Air fare options the good the bad and the ugly

[Hawaiidan]

This may have been addressed elsewhere but I thought I would throw it out any way

 

Always buy your air tickets directly from the airline with the exception of Business and First class. Why pay for added fees and deviations when you can do that yourself for free ? Maintain total control over all aspects, not some 3rd party agent. If your O booked flight comes late they will not in most cases hold the ship for you. No guarantees. plus the 3rd party you bought the ticket from owns the ticket...not you and they are the ones who have to make changes...

 

Be aware that some countries charge you a tax on tour flight if your using FF miles. Britain will nail you for $360.00 if you fly out of UK in a FF ticket issued in the US.

 

There are some specialist agencies designed for Business folks and offer outstanding Contract pricing that reduce a business class fare 15 to 60% Example LAX to Paris, return Rome to LAX Business around $9600... but through them $2600-3200 about $1000 more than a crummy coach seat.... They are easy to find on the web if you look.

 

Always consider that your FF miles has a real $ value, no matter how you acquired then. of about 2-3cents per mile only use ff miles when the cost of the ticket exceeds the miles needed to be spent Spending 50,000 miles worth $1000 to $1500 to get a free ticket that you could buy for $450.. is not wise. Stated another way, would you like to buy a Rolex for the Timex price, or the Timex for the Rolex price !!

 

As a general consideration spending FF miles for first or Business class in the US or Europe is a total waste US Business /first is getting a seat 2 inches wider , 3 inches more of recline and inches more pitch In Europe, a business seat is a regular coach seat in a row of 3 with the center seat blocked. Use FF miles only for international Business or First spending $4500 forth of miles for a seat going for $15,000 works for me.

 

Reserving your FF seat months in advance can cost you more. than waiting to the last min. I routinely book 5 to 7 days before the date I want to fly Business LAX to Paris or Munich and the normal FF miles required is 300,000 to 320,000. Booking 5 to 7 days out lots of seats appear for a discount of 120,000-to 140,000. Miles Flights that eariler showed NO availability suddenly open up and for a discount... even in summer !

 

Pick un popular destinations airports Can't get a seat to Paris in July, try Lyon or Geneva ( it is a 2 hour TGV ride to Paris.)

 

Have fun

[Rob the Cruiser]

Great advice. If a person books flights themselves instead of with Oceania would they lose O-Life?

[Cruseforme]

No, you select airfare separately on web, or tell your TA simply “no air”. You will get an amount credited for the airfare back on your total. Olife choice is separate from air selection.

[Rob the Cruiser]

Now I'm really confused. Oceania terms and conditions state: "Cruise-Only Fares do not include OLife Choice amenities or airfare."

 

Is there an intermediate price that is not advertised which allows keeping OLife without flights?

[Hawaiidan]

Great advice. If a person books flights themselves instead of with Oceania would they lose O-Life?

 

 

Generaly, if you dont take O life and Air, it will save you more than you would have received from the O life. And Have your Agent give you 7-8% on board credits from him + prepaid gratuities and your way ahead of any O life benifits

[LAexNY]

You can book OLife without air.

[Hawaiidan]

Now I'm really confused. Oceania terms and conditions state: "Cruise-Only Fares do not include OLife Choice amenities or airfare."

 

Is there an intermediate price that is not advertised which allows keeping OLife without flights?

 

Rob... air fare is part of the O life benefit I think, if you dont take that portion of the O life benefit you get a refund for that portion but still retain the others like OBC and drinks. But seriously I take the lowest fare, skip the O benefits and have my agent give me a OBC or rebate equal to 7-9% of my fare base + Gratuities paid by him... He can do that and still make $$$ Push him and if he wont dump him there are plenty who will You will make out better not paying for the O life.. asn seeking " alternatives to making your own Rob-Life

[Paulchili]

There are three different fares:

1 Cruise only - no air, no O Life

2 Cruise with O Life but no air (get credit for air)

3 Cruise with O Life and air

That’ It.

