Air2Sea Delta Airlines bookings

[EuroDate20]

I'm strongly considering using Air2Sea for my flights from the west coast to London in the spring for our cruise aboard the Anthem of the Seas.  I've never used Air2Sea, but the airfares are less costly than going through the airlines.  

 

My flight options with Delta Airlines seem to be the best choice for duration, times, and connecting cities.  We would like to fly Premium Economy.  Delta Airlines has two categories of better than standard economy (coach) seating: Comfort Plus and Premium Select.  Basically, Comfort Plus only provides a little more legroom and pitch than the standard economy seat and these seats are in the Main Cabin.  Premium Select is more like the Premium Economy seats on other airlines, with a separate cabin area, larger seats, better legroom and pitch, and additional amenities.  

 

However,  when I called Air2Sea today, they told me if I were to  book the flights on Delta and select the Premium Economy option, I would only get the Comfort Plus seats and not the Premium Select seats.  Air2Sea stated that I would probably get to sit in Premium Select if I paid for an upgrade with Delta after booking with Air2Sea.  

 

Does this seem correct?  Has anyone gone through this scenario?  I'm anxious for some suggestions as it's my first time using Air2Sea.  Thanks in advance!

[waterbug123]

9 hours ago, EuroDate20 said:

However,  when I called Air2Sea today, they told me if I were to  book the flights on Delta and select the Premium Economy option, I would only get the Comfort Plus seats and not the Premium Select seats.  Air2Sea stated that I would probably get to sit in Premium Select if I paid for an upgrade with Delta after booking with Air2Sea.  

 

 

Two possibilities here.    One is that the Air2Sea program does not seem to have any way to differentiate between true premium economy tickets, such as Delta's premium select, and economy+ type products, such as Delta's Comfort Plus.  They all get lumped into "premium economy."   Second, Delta doesn't offer PS on all routes, so it could be that the route you're looking at doesn't have it.   If you give me the exact date and flight number & route you're looking at, I can tell you for sure. 

As for upgrading to PS from C+, the ticket A2S sells you would need to be upgradeable, and not all tickets are.  Further, despite what a rep tells you, you will have almost no way of knowing in advance what the exact fare rules are for the ticket they sell you, meaning you won't know ahead of time if you can upgrade.  Assuming you can, Delta would still have to have upgrade inventory available, and I'm not positive, but I think your ticket would need to be paid in full.  When I say paid in full I don't mean what you pay to A2S, I mean what A2S pays Delta.  You might pay A2S, but they might not pay Delta right away.

Back to the first question issue though, let me know the date and flight route and number you're looking at and I can at least tell you whether PS is even an option for that.

[EuroDate20]

Hi Waterbug,

Thanks for responding with so much info!  I simply have no clue about the differences between booking codes and upgrade strategies.  Your advice is golden!

 

I'm looking at Delta 1700 and 32 going to LHR from SMF on May 27, 2020.  On the return, it'll be  DL 4404 operated by Virgin Atlantic from LHR to LAX, where I'll take Delta 3917 from LAX to SMF on June 6th.  

 

I'm not exactly sure if Virgin Atlantic is a travel partner of Delta.  It doesn't show as a travel partner when I look it up. I'm a member of Skymiles, though I have only 28,000 points.

 

Thanks so much for your time!

[voyager1964]

You are considering the refundable fare option, correct?

Then you can make the no-risk reservation with air2sea, obtain the booking code and then attempt to check your actual flights on Delta. If you don't like what you find, you can cancel the reservation.

[waterbug123]

On 12/13/2019 at 3:02 PM, EuroDate20 said:

Hi Waterbug,

Thanks for responding with so much info!  I simply have no clue about the differences between booking codes and upgrade strategies.  Your advice is golden!

 

I'm looking at Delta 1700 and 32 going to LHR from SMF on May 27, 2020.  On the return, it'll be  DL 4404 operated by Virgin Atlantic from LHR to LAX, where I'll take Delta 3917 from LAX to SMF on June 6th.  

 

I'm not exactly sure if Virgin Atlantic is a travel partner of Delta.  It doesn't show as a travel partner when I look it up. I'm a member of Skymiles, though I have only 28,000 points.

 

Thanks so much for your time!

 

Ok, the flights in and our of SMF are domestic flights, and Delta doesn't offer "premium select" (premium economy).  You would be ticketed in Comfort+.

On DL 32 ATL-LHR the aircraft currently scheduled does offer both.  If you can't differentiate between the two on the A2S website, I would suggest calling, although the reps are more "order takers" and probably don't know much more than you do about what they're selling, especially in a confusing situation like this.  You might try asking if you choose premium economy, what rows could you choose to sit in.   Rows 20-23 are premium select and rows 30-33 are Comfort+ so if they are able to give you an accurate answer, that might indicate which class you're actually being ticketed in. 

On the return flight LRH-LAX, DL 4404 operated by VA....I don't see that flight number showing up on your travel date, though I do see a couple of other DL flight numbers that are operated by VA flying LHR-LAX that day.  WIthout knowing exactly which flight you're looking at, I hesitate to say more.  I don't know much about VA, other than yes, they are a Delta partner, though not a Sky Team alliance member.  I appears that they offer both a premium economy product and a comfort+ type of product but it's unclear to me if both are offered on your particular flight since I'm not sure which flight you're looking at. 

Not sure how much that helps, but hopefully at least a little!

 

[EuroDate20]

I did a booking with all Delta flights today.  Air2Sea was only able to offer Comfort + seats as the Premium Economy option.  When I tried to upgrade the seats to Premuim Select with Delta, it indicated the cost would be $1100+ total for the two of us on each leg of the overseas flights.  For that amount of money,  I might as well pony up a little more and fly business class!  I'll have to look at other options and rebook.  Disappointing!

 

 

[waterbug123]

11 hours ago, EuroDate20 said:

I did a booking with all Delta flights today.  Air2Sea was only able to offer Comfort + seats as the Premium Economy option.  When I tried to upgrade the seats to Premuim Select with Delta, it indicated the cost would be $1100+ total for the two of us on each leg of the overseas flights.  For that amount of money,  I might as well pony up a little more and fly business class!  I'll have to look at other options and rebook.  Disappointing!

 

 

 

Good example of why everyone needs to decide for themself whether a particular price for a particular product is "worth it."  Given the difference between a coach seat with nothing more than a little extra legroom, and a PS seat, there are certainly people would jump at the chance to buy up for $550 each.  I hope you're able to find a price/route/seat option that works for you.  I'm happy to answer any other questions (or try to) about Delta that you might have as you continue to look at options!

[EuroDate20]

Several of my friends are fans of Delta, but for this trip we have to go with American Airlines instead.  The flights and times work for us.  I'm waiting to see if our seat selection that I made through A2S will carry over to the reservation on the AA website.  So far it hasn't.  I hope this is not another bump in the road.'

 

Thanks for your help Meg!

[waterbug123]

6 hours ago, EuroDate20 said:

Several of my friends are fans of Delta, but for this trip we have to go with American Airlines instead.  The flights and times work for us.  I'm waiting to see if our seat selection that I made through A2S will carry over to the reservation on the AA website.  So far it hasn't.  I hope this is not another bump in the road.'

 

Thanks for your help Meg!

 

You're welcome.  I hope you get the seats you want and it all works out!