EZ-Air to Europe

[Steelers36]

The other day, I was asked by @HMSDingy about using EZ-Air to Europe.  Unfortunately, the thread is lost and I have been asked to re-post the information.  So, here are your answers and others might benefit as well.  

 

Yes, HMS, I have used EZ-Air a number of times and it is especially beneficial for overseas flying.  You book Flexible and can change airlines or re-price existing flights when price drops up to about 45 days before sail date.  It would be a rare snow day in July to see a price drop in the last 60 days, however.

 

In the Fall of 2022 we had a B2B2B + 1 (4 cruises) in Europe.  I booked ASAP on EZ-Air and then monitored flights regularly (some might say obsessively) after that.  I booked the outbound associated with our first cruise and the return with our last cruise.  It has to be that way of course, but it is a great advantage if you can do the same because it allows making separate changes to each one-way flight if one direction has a price drop while the other may have gone up.  Unlike booking with airlines, there is no penalty for booking one-way overseas using EZ-Air. 

 

To give you an idea of what might happen, I began with booking Business on AC to FCO from YYZ and Premium Economy (PE) on LH/AC return.  I wanted Business for sure going over because of the lie-flat suites on an overnight flight.  I won't take you through all the changes, but I began with a cost of $3,233 for outbound and $1,286 for return.  (All costs in USD).  I ended up with Business on AF (via CDG) for $1,705 going over and Business on BA (via LHR) for $1,725 coming home.  That is Business each way for ~$1,710/pp round trip.  Incredible deal I thought and also definitely the lowest fares possible for our trip dates that was offered on EZ-Air.  The connections were not overly long at all and we had to have one connection anyway for FCO in order to fly Business.  The only hassle was LHR Terminal 5 which had a lot of challenges in 2022 and IDK if it is better.  I would prefer to pay somewhat more and connect elsewhere next time.

 

Like @Lady Arwen, I would not choose Air Transat.  I suppose they have something like PE class, but no true Business Class.  I just don't trust them much although many report good experience.  They did have some lower pricing when they would pop up in searches (not for Business, but mostly for Economy when searching for friends).  I don't recall pricing, but it wasn't enough lower to tempt me for sure.  Also, not sure if they had daily flights.  Anyway, that's my two cents.

 

As for seat selection, you can always select seats in EZ-Air when booking business class (BA may be an exception for some flights as they can be "difficult" or want to charge - even for BC).  You can mostly select seats in PE class when booking.  However, lots of airlines do not support selecting Economy seats in EZ-Air either because they want to charge for seat selection, so you do it on airline site later, or they require you to be ticketed first.

 

Air Canada requires ticketing to select economy seats, but you can book PE and Business seats right away in EZ-Air steps.  Just one example.

 

You also asked about cancelling and re-booking.  You don't actually cancel your flights first.  You can go into EZ-Air anytime after having your booking and re-shop for new/changed flights.  You go all the way through the booking steps to the end if you like.  On the last page, you see your new total cost versus your existing cost.  You either accept the new flight booking or keep what you have.  Your existing booking is not cancelled until/unless you accept a new booking.  You can bail out of the shopping steps at any point along the way.  When making a replacement booking, you can change dates, airlines, class of seat, etc.  Or you can re-shop the exact same thing you have to see if any price change.

 

Note that if you re-fare a cruise with an EZ-Air booking, you should make sure your TA or Princess rep is aware of that so they can preserve the air booking and not potentially lose a good price on you.

 

As soon as you have a booking, go to the airline website(s) and retrieve booking and make sure your name, birthdate and contact info get registered and also check for FF member number being entered.  I would also keep an eye on the airline website for any flight changes, including equipment changes.  An equipment change generally means your seat can be lost or auto-selected somewhere else.  The faster you spot this and act, the better choice of seat you will have.

[HMSDingy]

Just now, Steelers36 said:

The other day, I was asked by @HMSDingy about using EZ-Air to Europe.  Unfortunately, the thread is lost and I have been asked to re-post the information.  So, here are your answers and others might benefit as well.  

 

Yes, HMS, I have used EZ-Air a number of times and it is especially beneficial for overseas flying.  You book Flexible and can change airlines or re-price existing flights when price drops up to about 45 days before sail date.  It would be a rare snow day in July to see a price drop in the last 60 days, however.

 

In the Fall of 2022 we had a B2B2B + 1 (4 cruises) in Europe.  I booked ASAP on EZ-Air and then monitored flights regularly (some might say obsessively) after that.  I booked the outbound associated with our first cruise and the return with our last cruise.  It has to be that way of course, but it is a great advantage if you can do the same because it allows making separate changes to each one-way flight if one direction has a price drop while the other may have gone up.  Unlike booking with airlines, there is no penalty for booking one-way overseas using EZ-Air. 

