Princess EZ Air Flexible Fare Questions

[goforyourdreams]

I booked our international flight through Princess EZ Air.  I talked to the Princess reps twice before booking the flight through Princess EZ Air website, but they gave me conflicting info and didn't seem to know what they are talking about.  I'm hoping maybe you guys can answer by questions :)

 

1) The flexible fare that I got was $500 per ticket less than restricted fare, which doesn't seem right.  What is the catch? 

 

2) Is the price on my booking confirmation locked, or can I end up having to pay more if ticket prices go up (since I haven't paid anything yet)?

 

3) Since I selected a direct flight (and there are very few direct flights there), is it guaranteed that this is the flight I get, or can they put me on a different (non-direct) flight?   I'm flying with kids, so getting a direct flight is really important. 

 

4) Is it worth calling Princess air department today and pay for those flights, so they can issue tickets and make them restricted? 

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

[fishywood]

1) By buying from resellers in bulk, Princess can obtain fare class codes that are flexible for less than non-flexible. The catch is that flexible works both ways; until you are ticketed the airline can make whatever changes, or even withdraw the combination of flights (for those that are not flying non-stop) from those that are acceptable to them.

 

2 & 3) No, the fare should not change between now and final payment as long as the itinerary does not. But as noted above, the non-stop flight you are tentatively booked on may be changed to an unworkable time, or even withdrawn from the bottom-of-the-chain-even-though-flexible fare class that EZAir uses. It is unusual but not impossible. 

 

4) Even if you made payment right now the request to be ticketed before the 45 day cutoff for changes is only just a request. I would keep things flexible by not making the payment early so you are not locked into the single alternative offered should your currently booked flights undergo changes. 

[Colo Cruiser]

No there is no catch.

They have been offering better flexible fares then restricted for more than a year.

Why would you want to take away the benefits of the flexible fare and make your ticket restricted?  🤔

[AJs Grandpa]

There are lots of posts re EZ Air to be found on this board.  to be succinct, here are answers to your questions:

 

1.  Flexible tickets are often less expensive than restricted.  Nobody but the airline gods knows why.  But, it is the only way to go because you can make changes--or simply cancel--without penalty up to 45 days prior to departure.

 

2.  No, the price won't go up as long as you don't make any changes.  Naturally, you will pay the prices current at the time of your change--maybe higher; maybe lower.

 

3.  Neither Princess nor any travel consolidator can guarantee the airlines won't change flights.  You have the same risk when you book directly with any airline.

 

4.  The only advantage of paying for the flights early is that some airlines won't allow you to pick seats until paid.  Paying early negates the biggest advantage of choosing flexible fares--any changes after that will be subject to the new fare and probably change fees.

 

I am a big fan of EZ Air.  Earlier today I booked a flexible fare to Montreal from California and from Ft. Lauderdale back to California for $120 per person less than the same flights could be booked directly with Delta.  The flights are next October, and I know Delta is likely to tweak the schedule between now and then.  However, I am locked in at a great rate and can make changes without penalty if necessary.  Meanwhile the money for airfare stays in my pocket.

 

Good luck.

Edited December 17, 2018 by AJs Grandpa

[Astro Flyer]

13 minutes ago, goforyourdreams said:

I booked our international flight through Princess EZ Air.  I talked to the Princess reps twice before booking the flight through Princess EZ Air website, but they gave me conflicting info and didn't seem to know what they are talking about.  I'm hoping maybe you guys can answer by questions 🙂

 

1) The flexible fare that I got was $500 per ticket less than restricted fare, which doesn't seem right.  What is the catch?  No catch but it’s hard to understand why that’s possible.

 

2) Is the price on my booking confirmation locked, or can I end up having to pay more if ticket prices go up (since I haven't paid anything yet)?  Your airfare won’t increase.

 

3) Since I selected a direct flight (and there are very few direct flights there), is it guaranteed that this is the flight I get, or can they put me on a different (non-direct) flight?   I'm flying with kids, so getting a direct flight is really important.  It’s been my experience that such changes are made by the airline no matter how we book it.  I had a directly booked non-stop flight that was changed to having a connection.  In that situation I called to get a better routing but not a non-stop like I originally booked.

 

4) Is it worth calling Princess air department today and pay for those flights, so they can issue tickets and make them restricted?   Don’t think that would help because it’s been my experience that airlines make changes not Princess.  By switching to Restricted you lose all of the Flexible benefits such as being refundable & changeable.  By regularly checking EZair flights I’ve saved nearly 60% & had better flights than originally booked with Flexible airfares.

