Regent Flights - with and without deviation

[PaisleyMello]

3 hours ago, annapolitan369 said:

PaisleyMello, I booked this flight myself, it was very reasonable priced.  In fact, the roundtrip Dulles, Istanbul-Athens was priced lower than the round trip just to Istanbul on the same plane.  I don't know if Regent contracts with Turkish Airlines.

Thank you!

[TheShag]

As long as you can book early, I would assume that you will be fine with Turkish Airlines. I am booked with them from Toronto via Istanbul to Bangkok this November. Istanbul airport has a great biz class lounge with individual nap rooms if your layover is greater than 4 hours. Also, on international flights, TA has the chef on board for J class pax.

[rallydave]

20 hours ago, loriva said:

 

Regent does have a contract with Turkish Airlines.  At least I was offered their flights when trying to determine an itinerary for a cruise next year. 

 

Regent may not have seats on all flights, however, or the airline may have sold all the seats in the restricted class for the contract.  When we lost our flight due to a hurricane last year, we had to wait three days until there were flights with the correct fare category for rebooking by Regent.

Just because they offered does not indicate a contract. We will never kno who has it doesn’t have a contract with regent. 

[TheShag]

Which then takes us to the question,...'who cares'? As has been mentioned, if utilizing the deviation option, select YOUR best three options and hope [or pay] for the best. Seems like a constant theme on these boards as to 'does Regent have a contract with ABC airline?' In the big sceme of things - IT DOESN'T MATTER!

[Techno123]

Probably one for UK guests and hoping I can get away without paying a deviation fee 

 

Has anyone flown directly from London with Regent to Tokyo and back from Bangkok (also direct) as a standard flight. We currently have these Regent flights from Manchester with Etihad but have to change in the UAE but if we can get direct flights through Regent may consider travelling down to London as less chance luggage will go missing

thank you in advance

[rallydave]

16 minutes ago, Techno123 said:

Probably one for UK guests and hoping I can get away without paying a deviation fee 

 

Has anyone flown directly from London with Regent to Tokyo and back from Bangkok (also direct) as a standard flight. We currently have these Regent flights from Manchester with Etihad but have to change in the UAE but if we can get direct flights through Regent may consider travelling down to London as less chance luggage will go missing

thank you in advance

Ate you looking for direct or non0staop??  There is a difference.  Also what one or more people got as flights does not mean you will be able to get the same  so banking on a small sample is relatively worthless.  Suggest you go to ITAmatrix and see ust how many non-stops which is what I believe you are asking for flights there are.  Guessing very few.

 

And even with available non-stops, they are usually the most expensive so doubtful Regent will provide those.  

 

Edited July 25, 2023 by rallydave

[Techno123]

19 minutes ago, rallydave said:

Ate you looking for direct or non0staop??  There is a difference.  Also what one or more people got as flights does not mean you will be able to get the same  so banking on a small sample is relatively worthless.  Suggest you go to ITAmatrix and see ust how many non-stops which is what I believe you are asking for flights there are.  Guessing very few.

 

And even with available non-stops, they are usually the most expensive so doubtful Regent will provide those.  

 

BA do a non stop on the way out to Tokyo but  do a shared code with Qatar on the way back from Bangkok which stops in Doha which is a bit more expensive than the Etihad flights (which require us to change planes) but not prohibitively so. I know Regent have offered this in the past and I'm not so fussed about my luggage going missing on the way back 😜

[Gilly]

@Techno123 we have flown non stop from LHR to join Regent cruises in both Tokyo and Bangkok but have probably paid the deviation fee because we're picky about our flights (and choose business class for such long journeys as well).  Regent have always accommodated our wishes, frequently allowing us to tag on some independent travel plans at one or both ends of our cruises (meaning we've flown home long after the cruise ended, or out well in advance of it starting).  We usually work directly with Regent in Southampton, finding Amanda to be more than helpful with such things.

[flossie009]

In February, Regent gave us a very good price on Business Class flights to  Bali (long layover in Doha, but no hardship). We love flying with Qatar.

BA no longer fly their non-stop Heathrow to Bangkok and I think with Qatar you would be changing planes in Doha, but haven’t checked.

For our return from Tokyo we booked our own flight with Avios on BA; direct non-stop Tokyo to Heathrow. Flight was good but it was BA’s old seating configuration rather than the new Club Suites.

 

Best would be to contact Regent to see what options they can offer you for the outward and return flights.

