Choice Air-good idea?

[Gonzo70]

What they (we) get is a promise to get to the ship (at some point) that the airline couldn't care less about if there are problems.

 

I still haven't heard those that are critical of CA bookings convey their thoughts about missing the ship?

 

Some make it sound like if you are on a consolidator CA ticket that you will just be left at the airport on your own.

 

The only thing I can take from comments in these CA threads is the potential of a "direct airline" ticket passenger being potentially put on a different airline if flight problems happen. (and I would question that CA couldn't do the same thing with a consolidator ticket, but at least one person on different thread made that statement).

 

LOL, there is no "promise" to get you to the ship. This is directly quoted from Choice Air's website:

"What happens when my flight is delayed?

Assured Arrival is our guarantee to assist our ChoiceAir® guests when they encounter any flight disruptions that occur through no fault of their own. We have a team of Emergency Travel Specialists standing by that proactively monitor flights and act as a liason between our ships and our guests. This team is available to assist you 24/7 @ 800-256-6649 (domestically) or 305-539-4107 (internationally)."

 

 

Absolutely no promise or guarantee to get you to the ship; just that they will "assist" if there is a delay and serve as a "liason" [sic] - whatever that made up word means. Assist could mean anything - and from anecdotal posts on Cruise Critic the past few years it runs the gamut. Some people received excellent help from Choice Air in their time of need, others received absolutely no assistance. Assured Arrival is nothing more than a clever marketing gimmick to lure people in to purchasing tickets via Choice Air. Once on board I caution you to not listen to everything the art auctioneer and the shopping representative tell you; might be hard to believe, but they too spew mainly marketing gimmicks.

[ghstudio]

So, if I book a flight to Rome this week for an October cruise, the ticket is not purchased by CA until 30-days beforehand? From what I have read I can reserve seats at the time of booking but how can I reserve seats without the airline getting paid?

 

It's an unusual arrangement, to say the least...but it is the way it's handled. The airline doesn't get the payment until 30-45 days prior to the cruise.

[BEAV]

It's an unusual arrangement, to say the least...but it is the way it's handled. The airline doesn't get the payment until 30-45 days prior to the cruise.

 

I'm only speculating that although the reservation hasn't yet been paid/ticketed, that because a booking number/record locator exists for the passenger on the flight is they reason they're able to make a seat assignment. ???

[sasset]

My recent Choice Air reservation for May 2 was ticketed within about two hours. It shows in my AAdvantage account upcoming trips as ticketed, seats assigned. I can change seats via the AA site if I choose.

[Cuizer2]

The unfortunate reality is that there are no guarantees in air travel (or other types of travel for that matter) - no matter how much planning and precautions you take with your travel arrangements.

 

I have had long layovers that still were not long enough, and tight connections that managed to somehow work when it seemed there was no way they could. Of course, that doesn't mean that we don't try to pick the best flight options - but in many cases it really is just the luck of the draw.

 

Where my travel arrangements are less than optimal, I find that I am more likely to have plans B and C already laid out in advance and I can react quickly to make the best of the situation. It's when I am comfortable with my travel arrangements and haven't mapped out a plan B or C and things go awry that I can find myself in hot water.

 

It's kind of like your approach to investing in the stock market, it's all about risk tolerance. High reward usually goes hand in hand with higher risk. And for some, the reward is just not worth the risk.

 

Picking a flight with a 60 to 120 minute layover may in some cases not be enough time. However, you still have a better chance of making that flight then one with a 20 to 30 minute layover. All you can do is increase the chance of making the flight. If that is not good enough for you, then you can choose the option that Donald Trump chose.

Edited March 10, 2015 by Cuizer2

[Karynanne]

My recent Choice Air reservation for May 2 was ticketed within about two hours. It shows in my AAdvantage account upcoming trips as ticketed, seats assigned. I can change seats via the AA site if I choose.

 

 

Our next flight (booked through Choice Air) is AA and British Air. We booked 4 months, and within one day we received our Choice Air confirmation, along with the locator number, and we chose our seating immediately through the airline's sites.

