Using Regent Air on Delta through Atlanta

[John G]

On 9/23/2019 at 4:23 PM, mrstanley said:

Has anyone had Regent charge them an extra fee for flying Delta through Atlanta? I was told by my TA that it could be

a $1,000 charge. 

 

We'll be flying through Atlanta in about a month (St. Louis to Barcelona). We are paying the deviation fee to select our flights. In our case we're flying Delta — and we are required to pay a $350/per person air differential fee.

 

When we requested deviation we submitted additional air routing choices through other cities (flying on American), and in those cases the air differential fee would have been quite a bit more.

 

We don't know what airlines and which city we would have flown through if Regent had arranged the flights on their own, but the air deviation people told our travel agent that we would have had to accept at least two plane changes if we wanted to avoid an air differential fee. We're guessing we would have flown from St. Louis to an east coast city; changed planes and flown to London or Frankfurt; and then changed planes again and on to Barcelona. But of course we don't know that.

 

A couple of years ago we took a cruise out of Southampton and did not deviate. Regent selected a Delta flight to Atlanta; then Virgin Atlantic to London Heathrow. BTW, the domestic portion of the flight (Delta) for that trip and our upcoming trip were both booked in first class without an additional charge to us.

 

Hope this info is useful.

[orvil]

Mr. Stanley,

 

In answer to your question, Regent didn't have anything to do with my booking.  It was a entirely separate trip for a different purpose.  I just wanted to point out that Amsterdam was very efficient and JFK/LGA/EWR is a mess.  That mess is a common occurrence and not exclusive to Regent.  Avoidance is the only solution.

[papaflamingo]

On 9/23/2019 at 12:51 PM, mrstanley said:

We are looking to use Regent air from Atlanta to Copenhagen and then back from Amsterdam to Atlanta.

What airlines has Regent been using when flying passengers from Atlanta? Our best options are to travel through Atlanta in order to make

our connections back to North Florida as our airport is not International.

Sorry,  I know I'm entering the conversation late and you may already  have all the info you need.  I live in Atlanta.  I have only  done one Regent cruise and we deviated on Delta.  No problem at all.  I just deviated for our next cruise next summer.  So, here's my very limited experience.  Thanks to so many on this board, I will always use the deviation option so I can not only book 270 days out, I can pick my seats and my flights.  Well worth the deviation fee. I will also do this directly through Regent Air.  I get my TA to "release" me to talk to Regent Air.  I research my flight options...I live in Atlanta, so Delta is my number one choice (also a retired Delta pilot, so some loyalty there).  When you talk to Regent Air, and tell them your desires, they will tell you if they have a contract or not on those flights, and you can check all your options.  You then have 48 hours to accept it or decline.  On our first cruise, no sweat as they had contract seats on my chosen flights.  Since we flew Sydney to LAX, then LAX to ATL, we got Delta One to LAX and First Class to ATL.   For next year, I am coming from Dublin in July.  The Non-Stop DUB-ATL had a $500 per person upcharge on the day I wanted to fly. However I could do Delta from DUB-BOS the BOS -ATL for no upcharge, or through JFK.  I chose via BOS as I, like many, have no desire to go through JFK.  I have many (too many) landings as a Pilot there and would just as soon avoid it.  Anyway, 270 days before my cruise left, I have secured Delta One from DUB to BOS and First Class from BOS to ATL.  And being that far out, I had a choice of almost any seat on the plane.  

So, that's my experience.  

[mrstanley]

Does anyone have flights arranged through Regent air on Delta airlines departing from Atlanta spring/ summer 

2020. If departing from Atlanta what airline did Regent use?

[FlyerTalker]

17 minutes ago, mrstanley said:

Does anyone have flights arranged through Regent air on Delta airlines departing from Atlanta spring/ summer 

2020. If departing from Atlanta what airline did Regent use?

 

Two points:

 

1) Unless you have affirmatively chosen to pay the deviation fee and select your own flights, 2020 spring/summer flights are not available from Regent.  You are way too early to find that out.

 

2) Even if someone else may be flying on a particular routing, that doesn't mean that it will be applicable for your specific cruise dates, or even if there will be inventory available.  I have seen where folks going to the same destination on the same dates have  been given different itineraries.  Remember - there is only so much "lift" available between two cities on any given day.  How you put 500 Regent guests into one business class cabin is an exercise in futility - some folks have to take different, and perhaps circuitous, routings.  Plus much depends on what the airline contracts state.

