OLife Air

[ToxM]

Just to add to this thread...

 

TA on Sirena next March, not yet ticketed, but we have air and transfers and pre cruise hotel booked. Am I right in thinking that because we have transfers and hotel booked we can have free deviation fees and I can let my travel agent know what flights we want and they will let O know and then O will get back to us with a price which we can then accept or reject? If we can reject the air portion at that point, will we get the air portion taken off the price of the trip?

 

I am in the UK if that helps muddy the waters even more 🙂

[patty1955]

On 5/5/2021 at 6:37 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

 There was period when Delta was changing our flights on a regular basis; most changes were minor but a few were bad – they were very good about waiving the [then mandatory] change fees to rebook.  More recently, Delta has been much more stable.  

I just did my weekly check of our Delta flight and found they had already made a change. The time only changed by 15 minutes but they changed our seats to a row that can't recline (for a 6 hour flight). I changed the seats to better seats and I'll keep watching the flight. I understand that 5 months out they might need to change the flight but it seems like they always  give us worse seats and they never notify us. 

[ORV]

13 minutes ago, patty1955 said:

I just did my weekly check of our Delta flight and found they had already made a change. The time only changed by 15 minutes but they changed our seats to a row that can't recline (for a 6 hour flight). I changed the seats to better seats and I'll keep watching the flight. I understand that 5 months out they might need to change the flight but it seems like they always  give us worse seats and they never notify us. 

Ya gotta watch em like a hawk. But you appear to know that. 

[ORV]

On 5/7/2021 at 2:48 PM, ToxM said:

Just to add to this thread...

 

TA on Sirena next March, not yet ticketed, but we have air and transfers and pre cruise hotel booked. Am I right in thinking that because we have transfers and hotel booked we can have free deviation fees and I can let my travel agent know what flights we want and they will let O know and then O will get back to us with a price which we can then accept or reject? If we can reject the air portion at that point, will we get the air portion taken off the price of the trip?

 

I am in the UK if that helps muddy the waters even more 🙂

I believe this is a question for your ta. With you being in the UK the rules are probably different than what most of us in North America have experienced. 

[ToxM]

18 hours ago, ORV said:

I believe this is a question for your ta. With you being in the UK the rules are probably different than what most of us in North America have experienced. 

Just dumped my o hotel, transfers and flights, ended up with over 2kgbp knocked off the price and have booked a 4 day pre cruise stay with biz class outward to bgi and miles biz from bcn. Very happy with this.

TA and Oceania perfectly happy for this amendment to happen in case any other UK folks can get some use out of that info.

 

[Redtravel]

I usually book my own air.  It allows me freedom to select flights, dates, times, and often use miles.  Usually it is cheaper too.  However, if you book a cruise now, it might be prudent to book air from Oceania.  During the pandemic,  best to limit exposure and contain expenses to a minimum.  O life package works at this time. You can book air, lock in price, and then reconsider options when final payment is due.  I was booked on a Oceania cruise that was canceled recently.  Since I booked the air from O,  I didn’t have to deal with the airline separately to get a refund or make a change.  Now I about to rebook again using fcc.  Until Oceania sails and is safe, I will continue to include O air.  It’s just easier now.  Once the cruises have sailed successfully without covid issues, I will likely book my own air again.

[dszrew]

7 hours ago, Redtravel said:

O life package works at this time. You can book air, lock in price, and then reconsider options when final payment is due.  I was booked on a Oceania cruise that was canceled recently.  Since I booked the air from O,  I didn’t have to deal with the airline separately to get a refund or make a change.  

I'm looking at a longer cruise where final payment is 180 days before sailing, and would still not get an air itinerary for 3 more months after final payment. was told that cancelation of air could only happen before final payment, although not sure if you can cancel after final payment and get obc credit or something. for myself, I like saving the $ (possibly $350 per person) but really do not want to risk getting middle seats in both directions by waiting until 90 or 75 days prior to sailing.

[LHT28]

3 hours ago, dszrew said:

I'm looking at a longer cruise where final payment is 180 days before sailing, and would still not get an air itinerary for 3 more months after final payment. was told that cancelation of air could only happen before final payment, although not sure if you can cancel after final payment and get obc credit or something. for myself, I like saving the $ (possibly $350 per person) but really do not want to risk getting middle seats in both directions by waiting until 90 or 75 days prior to sailing.

Pay the  deviation fee & choose your flights about 270 days out  

consider flying in a day or so early  or if you can stay a few days after the cruise

Worth the  $175 PP  for peace of mind  in knowing your flights & routing

JMO

[dszrew]

3 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Pay the  deviation fee & choose your flights about 270 days out  

consider flying in a day or so early  or if you can stay a few days after the cruise

Worth the  $175 PP  for peace of mind  in knowing your flights & routing

JMO

how often is there also a significant fare difference with your chosen flights? or is it pretty easy to get flights for the airfare allottment? are these flights refundable? I guess with final payment being due 180 out, I could book flights at that time and rely on insurance in case of cancellation.

