Viking Air and business class

[Hockeyump]

Not all business class seats are the same. I’ve found some premium economy seats that are wider with more leg room and with better recline than some business class seats.

Seatguru.com is an excellent site that will give you width, pitch, recline and reviews on every plane. I never book a flight without checking this site. I frequently save money by booking a lower class seat on a different airline with better space.

 

That's what we do as well. Never book any flights without checking Seatguru and then telling our TA what seats we want!

[Hockeyump]

Thanks. At least there is that.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

You can also buy lounge passes but don't have any experience of what the cost is or what you get. We are flying out from Bangkok at the other end of the day - flight departs at 9:30am so that'll be an early leave from the ship.

[sherrar]

Huge thanks for that, but I’m going to ring Viking today just to check.

Silly point: we’ve been with the British Airways Executive Club for years and we’re used to using their app on our phones. Pleased to say that all the flight details are there and correct included seat numbers. Hope nothing gets changed. Thanks again , and hope you have a great time.

 

And you - let us know how you get on with Viking. We fly on 7th September - what's your flight date?

[wildcat68]

Just to drop in on this thread....

 

Norwegian air Premium Class is not a business class, I just want to say that to get it out of the way, they initially tried to sell it as a business class and got a lot of heat for that, what it is is a premium economy product, but think of EU airlines, not the premium economy that US airlines try to sell....Confused yet ???? :p

 

Now that things are less clear, let me try to explain the product.....

 

If you are traveling as a couple, select 2 seats to the side, the 3 middle seats are the same seat, but it's better for couples on the side....Yeah that sounds wrong, but you get what I mean....

 

The seat itself is a nice recliner, very similar to a domestic US first seat, just with more legroom. The IFE is good, though honestly the selection can be a little limited, you will get a decent pillow and a nice blanket (I actually wanted to steal one to use at home on cold winter nights) and two meals...

 

Now the meals are very hit or miss, I advise trying to get seats in the 2nd row if you can, there are 3 choices for the food, but by the 3rd row the obvious good meal is gone, the food itself is a step up from a regular economy meal, but only just, you will get a breakfast meal as well, but it will be something like cold cuts with some sliced fruit, nothing like a true business class meal......BTW, the first row is right by the toilets which can be a little aggravating. You also do not want row 5, this row does not have a window.

 

The service has been good on our flights, nothing amazing but consistently good.

 

At LAX you will have access to the One World Lounge which is very nice, get to the airport a little early and enjoy dinner there.

 

The one thing that did sort off suck with them is they tend to use the remote gates at LAX for boarding (LAX is going through a lot of construction right now) and the bus gates are a hike from the lounge and even when you get one the bus, they will wait until the thing is crammed, not Norwegians fault, LAX control the buses.

 

Anyways, in brief, good seat, good to blah food, but the price is hard to beat, if I can't get flights using miles on other airlines Norwegian would be my first choice.

 

Thanks, that is in line with my expectations. I appreciate the post.

[Parsley Cruises]

And you - let us know how you get on with Viking. We fly on 7th September - what's your flight date?

Not had time to ring today, I’ll do it tomorrow. Our flight is a course of weeks later than yours.

[Parsley Cruises]

Hi Sherrar,

 

Just talked to Viking. I mentioned to them that on the last confirmation/invoice we received that there is no mention of the flight numbers we have booked, and that I can't find it in MVJ etc.

 

I also said that as regular BA Exec Club passengers we each have an app on our phones, and that all the details are safely showing correctly, with our selected seat numbers as well.

 

Apparently once we have paid the final balance the flight details etc will also be shown on the Viking website, but for us at the moment we can take comfort from the fact that the flight reservation numbers have been issued, the flight details have been confirmed, and we have out of habit really gone one step further and selected our seat number choice.

 

I just wanted to check that everything is in order for us because we are flying in and out of different airports, so it means driving to LHR, parking the car and having transport to LGW, staying a night and flying the next morning. Then the car is waiting for us at LHR, late of an evening when we get back to the UK.

 

I hope that all goes smoothly for you - have a great time.