 

To give you an idea of what might happen, I began with booking Business on AC to FCO from YYZ and Premium Economy (PE) on LH/AC return.  I wanted Business for sure going over because of the lie-flat suites on an overnight flight.  I won't take you through all the changes, but I began with a cost of $3,233 for outbound and $1,286 for return.  (All costs in USD).  I ended up with Business on AF (via CDG) for $1,705 going over and Business on BA (via LHR) for $1,725 coming home.  That is Business each way for ~$1,710/pp round trip.  Incredible deal I thought and also definitely the lowest fares possible for our trip dates that was offered on EZ-Air.  The connections were not overly long at all and we had to have one connection anyway for FCO in order to fly Business.  The only hassle was LHR Terminal 5 which had a lot of challenges in 2022 and IDK if it is better.  I would prefer to pay somewhat more and connect elsewhere next time.

 

Like @Lady Arwen, I would not choose Air Transat.  I suppose they have something like PE class, but no true Business Class.  I just don't trust them much although many report good experience.  They did have some lower pricing when they would pop up in searches (not for Business, but mostly for Economy when searching for friends).  I don't recall pricing, but it wasn't enough lower to tempt me for sure.  Also, not sure if they had daily flights.  Anyway, that's my two cents.

 

As for seat selection, you can always select seats in EZ-Air when booking business class (BA may be an exception for some flights as they can be "difficult" or want to charge - even for BC).  You can mostly select seats in PE class when booking.  However, lots of airlines do not support selecting Economy seats in EZ-Air either because they want to charge for seat selection, so you do it on airline site later, or they require you to be ticketed first.

 

Air Canada requires ticketing to select economy seats, but you can book PE and Business seats right away in EZ-Air steps.  Just one example.

 

You also asked about cancelling and re-booking.  You don't actually cancel your flights first.  You can go into EZ-Air anytime after having your booking and re-shop for new/changed flights.  You go all the way through the booking steps to the end if you like.  On the last page, you see your new total cost versus your existing cost.  You either accept the new flight booking or keep what you have.  Your existing booking is not cancelled until/unless you accept a new booking.  You can bail out of the shopping steps at any point along the way.  When making a replacement booking, you can change dates, airlines, class of seat, etc.  Or you can re-shop the exact same thing you have to see if any price change.

 

Note that if you re-fare a cruise with an EZ-Air booking, you should make sure your TA or Princess rep is aware of that so they can preserve the air booking and not potentially lose a good price on you.

 

As soon as you have a booking, go to the airline website(s) and retrieve booking and make sure your name, birthdate and contact info get registered and also check for FF member number being entered.  I would also keep an eye on the airline website for any flight changes, including equipment changes.  An equipment change generally means your seat can be lost or auto-selected somewhere else.  The faster you spot this and act, the better choice of seat you will have.

Thanks but we've never flown in BC or PE and would rather spend the money saved on other things. That being said, after checking the bookings I made with EZair on the Air Transat app, I saw that it was for a low budget fare where I'd have to pay not only for my seats but for luggage as well. After calculating the extras, I would pay much more with EZair as opposed to the airline. Reluctantly, I canceled it. 

[Lady Arwen]

15 minutes ago, HMSDingy said:

Thanks but we've never flown in BC or PE and would rather spend the money saved on other things. That being said, after checking the bookings I made with EZair on the Air Transat app, I saw that it was for a low budget fare where I'd have to pay not only for my seats but for luggage as well. After calculating the extras, I would pay much more with EZair as opposed to the airline. Reluctantly, I canceled it. 

Yes, we have to do some research before booking flights.  In the spring we checked Air Canada to the UK and EZAir.  For some reason EZAir came out $1000.00+ more than booking direct with AC and it remained that way right up to 45 days prior.  You have to be on top of things and never take anything for granted.  EZAir is not always the best option.

[LACruiser88]

For our international flights we have been using EZair exclusively for the past several years.  They have had the lowest BC fares, by far.  We always research all of the airlines and Amex airline partners before making a final decision.

 

For domestic flights we have prefered to book directly with the airlines.  We have not seen much lower rates on our domestic flights via EZair.

[Abercrombie2019]

6 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

Yes, we have to do some research before booking flights.  In the spring we checked Air Canada to the UK and EZAir.  For some reason EZAir came out $1000.00+ more than booking direct with AC and it remained that way right up to 45 days prior.  You have to be on top of things and never take anything for granted.  EZAir is not always the best option.

We had the same experience.  The "restricted" fare on EZAir was also cheaper than the "flexible" fare - and that was the first time that I have ever seen that.  (I would not book "restricted" fare.)  We book economy.