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

These have been my experiences & for me Flexible EZair has always been the best option.

[Babewho]

2 hours ago, AJs Grandpa said:

There are lots of posts re EZ Air to be found on this board.  to be succinct, here are answers to your questions:

 

1.  Flexible tickets are often less expensive than restricted.  Nobody but the airline gods knows why.  But, it is the only way to go because you can make changes--or simply cancel--without penalty up to 45 days prior to departure.

 

2.  No, the price won't go up as long as you don't make any changes.  Naturally, you will pay the prices current at the time of your change--maybe higher; maybe lower.

 

3.  Neither Princess nor any travel consolidator can guarantee the airlines won't change flights.  You have the same risk when you book directly with any airline.

 

4.  The only advantage of paying for the flights early is that some airlines won't allow you to pick seats until paid.  Paying early negates the biggest advantage of choosing flexible fares--any changes after that will be subject to the new fare and probably change fees.

 

I am a big fan of EZ Air.  Earlier today I booked a flexible fare to Montreal from California and from Ft. Lauderdale back to California for $120 per person less than the same flights could be booked directly with Delta.  The flights are next October, and I know Delta is likely to tweak the schedule between now and then.  However, I am locked in at a great rate and can make changes without penalty if necessary.  Meanwhile the money for airfare stays in my pocket.

 

Good luck.

We must be on the same cruise.  I got a great deal for CA to Quebec City and Ft. Lauderdale back to California at the end of October.  It was hundreds less than anything I could find looking for myself.

 

I booked through my travel agent, so it was very easy for me.  Our flight from FLL to SFO was changed today, but it is actually better than the original flight, and the cost is the same.

 

This is my first time using EZ Air, and so far I'm very impressed.

[diane.in.ny]

EZAir is the usually the best way to go. The only problem you may run into is if the AIRLINE changes the schedule. 

 

We had that happen to us and the new flight time (after the cruise) was now not within the Princess guidelines for the earliest flight after disembarking. If we were to rebook, we would be paying, literally, double what we had booked. (This was from US to AUS, RT)

 

I called Princess and told the rep we were willing to fly home the next day if we could keep the same fare on the new schedule. No problem. 

[skynight]

On 12/17/2018 at 4:28 PM, goforyourdreams said:

I booked our international flight through Princess EZ Air.  I talked to the Princess reps twice before booking the flight through Princess EZ Air website, but they gave me conflicting info and didn't seem to know what they are talking about.  I'm hoping maybe you guys can answer by questions 🙂

 

1) The flexible fare that I got was $500 per ticket less than restricted fare, which doesn't seem right.  What is the catch? 

Answered, No catch

2) Is the price on my booking confirmation locked, or can I end up having to pay more if ticket prices go up (since I haven't paid anything yet)?

EZ Air is paid when you make the final cruise payment. You may make changes up until 45 days before the flight. Your price will not be higher providing you do not change flights. If the price goes lower you can get it. Keep watching. Some airlines allow you to select seats before the seat is actually ticketed, some do not.

 

3) Since I selected a direct flight (and there are very few direct flights there), is it guaranteed that this is the flight I get, or can they put me on a different (non-direct) flight?   I'm flying with kids, so getting a direct flight is really important.

This is the tricky part. Princess has timing for flights at different home ports. For example, if embarking/disembarking in Ft. Lauderdale your flights must at least arrive/depart FLL 90 minutes before sailing and 4 1/2 hours after ship arrival. If the airline changes their flight schedules, and the new schedule does not fit into the time frame windows your flights will be changed. Airlines change flights all the time so you have to keep watching.

 

4) Is it worth calling Princess air department today and pay for those flights, so they can issue tickets and make them restricted?

Generally No.

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

Although you have received some great answers above is some additional information

[billco]

We have been booked on an April, 2019 TA since last June. I check our EzAir bookings every morning. I have rebooked the same flights at least four times due to fare reductions. Looks like that is at an end, because the fares have been steadily rising. About $400 more now than our current booking. But, I'll keep checking, because every once in a while there will be a better deal for some unexplainable reason.

[georgiacat]

Check with the airline website about obtaining seat reservations.  Delta lets you reserve your seats before final payment with EZ Air.  You need the flight reservation number, that is different from the booking number for the cruise, but you can generally find it on the EZ Air reservation.

[jagsfan]

Since our over the water on Virgin equipment will be ticketed on Delta, does anyone know if our Z class (Upper) ticket allows us to use Virgin’s lounge at Heathrow and/or Delta’s in Atlanta? 

