Viking Air Plus and Upgrading with miles

[uilleann]

We are considering a river cruise Moscow to St. Petersburg.  Viking offers free air fare from select cities.

 

We live in Portalnd OR.  And I have lots of American Airlines miles.  We hate stops so we go for non-stops.

 

Or best way to Europe is to buy British Airways coach tickets from Seatle to London and then the final destination.  And we do this through American as BA is a partner airline and then we use our miles to upgrade to business..

 

So I talked with Viking and they say they have Air Plus where for $50/p I can pick the airline I want.  But I am not sure how that works if I want to upgrade.  And its further complicated by the fact that the flight is BA but it is arranged and upgraded by AA.   The Viking person said they do not get involved with the upgrades.  And it is not clear to me if Viking has some negotiated airline rate that might prohibit me from upgrading?

 

Anybody with experience related to this?

[TGBoss]

We did not have any luck upgrading on AA when we used Viking air. Not Viking's fault, just American's policy.

 

We naively thought that since we'd be giving AA miles and money, we'd be upgraded the day we requested. But AA grants those only if they don't sell all the business seats. So in our case, we were out of luck. Hope you have better luck!

[RDC1]

You can always try to find out from Viking what rate code they would be booking you under (if they even know, which they might not) and then check with American and see if it was applicable for miles upgrade.

[mskaufman]

I'm planning for this summer and learning things.  The best I understand is that the cruise lines buy "contract rates" from the airlines so whether or not you can update depends on exactly what Viking purchased.  Determining the rate code might help.

[3rdCoastFan]

We're doing Viking's Rhine Getaway with flights from Chicago to Amsterdam and then Basel to Chicago on the way back. We paid for Air Plus as I wanted to make sure I was on Star Alliance flights so I could credit miles to my United MileagePlus account.

 

As others have said, knowing what fare class Viking will book you in is key. When I asked Viking about that before booking flights, however, I was told that they couldn't share that information. That said, I booked United for our outbound flight and Lufthansa for the return. The tickets turned out to be K and T fares, respectively. 

 

K fares on United are considered "deep discount coach" and are second to last on the pecking order for any sort of automatic upgrades. United will let anyone upgrade with miles, regardless of fare class, provided there is upgrade availability (there may be 30 business seats on a 763 but only a handful are made available for upgrades; on United, this class is PN and the number can fluctuate). The original fare class may determine the copay, ranging from $0 to $500, that goes along with the miles. Meanwhile, A T fare on Lufthansa is also 'deep discount coach'. However, no amount of MileagePlus miles will ever get me an upgrade from Lufthansa. I can't even use an upgrade certificate since I have a T fare. I was able to upgrade by paying cash. 

 

Point being, the fare class for the tickets issued by Viking will largely determine how/if you can upgrade. This chart lays it out pretty well: https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-program/miles/redeem/award-travel/upgrade-with-miles-on-partner-airlines.jsp 

 

EDIT: And according to the chart, Viking would have to book you in Y or B on BA in order for you to use AA miles. The extra cost for a full-fare Y may still be less than paying for business (or premium economy) outright. 

Edited January 8, 2019 by 3rdCoastFan

[SbbquilterUT]

We are on that cruise itinerary in July and are not able to upgrade our seats flying KLM/ Delta.  According to Delta, the seats included with our tour are not eligible.  I will try again when we hit the 90 day window but am prepared to be happy with our seats (2-4-2 configuration on the international flights).  Good luck.

[bafinegan]

Same here Sbbquilter.  We are doing the Rhine getaway in Sept 2019.   When I called to upgrade with miles, Delta said we couldn't d/t the fare code of the seats Viking booked.  Seeing as we got our seats for $549pp (air plus rate), will be very happy with our 2-4-2 configueration (our seats our 2 of the 2-4-2).

 

baf

[scrap47]

We just booked our flights for September Basel to Amsterdam.  We are flying from our home town to Minneapolis to Amsterdam to Zurich and then Amsterdam - Minneapolis, etc. coming home. We are on Delta and were able to upgrade to Delta Comfort for the round trip for a little over $200 a person.  when I first called in to air plus, the option was flying us from our home airport to Atlanta with a 9 hour layover before the flight to Zurich.  My husband said no way!  So the next night I called again and got a different option.  Another quirk was the upgrade was $320 the first time I called, then it went down to $275 and when we booked it was even less!  My sister & hubby  are flying from Boston and did not have good options either with their first call - then after I told her my results, she called back and got a direct to Amsterdam and will be on same flight to Zurich as we are and her upgrades were just a little over $100 each.  Moral of the story for me - there are sometimes better options.  Call again!  Yes, we have one additional stop on the way over but it’s 4 hours less travel time than the original option and we'll be meeting up with our travel companions in Amsterdam so if there is any delay, we'll be together.  (We are going 3 days prior and renting a car in Switzerland)

[mskaufman]

6 hours ago, scrap47 said:

We just booked our flights for September Basel to Amsterdam.  We are flying from our home town to Minneapolis to Amsterdam to Zurich and then Amsterdam - Minneapolis, etc. coming home. We are on Delta and were able to upgrade to Delta Comfort for the round trip for a little over $200 a person.  when I first called in to air plus, the option was flying us from our home airport to Atlanta with a 9 hour layover before the flight to Zurich.  My husband said no way!  So the next night I called again and got a different option.  Another quirk was the upgrade was $320 the first time I called, then it went down to $275 and when we booked it was even less!  My sister & hubby  are flying from Boston and did not have good options either with their first call - then after I told her my results, she called back and got a direct to Amsterdam and will be on same flight to Zurich as we are and her upgrades were just a little over $100 each.  Moral of the story for me - there are sometimes better options.  Call again!  Yes, we have one additional stop on the way over but it’s 4 hours less travel time than the original option and we'll be meeting up with our travel companions in Amsterdam so if there is any delay, we'll be together.  (We are going 3 days prior and renting a car in Switzerland)

 

My history is that it helps to do your own research and then tell the agent your flight preference.  Last year the Viking agent gave us an option and then I told him our preference and when he looked for it, there it was.

[Host Jazzbeau]

My experience with Viking (Ocean) was that their prices for anything above coach were more than the airline's website.  That makes me think their coach prices are generally these sub-par fares that don't allow upgrades.  I book my own airfare, to know that I can get Comfort+ or Premium Economy.

[3rdCoastFan]

23 hours ago, bafinegan said:

Same here Sbbquilter.  We are doing the Rhine getaway in Sept 2019.   When I called to upgrade with miles, Delta said we couldn't d/t the fare code of the seats Viking booked.  Seeing as we got our seats for $549pp (air plus rate), will be very happy with our 2-4-2 configueration (our seats our 2 of the 2-4-2).

 

baf

Something to consider is asking the airline about the possibility of an upfare. Odds you would have to pay the fare difference plus a fee but if it gets you into a fare class that allows for mileage upgrades, you may come out ahead than if you purchased the better seats in the first place. 

[bafinegan]

yea the first time I called they told me the fare difference would be over $1000.  Plan on calling again next week and keep on hounding them-lol.

 

baf

[Moonlion]

I just called Viking air, paid the $50 pp for Air plus, and got exactly what we wanted for our August 7th Cities of Light cruise tour.  As others had suggested, I went online (to kayak.com) before calling Viking and found one or two flights that would work the best for us.  The Viking Air agent was very nice and right away was able to book our first choice flights (United since we are UA Mileage Plus members).  She took our Mileage Plus numbers and found us Preferred seats (no extra cost being UA members).  She said once Viking ticketed the flight about 90 days before departure, we would be able to upgrade with United using miles or money.  It was really easy and definitely worth it. 

[3rdCoastFan]

3 hours ago, Moonlion said:

I just called Viking air, paid the $50 pp for Air plus, and got exactly what we wanted for our August 7th Cities of Light cruise tour.  As others had suggested, I went online (to kayak.com) before calling Viking and found one or two flights that would work the best for us.  The Viking Air agent was very nice and right away was able to book our first choice flights (United since we are UA Mileage Plus members).  She took our Mileage Plus numbers and found us Preferred seats (no extra cost being UA members).  She said once Viking ticketed the flight about 90 days before departure, we would be able to upgrade with United using miles or money.  It was really easy and definitely worth it. 

You may want to request early ticketing. At 90 days out, there may not be any upgrades left. Downside to early ticketing is that you're on the hook if you want to change flights later on and Viking will try to dissuade you from early ticketing. 

[scrap47]

1 hour ago, 3rdCoastFan said:

You may want to request early ticketing. At 90 days out, there may not be any upgrades left. Downside to early ticketing is that you're on the hook if you want to change flights later on and Viking will try to dissuade you from early ticketing. 

Do you know if we have seats in business class assigned and the upgrade has been paid for, does it matter if we haven’t been ticketed?

[Moonlion]

1 hour ago, 3rdCoastFan said:

You may want to request early ticketing. At 90 days out, there may not be any upgrades left. Downside to early ticketing is that you're on the hook if you want to change flights later on and Viking will try to dissuade you from early ticketing. 

Thanks!  do you know whether there is an additional charge (above the $50 pp) to get early ticketing?  If so, we may just have to live with the 'cheap seats' 🙂

[mskaufman]

8 minutes ago, Moonlion said:

Thanks!  do you know whether there is an additional charge (above the $50 pp) to get early ticketing?  If so, we may just have to live with the 'cheap seats' 🙂

After paying the $50 we were able to immediately book our flights.  We also had to pay for our tickets as soon as they were booked.

[3rdCoastFan]

15 hours ago, scrap47 said:

Do you know if we have seats in business class assigned and the upgrade has been paid for, does it matter if we haven’t been ticketed?

Fair question - and I can't say for certain. In this case, I imagine that the benefit to early ticketing is more control over your seat. But as any airline will quickly tell you, no specific seat is ever guaranteed. I think early ticketing is more important when you're trying to upgrade on your own rather than pay Viking (or a TA) directly. 