 

Fast forward a few months, and we were able to get cheaper Air Canada fares on EZAir for flights to Florida.

[Steelers36]

Just now, HMSDingy said:

Thanks but we've never flown in BC or PE and would rather spend the money saved on other things. That being said, after checking the bookings I made with EZ-Air on the Air Transat app, I saw that it was for a low budget fare where I'd have to pay not only for my seats but for luggage as well. After calculating the extras, I would pay much more with EZ-Air as opposed to the airline. Reluctantly, I canceled it. 

Interesting - I am thinking this is because Air Transat is a low-budget carrier (used to only do charters).  Most of the time when booking Economy overseas, you do get a bag per passenger included.  As I indicated before, you may have to pay for Economy seat selection, depending on airline policy when using EZ-Air.  EZ-Air may not be for all, but in your case it works to go with the airline.  They wouldn't be a choice for me in EZ-Air or direct.  Hope you have a great holiday.  

[Steelers36]

18 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

Yes, we have to do some research before booking flights.  In the spring we checked Air Canada to the UK and EZAir.  For some reason EZAir came out $1000.00+ more than booking direct with AC and it remained that way right up to 45 days prior.  You have to be on top of things and never take anything for granted.  EZAir is not always the best option.

CANADA.

 

11 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

For our international flights we have been using EZair exclusively for the past several years.  They have had the lowest BC fares, by far.  We always research all of the airlines and Amex airline partners before making a final decision.

 

For domestic flights we have prefered to book directly with the airlines.  We have not seen much lower rates on our domestic flights via EZair.

USA.

 

I think we pay a lot flying from here.  Last year, I started on AC, but changed to AF and BA (Euro airlines) for much lower fares and all that happened with AC is the price went up from the date of opening bookings.

[Steelers36]

7 minutes ago, Abercrombie2019 said:

We had the same experience.  The "restricted" fare on EZ-Air was also cheaper than the "flexible" fare - and that was the first time that I have ever seen that.  (I would not book "restricted" fare.)  We book economy.

 

Fast forward a few months, and we were able to get cheaper Air Canada fares on EZ-Air for flights to Florida.

It's true that EZ-Air can be a challenge at times to get the best fare.  And experiences vary.  For example when I was shopping our Rome fares last year, either Restricted cost more than Flexible or was an insignificant difference that it made no sense to use it.  The Flexibility to re-fare with price drops has some value for sure.

 

[Bgwest]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

The other day, I was asked by @HMSDingy about using EZ-Air to Europe.  Unfortunately, the thread is lost and I have been asked to re-post the information.  So, here are your answers and others might benefit as well.  

 

Yes, HMS, I have used EZ-Air a number of times and it is especially beneficial for overseas flying.  You book Flexible and can change airlines or re-price existing flights when price drops up to about 45 days before sail date.  It would be a rare snow day in July to see a price drop in the last 60 days, however.

 

In the Fall of 2022 we had a B2B2B + 1 (4 cruises) in Europe.  I booked ASAP on EZ-Air and then monitored flights regularly (some might say obsessively) after that.  I booked the outbound associated with our first cruise and the return with our last cruise.  It has to be that way of course, but it is a great advantage if you can do the same because it allows making separate changes to each one-way flight if one direction has a price drop while the other may have gone up.  Unlike booking with airlines, there is no penalty for booking one-way overseas using EZ-Air. 

 

To give you an idea of what might happen, I began with booking Business on AC to FCO from YYZ and Premium Economy (PE) on LH/AC return.  I wanted Business for sure going over because of the lie-flat suites on an overnight flight.  I won't take you through all the changes, but I began with a cost of $3,233 for outbound and $1,286 for return.  (All costs in USD).  I ended up with Business on AF (via CDG) for $1,705 going over and Business on BA (via LHR) for $1,725 coming home.  That is Business each way for ~$1,710/pp round trip.  Incredible deal I thought and also definitely the lowest fares possible for our trip dates that was offered on EZ-Air.  The connections were not overly long at all and we had to have one connection anyway for FCO in order to fly Business.  The only hassle was LHR Terminal 5 which had a lot of challenges in 2022 and IDK if it is better.  I would prefer to pay somewhat more and connect elsewhere next time.

 

Like @Lady Arwen, I would not choose Air Transat.  I suppose they have something like PE class, but no true Business Class.  I just don't trust them much although many report good experience.  They did have some lower pricing when they would pop up in searches (not for Business, but mostly for Economy when searching for friends).  I don't recall pricing, but it wasn't enough lower to tempt me for sure.  Also, not sure if they had daily flights.  Anyway, that's my two cents.

