Airfare with Cunard?

[LB_NJ]

Besides possibly price what are the pros and cons of booking air travel with Cunard?

 

We have a cruise out of Vancouver next year.

 

Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

 

[Craigrlewis]

No expert but IMHO removes any stress if thing go wrong.

 

We picked up covid in Alaska in June 2022 and Cunard re-arranged all our flights we didn't have to lift a finger.

Spoke to others in the same boat and they had booked their own flights on non changeable tickets in business class.

Cunard said they would pay for new flights for this couple but only in economy. Implication was if that wasn't suitable then go to you travel insurer.

Fine but who needs the stress?

 

One downside IMHO is Cunard wont ticket it until closer to the cruise so you cant make seat reservations.

 

 

 

 

[LadyL1]

Totally agree with last post: good advice.

With the current uncertainty with air travel, if all booked under Cunard, then the aggravation is far less should anything go wrong. One could loose money on own ticketed air fares!

Also, we have had very good prices on long haul flights booked via Cunard.

 

[Victoria2]

55 minutes ago, Craigrlewis said:

No expert but IMHO removes any stress if thing go wrong.

 

We picked up covid in Alaska in June 2022 and Cunard re-arranged all our flights we didn't have to lift a finger.

Spoke to others in the same boat and they had booked their own flights on non changeable tickets in business class.

Cunard said they would pay for new flights for this couple but only in economy. Implication was if that wasn't suitable then go to you travel insurer.

Fine but who needs the stress?

 

One downside IMHO is Cunard wont ticket it until closer to the cruise so you cant make seat reservations.

 

 

 

 

Apart from when we had airline points to use up and had a pre cruise stay with friends, we  have always had the airfare as part of our Cunard  booking.  We  pay the air component when we book in order to make seat reservations.

 

Pre Covid, it was thought an expensive way of booking a flight and maybe it was but it was 'secure' and now, with  cruises cancelled either by out of action ships or the passengers being Covid positive etc pre embarkation, to me it's a no brainer to book airfare as part of the booking.

 

[PORT ROYAL]

9 hours ago, LB_NJ said:

Besides possibly price what are the pros and cons of booking air travel with Cunard?

 

We have a cruise out of Vancouver next year.

 

Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

 

Good tip…..  Been given before by CC members..   Don’t think this has changed.

When booking flights with Cunard, one is only allowed to book seats as/when cruise balance, plus flights, are paid for (cruise balance due date) as it is only then, when the flight locator reference given, this to enable seats to be booked.  
By then, it is possible all decent seats have been taken.

Best to pay for the flight when booked, then (think) 11 months from flight date, when the flight opens, one receives the flight locator, then immediately go to the carrier’s site to select/book seats.

 

Edited August 7, 2022 by PORT ROYAL

[Victoria2]

18 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Good tip…..  Been given before by CC members..   Don’t think this has changed.

When booking flights with Cunard, one is only allowed to book seats as/when cruise balance, plus flights, are paid for (cruise balance due date) as it is only then, when the flight locator reference given, this to enable seats to be booked.  
By then, it is possible all decent seats have been taken.

Best to pay for the flight when booked, then (think) 11 months from flight date, when the flight opens, one receives the flight locator, then immediately go to the carrier’s site to select/book seats.

 

Our cruises are [were] are booked nearly two years in advance as we book as soon as the itineraries are released or more to the point on some world segments, when our choice of cabins are released.

 

That means the flight component is an unknown quantity at the time of booking but as schedules followed pretty much the same routing, pre Covid, there was a good chance the schedules would be similar two years hence.

 

We dictate the airline, class and  date of travel as soon as the schedules are released and then we pay for it upfront. That allows us to have the pick of the seats.

Yes it was more expensive but having our own choice of travel and being secure in it being a Cunard 'package', it was and definitely is now, worth it.

 

[LadyL1]

BA certainly does not let you book seats if if full payment made, but with Virgin and United it is possible: u sure about other carriers.

With BA it is a scramble 24 hours before departure to see what is left. Premium Exec members can book in prior to this. We are Bronze now, as not flying much, and we can choose our seats 7 days prior for free. Our next flight (independent) to west coast USA, has seat choice on Business class at £119 pp per seat if we want the “pick” immediately. Really a bit much when considering how much we paid!😫

[Victoria2]

8 minutes ago, LadyL1 said:

BA certainly does not let you book seats if if full payment made, but with Virgin and United it is possible: u sure about other carriers.

With BA it is a scramble 24 hours before departure to see what is left. Premium Exec members can book in prior to this. We are Bronze now, as not flying much, and we can choose our seats 7 days prior for free. Our next flight (independent) to west coast USA, has seat choice on Business class at £119 pp per seat if we want the “pick” immediately. Really a bit much when considering how much we paid!😫

Interesting about B.A. [has an appropriate acronym]. Adds to my list of why we will never, ever book flights with them.

[sippican]

Interesting suggestions.

However, we are booked for Antartica and were told they will not inform us of our flights until 75 days prior to sailing.

[MCC retired]

Depending on the airline you can book your seats when the Cunard  Complete Air is reserved .