 

So...can one make guesses?  Sure.  Can one forecast with a high degree of probability?  I'd say no.  Another argument in favor of at least investigating the deviation process.

[Sharle]

we are flying on February 27 for March 1 cruise. did custom air. Requested a flight on Delta through atlanta and was told that itinerary was not available. Have to go through new York.

[PaulMCO]

On 9/23/2019 at 12:51 PM, mrstanley said:

We are looking to use Regent air from Atlanta to Copenhagen and then back from Amsterdam to Atlanta.

What airlines has Regent been using when flying passengers from Atlanta? Our best options are to travel through Atlanta in order to make

our connections back to North Florida as our airport is not International.

Have you considered flying out of Orlando/MCO??   I always try to avoid US connections, where my luggage can get lost or delayed on an international flight. If it does you are likely without them for days. 

You can get a direct flight to the EU via LH from MCO and connect easily via LH or SAS from Frankfurt to Copenhagen

[mrstanley]

It takes us 3 hours to drive to Orlando.

Horrible drive due to construction. Would not want to make a connection in LHR.

Would need to rent a car, drive down day before and spend the night near the airport. Not what we had in mind.

[mrstanley]

Sharle: How did Regent route you?

What airline? Delta to where?

 

[Travelcat2]

3 hours ago, mrstanley said:

Does anyone have flights arranged through Regent air on Delta airlines departing from Atlanta spring/ summer 

2020. If departing from Atlanta what airline did Regent use?

 

Agree with FlyerTalker - it is really not possible to know for sure what flights will be available for for your cruise in 2020.  We book flights with Regent exactly 270 days prior to embarkation (using Custom Air of course) which makes the odds of getting the flights much more likely than if you wait for Regent to assign flights.

 

Suggest going to a website like this one http://matrix.itasoftware.com  and pick 2-3 choices of flights that you prefer.  When you approach 270 days, send your TA an email with your choices.  You could call Regent directly but I find it easier to put things in writing - both what I submit and what their response is (rather than taking notes when I'm on the phone - trying to make sure that I have it all written down correctly).  If none of the flights are satisfactory,  you do not have to pay the deviation fee and can wait until Regent assigns you flights.  So, you do not lose anything if you check out Custom Air.

 

Note:  Don't checked too early as the flights may not be available and Regent may (or may not) change a couple of flight contracts for 2020.

[Sharle]

2 hours ago, mrstanley said:

Sharle: How did Regent route you?

What airline? Delta to where?

 

we are going to Hong Kong. Using Delta/ Korean Air. Crazy connections but my husband insists on Delta. Miami, JFK, Seoul, Hong Kong. . coming home we are tokyo to Ft Myers with  change in Atlanta

[rallydave]

18 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

Also, when you have to change flights, you will be on coach rather than business class in the U.S. (unless you are fortunate enough to fly within the U.S. and onto to Asia using there same airline...... in which case you would be First Class within the U.S. and Business Class overseas).

Just a clarification so as to not set possible expectations/disappointments.  To be First Class domestically it is better to be on the same airline (metal) for the domestic and international flight.  That said there is no guarantee that flying the same metal domestically and internationally  will get you First Class on the domestic flight.  It does happen quit often however many more Business class seats internationally than on domestic flights so possible you won't get Domestic First.  In addition, even if you are on different airlines (metal) it is possible you will get First possibly because the airlines are code share and/or in the same alliance.

 

Bottom line there is no way to know if you will get domestic First.  Better if same airline (metal) and then just hope.

Edited October 17, 2019 by rallydave

[orvil]

I just completed a trip to Italy that I foolishly purchased at a charity auction.  I ended up doing a lot of the planning for the TA in order to have a barely acceptable trip.  I also ended up paying an additional fee for a better class of travel.  I should have made a donation to the charity and taken my own trip.  Lesson learned.