[AZjohn]

Reserving your FF seat months in advance can cost you more. than waiting to the last min. I routinely book 5 to 7 days before the date I want to fly Business LAX to Paris or Munich and the normal FF miles required is 300,000 to 320,000. Booking 5 to 7 days out lots of seats appear for a discount of 120,000-to 140,000. Miles Flights that eariler showed NO availability suddenly open up and for a discount... even in summer !

Hi Hawaiidan,

You have always been preaching to the choir with me regarding flights (we are always in agreement);)

I think the above paragraph is also correct but considering this is a cruise message board, likely nobody is going to make final payment on the cruise before having flights booked.

So, just wanted to expand this a little with saying that I always book saver award flights 330 days out (one way the day they become available) to somewhere close to where we will embark understanding worse case I will have to do a short final leg on our own.

 

But, as you mentioned, likely very close to departure date a lot of saver award availability will open up and I will change flights to where/when we will catch the ship or get off. Of course there will be a change fee involved unless you have some status with airline but, it's never that much $.

 

Cheers,

John

[Paulchili]

Hi Hawaiidan,

You have always been preaching to the choir with me regarding flights (we are always in agreement);)

I think the above paragraph is also correct but considering this is a cruise message board, likely nobody is going to make final payment on the cruise before having flights booked.

So, just wanted to expand this a little with saying that I always book saver award flights 330 days out (one way the day they become available) to somewhere close to where we will embark understanding worse case I will have to do a short final leg on our own.

 

But, as you mentioned, likely very close to departure date a lot of saver award availability will open up and I will change flights to where/when we will catch the ship or get off. Of course there will be a change fee involved unless you have some status with airline but, it's never that much $.

 

Cheers,

John

 

Exactly right.

I would never pay for a cruise (especially in Europe/Asia) without having air arrangements in place.

I too get the “best available” flights at T-331/335 and change later if needed.

[PaulMCO]

My madness method is driven by UA I fly regularly. Just hit the 3MM lifetime. However the miles are indeed valuable and I do not squander them.

 

1) Do your search at T330. Especially true for scare Business Saver awards. Buy with miles anything that has saver availability. If something better shows you could cancel. Example MCO to Hong Kong was done recently -- MCO - ORD - PEK on UA then PEK - HKG on CA. Could never find a UA non-stop with a Saver. But this worked well.

2) Almost never use miles for domestic flights. Just not worth it.

3) Sometimes paying for a flight is better. We were able to go from MCO to JNB (on LH) and then Accra to MCO (on Brussels/UA) for just under 2600 pp in Business. Miles would have been 160K pp saver on Ethiopia.

4) Watch for new routes. This year we flew SYD-MCO using only 80K pp. Rare saver award was available on the new route.

5) Shop -- Shop and Shop... You do not have to get to your final destination on an award -- going to Europe. Consider just going to LHR or FRA then paying for the remainder on a paid ticket.

6) Reykjavik - is a nice place. Cheap Saga class available on Icelandic. Not a lie flat but worth the money.

7) Also do your search earlier. Yes pick some comparable dates a year earlier for planning to see what is hot and what is easily available.

8) I will always be able to get a non saver at 90 days -- but will do so under duress (did it once (one way) going to Australia)

[Hawaiidan]

Exactly right.

I would never pay for a cruise (especially in Europe/Asia) without having air arrangements in place.

I too get the “best available” flights at T-331/335 and change later if needed.

 

That used to be my game plan, but I have noticed that there are times when the T331-5 dosen't work and in those cases I go to the 7day shopping plan. And If its a shut out then I go to a Business class broker and spend 2600. Heck I am spending $2800 with miles ( earned value) so its a push and buying broker tickets is about the same as spending FF $$ So I have waited for the last min and actually got pretty good flights LAX to MUC business on a A380 Lufthansa, then MUC to CDG Paul MCO is right on saver tickets you dont get a nonstop. One question I always wonder about is if you miss your flight ( saver) and an hour later there is a non stop, would they put you n that one if space was there?.