 

We too have our itinerary listed on our AAdvantage account.

[sasset]

Exactly what I've been trying to say.

 

 

 

I agree. All the "but I got a record locator number," or "I was able to choose my flights," and "I read the fine print" comments make it clear that some still just don't get it. They think they do, but those are exactly the types of statements that show that they don't. If they did, they would realize those statements mean nothing.

 

Have you used Choice Air?

[Gonzo70]

Our next flight (booked through Choice Air) is AA and British Air. We booked 4 months, and within one day we received our Choice Air confirmation, along with the locator number, and we chose our seating immediately through the airline's sites.

 

We too have our itinerary listed on our AAdvantage account.

 

None of that means your flight has officially been ticketed. When I used Choice Air last time (for Galapagos) I also booked American flights and received my record locator number right away and was able to book seats. However under "My Trips" on the AA.com site it did not say "ticketed" until a few weeks before the trip; I forgot the verbiage it used, may have been "pending" - but check and see if it actually says "ticketed" under "My Trips" for the flight.

[blueboro]

Ai yi yi!! Enough already. Everyone who previously was not educated about the perils of using Choice Air have now been duly informed. Everyone who has used Choice Air successfully has now come forth and testified.

 

I have not yet heard credible information from anyone who actually used Choice Air, NOT cruise air, that they had an issue they were unable to resolve to their satisfaction.

 

Can we just let it rest and agree that there are those of us who are willing to take the small risk of a problem for the great reward, and there are those of us who will never do it due to the increased degree of risk????

 

This is threatening to turn into a dress code/laundry/drink sharing marathon.

 

But obviously many people have questions...just don't click on the thread.

[dodger1964]

LOL, there is no "promise" to get you to the ship. This is directly quoted from Choice Air's website:

"What happens when my flight is delayed?

Assured Arrival is our guarantee to assist our ChoiceAir® guests when they encounter any flight disruptions that occur through no fault of their own. We have a team of Emergency Travel Specialists standing by that proactively monitor flights and act as a liason between our ships and our guests. This team is available to assist you 24/7 @ 800-256-6649 (domestically) or 305-539-4107 (internationally)."

 

 

Absolutely no promise or guarantee to get you to the ship; just that they will "assist" if there is a delay and serve as a "liason" [sic] - whatever that made up word means. Assist could mean anything - and from anecdotal posts on Cruise Critic the past few years it runs the gamut. Some people received excellent help from Choice Air in their time of need, others received absolutely no assistance. Assured Arrival is nothing more than a clever marketing gimmick to lure people in to purchasing tickets via Choice Air. Once on board I caution you to not listen to everything the art auctioneer and the shopping representative tell you; might be hard to believe, but they too spew mainly marketing gimmicks.

 

And you think the airline will make ANY effort to get you to the ship that has left the port.

 

CA will get you to the ship. It might take days to catch up to it, but if you miss the ship they will try to help you...the airline would just laugh in your face!

[ghstudio]

And you think the airline will make ANY effort to get you to the ship that has left the port.

 

CA will get you to the ship. It might take days to catch up to it, but if you miss the ship they will try to help you...the airline would just laugh in your face!

 

Remember that "get you to the ship" doesn't say they will pay for any extra flights or hotel rooms.....it just means they will find other flights just as any TA would do. Again...it's marketing speak.

 

Essentially, they are a just a TA with 24 hour service...no more, no less. We use them...if they offer a significantly better price (e.g. we always use them for transatlantics or one way flights.....we never use them for RT flights, we book directly with the airlines)

[Gonzo70]

And you think the airline will make ANY effort to get you to the ship that has left the port.

 

CA will get you to the ship. It might take days to catch up to it, but if you miss the ship they will try to help you...the airline would just laugh in your face!

 

I am quite confident that I would manage as well or better than someone on deeply discounted Choice Air tix in such a scenario. I carry travel insurance that would cover a good portion of incurred expenses (if I need to pay a fee to change my flight), both my wife and I are quite savvy travelers, we try to build in sufficient wiggle room to prevent such occurrences in the first place and we try to fly on the same major airline as much as possible so that our status with them makes it more likely they will play ball. Not sure why you are so certain Choice Air will "get you to the ship" - they do not promise this.