[Hockeyump]

That's interesting as we upgraded our flights to business, paid the supplement and all the details on MVJ the next day. We don't pay the final balance until December. Only difference I can see is we're Emirates not BA.

[noe4laj]

We've just booked our flights and the return leaves late in the day. They haven't told us yet other than we'd be the last off the ship on debarkation.

 

So, basically, no one so far has actually experienced a late flight with Viking? Since the ship will be overnighting in Bangkok the day of our departure, maybe they will let us hang out on the ship.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[noe4laj]

Our return flight starts in Aukland. It doesn't leave until early evening.

 

What city will you be departing from? Folks here may be able to point you to a day-storage solution for your luggage. The logistics will depend on distance from port to airport as well.

 

When we arrived in Barcelona at the end of our transatlantic, we did a semi-private day tour.

They picked us up at the port (around 8 AM) and our luggage was stowed in the van. We did a full day tour. We ended up being dropped (with our bags) at our hotel around 4 PM.

 

You could use this method for a day-of departure. You may prefer to go private tour since that will give you the ability to specify what you want to see and the time you would like to be dropped at the airport.

 

You may want to start a separate thread that includes the city in the title---this is being lost in the Business Air thread. That way you might get more helpful responses and suggestions for tour companies in your city.

[golfguyhhi]

noe4laj,

 

You say "Our return flight starts in Aukland. It doesn't leave until early evening."

Is your flight on December 30, 2018? Are you on the Air New Zealand/United codeshare to Houston? And, is that the flight you requested?

I'm asking because I paid the $50 each for my wife and I for Custom Air, gave my TA the flights I wanted and was told by Viking that they "didn't have the proper fare arrangements with American" (my requested flight) and that they were giving me the above mentioned flight to Houston, which leaves at 7:20 PM, almost 12 hours after having to leave the ship. Viking felt they were doing me a great service as this is a one-stop, versus the 2-stop I requested (which leaves at 3:20 -- more convenient for a 9 AM disembarkation).

Same thing happened for my request for flights to Sydney for the start of the cruise. Didn't get what I requested as neither American nor Delta "offered the proper fare class", and Qantas only offered it out of San Francisco (but not Los Angeles) so we arrive in Sydney at 6:15 AM, about 5 hours before we can board.

I paid $100 and didn't get any of the flights I wanted. But I know Viking will not refund the fee (which Oceania will do).

Oh well. I bet the cruise will be excellent.

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

We will be using Viking Air in December to go from US to Auckland and then from Sydney back to the US. My concern is that we booked business class but not knowing which airline they will be booking us on, business class can vary quite significantly. Does anyone know which airlines they typically book blocks of seats with to New Zealand and Australia? We will be paying the 50$ which will give us more choice.

[Focused1]

We will be using Viking Air in December to go from US to Auckland and then from Sydney back to the US. My concern is that we booked business class but not knowing which airline they will be booking us on, business class can vary quite significantly. Does anyone know which airlines they typically book blocks of seats with to New Zealand and Australia? We will be paying the 50$ which will give us more choice.

 

We are sailing on the Orion in February (Auckland to Sydney). Already have our Viking air business class reservation paying the $50/pp deviation fee. They offered us both United or Air New Zealand. Took United through San Francisco and return through Houston. No problem getting the itinerary we wanted through Viking.

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

We are sailing on the Orion in February (Auckland to Sydney). Already have our Viking air business class reservation paying the $50/pp deviation fee. They offered us both United or Air New Zealand. Took United through San Francisco and return through Houston. No problem getting the itinerary we wanted through Viking.

 

 

Thanks so much for your comments! We were told we could not book yet, so we will be contacting our TA first thing on Monday to book. So happy to hear you were able to get the itinerary you wanted. I think either United or Air Zealand will have good business class. We figured we'd be going out of either SF or LAX, but I can see Houston being an option as well.

 

Are you going in a day early, or going straight onboard ship? Time wise we are set to go straight onboard rather than going in a day or two early as we typically do. Our time is limited on this trip since it is a two week cruise, so we just couldn't spare any more time away. Some on this board have said that is really risky....but Viking has promised to get us there one way or another, I guess we'll just have to trust them. I am worried about our mid-west weather however. We could be in the midst of a nasty storm.