We booked our transatlantic Delta seats well before Final Payment .

 

[Windsurfboy]

All in all , nowadays  booking things as a package gives so much more security. More important than seats, but Cunard can book a variety of airlines , at a price sometimes. 

 

Whether booking a seat in advance is important  depends on class of travel and airline.

 

In economy getting right seat is a must , so check with Cunard if you can, and if possible choose an airline where seat selection at booking is allowed.

 

On vast majority of airlines in business when every seat has aisle access seat selection is not important.

 

However  on BA where over 50% are still old seats not new suites, seat selection is important. Which is why I avoid BA whenever we can. Never know if you'll  end up in 20 year old business seats. Another two years before suites on every plane. One exception is Capetown where choice is direct BA or indirectly on other airlines, luckily they are scheduled to have suites , which are up there with the best.

[Victoria2]

'On vast majority of airlines in business when every seat has aisle access seat selection is not important.'

 

Choosing seats in Business can be just as important.

Sitting together, sitting with your group, avoiding communal areas where chaps and chapesses on business congregate and loudly get merry whilst trying to out do one another with their anecdotes is amusing to observe but not when you're trying to sleep, staying away from the galley and the loos, all are important to take into consideration when choosing a seat.

 

We got bitten on our very first long haul to Hong Kong with Cunard and all the decent seats had been  booked by the time we were allowed to book. Never again. Now we dictate, as I said and pay as soon as the schedules are released.

 

 

 

 

[Windsurfboy]

3 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

'On vast majority of airlines in business when every seat has aisle access seat selection is not important.'

 

Choosing seats in Business can be just as important.

Sitting together, sitting with your group, avoiding communal areas where chaps and chapesses on business congregate and loudly get merry whilst trying to out do one another with their anecdotes is amusing to observe but not when you're trying to sleep, staying away from the galley and the loos, all are important to take into consideration when choosing a seat.

 

We got bitten on our very first long haul to Hong Kong with Cunard and all the decent seats had been  booked by the time we were allowed to book. Never again. Now we dictate, as I said and pay as soon as the schedules are released.

 

 

 

 

 

I think things have changed 

 

Now that most seats in business are either suites with doors , or very similiar to that, and are all very private, I really don't think it matters. Couples are put together by default if that's what you want, we like two window suites. The suites at the bulkhead are often much bigger, almost First, some airlines charge a premium for them. People are in own bubbles and much quieter.

 

The right airline is more important than right seat. I've  never used Cunard flights, so always been able to book seats .  But given choice between being able to choose seat on say empty BA or Lufthansa flight where some business class seats don't have aisle access, versus a full flight with Qatar, ANA which have  suites,  then even when we'd have no choice of where to sit , always choose the later.

 

 

Edited August 7, 2022 by Windsurfboy
Spelling

[Victoria2]

6 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

I think things have changed 

 

Now that most seats in business are either suites with doors , or very similiar to that, and are all very private, I really don't think it matters. Couples are put together by default if that's what you want, we like two window suites. The suites at the bulkhead are often much bigger, almost First, some airlines charge a premium for them. People are in own bubbles and much quieter.

 

The right airline is more important than right seat. I've  never used Cunard flights, so always been able to book seats .  But given choice between being able to choose seat on say empty BA or Lufthansa flight where some business class seats don't have aisle access, versus a full flight with Qatar, ANA which have  suites,  then even when we'd have no choice of where to sit , always choose the later.

 

 

Really?

Totally enclosed? Floor to ceiling? Business? Wow. Things have moved on. The last time I flew only the First Class seats were totally enclosed. Business had 'cubicles' but they didn't block out the noise from the bar area and wouldn't have done so from a noisy galley. I couldn't call them totally private either as anyone walking down the aisles could see in if they wanted to.

Airlines must have spent a lot of money reconfiguring their seats since we last flew.

 

 

 

[WorkforBeerGuy]

We just got home from the WB TA 7/29 to 8/5.  We booked the cruise almost 2 years ago.  At T-10 months I had our TA book the air with Cunard Air.  At the time British Air had 3 flights each night from BOS to LHR.  I wanted the 789 flight which had only 8 seats in FC, and thus only 2 pairs of seats.  I requested the first row.  When I received the Flexible Air Confirmation, it included the Airline Confirmation Number.  I accessed the reservation and the seats were assigned as requested.  We did not pay for the airfare until the 120-day final payment date.  This was through the US flight desk.  The same was true with our Delta flight from LGA to PVD, seats assigned as requested but no payment required.

[Victoria2]

29 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Really?

Totally enclosed? Floor to ceiling? Business? Wow. Things have moved on. The last time I flew only the First Class seats were totally enclosed. Business had 'cubicles' but they didn't block out the noise from the bar area and wouldn't have done so from a noisy galley. I couldn't call them totally private either as anyone walking down the aisles could see in if they wanted to.

Airlines must have spent a lot of money reconfiguring their seats since we last flew.

 

 

 

I was 

 

30 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Really?