[buggins0402]

I kind of stumbled my way into the “ get as close as you can to desination” idea with a recent saver booking. At 330 days UA had EZE to DTW...but it was a convoluted, nonstop to Newark, then crosstown to LGA to ORD, then to DTW. I decided to just grab the nonstop to Newark (what is the airport code?...I’m usually not a UA Flyer.)

 

I figured I could just buy the one way from Newark to DTW. But, if a late saver opens up, the change fee might be less than the one way Newark to DTW. However, I might run into a high price on that flight if I wait to the bitter end..and would be trying to make decisions from South America.

 

Still working on how to get down to Santiago....but, Copa seems to always have saver availability and thinking of basking in the warmth of Panama City for a few days.

[AZjohn]

(what is the airport code?...I’m usually not a UA Flyer.).

EWR. I'm a UA flyer but rather avoid stopover there flying from west cost doing TATL.

 

A little off topic but have you guys notice the prices of business to Europe the next few months? Crazy.. Even Spain is up there for some reason and this is not just UA. I'm thinking collusion from the 3 alliances but, nothing really new there.

 

Consolidated business class is fine for for most of us who posted here but, for a first timer they really need to understand the cons when things don't go as scheduled;)

[buggins0402]

John, if I buy our EWR:) to DTW, could I get a friendly agent to combine our FF flight to the purchased ticket? Hmmm....just occurred to me not to default to my usual DL on that purchase flight as UA would be more likely to get me out of a jam if there was an issue with the FF flight.

 

We rarely flew UA prior to the Sapphire...DTW is a capture market for DL. And, for some reason the routing and scheduling usually falls short for us. Although we do have one LF flight going out each day...which we’ll probably use sooner or later.

[Fam_Cruise]

For those who take O-Life Choice OBC and do not take O air

 

With free internet for everyone starting May 1 I have determined it is better to take the Cruise Only fare as the difference in price is the use or lose OBC. Why take the OBC when you can just pay cash. I find myself having to find things to use up my OBC on, so for future cruises I have changed from O-Life Choice to Cruise Only fares. NOTE: the heading above, this is for people taking OBC and not using O air. If you take the beverage package or shore excursions as part of O-Life Choice then this will probably not be advantageous.

 

Airfare for the Adventurous

 

For airfare I use RTW tickets in First or Business, which is definitely not for everyone. I tend to do more land based travel than cruises, so one must have a love for land based travel. Prices vary widely based on the country form where one starts their RTW ticket. My current ticket is a business class ticket ($2500, w/taxes and fees $3200) that I started in Cairo last September that took me home via London. This is an exceptionally low fare as Egypt devalued their currency and there was a two week window to book before all the airlines ceased booking RTW ticket ex-Egypt.

 

I then continued this RTW ticket last week to Sydney, now in Melbourne, then Hong Kong, Shanghai, Paris with an open jaw for the Riviera cruise from Monaco to Rome, then my last flight segment from Rome to Doha. Then I’m doing an award ticket to Tokyo where I'll start my next RTW first class ticket ($8600, w/taxes and fees $9500); to Hong Kong, then home, then round trip to my Vail home this summer, then Lisbon for Lisbon to Valparaiso cruise in November and then London, Paris, Doha, Kuala Lumpur, and Tokyo next May. Frequent flyer award tickets to get me from Santiago home in January and position me back to Europe for continuation of RTW ticket next May. You earn a lot of FF miles traveling RTW in business or first.

 

It takes a lot of planning, but if you’re a travelholic like me that’s half the fun.

[AZjohn]

John, if I buy our EWR:) to DTW, could I get a friendly agent to...

On UA? They don't have any friendly agents at EWR...... (just joking around:D)

 

It takes a lot of planning, but if you’re a travelholic like me that’s half the fun.

OK Bob, your whole itinerary blows away any travel plans I ever made in my life. When I meet you on the Riviera you need to go into more details how you became a crazy man:loudcry:

[Fam_Cruise]

OK Bob, your whole itinerary blows away any travel plans I ever made in my life. When I meet you on the Riviera you need to go into more details how you became a crazy man:loudcry:

LOL I'd be happy to. All three alliances have published RTW fares, and Circle Pacific fares, and prices vary based on the country where you originate your travel. Also the detailed rules vary widely from one alliance to another. A good resource for information are the Global Airline Alliances forums on Flyertalk. The airline alliance websites also have info too.

