and KLM.

 

According to the website all Captain's Club members have the ChoiceAir Plus fees waived, regardless of benefits level:

 

"We've waived the US$35 per person non-refundable special assistance charge for ChoiceAir Plus reservations for our Captain's Club members. The $15 ChoiceAir fee for Domestic/North American destination sailings and a US$25 per person service charge for European, South American, Australian, New Zealand, Dubai and Asian destination sailings still applies."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

According to the website all Captain's Club members have the ChoiceAir Plus fees waived, regardless of benefits level:

 

"We've waived the US$35 per person non-refundable special assistance charge for ChoiceAir Plus reservations for our Captain's Club members. The $15 ChoiceAir fee for Domestic/North American destination sailings and a US$25 per person service charge for European, South American, Australian, New Zealand, Dubai and Asian destination sailings still applies."

 

Glad they did this and thanks for the clarification.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Andy, thanks for posting this information. If everything Troy said is true, that definitely makes Choice Air a very attractive option and one I would strongly consider using on future cruises. However I am still a little skeptical that the Choice Air tickets on one way international flights are not consolidator class tickets. The Choice air website has the following cautionary statement: "Airline tickets we issue are highly restrictive and you may find that your ticket cannot be exchanged, reissued or revalidated for another carrier or routing." This statement appears to be code for consolidator tickets (as it is basically stating the restrictions that come with consolidator tickets).

 

If you have the opportunity to follow up with Troy if you could please ask him why this statement is on the Choice Air website and if RCCL would really pick up the tab if a Choice Air customer's flight was canceled and the tickets were not able to be revalidated to another carrier or routing? Would RCCL really pick up the (substantial) cost of purchasing new tickets on another airline to get the customer to the ship on time or new tickets to fly to the first feasible port of call?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you,for this information.Very informative!!

 

Kimberley

 

Hi Kimberley !

 

Glad you are finding the information helpful !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Andy, thanks for posting this information. If everything Troy said is true, that definitely makes Choice Air a very attractive option and one I would strongly consider using on future cruises. However I am still a little skeptical that the Choice Air tickets on one way international flights are not consolidator class tickets. The Choice air website has the following cautionary statement: "Airline tickets we issue are highly restrictive and you may find that your ticket cannot be exchanged, reissued or revalidated for another carrier or routing." This statement appears to be code for consolidator tickets (as it is basically stating the restrictions that come with consolidator tickets).

 

If you have the opportunity to follow up with Troy if you could please ask him why this statement is on the Choice Air website and if RCCL would really pick up the tab if a Choice Air customer's flight was canceled and the tickets were not able to be revalidated to another carrier or routing? Would RCCL really pick up the (substantial) cost of purchasing new tickets on another airline to get the customer to the ship on time or new tickets to fly to the first feasible port of call?

 

Hi Gonzo !

 

Here's Troy's response :

==================

 

Gonzo70, we do not use consolidator fares for any itineraries. We provide several blanket disclaimers to ensure that guests are aware of the potentially onerous airline restrictions on any published or contract rates. When we are unable to find a viable alternative on the originally booked carrier to accommodate a guest that is at risk of missing their cruise due to a cancellation or delay, we do purchase tickets on other airlines in order to get guests to the original embarkation port or the next feasible port. Neither we nor the carriers make a distinction based on the type of fare booked. The goal at that point is to get the vacation back on track. I am glad you asked for clarification on both points.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Gonzo !

 

Here's Troy's response :

==================

 

Gonzo70, we do not use consolidator fares for any itineraries. We provide several blanket disclaimers to ensure that guests are aware of the potentially onerous airline restrictions on any published or contract rates. When we are unable to find a viable alternative on the originally booked carrier to accommodate a guest that is at risk of missing their cruise due to a cancellation or delay, we do purchase tickets on other airlines in order to get guests to the original embarkation port or the next feasible port. Neither we nor the carriers make a distinction based on the type of fare booked. The goal at that point is to get the vacation back on track. I am glad you asked for clarification on both points.

 

Thanks Andy and Troy. This definitely makes Choice Air a very good option. I will certainly look into using Choice Air in the future.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Andy:

 

Choice Air has been using this program for some time. I booked my flights to Istanbul about 5-6 months ago using the program. Believed that they charged an additional $25.00 per ticket for the service. The Elite benefit doesn't cover this fee, only covers the booking fee.

 

Hi Orator !

 

Here's clarification from Troy :

 

Orator asked about ChoiceAir Plus and the fees. The correct information was provided by other members, but just to confirm - ChoiceAir Plus is a premium "concierge type" service provided to guests who prefer to call and have one of our professional air agents consult on flight options, rather than taking advantage of self-service on the site. The $35 fee is waived for all Captain's Club members, while the $15-$25 ChoiceAir fee still applies.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Choice Air is GREAT! The airline we are using to fly to Barcelona for the TA in November wanted $2200 for a one way flight from Atlanta to Barcelona and $990 for a round trip.

 

We were able to get the exact same one-way flight we wanted, on that same airline, by purchasing it through Choice Air for only $540!

 

Thanks for all the great info Andy!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...