Question related to searching for flights?

I have read it is a good idea to do a search for flights that you like, and then present a few to your TA for approval.

My question is when I am researching should I take price into consideration?We are flying from Vancouver to Miami, so it will be economy:(

We are booked in Jan for our first regent cruise, we have done 2 cruises on the Windsurf, which we loved, but when did the math, we can do regent for what it would cost for another cruise with Windstar- so time to branch out and try something new.

Another question is after we book flights, would we be able to pay to upgrade to comfort, or even just a seat with more leg room (exit row, front of plane etc.)

Can't justify paying upwards of 2000$ pp for business.

Thanks

We fly out of Vancouver a to and have gone to Miami. In my opinion, Regent gets too much money for an upgrade to Business Class. We take the air credit and book our own flights from Vancouver to MIA.

While you cannot book flights on this site - it is a good one to find flight times and prices. Hope that it helps:)

Travelcat2- since they only give us a 300$ credit I think it makes sense o deviate, but book through regent.

Many of the flights I am looking at are $1000 plus for straight economy, if we went business it would be another $2000 on top, I have to admit I haven't yet checked the cost for business on US airlines. I am getting the feeling our TA wants to book us on Air Canada or Westjet. She is away on a cruise herself right now- so I can't confirm that!

This is one reason I am trying to do as much research as I can, so I know what approach her with when I do talk to her. I am afraid I may know more already than she does just from reading on this site:confused::)

Travelcat2- since they only give us a 300$ credit I think it makes sense o deviate, but book through regent.

Many of the flights I am looking at are $1000 plus for straight economy, if we went business it would be another $2000 on top, I have to admit I haven't yet checked the cost for business on US airlines. I am getting the feeling our TA wants to book us on Air Canada or Westjet. She is away on a cruise herself right now- so I can't confirm that!

This is one reason I am trying to do as much research as I can, so I know what approach her with when I do talk to her. I am afraid I may know more already than she does just from reading on this site:confused::)

It sounds as if you are not using a TA that regularly books Regent. I hope that you are getting on board credits and a rebate back on the cruise fare from your TA. Based on what you've said, you already know more about the process that she does.

Although we are not a fan of U.S. airlines, we have used both American and United to fly to Miami and will be using Delta from Miami to Vancouver in November. We used credit card points for the United and American flights and are also using them for Delta. My DH won't fly coach so I have to find the best Business/First flights that I can.

No, we are not getting anything more than the ambassador member credit. I asked about OBC, but was told because I was getting Can $ at par there would be no further perks. Before contacting this TA I called an online (which company shall remain nameless per CC rules) TA that was offering a special of $4700 for this cruise, but was told that it would not be at par. So, I said that I would be better off by far with the offer through Regent (5199 Can).

So, I than decided that I may as well go through a TA in town that has a good reputation.

I was called back by the online TA which offered the 5199 at par, and 200 obc. I didn't feel that was a good enough incentive to deal with a company that I have no experience or recommendations for.

Sorry for such a long winded answer to a simple question. I normally like to do all my own travel arrangements, but as this is (for us) not a small expense, and it seems to be highly recommended to use a TA for Regent, I decided to take that advice. I am sure my TA will do a good job for me, and she might learn something along the way.

Looking forward to our lovely cruise, which I will enjoy all the more for having to work at it a bit:D

I have trouble believing that you are being charged $1000 per person for your air. If that is for two, then perhaps you might want to post in terms of "per person" in the future, since we can't know how many folks you are talking about. (And virtually all discussions about air pricing are on a per-person basis)

Probably your best source for research is Matrix by ITA Software. It is purely a research site - you cannot book through it.

And, since you don't provide actual dates, it is tough to provide suggestions and informed data. But I'm finding many dates in January 2019 where YVR-SoFla is going for mid-400CAD or so.

I have trouble believing that you are being charged $1000 per person for your air. If that is for two, then perhaps you might want to post in terms of "per person" in the future, since we can't know how many folks you are talking about. (And virtually all discussions about air pricing are on a per-person basis)

 

Probably your best source for research is Matrix by ITA Software. It is purely a research site - you cannot book through it.

 

And, since you don't provide actual dates, it is tough to provide suggestions and informed data. But I'm finding many dates in January 2019 where YVR-SoFla is going for mid-400CAD or so.

Second FlyerTalker and ita software. Also, no reason you need to book your air thru your TA. We almost always do our own air and book it directly with the airline as the TA really has no incentive to book air separately as there is no commission paid to the TA for airfares.

You said you oftentimes do your own travel planning so suggest you simply check ita to find the airline with the best fares adn schedules then go to the airline website and book yourself. And, you might just find First in the US much less than double coach. You could also drive to Seattle and fly from there for more than enough savings for the drive.

From my admittedly very limited experience you don’t have to pay attention to published fares when picking your flights if you’re using Regent’s included air. Regent has contracted prices that are much lower than published fares.