[airtana]

EWR. I'm a UA flyer but rather avoid stopover there flying from west cost doing TATL.

 

A little off topic but have you guys notice the prices of business to Europe the next few months? Crazy.. Even Spain is up there for some reason and this is not just UA. I'm thinking collusion from the 3 alliances but, nothing really new there.

 

Consolidated business class is fine for for most of us who posted here but, for a first timer they really need to understand the cons when things don't go as scheduled;)

 

 

I have considered using a consolidated business class agency I saw advertised on TravelZoo and since I would be a first timer, can you elaborate on the cons associated with things not going as scheduled??? Any insights would be appreciated.

[AZjohn]

I have considered using a consolidated business class agency I saw advertised on TravelZoo and since I would be a first timer, can you elaborate on the cons associated with things not going as scheduled??? Any insights would be appreciated.

Hi,

 

I would suggest you google "pros and cons of consolidator tickets" (or something similar) and research for a while as it takes some time to understand.

 

As a real brief summary, the large majority of time the tickets work just fine and life is good. It's on the rare chance the company you purchased from goes out of business or your specific flight is cancelled or you need to change it. These tickets do not have the same rights as normal passenger tickets who purchased themselves from the airline.

 

Large companies use consolidator's for employee travel as they are able to to financially recovery from those rare occasions that something goes wrong. My own example is once flying for work and a large storm was coming which likely going to cause airport to shut down. I just purchased another ticket to get out a day earlier (had company pay for it) as I couldn't change the original consolidator ticket. Many more examples so that is why I suggest research on your own.

 

Cheers,

John

[SMNYCruise]

For our January 2019 cruise we booked O-Life Choice with OBC and without air. Would have preferred cruise only, but was told that we couldn’t do that since we booked with an alumni travel group.

[LHT28]

For our January 2019 cruise we booked O-Life Choice with OBC and without air. Would have preferred cruise only, but was told that we couldn’t do that since we booked with an alumni travel group.

probably more to do with your alumni group I would ask them if the cruise only fare is an option

[SMNYCruise]

probably more to do with your alumni group I would ask them if the cruise only fare is an option

 

Unfortunately, I checked with both Oceania and the alumni group and booking without O-life Choice is not an option.

We did save a lot by booking our own air.

[Rob the Cruiser]

These explanations about how O Life works relative to flights will help us save thousands of dollars by booking ourselves.

 

Thanks everyone.

 

Hawaiidan - Mahalo!

[Hawaiidan]

John, if I buy our EWR:) to DTW, could I get a friendly agent to combine our FF flight to the purchased ticket? Hmmm....just occurred to me not to default to my usual DL on that purchase flight as UA would be more likely to get me out of a jam if there was an issue with the FF flight.

 

/quote]

 

Well as some know about the power of the gate. who has the power to do anything to please.. However its the PSR agents at the counter its all revenue in the computer You can not as I remember combine a ff ticket and a $$ ticket The exception being for upgrade purchase. However, you violating one of the 7 deadly sins of air travel. Your using FF miles for domestic travel which is a total waste.

 

Add your ff miles up using 2-3 cents and then see what you could buy the ticket for. In almost every case buying the ticket is much cheaper, gives you better flights and you save for an international ticket ( I spent 120,000FF miles for a $15,000 ticket recently in business, UAL and others wanted 110,000 miles for a flight to Boston from LAX , which I could have purchased for $2500.00 ...........thats a 12,000 savings using for international And I would have spent $2750 in FF mile value to get a $2500 ticket....getting take to the cleaners for $ 250.00 !!!!

 

BUY your domestic tickets.... the value you get is awful, in most cases you will spend 2 times the cost in FF value than you could have bought a ticket for.... Your buying a Timex for the Rolex price !!!!! Think this through amigo