 

[GoNavyFamily]

On 7/26/2023 at 3:18 AM, flossie009 said:

In February, Regent gave us a very good price on Business Class flights to  Bali (long layover in Doha, but no hardship). We love flying with Qatar.

BA no longer fly their non-stop Heathrow to Bangkok and I think with Qatar you would be changing planes in Doha, but haven’t checked.

For our return from Tokyo we booked our own flight with Avios on BA; direct non-stop Tokyo to Heathrow. Flight was good but it was BA’s old seating configuration rather than the new Club Suites.

 

Best would be to contact Regent to see what options they can offer you for the outward and return flights.

 

We were given through deviation, with no upcharge, our first choice flight on Qatar from the US to Bali with a very short layover in Doha. We could have selected the long layover but we were assured the short one is an airline approved layover. Hoping we make the connection! I'm glad to hear your experience on Qatar was good. We return on Qatar from Sydney through Doha as well but with a few hours layover.  Question: did you purchase the Indonesian Visa on Arrival before you left or when you arrived at the airport? Any tips from your experience in Bali/Indonesia? 

[TheShag]

As part of my Bangkok - Bali ticket price/trip, the cost [and I assume all the paperwork] for the Indonesian visa is included. Is that not the case for you?

[GoNavyFamily]

22 hours ago, TheShag said:

As part of my Bangkok - Bali ticket price/trip, the cost [and I assume all the paperwork] for the Indonesian visa is included. Is that not the case for you?

Look on your invoice to see if visa costs are included for you and if so, call Regent to confirm. On our original paperwork when we booked the cruise, over a year ago, the Australian visa only was included. Since then Australia changed the visa process which is now approved for visitors from specific countries through an ETA (electronic travel authority) app that you download on your phone. https://usa.embassy.gov.au/visas. When we called Regent to inquire, they issued a new invoice with no visa charges. 

For an Indonesia visa, US and other specific country citizens can purchase a Visa on Arrival at the Denpasar airport near Bali, or to avoid that queue, purchase it prior to departure through the government site. I found this article linked below very helpful regarding travel to Indonesia and I also confirmed the information on both the US State Department and Indonesian government web sites. This article gives a great overview with links:

https://www.baliholidaysecrets.com/arriving-bali-airport/

 

I don't know your originating country nor what Regent has promised you. I just know we are taking care of it ourselves and we will presumably have our visa approvals on our phones when we arrive in both countries. It is too early for us to actually apply for them. 

 

[TheShag]

Thanks. We are flying from Toronto to Bangkok to board the ship with subsequent stops in Indonesia. The invoice shows that the cost is included [and now paid] for the Visa. I guess it will all come together at some point before sailing.

[loriva]

1 hour ago, GoNavyFamily said:

For an Indonesia visa, US and other specific country citizens can purchase a Visa on Arrival at the Denpasar airport near Bali, or to avoid that queue, purchase it prior to departure through the government site. I found this article linked below very helpful regarding travel to Indonesia and I also confirmed the information on both the US State Department and Indonesian government web sites. This article gives a great overview with links:

https://www.baliholidaysecrets.com/arriving-bali-airport/

 

 

Thanks for this information and link.  There appears to be one error about the VoA you can obtain via the Indonesian Government website:   https://molina.imigrasi.go.id/.  The Bali Holiday Secrets website author says application for the visa starts at 14 days prior to arrival.  The government website, however, says it is good for 90 days after entry.  (And now enough off topic on Regent flights!)

[flossie009]

On 7/27/2023 at 12:24 PM, GoNavyFamily said:

Question: did you purchase the Indonesian Visa on Arrival before you left or when you arrived at the airport? Any tips from your experience in Bali/Indonesia? 

Sounds like you already have the visa situation sorted.

We did the "Visa on Arrival" which was reasonably quick & straightforward (Regent did not pay for the required visa)

The other thing you have to do is an electronic customs declaration, which you can do just before travelling or on arrival - see tip #3 on this website: https://www.baliholidaysecrets.com/arriving-bali-airport/

 

[edgee]

I reach the 120 day ahead of cruise point in about a month. Is there a way to request custom flights from Regent without playing 75 bucks for a phone call by me or my TA, such as me or my TA requesting flights by email? If I contact Regent myself, do I need to get my TA's permission for them to deal with me either by email or phone? 