14 hours ago, Moonlion said:

Thanks!  do you know whether there is an additional charge (above the $50 pp) to get early ticketing?  If so, we may just have to live with the 'cheap seats' 🙂

No extra fee for early ticketing. You must have paid for your cruise in full and pay for Air Plus but no other restrictions as far as I'm aware. 

[travelingduo]

23 hours ago, scrap47 said:

Do you know if we have seats in business class assigned and the upgrade has been paid for, does it matter if we haven’t been ticketed?

We booked our business air flights with Viking as soon as the window opened.  They were able to confirm our requested flights and seats immediately without ticketing them.  We are flying on 3 different airlines, all Sky Team members.  Our TA told us that Viking has an arrangement with the airlines that allows them to book and reserve seats even though they don’t actually issue the tickets until 90:days out.  Whenever I check our reservation they are still there and we don’t leave until April.  

[bafinegan]

Got early ticketed today and was able to upgrade our transatlantic leg to comfort + using points.  Didn't cost a DIME-woo hoo!!!!

 

baf

[Clay Clayton]

We are booked on a promo with "free" airfare.  AA is our preferred carrier and we were gave Viking a first and second choice for each segment (along with the $50 custom air fee!) and got our first choice in each case.  After the tickets were issued, I contacted AA to determine what we could and could not do to upgrade the long haul segments (we are hoping our Gold status will upgrade us for the domestic portions but if recent experience is an indicator we will won't be sitting in the front of the plane).  The AA representative who was very helpful, stated that the only way we could move to business (there isn't PE available on our aircraft) for the long haul was to use points & dollars ($25,000 +350) IF there was availability 24 hours prior to the flight. We can go ahead and sign up for this now if we want to....  We are considering this but haven't pulled the trigger yet since there are three of us and the chances that there are three seats available seems slim....and I don't want to be the one to tell DMIL that she is sitting in the back!

 

I did go ahead and purchase a comfort+ seat for me (I'm 6'-7") for $118 per long haul segment since there were only five seats with legroom showing available on each flight.  If we elect to go for the upgrade with points & dollars and "win" then this amount will be refunded.

 

Good Luck with whatever you decide to do and have a great cruise!

[TGBoss]

Clay - I wish you good luck if you try to use the points and dollars. My husband was Platinum plus status, and we weren't able to use points and dollars - no seats available. Only way we've ever gotten business for overseas travel was to book it using business class points. 

[steverhodes]

On 1/10/2019 at 7:51 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

My experience with Viking (Ocean) was that their prices for anything above coach were more than the airline's website.  That makes me think their coach prices are generally these sub-par fares that don't allow upgrades.  I book my own airfare, to know that I can get Comfort+ or Premium Economy.

  On 4 of our Viking trips, we tried to upgrade to business using our miles. One of these was on United and 3 were on American. Never did the airlines tells us our tickets were not upgradable. On all 4 of trips we were able to upgrade to business at least one of the ways. And on one we were able to upgrade both ways to business. The reason we did not get both ways upgraded was business got sold out.

 

Edited January 16, 2019 by steverhodes

[3rdCoastFan]

I can only speak to United but upgrade space is not necessarily static. United has a fare code of "PZ" (formerly "R") that corresponds to upgrade availability. Any time PZ > 0, it should be possible to instantly upgrade seats (via miles, copay, certificate, etc). After my tickets were issued, I could only get on a waitlist to be upgraded from economy to business since PZ was at 0. If I never made it off the waitlist, my miles and copay would be refunded. However, diligent monitoring for award space on my flight paid off when I saw that PZ jumped to 4. I immediately called United and lucked out with an agent who was willing to push my waitlisted upgrade through while on the phone (apparently, agents shouldn't do this and you instead have to ask to get taken off the waitlist and then manually re-apply your miles/copay/certificate before someone else swoops in; the system will not automatically pluck people off the waitlist as space opens up). The next day, PZ was back at 0. United lets you see this level of detail by enabling "expert mode" on their website - but it does mean setting up dummy searches for that flight over and over again. 

 

For example, I looked at a random flight next fall from ORD to AMS. I am positive that business is not sold out yet - however, PZ space is 0 and so I cannot instantly upgrade. I can check on this daily (if not more frequently) to see if that changes. I'm sure someone who makes a lot of money came up with the appropriate algorithm that opens up upgrade space and then removes it again but I doubt the rationale will ever be clear to me. 

 

Point being, and depending entirely on the airline you're flying, it may pay off to keep calling and asking about upgrades. 

[Clay Clayton]

On 1/15/2019 at 1:44 PM, TGBoss said:

Clay - I wish you good luck if you try to use the points and dollars. My husband was Platinum plus status, and we weren't able to use points and dollars - no seats available. Only way we've ever gotten business for overseas travel was to book it using business class points. 

Thanks but I'm not expecting it, hence my purchase of the comfort+ seat.  If biz is available great, if not, I'll just suffer in an extra legroom Econ seat flying back from a great trip. #FirstWorldProblems😂