The shows a link to the lounges, but that may be a default. 

Edited December 22, 2018 by jagsfan

[Geo_Bay]

21 hours ago, billco said:

We have been booked on an April, 2019 TA since last June. I check our EzAir bookings every morning. I have rebooked the same flights at least four times due to fare reductions. Looks like that is at an end, because the fares have been steadily rising. About $400 more now than our current booking. But, I'll keep checking, because every once in a while there will be a better deal for some unexplainable reason.

So how do you check the flight prices, if you already have a booking through EzAir? Because when you go on to your cruise personalizer your flight booking is showing and I’m unable to check to see if the prices for the flight has changed. 

[billco]

34 minutes ago, Geo_Bay said:

So how do you check the flight prices, if you already have a booking through EzAir? Because when you go on to your cruise personalizer your flight booking is showing and I’m unable to check to see if the prices for the flight has changed. 

There are two ways I use. Scroll down to "Add or Modify Flights" and do a search for the same itinerary or go to Find Cruises, do a search for your cruise and do a flight quote.

[2theship]

40 minutes ago, billco said:

There are two ways I use. Scroll down to "Add or Modify Flights" and do a search for the same itinerary or go to Find Cruises, do a search for your cruise and do a flight quote.

I usually do a search for my cruise without logging into my account. Then I look at flight quotes. I don't choose the "Add or Modify Flights" option unless I know I want to make a change. I think I'm afraid that I'll accidentally cancel my flights.

[billco]

1 minute ago, 2theship said:

I usually do a search for my cruise without logging into my account. Then I look at flight quotes. I don't choose the "Add or Modify Flights" option unless I know I want to make a change. I think I'm afraid that I'll accidentally cancel my flights.

I understand, but there are several steps you would have to go through, including confirming the change, before that would happen. I do it every morning and haven't had an issue yet.

[terry&mike]

I just changed my flights this week on EZ Air, and you would not be able to cancel your original flights without really intending to do it. Once you have selected Add or Modify Flights option, and find the flight routing/price you want you have to click to accept these new flights. Once you click that, then another pop up comes up that says "you will be cancelling your previously booked flights, are you sure you want to do this", and you have to acknowledge that also to be able to go forward.

 

The only caution might be that be sure you really want the new price and schedule, as once you have cancelled your originally held schedule you may not be able to get it again. I accepted a new price and routing that is much more to my liking, so am happy; but I can see my old price and routing is on offer now for $65 more pp than what I had it held at.

[Colo Cruiser]

1 hour ago, 2theship said:

I usually do a search for my cruise without logging into my account. Then I look at flight quotes. I don't choose the "Add or Modify Flights" option unless I know I want to make a change. I think I'm afraid that I'll accidentally cancel my flights.

I have found a few times this method to be inaccurate once I go back into the booking and search for the same flights/price.

As stated it would be hard to cancel your current flights unless you actually hit cancel.

For me it has worked really well. 

[Coral]

1 hour ago, Colo Cruiser said:

I have found a few times this method to be inaccurate once I go back into the booking and search for the same flights/price.

As stated it would be hard to cancel your current flights unless you actually hit cancel.

For me it has worked really well. 

I have also found this to not be accurate.

[flamomo]

Some of the recent domestic EZAir fares are beyond amazing. I booked a one way direct flight from Tampa to LAX for a cruise next Spring on Delta for $60!! The person I am traveling with had originally planned to go out separately by herself to visit with friends, so I only booked mine. Subsequently, she changed her plans and decided to go when I do. I checked EZAir and was able to get her on the same flight for $125.  Still a very decent fare, but not quite the deal that I got!

[Astro Flyer]

8 minutes ago, flamomo said:

Some of the recent domestic EZAir fares are beyond amazing. I booked a one way direct flight from Tampa to LAX for a cruise next Spring on Delta for $60!! The person I am traveling with had originally planned to go out separately by herself to visit with friends, so I only booked mine. Subsequently, she changed her plans and decided to go when I do. I checked EZAir and was able to get her on the same flight for $125.  Still a very decent fare, but not quite the deal that I got!

Good to know that some domestic flights are now well priced.  

 

My past experiences have been that shorter domestic flights were more expensive than long international flights from the USA.  LAX to Barcelona was $241 and FLL to LAX was over $300 so we used SWA points instead.

 

EZair flights for our next domestic USA flight should be available in a couple weeks & hope to find good airfares like you.