[Just4funn]

My response disappeared for some reason so here we go again:

 

I don’t know the Busness class price if you buy it through Viking. The Vikings upgrade to Busness cost more than our Buisness class tickets we booked ourselves.

I also read on another thread that Viking Economy might be Ok but Business is not (price wise)

Viking requires a separate fee to upgrade even to participate in the scheduling of your tickets. I think this may be another indication that Viking is expanding too fast and may be running short of cash. If this were true then who knows when they could just shut down and leave customers high and dry? Most mainline cruises don't require additional fees for upgrading air service, just pay the difference.

[Azulann]

Viking requires a separate fee to upgrade even to participate in the scheduling of your tickets. I think this may be another indication that Viking is expanding too fast and may be running short of cash. If this were true then who knows when they could just shut down and leave customers high and dry? Most mainline cruises don't require additional fees for upgrading air service, just pay the difference.

Your post is confusing.

If you chose to use Viking Air for the price they quoted you then you will get a ticket from them with maybe one or two or more ocnnections to get to and from your cruise.

One can pay $50.00 for Air Plus , which give you more say in choosing your flight times and number of connections and the airline you would like.

In terms of upgrading, I did that myself after getting Airplus. I upgraded to economy comfort for the return from Barcelona to the US at the end of my cruise. I paid for the upgrade on the UA web site. Viking had nothing to do with it.

As to business class fare, Viking has that option. Again it it totally up to the passenger, if you think that is a good deal. If you think you can get a better deal then buy your tickets on your own and not use Viking Air. No one is forced to use Viking Air.

You can book cruise without their airfare promotion. In fact it is listed that way on all their particular cruises.

Your speculationa about other cruise air vs Viking Air is just that speculation.

You seem to be very worried about their business model , pricing etc.

If you have such grave concerns, I would find another cruise line that gives you peace of mind.

[Vineyard View]

Viking requires a separate fee to upgrade even to participate in the scheduling of your tickets. I think this may be another indication that Viking is expanding too fast and may be running short of cash. If this were true then who knows when they could just shut down and leave customers high and dry? Most mainline cruises don't require additional fees for upgrading air service, just pay the difference.

 

You seem determined on all of your posts on the Viking forum to try to spread this message. I am not sure what your intent is? If I were so continually concerned about the financial integrity of Viking, I am quite certain that I would not engage with them and would find another company/cruise line that met my expectations better? We have none of these concerns, and we always purchase travel insurance regardless of which cruise line we travel with.

[Heidi13]

Viking requires a separate fee to upgrade even to participate in the scheduling of your tickets. I think this may be another indication that Viking is expanding too fast and may be running short of cash. If this were true then who knows when they could just shut down and leave customers high and dry? Most mainline cruises don't require additional fees for upgrading air service, just pay the difference.

 

The mainstream mega ship lines may not charge additional fees for their air service, but they sure do once you board their ships. Our upcoming Viking cruise is virtually all-inclusive. Think I'll happily pay $50 for Air Plus and not be bombarded with extra fees while on holiday.

 

As others mentioned, if you are this concerned with the Viking business model, cancel and head back to the mega ships that obviously have no cash flow problems, as most pax depart the ships with huge bills.

 

Personally, I'll stick with Viking and happily pay $50 to ensure we fly on a "One World" airline, so we rack up the BA Avios points on our free business class flights.

[cmaasfamily]

Scene: Viking Board Room

 

Chairman: Gentlemen, the situation is dire. We are expanding and not all of our sailings are selling out a year in advance! We need cash fast.

 

Marketing VP: Sir, I have an idea: air deviation fees.

 

Chairman: I'm listening.

 

CFO: Brilliant! Let's see... if we could charge, say, $50 person, then we'd only need, hmmm, 38 million suckers, I--I mean customers, to pay it and our next three ships are paid for!