[Karynanne]

None of that means your flight has officially been ticketed. When I used Choice Air last time (for Galapagos) I also booked American flights and received my record locator number right away and was able to book seats. However under "My Trips" on the AA.com site it did not say "ticketed" until a few weeks before the trip; I forgot the verbiage it used, may have been "pending" - but check and see if it actually says "ticketed" under "My Trips" for the flight.

 

 

Yes...our flights are "ticketed". I understand the verbiage and understand the risks. This isn't our first rodeo.

[ghstudio]

I am quite confident that I would manage as well or better than someone on deeply discounted Choice Air tix in such a scenario. I carry travel insurance that would cover a good portion of incurred expenses (if I need to pay a fee to change my flight), both my wife and I are quite savvy travelers, we try to build in sufficient wiggle room to prevent such occurrences in the first place and we try to fly on the same major airline as much as possible so that our status with them makes it more likely they will play ball. Not sure why you are so certain Choice Air will "get you to the ship" - they do not promise this.

 

we agree on this one....and we always plan to arrive a minimum of one day prior to the cruise...more often two or more days early...and if there is a connection, we'll try to take an earlier flight to the connection point instead of relying on the enticing 45 minute connection which looks great on paper but somehow never happens in real life. Oh and we try not to take the last flight out to our final destination for the same reason....there's always one more flight if something happens.

[Katie H]

We booked flights on Delta through CA in August of 2014 for April of this year. The confirmation from CA on the day of booking showed e-ticket numbers. Those numbers also appear on the Delta site. Doesn't this mean that we were ticketed on the day we booked and paid? Same thing for a second cruise - we booked the flights on Delta through CA in February for flights in October. e-ticket numbers appear on the CA confirmation received on day of booking and same numbers are showing at the Delta site. Does the term "e-ticket" with a number mean that we have been ticketed?

[sasset]

We booked flights on Delta through CA in August of 2014 for April of this year. The confirmation from CA on the day of booking showed e-ticket numbers. Those numbers also appear on the Delta site. Doesn't this mean that we were ticketed on the day we booked and paid? Same thing for a second cruise - we booked the flights on Delta through CA in February for flights in October. e-ticket numbers appear on the CA confirmation received on day of booking and same numbers are showing at the Delta site. Does the term "e-ticket" with a number mean that we have been ticketed?

 

Yes.

[waterbug123]

 

The only thing I can take from comments in these CA threads is the potential of a "direct airline" ticket passenger being potentially put on a different airline if flight problems happen. (and I would question that CA couldn't do the same thing with a consolidator ticket, but at least one person on different thread made that statement).

 

If the ticket is non-endorseable as some consolidator tickets are, you won't be put on another airline.

 

Have you used Choice Air?

 

Previously asked and answered.

[eddiethekub]

If the ticket is non-endorseable as some consolidator tickets are, you won't be put on another airline. .

 

The days of endorsing tickets from one airline to another are long gone, just a distant memory like Rule240.

[waterbug123]

The days of endorsing tickets from one airline to another are long gone, just a distant memory like Rule240.

 

I guess my Delta ticket that was endorsed over to American a year or two ago was a figment of my imagination. Airlines don't like to do it, and depending on the circumstances --and possible rules and restrictions of a particular ticket-- they may not have to, but it can and does still happen.

[ghstudio]

We booked flights on Delta through CA in August of 2014 for April of this year. The confirmation from CA on the day of booking showed e-ticket numbers. Those numbers also appear on the Delta site. Doesn't this mean that we were ticketed on the day we booked and paid? Same thing for a second cruise - we booked the flights on Delta through CA in February for flights in October. e-ticket numbers appear on the CA confirmation received on day of booking and same numbers are showing at the Delta site. Does the term "e-ticket" with a number mean that we have been ticketed?

 

yes, you have been ticketed, but if you cancel your cruise, that ticket will be cancelled when the cruise is cancelled. You can't book a ticket through choice air, then cancel the cruise and use that ticket for a land cruise or a cruise on a different ship.