 

One thing that I discovered in the process was the function of the travel aggregator.  From what I can discover there are computer systems that sort multitudes of flight itineraries for travel agencies.  Each time I dealt with the TA we would come to an understanding of the details of the last sort of the proposed itinerary.  When it came time to give final approval, that sort would no longer be available at the rate he was authorized to use.  This applied to both airlines and hotels.  It was definitely a case of the tail wagging the dog. I was trying to coordinate this booking with another couple and it was a nightmare.  

 

I think that this is part of the issue many are experiencing with booking the travel routing.  Regent is willing to pay "X" for the airfare and no more.  They spin the wheel on the computer and see what unsold inventory will get them the desired result.

 

Many of you are willing to pay a supplement to get a more reasonable to you itinerary.  That supplement payment gives Regent's chipmunks in the travel computer more nuts to use. The end result generally makes everyone happy.

 

As a former airline employee with many years of travel experience all over the world, here is my advice:  Try to stay on one airline.  When that isn't possible, try to stay with one airline code share.  If that isn't possible, stay away from LHR if you have any  luggage to transfer.  Try to stay away from JFK, nothing good ever happens or ever will.  If you can avoid either, do it.  Life is too short to deal with either one.

Edited October 17, 2019 by orvil

[mrstanley]

Due to our Platinum status with Regent we don’t pay the air deviation fee. Regent can look for flights on our July cruise on November 1st. I have friends on a cruise in June and they have their flights booked through Regent. They did custom air.

 

[FlyerTalker]

12 minutes ago, mrstanley said:

Due to our Platinum status with Regent we don’t pay the air deviation fee.

 

But you will pay for any fare differentials.

[mrstanley]

I’m aware of the the fare differential fees.

 

[FlyerTalker]

2 hours ago, mrstanley said:

I’m aware of the the fare differential fees.

 

But others may not be.

 

[SWFLAOK]

On 10/16/2019 at 7:09 PM, Sharle said:

we are going to Hong Kong. Using Delta/ Korean Air. Crazy connections but my husband insists on Delta. Miami, JFK, Seoul, Hong Kong. . coming home we are tokyo to Ft Myers with  change in Atlanta

We live quite close to Ft Myers airport. We never use it for any cruises since it never connects well to any other flights. While it has plenty of flights to Atlanta, they never seem to connect to flights to the West Coast, or to International flights. We always drive to FLL or MIA, and ask for flights from their on our cruises. We prefer to have Regent book us all the way through from either of those airports, and pay the deviation to book early and we often add a few extra days on one end or the other so we would need to pay for the deviation for that. I think our deviation charge is normally 250 dollars.

[FlyerTalker]

33 minutes ago, SWFLAOK said:

We live quite close to Ft Myers airport. We never use it for any cruises since it never connects well to any other flights. While it has plenty of flights to Atlanta, they never seem to connect to flights to the West Coast, or to International flights.

 

Woah!!  Never connects?  DL has 7 daily nonstops from RSW to ATL.  From there to the west coast, DL has:

 

13 non-stops to LAX

7 non-stops to SEA

6 non-stops to SAN

4 non-stops to SFO

3 non-stops to PDX.

 

Lots of connections.  And to overseas it's even more amazing that you think so.  ATL is a major gateway for international flights, both across the Atlantic, the Pacific and to South America.

 

Maybe you are one of those people where only a connection of between 60 and 120 minutes is "acceptable".  Maybe you find that there aren't flights on Regent contracts that fit your needs.  But to say that ATL doesn't work - when it has FAR more international flights than MIA and FLL (except perhaps to South America) seems a bit of a stretch.

 

Of course, YMMV.

[Sharle]

2 hours ago, SWFLAOK said:

We live quite close to Ft Myers airport. We never use it for any cruises since it never connects well to any other flights. While it has plenty of flights to Atlanta, they never seem to connect to flights to the West Coast, or to International flights. We always drive to FLL or MIA, and ask for flights from their on our cruises. We prefer to have Regent book us all the way through from either of those airports, and pay the deviation to book early and we often add a few extra days on one end or the other so we would need to pay for the deviation for that. I think our deviation charge is normally 250 dollars.

deviation is 175 each person. I don't mind the drive to Miami when going if there is a reason to do so but not the drive home so RSW works for us. We chose these flights and booked through Regent as they met our needs. We have found connections in the past that are the same from Miami or RSW, connect  to the same flight, so why drive.