[dszrew]

1 hour ago, dszrew said:

how often is there also a significant fare difference with your chosen flights? or is it pretty easy to get flights for the airfare allottment? are these flights refundable? I guess with final payment being due 180 out, I could book flights at that time and rely on insurance in case of cancellation.

I've researched back on some older posts and think I understand this now. I'm not at a gateway city, so after paying a deviation fee and then getting to the gateway city, I'm likely able to do air myself under my control for a similar price or use miles to book.

 

Or, I could book with air, then at 270 days request an itinerary, work to see if I can get preferred airline, etc, see what extra it would cost from my city, then either accept or cancel air. I guess it costs me nothing right now to book the air, so I might do that and then make the decision prior to final payment and after seeing what costs are above the amount they are giving for air.

[LHT28]

6 hours ago, dszrew said:

I've researched back on some older posts and think I understand this now. I'm not at a gateway city, so after paying a deviation fee and then getting to the gateway city, I'm likely able to do air myself under my control for a similar price or use miles to book.

 

Or, I could book with air, then at 270 days request an itinerary, work to see if I can get preferred airline, etc, see what extra it would cost from my city, then either accept or cancel air. I guess it costs me nothing right now to book the air, so I might do that and then make the decision prior to final payment and after seeing what costs are above the amount they are giving for air.

It costs nothing to ask Oceania  for the flights you want then see  what you can get yourself

You only pay the Non refundable deviation fee once you & Oceania come to an agreement

 

Once I book air with Oceania  I do not check  other options

 

The one good thing at this point in time with the uncertainty  of whether  ships will sail or not  Oceania air may be a  good option

People have to do the math  & do what works best for their wants/needs

JMO

[pinotlover]

I would like to know if Oceania Air is actually booking flights for those October-December cruises on ships other than Marina? Can one actually go in and get a seat assignment for OAir flights? 
 

Additionally, it’s really ugly out there currently. We have flights booked for June and July ( non O related) that are hitting the window and the schedules are changing like mad! Flight cancellation galore, with schedules turned on their heads. Non stops becoming 2-3 stops with tight schedules. 09:30 departures becoming 06:00 departures, with arrival times slipping 3-4 hours. Will you allow a schedule with a 45 minute layover before an international flight? Haven’t a clue on how things will look in late Fall, but United just turned our flight schedule for our November cruise upside down also. 
 

A couple things to remember. Some airlines, like Lufthansa, make you go through the ticket buyer, to make any changes. 
 

That $175 deviation fee is non refundable regardless. Trust me, no one would have paid $175 each, upfront, for the schedule we now have for a couple of our flights.

 

Check both your flight schedule and seats at least weekly for changes, particularly as you near the 60 window. Actually at least weekly regardless.

[Hlitner]

I am a long time cruise/travel veteran but a complete novice/newbie when it comes to "O" which will be our 17th cruise line.   We have a December 2021 booking on the Marina and certainly hope that the CDC will "let our ship go."  But my post is about "O" air.  When we booked we did include air (to Miami and return from Lima, Peru) on the advice of some posters here on CC and our cruise agent.  As we approach our final payment date (who knows when that will be with O constantly changing dates) it has become time for us to look at our air options.  We would normally want to book Business Class from Lima back to the USA.  To do this though  "O" means paying $175 a person and using "O's" fares which seem to be more then we can get on our own.  This does not make sense to me since we are used to getting terrific Bus Class deals with HAL, Princess, etc.  Why "O" does not see to offer great Bus Class fares is a mystery only O can answer.

 

At this point I cannot find any way to justify dealing with "O" for air.  Even with the uncertainties of cancellation due to COVID, our strategy would be to dump the air from our "O" reservation and wait until a later date to book our own air once we feel good about the cruise actually happening. At this point I see little reason to fear big price hikes on return air from Lima (getting to Florida for embarkation is not a big deal and we can always get a good deal on Southwest).

 

So, for all you "O" experts please tell me where my thinking is wrong?   

 

 

Hank

[LHT28]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

At this point I cannot find any way to justify dealing with "O" for air.  Even with the uncertainties of cancellation due to COVID, our strategy would be to dump the air from our "O" reservation and wait until a later date to book our own air once we feel good about the cruise actually happening. At this point I see little reason to fear big price hikes on return air from Lima (getting to Florida for embarkation is not a big deal and we can always get a good deal on Southwest).

 

So, for all you "O" experts please tell me where my thinking is wrong?   

 

 

Hank

Book your own air  & do not worry about it

 

[ORV]

14 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I am a long time cruise/travel veteran but a complete novice/newbie when it comes to "O" which will be our 17th cruise line.   We have a December 2021 booking on the Marina and certainly hope that the CDC will "let our ship go."  But my post is about "O" air.  When we booked we did include air (to Miami and return from Lima, Peru) on the advice of some posters here on CC and our cruise agent.  As we approach our final payment date (who knows when that will be with O constantly changing dates) it has become time for us to look at our air options.  We would normally want to book Business Class from Lima back to the USA.  To do this though  "O" means paying $175 a person and using "O's" fares which seem to be more then we can get on our own.  This does not make sense to me since we are used to getting terrific Bus Class deals with HAL, Princess, etc.  Why "O" does not see to offer great Bus Class fares is a mystery only O can answer.