Totally enclosed? Floor to ceiling? Business? Wow. Things have moved on. The last time I flew only the First Class seats were totally enclosed. Business had 'cubicles' but they didn't block out the noise from the bar area and wouldn't have done so from a noisy galley. I couldn't call them totally private either as anyone walking down the aisles could see in if they wanted to.

Airlines must have spent a lot of money reconfiguring their seats since we last flew.

 

 

 

I was intrigued at private suites so had a google. The seats are the same or similar as I remembered so the issues I mentioned will still be worth taking into consideration.

[njpln]

We have used Cunard Air three times.
 

We’ve traveled in business class and their prices knocked my socks off. They were so good. We have not been able to match it when traveling with Celebrity Air, for example. Also having traveling with Vikings river air, you don’t get your final flights until about 30 days out… They will give you flights,  but they will continue to change them if they can’t keep the prices low enough for their budget.

 

And Cunard we flew twice with United, once with Lufthansa. All three times we were able to select our seats by going to the Airlines website and just adding them to our reservation.

[Victoria2]

I think this must be yet another difference between US Cunard bookings and those in the UK or possibly more precisely, my bookings.

If seat selection were to be available as soon as the airline released schedules and without prior full payment to Cunard for the air component, I would gladly delay my payment until final invoice.

[ExArkie]

18 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

Now that most seats in business are either suites with doors , or very similiar to that, and are all very private...

I would disagree with the "most seats" part. Depends on the airline, of course, but the percentage of aircraft across all carriers that have the fully enclosed suites is almost certainly less than 50%. My experience has been that fewer than one out of four or five times when I'm in business class, it is in the enclosed suite. Granted, that is a function of the airlines I have chosen to fly, but the industry standard for business class seats is a lie-flat seat with direct aisle access (1-2-1 configuration, usually).

 

Business Traveler magazine published a guide to the current configurations last month. https://www.businesstraveller.com/features/business-class-seat-guide/

 

For example, we flew business on Air Europa (US-Madrid, booked with Delta miles) this year and theirs was a 2-2-2 configuration in business on a 787-8. Comfortable seat, but not every seat had direct aisle access, much less a door.

 

[elmsliebev]

We booked the cunard air package and price wise it was very good. However, our last internal flight from London Heathrow to Manchester has been cancelled. It was cancelled just after we boarded, 3 weeks or more till we get back, and cunard have been no help at all. Their line is that we were notified more than 14 days in advance and reimbursed for that leg (£90 pp) so it was then up to us to sort it out and claim on the insurance. The woman on board that we spoke to asked if we could get the train or stay with family near Heathrow! 

[Victoria2]

2 hours ago, elmsliebev said:

We booked the cunard air package and price wise it was very good. However, our last internal flight from London Heathrow to Manchester has been cancelled. It was cancelled just after we boarded, 3 weeks or more till we get back, and cunard have been no help at all. Their line is that we were notified more than 14 days in advance and reimbursed for that leg (£90 pp) so it was then up to us to sort it out and claim on the insurance. The woman on board that we spoke to asked if we could get the train or stay with family near Heathrow! 

Interesting.

Did you use an agent or was it a direct booking? I know rules vary depending where about in the world you fly from but assuming it was all part of a fly/cruise package my assumption is it was Cunard's place to try and sort it out for you. ABTA might be worth a look into.

Edited August 11, 2022 by Victoria2

[elmsliebev]

4 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

Interesting.

Did you use an agent or was it a direct booking? I know rules vary depending where about in the world you fly from but assuming it was all part of a fly/cruise package my assumption is it was Cunard's place to try and sort it out for you. ABTA might be worth a look into.

We assumed that too but they have been no help. We booked through a TA and she’s come across the same stance. It will get sorted, it’s just a pain having to. BA have cancelled many short flights and there’s a rail strike as well to complicate things! 

[Windsurfboy]

10 hours ago, elmsliebev said:

We booked the cunard air package and price wise it was very good. However, our last internal flight from London Heathrow to Manchester has been cancelled. It was cancelled just after we boarded, 3 weeks or more till we get back, and cunard have been no help at all. Their line is that we were notified more than 14 days in advance and reimbursed for that leg (£90 pp) so it was then up to us to sort it out and claim on the insurance. The woman on board that we spoke to asked if we could get the train or stay with family near Heathrow! 

 

That it was cancelled more than 14 days in advance which only means no compensation due. The airline has a  LEGAL duty to rebook you on a flight on the same day , even if they have to use another  carrier, if the can't do this they have a duty to look after you until they can. It's BA's job to get you home

 

Google EU271 or the CMA_CAA_JOINT_LETTER_TO_AIRLINES

[Windsurfboy]

If you can't contact BA becuse you are on ship, once you get to Heathrow,  simply show them a copy of the CAM CAA letter belowCMA_CAA_joint_letter_to_airlines(1).pdf

[Windsurfboy]

The woman on Cunard has it all wrong, just realised as you booked through Cunard Air,  that makes Cunard a Tour operator and as such they have 100% responsibility,  along with airline to get you to Manchester Airport.  Not your or your insurance company's job