 

VP Sales: We're on it! Man the phones! From now on NOBODY sails without Air Deviation! We're gonna be rich!

 

<curtain>

[Heidi13]

Scene: Viking Board Room

 

Chairman: Gentlemen, the situation is dire. We are expanding and not all of our sailings are selling out a year in advance! We need cash fast.

 

Marketing VP: Sir, I have an idea: air deviation fees.

 

Chairman: I'm listening.

 

CFO: Brilliant! Let's see... if we could charge, say, $50 person, then we'd only need, hmmm, 38 million suckers, I--I mean customers, to pay it and our next three ships are paid for!

 

VP Sales: We're on it! Man the phones! From now on NOBODY sails without Air Deviation! We're gonna be rich!

 

<curtain>

 

Ha Ha!!! brilliant. My thoughts entirely.

[auldlassie]

Air Deviation fees for bespoke flight options are actually pretty standard on luxury cruise lines and have been for years. Viking is probably very happy not only to make more money, but to align itself with the more upmarket cruise lines. :) If it involves them in more work (i.e. booking flight itineraries where they would not normally hold an allocation) I can well understand why they would charge it.

 

BTW, I also agree with an earlier poster, Norwegian Air is regarded as a low cost budget airline, so don't expect "national carrier" business class standards. Expect low cost ones. Quite a difference, not merely in price. Their "business" class is like a premium economy, but even at that, a premium economy "low cost airline" standard. Nothing inherently wrong with that as long as it is understood before you book that you are comfortable with that level of cost/service balance. Perhaps a shock if you have not done your homework.

[Focused1]

The mainstream mega ship lines may not charge additional fees for their air service, but they sure do once you board their ships. Our upcoming Viking cruise is virtually all-inclusive. Think I'll happily pay $50 for Air Plus and not be bombarded with extra fees while on holiday.

 

As others mentioned, if you are this concerned with the Viking business model, cancel and head back to the mega ships that obviously have no cash flow problems, as most pax depart the ships with huge bills.

 

Personally, I'll stick with Viking and happily pay $50 to ensure we fly on a "One World" airline, so we rack up the BA Avios points on our free business class flights.

 

Totally agree. I fact, $50 is a bargain to pay for deviation. Regent charges $150 which I also gladly pay to secure the best itinerary.

[Focused1]

Thanks so much for your comments! We were told we could not book yet, so we will be contacting our TA first thing on Monday to book. So happy to hear you were able to get the itinerary you wanted. I think either United or Air Zealand will have good business class. We figured we'd be going out of either SF or LAX, but I can see Houston being an option as well.

 

Are you going in a day early, or going straight onboard ship? Time wise we are set to go straight onboard rather than going in a day or two early as we typically do. Our time is limited on this trip since it is a two week cruise, so we just couldn't spare any more time away. Some on this board have said that is really risky....but Viking has promised to get us there one way or another, I guess we'll just have to trust them. I am worried about our mid-west weather however. We could be in the midst of a nasty storm.

 

We are going in two days earlier to acclimate with the time change. You are correct in your assumption that if you are using Viking air, they will get you to the ship one way or another at their expense. Don’t worry about it and fingers crossed that you won’t get stuck in one of those Midwest storms. We are coming in from Raleigh which has been known to have snow storms or ice storms in February.

[stretchcruz]

Focused1, are you on the Feb 24 sailing? We are as well and we are continuing from Sydney to Bali. How much additional did you pay for business class? We are paying $1395 for the air, then $50 to customize, then $100 add'l because we are staying 2 extra nights in Bali. Thank you!!

[vnb2003]

Totally agree. I fact, $50 is a bargain to pay for deviation. Regent charges $150 which I also gladly pay to secure the best itinerary.

A small correction. You pay $50pp for Air Plus (for some itineraries more). In addition, you would need to pay $100pp if you want to arrive/depart earlier/later than cruise dates.

Deviation is $100 pp + $50 pp for Air Plus

[sherrar]

Hi Parsley Cruises

 

We paid our final balance to the TA last Tuesday - 29th May. Flights not on MVJ yet but I will keep checking and let you know.