 

At this point I cannot find any way to justify dealing with "O" for air.  Even with the uncertainties of cancellation due to COVID, our strategy would be to dump the air from our "O" reservation and wait until a later date to book our own air once we feel good about the cruise actually happening. At this point I see little reason to fear big price hikes on return air from Lima (getting to Florida for embarkation is not a big deal and we can always get a good deal on Southwest).

 

So, for all you "O" experts please tell me where my thinking is wrong?   

 

 

Hank

I'm no expert especially when it comes to Business air but your thinking isn't wrong. It's common advice and the accepted thinking here that if you are going to fly business class then you should always do your own air. 

Edited May 16, 2021 by ORV

[PhD-iva]

I have a courtesy hold on a reservation for the November transatlantic, Rome to Miami on Riviera. I asked my TA to inquire as to the cost to upgrade to business class airfare versus booking airfare directly.
While we will not finalize arrangements until tomorrow, Monday, the latest information is that I can save about $1000 by upgrading to BC through O.

[Host Jazzbeau]

9 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

I have a courtesy hold on a reservation for the November transatlantic, Rome to Miami on Riviera. I asked my TA to inquire as to the cost to upgrade to business class airfare versus booking airfare directly.
While we will not finalize arrangements until tomorrow, Monday, the latest information is that I can save about $1000 by upgrading to BC through O.

I believe that when you need a one-way flight, booking through the cruise line is almost always a good deal.

[LHT28]

9 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

I have a courtesy hold on a reservation for the November transatlantic, Rome to Miami on Riviera. I asked my TA to inquire as to the cost to upgrade to business class airfare versus booking airfare directly.
While we will not finalize arrangements until tomorrow, Monday, the latest information is that I can save about $1000 by upgrading to BC through O.

Be sure  you are taking into account the air credit   then add that to the price they offer you to see if  a good deal or not

[PhD-iva]

9 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Be sure  you are taking into account the air credit   then add that to the price they offer you to see if  a good deal or not

Thx! Will do.

[Paulchili]

48 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

Thx! Will do.

Also if you are near Dallas or Houston you might get a direct non stop in BC on your own. O air may be in economy to NYC (or other East coast hub) and BC only over water.

[PhD-iva]

1 hour ago, Paulchili said:

Also if you are near Dallas or Houston you might get a direct non stop in BC on your own. O air may be in economy to NYC (or other East coast hub) and BC only over water.

Texas is BIG! Looong drive to DFW or IAH. I fly out of AUS or SAT.

[ORV]

4 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

Texas is BIG! Looong drive to DFW or IAH. I fly out of AUS or SAT.

You are aware that there will be an additional fee for going out of a non gateway airport? Without looking at the list I'm not sure those are on it. Historically it's $99 per person each way. So that adds $396 to your price. I think once you do the math you're not going to find that $1000 saving someone told you about. I haven't done Business air through Oceania, but I have found Premium Economy to be a good value, but we have included deviations so that always saves us $350. 

[ORV]

2 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

I have a courtesy hold on a reservation for the November transatlantic, Rome to Miami on Riviera. I asked my TA to inquire as to the cost to upgrade to business class airfare versus booking airfare directly.
While we will not finalize arrangements until tomorrow, Monday, the latest information is that I can save about $1000 by upgrading to BC through O.

Also there's a lot we don't know about your air arrangements. Are you deviating? Are you taking hotels through Oceania? Maybe @Flatbush Flyer could chime in here as he always has a lot of knowledgeable information on this. Bottom line is you always need to do the math and compare with what you can do on your own. 

[PhD-iva]

16 minutes ago, ORV said:

Also there's a lot we don't know about your air arrangements. Are you deviating? Are you taking hotels through Oceania? Maybe @Flatbush Flyer could chime in here as he always has a lot of knowledgeable information on this. Bottom line is you always need to do the math and compare with what you can do on your own. 

Yes, thanks again to all for good tips and suggestions. I will probably deviate to arrive early in Rome, but I’ll use my Marriott reward points to book the hotel. Also, will pay the non-gateway upcharge to avoid 3-hour drives to DFW/IAH. 

These are all good points for me to keep in mind when talking w TA tomorrow. I’m very excited to be back on an Oceania cruise!

[Twiga]

3 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

I have a courtesy hold on a reservation for the November transatlantic, Rome to Miami on Riviera. I asked my TA to inquire as to the cost to upgrade to business class airfare versus booking airfare directly.
While we will not finalize arrangements until tomorrow, Monday, the latest information is that I can save about $1000 by upgrading to BC through O.

PhD-iva, you may already know this, but you can include O air when you make your deposit, then cancel it later (before final payment) if you decide to book air on your own.  You don't need to make the decision whether to use O air or not by tomorrow when you make your deposit.