[SWFLAOK]

19 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Woah!!  Never connects?  DL has 7 daily nonstops from RSW to ATL.  From there to the west coast, DL has:

 

13 non-stops to LAX

7 non-stops to SEA

6 non-stops to SAN

4 non-stops to SFO

3 non-stops to PDX.

 

Lots of connections.  And to overseas it's even more amazing that you think so.  ATL is a major gateway for international flights, both across the Atlantic, the Pacific and to South America.

 

Maybe you are one of those people where only a connection of between 60 and 120 minutes is "acceptable".  Maybe you find that there aren't flights on Regent contracts that fit your needs.  But to say that ATL doesn't work - when it has FAR more international flights than MIA and FLL (except perhaps to South America) seems a bit of a stretch.

 

Of course, YMMV.

Maybe I should have said that Regent doesn't give us any flight options from RSW. On our Alaska cruise, we asked Regent for a flight for RSW to Vancouver. They offered us a flight from FLL to ATL to Vancouver on Delta. The FLL flight left exetremely early, so we paid for a hotel overnight hotel before the flight. It had a connection time of an hour in ATL, which I would never had scheduled myself. I would rather have flown to ATL from RSW the day before, and would have paid for my hotel there, but that wasn't an option allowed by Regent. I spent a lot of time worrying about the 1 hour to connect in ATL until we boarded the plane in FLL. The flight attendant told me that the crew would also be connecting to the Vancouver flight in ATL and they wouldn't be leaving without us.

[SWFLAOK]

18 hours ago, Sharle said:

deviation is 175 each person. I don't mind the drive to Miami when going if there is a reason to do so but not the drive home so RSW works for us. We chose these flights and booked through Regent as they met our needs. We have found connections in the past that are the same from Miami or RSW, connect  to the same flight, so why drive.

We haven't had any luck with choosing flights that Regent is willing to book for us. They have so far always come back saying there are no options from RSW, and have offered us FLL or MIA. Do you have any hints on how you choose RSW flights that Regent can work with? Do you often end up with an additional flight to use RSW?

[Sharle]

Sometimes we have an extra flight but sometimes not. When we went to Beijing the flight from Miami and Rsw both connected with the same  flight from Detroit.

 

Especially on the way home we would prefer a 2nd Connection rather than the 2 hour drive from Miami.

 

If course there is an additional charge to fly from RSW as it's not a gateway for Regent 

[rallydave]

Couple of thoughts on the RSW issue as well as choosing a different airport than were to live as your home airport for a cruise.

 

Pretty sure RSW is not a Gateway airport so there will be several hundred dollar additional cost just to fly from/to that airport.

e e

As far as choosing a different airport as your home airport, have read on htes board many people choose a different airport than where they actually live to begin and end their cruise so no idea why you couldn't pay for your own flight outside of Regent and have regent simply book you from and to Atlanta or your choice of airports?  Do know that for instance flying to  or from the cruise you can deviate to fly into a different airport than your embarkation/disembarkation airport so why not from home.  only would have to pay the difference if the different airport flight was higher than the Regent allowance.

[Sharle]

3 minutes ago, rallydave said:

Couple of thoughts on the RSW issue as well as choosing a different airport than were to live as your home airport for a cruise.

 

Pretty sure RSW is not a Gateway airport so there will be several hundred dollar additional cost just to fly from/to that airport.

e e

As far as choosing a different airport as your home airport, have read on htes board many people choose a different airport than where they actually live to begin and end their cruise so no idea why you couldn't pay for your own flight outside of Regent and have regent simply book you from and to Atlanta or your choice of airports?  Do know that for instance flying to  or from the cruise you can deviate to fly into a different airport than your embarkation/disembarkation airport so why not from home.  only would have to pay the difference if the different airport flight was higher than the Regent allowance.

It is 124.50 each way per person to fly from nongateway airport, as RSW is. We can book from Atlanta and fly from RSW to Atlanta on our own, but not sure how much money we would save doing this.

 

We are comfortable making the choice of which airport to fly to and from based on the situation and have not had to pay any additional fees to Regent for a specific flight. sometimes we book our own flights because the price is better or at least equal to the allowance. Every cruise is different. Last March we did a cruise nearly last minute and had to book our own flight because it was too late for Regent to do so.