I have read elsewhere on this board that Regent flights are not upgradable after ticketing although you can request an upgraded flight at booking. I have also read that the cost of the upgrade is usually crazy high.

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Oh yes, so many issues lol. Firstly we have to get off Vancouver Island, which means extra flight to Van, our airport doesn't have flights toSeattle or we would do that (we are 3 hrs drive from Victoria)- the price we pay to live on this beautiful island.

As well we will have to do an overnight most likely coming and going from the island just to make sure we don't miss our flight out of Van. Then of course we want to arrive at least a day before in Miami, and according to this site, since disembarkation is such a pain in Miami (damn unions- just kidding), we will most likely want to have an extra night then.

I have been checking ITA- great site, thank you all for recommending, and I think I have come to the same conclusion that I should book my own. I just have to make sure that we have enough leeway all around, as if I do it myself we will be SOL if for some reason we get delayed, as is more likely to happen in winter months.

Just for an example with flights, our flight off the island right now is $400 pp(25 min).

We would also like to avoid red eyes, but don't know if that is going to be possible. All of this would be so much easier if I only had to worry about myself- but I have to get DH without it taking half the cruise for him to ungrump lol.

Our dates are Jan 5 or 6 leaving Van, and 17 or 18 leaving Miami. Would love any help if someone wants to tackle this sad tale?

I am going to look at ITA again- looking more closely at US carriers, I just have to remember to add 30 percent for the difference in our $.

I am going to look at ITA again- looking more closely at US carriers, I just have to remember to add 30 percent for the difference in our $.

You can look for flight details starting in YCD as well as from YVR.

Also, it defaults to prices from the origin city, so your results for that leg will be in CAD. You can set the currency on the main sort page or default to the origin currency.

Glad that others posted the ITA website since I forgot to post the link in my previous post. I totally understand why you would not want to fly out of Seattle from where you live. We can fly out of SEA or YVR and have flown out of SEA once in the last several years. In my opinion, YVR has better fight choices for the international carriers that we prefer - the airport is dramatically better than SEA (YVR is listed amongst the top airports in the world) and for us, YVR is closer - even though we live in Washington state.

I looked up flights for January 6th and 17th - always looking for the shortest flights and ones that fly during the day rather than overnight. My choice would be United Airlines:

United

7:45 am

6:17 pm

7h 32m

YVR to MIA

DEN

3:45 pm

9:15 pm

8h 30m

MIA to YVR

DEN

P.S. I totally understand your "ungrump" comment;p

Thank you for all the helpful advice. I don't feel so alone now:o:)

Glad that others posted the ITA website since I forgot to post the link in my previous post. I totally understand why you would not want to fly out of Seattle from where you live. We can fly out of SEA or YVR and have flown out of SEA once in the last several years. In my opinion, YVR has better fight choices for the international carriers that we prefer - the airport is dramatically better than SEA (YVR is listed amongst the top airports in the world) and for us, YVR is closer - even though we live in Washington state.

 

I looked up flights for January 6th and 17th - always looking for the shortest flights and ones that fly during the day rather than overnight. My choice would be United Airlines:

 

 

United

 

7:45 am

6:17 pm

7h 32m

YVR to MIA

DEN

3:45 pm

9:15 pm

8h 30m

MIA to YVR

DEN

 

P.S. I totally understand your "ungrump" comment;p

This is true and here are the top airports.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bishopjordan/2018/03/24/10-best-airports-in-the-world-singapore-jewel-changi/#ec12ce56a0ee

I have been searching ITA again, and am coming to the conclusion that the flights you picked , Travelcat2, seem the best, and very reasonable price wise. My only concern is the very short layover time of just less than an hour.

What do you think- would you book it? I usually like at least 2 hrs to feel comfortable. I assume we might have to go through customs there, though sometimes it seems to be done in Vancouver before flying out.

Anything else I am finding that might suit us is up in that $1000 pp range, so if we want one of those I would be better to go through regent and do the deviation. If I choose Travelcat2's option I will take the credit, and book it myself.

Wish we had a way to correspond privately.

We too fly out of a Canadian city. I use the Matrix site to have an intelligent conversation with our TA, and she uses her magic with a Canadian consolidator vendor to book our preferred flights. She often offers better routing, and always cheaper. (I was budgetting $7500 pp each for our last Bus class flights, and she arranged our exact flights for a total less than $7500 for both).

It is tough for Canadians - we have limited air choices and pay significantly higher fares. So I wish we could share arrangements that are beneficial. At this point, I can simply say shop around, don't be afraid to ask other pax for referrals, and know that there are highly valued TAs out there.

Thanks Crickette

Us poor Canadians, and we're so nice- you'd think they would just give us free flights:')

I'm not giving up on my TA just yet, maybe she will surprise me when she gets back from her cruise. In the meantime I will keep doing research.