 

I know this sounds strange...but see my comments about when the airline is actually paid.

 

There is a very big Gotcha here....

If you make a cruise reservation and book a choice air flight on that reservation....and then find a "new bookings only" reservation on the same cruise...and you cancel the first reservation and book a new reservation without telling your agent about the choice air ticket, you may/will find that your choice air flight is cancelled...and yes, with penalties....even though you are on the same ship. The reason this happens is that your payment to the airline is actually stored in the cruise reservation file...so if you cancel that cruise reservation, that money is treated as a cancellation of the air ticket as well.

 

Be VERY VERY careful when changing reservation numbers on the same cruise if you use choice air.

Edited March 11, 2015 by ghstudio

[Rob the Cruiser]

yes, you have been ticketed, but if you cancel your cruise, that ticket will be cancelled when the cruise is cancelled. You can't book a ticket through choice air, then cancel the cruise and use that ticket for a land cruise or a cruise on a different ship.

 

I know this sounds strange...but see my comments about when the airline is actually paid.

 

There is a very big Gotcha here....

If you make a cruise reservation and book a choice air flight on that reservation....and then find a "new bookings only" reservation on the same cruise...and you cancel the first reservation and book a new reservation without telling your agent about the choice air ticket, you may/will find that your choice air flight is cancelled...and yes, with penalties....even though you are on the same ship. The reason this happens is that your payment to the airline is actually stored in the cruise reservation file...so if you cancel that cruise reservation, that money is treated as a cancellation of the air ticket as well.

 

Be VERY VERY careful when changing reservation numbers on the same cruise if you use choice air.

 

This is an excellent explanation of the inherent risks associated with those deeply discounted fares. Contrary to some comments, many of us are fully aware of how the system works and take steps to minimize the impact of the scenario you have outlined. We are willing to take the risk. :)

[Gonzo70]

This is an excellent explanation of the inherent risks associated with those deeply discounted fares. Contrary to some comments, many of us are fully aware of how the system works and take steps to minimize the impact of the scenario you have outlined. We are willing to take the risk. :)

 

That is a separate issue from the risk associated with deeply discounted tickets - what ghstudio explained above pertains to ALL Choice Air tickets, not just the "specially negotiated" fares.

[Cuizer2]

Seems some posts have been deleted from this thread.

[grandgeezer]

Thank you Choice Air/Celebrity/Royal Caribbean for making it financially feasible for us to see Europe. In October, we will be doing our sixth B2B transatlantic in the last four years. There is no way, we would have considered doing one if we had to pay the price of the air that the airlines have. We have read all the naysayers warnings about what could go wrong when buying these discounted tickets, but have actually seen, or talked to anyone who have had any problems what so ever. We do build some fluff into our schedule, just in case, but so far, it was not needed.

If someone would have told us, five years ago, that we would see London, Paris, Venice, Rome, Amsterdam, and many other place, I would have said they're crazy, but we did. Thanks again.

[BEAV]

Grandgeezer's post about discounted Transatlantic tickets vs. full price from the airlines direct reminded me that for the last two years I've been buying frequent flyer miles when the airlines have mileage promotion sales. For example, I joined Avianca's LifeMiles program and bought miles when they were having a 100% bonus promo (buy 50,000 miles, get 100,000 for example). They have been running the same promo every three/four months for the last two years since I first discovered them. No, I don't fly on Avianca, I simply signed up for their frequent flyer program. I don't fly enough to earn enough miles for long distance award trips, so I buy them instead. During a LifeMiles promotion, I was able to buy enough miles for two business class tickets on Singapore Airlines from Perth, Australia to San Francisco in conjunction with a cruise on Solstice. The price was $1000 per person, which of course is a steal for business class tickets for that length of trip. And Avianca certainly isn't the only airline that runs mileage purchase bonus promotions, either.

 

While I have no ax to grind regarding Choice Air's deeply discounted one-way fares, I'm just saying that they're not the only game in town when it comes to securing discounted tickets vs. buying full one way fares from the airlines.