[rallydave]

1 minute ago, edgee said:

I reach the 120 day ahead of cruise point in about a month. Is there a way to request custom flights from Regent without playing 75 bucks for a phone call by me or my TA, such as me or my TA requesting flights by email? If I contact Regent myself, do I need to get my TA's permission for them to deal with me either by email or phone? 

The ability to request a deviation is 210 days not 120 so if you are requesting you are a bit late and the payment is mandatory. With the new system don’t believe you need permission to contact the air desk. 

[edgee]

2 minutes ago, rallydave said:

The ability to request a deviation is 210 days not 120 so if you are requesting you are a bit late and the payment is mandatory. With the new system don’t believe you need permission to contact the air desk. 

Sorry, I meant to say 210 says. So the cost of 75 bucks is for any form of request ..phone or in writing in addition to the 175 pp deviation fee?

[rallydave]

4 minutes ago, edgee said:

Sorry, I meant to say 210 says. So the cost of 75 bucks is for any form of request ..phone or in writing in addition to the 175 pp deviation fee?

Not in addition to the $175. If you book the deviation you owe an additional $100 and if you don’t book you are out the $75

[ljsanantonio]

On the topic of Indonesia visas, our cruise stops first in Komodo and then in Bali.  I am inclined to get the online visa, anticipating all passengers will be waiting in line to get them day of.  The online visa asks for place of visit, I assume I use the area for Komodo rather than Bali.  Does anyone have experience in this?  Thank you in advance

[Lonedaddy]

On 7/30/2023 at 3:19 PM, ljsanantonio said:

On the topic of Indonesia visas, our cruise stops first in Komodo and then in Bali.  I am inclined to get the online visa, anticipating all passengers will be waiting in line to get them day of.  The online visa asks for place of visit, I assume I use the area for Komodo rather than Bali.  Does anyone have experience in this?  Thank you in advance

If I recall they had a form you fill out onboard and the ship does it for you.  This was in feb '23

[Gray Lady]

I have a few questions about calling Regent for flight deviations. I will have some flight options researched, but would like some more details from fellow posters who have navigated these waters (pun intended).

1) Is there a dedicated number for Regent Air or do I call the main number?

2) If all of my preferred flights have an up-charge, will Regent give me one or two that don’t?

3) Does anyone know if Regent prefers round trips on the same airline or is each segment independent of the other? Just wondered if they get a better price for “round trips”.

4) Do they need flight numbers when you call?

5) Many flights are code-shared. Do I need to give them this info in case they have a contract with one over the other?

Thanks in advance for the info.

 

Edited August 10, 2023 by Gray Lady
Add on to the post

[1982CruzStart]

19 hours ago, Gray Lady said:

I have a few questions about calling Regent for flight deviations. I will have some flight options researched, but would like some more details from fellow posters who have navigated these waters (pun intended).

1) Is there a dedicated number for Regent Air or do I call the main number? 1-877-722-7772. if you have a TA I believe they still require that your TA releases your file to Regent Air before they will discuss flights directly with you. That may have changed with the introduction of the $75 fee but i don't think so. 

2) If all of my preferred flights have an up-charge, will Regent give me one or two that don’t? Yes they will offer you 1 or maybe 2 options that don't have an upcharge

3) Does anyone know if Regent prefers round trips on the same airline or is each segment independent of the other?  We have had flights on different airlines. i.e going on BA and returning on KLM.  Just wondered if they get a better price for “round trips”.

4) Do they need flight numbers when you call? They are helpful to have as they cut down the risk of a misunderstanding on exactly which flight you want.

5) Many flights are code-shared. Do I need to give them this info in case they have a contract with one over the other?

Thanks in advance for the info.

 

My best info above. 

[edgee]

On 8/11/2023 at 12:45 PM, 1982CruzStart said:

My best info above. 

My TA has a dedicated air department which handles cruise air. Member of that team told me that Regent no longer requires travel agency permission for guests to speak with Regent air directly. She also suggests calling earlier in the day and definitely not close to closing time so that agents are usually are less overwhelmed and tend to be more patient and willing to more fully work with you on flight options.

[1982CruzStart]

15 hours ago, edgee said:

My TA has a dedicated air department which handles cruise air. Member of that team told me that Regent no longer requires travel agency permission for guests to speak with Regent air directly. She also suggests calling earlier in the day and definitely not close to closing time so that agents are usually are less overwhelmed and tend to be more patient and willing to more fully work with you on flight options.

Thank you for the updated info.