In any case I am enjoying the conversation, and appreciate all the help so far.

I have been searching ITA again, and am coming to the conclusion that the flights you picked , Travelcat2, seem the best, and very reasonable price wise. My only concern is the very short layover time of just less than an hour.

What do you think- would you book it? I usually like at least 2 hrs to feel comfortable. I assume we might have to go through customs there, though sometimes it seems to be done in Vancouver before flying out.

Anything else I am finding that might suit us is up in that $1000 pp range, so if we want one of those I would be better to go through regent and do the deviation. If I choose Travelcat2's option I will take the credit, and book it myself.

Yes - we would book those flights. You will go through customs in Vancouver so it is only a matter of getting off of the plane and walking to another gate.

In terms of doing a deviation, I recommend that you select two or three itineraries and send them via email to your TA. They in turn should contact Regent Air and see if they are acceptable to them (the airlines that we are discussing are under contract with Regent). You do not have to pay a deviation fee unless you accept what Regent offers. This may be a good option.

My biggest concern about your TA is that you need her now and she is not there nor does she have a staff to handle things while she is away. We left a really nice TA in order to have a TA that gives a percentage off of our Regent cruise fare, has a staff of people that are well versed in everything Regent. They are on top of changes in fares, etc.

I feel at this point I have no choice but to stick with this TA, as I wouldn't have a clue how to go about finding one that has more experience- maybe I will spend all my time on the cruise quizzing acquaintances as to who they use lol.

I feel at this point I have no choice but to stick with this TA, as I wouldn't have a clue how to go about finding one that has more experience- maybe I will spend all my time on the cruise quizzing acquaintances as to who they use lol.

Totally understandable. Just something to think about for the future. The main thing is enjoying every minute of your cruise!

Fellow Canadian here. We too live in BC, and Vancouver is our gateway city. We have to make our own arrangements to Vancouver. For our transatlantic on the Voyager next March we are using our Alaska points to get to Florida, we took the air credit for that flight. We have a deviation with Regent for a direct flight from Paris to Vancouver, with a bit of extra cost for that, but better than we could have done on our own. Then we are using our Aeroplan points to get from Vancouver to our local airport. My husband is used to looking for the best deals for flights and he spends days researching so he gets familiar with most options.

Just wanted to say that we got the OK from our travel agent to talk directly to Regent air people. Had a great person who found the direct flight back to Vancouver that hubby had not seen. They booked it, it was helpful to talk directly to them about options. This might work for others as well.

TC2, if I may call you that, we will absolutely enjoy to the fullest. We were originally looking to book something for Europe, but I am kind of glad we are doing the Carribean, as it will give us the perfect chance to relax, and enjoy the Regent experience for our first time.

trvlr21- we will likely use aeroplan for the short flight to Van as well, but even at that taxes are $200 on that flight. Crazy!

trvlr21- we will likely use aeroplan for the short flight to Van as well, but even at that taxes are $200 on that flight. Crazy!

Just as a general observation - with a few notable exceptions, using "miles" for shorter, lower-cost redemptions is usually a poor of the points. You can get far greater bang for the buck in other regards. And if your "taxes" are $200, you should NOT be buying a flight just from outer BC to YVR. Better to get a through fare from your origin airport to the destination. Combining two point-to-point fares together rarely works out as well as one published through fare.

Again, actual cities and dates makes it MUCH easier to provide specific, researched answers for your flight times.

Flyer talker- United doesn't fly out of Comox. I did see a good through fare for Air Canada from Comox-van-Montreal-Miami, but when I asked my TA, she said Regent will only cover from Van even though the Comox portion was basically thrown in at no extra. So I do know what you're saying, but it is just not easy getting off the island unless we want to drive 3 hrs to Victoria, and the worst part of that is having to drive 3 hrs home at the end of an uncomfortable flight.

I agree with Trvlr21. Vegasdriven, get your TA to tell Regent to talk to you directly about your flights. It is so much simpler than having your TA in the middle. No matter how responsive your TA is it is adding an extra person into the process and that wastes time for all 3 parties.

You should also talk to Regent air about how much it would cost to add your departure city to your air arrangements. United doesn't fly out of Comox but Air Canada is a partner with United so they may be able to make some arrangements that way.

Some friends that are on the same cruise as us this fall/winter were able to add their departure city to their air plans for a fee. That fee may be more reasonable than you making your own arrangements to get from Comox to YVR. We haven't tried that as we always go down to YVR a day before our international flights.

Good luck. If you have any questions but don't want to post them online please feel free to email me directly. klbcruising at bctraveller dot ca.

Cruzstart-thanks for the suggestion, but like you I think we need to go over the night before ESP. As this is in the dead of winter. I certainly appreciate all the helpful advice, this forum is fantastic- makes me look forward to the cruise even more if this is a sample of the kind of people we may meet on board!