 

As for seat selection, you can always select seats in EZ-Air when booking business class (BA may be an exception for some flights as they can be "difficult" or want to charge - even for BC).  You can mostly select seats in PE class when booking.  However, lots of airlines do not support selecting Economy seats in EZ-Air either because they want to charge for seat selection, so you do it on airline site later, or they require you to be ticketed first.

 

Air Canada requires ticketing to select economy seats, but you can book PE and Business seats right away in EZ-Air steps.  Just one example.

 

You also asked about cancelling and re-booking.  You don't actually cancel your flights first.  You can go into EZ-Air anytime after having your booking and re-shop for new/changed flights.  You go all the way through the booking steps to the end if you like.  On the last page, you see your new total cost versus your existing cost.  You either accept the new flight booking or keep what you have.  Your existing booking is not cancelled until/unless you accept a new booking.  You can bail out of the shopping steps at any point along the way.  When making a replacement booking, you can change dates, airlines, class of seat, etc.  Or you can re-shop the exact same thing you have to see if any price change.

 

Note that if you re-fare a cruise with an EZ-Air booking, you should make sure your TA or Princess rep is aware of that so they can preserve the air booking and not potentially lose a good price on you.

 

As soon as you have a booking, go to the airline website(s) and retrieve booking and make sure your name, birthdate and contact info get registered and also check for FF member number being entered.  I would also keep an eye on the airline website for any flight changes, including equipment changes.  An equipment change generally means your seat can be lost or auto-selected somewhere else.  The faster you spot this and act, the better choice of seat you will have.

I don't have any investment in the flights being discussed but just wanted to add a note of appreciation for the insight you've provided (as you always do) and all of time you spent laying all of this out. 

High five, my man!!

[SCX22]

For those not wanted to be constantly checking EZAir, I've had found the lowest prices in the 90 to 60 day before departure period.  The airlines will drop fares at this time based on seat availability.  Also, as of recent, I I've had the best luck on Friday evenings and nights.  Not sure if this is coincidental, but I found low(er) fares when managing my flights during these times the last 6 times I've booked through EZAir.  The most recent was SFO to FCO on British Airways metal all the way through with 2.5 hour connections for $800 in economy.

 

Not sure what is it about Canada, but even my Canadian friends in Vancouver gripe about how expensive it is to fly from Canada internationally on major carriers.  

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, SCX22 said:

For those not wanted to be constantly checking EZ-Air, I've had found the lowest prices in the 90 to 60 day before departure period.  The airlines will drop fares at this time based on seat availability.  Also, as of recent, I I've had the best luck on Friday evenings and nights.  Not sure if this is coincidental, but I found low(er) fares when managing my flights during these times the last 6 times I've booked through EZ-Air.  The most recent was SFO to FCO on British Airways metal all the way through with 2.5 hour connections for $800 in economy.

 

Not sure what is it about Canada, but even my Canadian friends in Vancouver gripe about how expensive it is to fly from Canada internationally on major carriers.  

Is that time frame for domestic or international as your example to FCO on BA? 

 

I do think it can vary for international.  Perhaps it was a special promo to attract business - no idea - but when I switched to AF in March 2022 for a Europe-bound flight, my cost dropped in half for Business Class and it never went lower on AF or any other airline.  I dumped an AC booking, but to be fair it was NS to FCO.  (Happy to take a decent connection to save >$1,700 US).  So, that was about 6 mths and change out.  The pricing went up soon after and never came close to what I had booked for.

 

When I switched to BA/AA (second leg was a codeshare) in June for the return, I was paying $250 more total to move from PE (LH/AC) to Business.  When I upgraded the final cruise to a Balcony at end of June, the BA/AA fare was a paltry $12 less.  So, at 3.5 mths out, I had the lowest BC fare for the return.

[SCX22]

2 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Is that time frame for domestic or international as your example to FCO on BA? 

 

 

Both domestic and international.  Don't fly anything higher than economy, so cannot comment on higher classes of service.  All examples below are though EZAir

 

SFO-LHR for an April cruise this year, outbound on United and return on Virgin, both N/S was $675.  At 75 days, when I first booked the cruise, it was $800 and at 60 days it dropped.

 

SFO-YVR for a June cruise this year, R/T, N/S on United was $396 at 59 days.  It was $520 on Air Canada R/T, N/S, at 72 days.

 

SFO-JFK for an August cruise this year on Delta R/T, N/S was $296 (main cabin, so we had to pay for checked bags) when I booked the cruise at 51 days.

 

SFO-LHR on Virgin and FLL-SFO on Delta for an October TA cruise for my parents was $461 at 55 days.  When my parents booked originally booked flights in February of this year (they book their cruises way in advance like many on the forum), flight on United outbound and Delta return was $698.

 

Not sure if we're lucky, but refaring or booking EZAir around 60 days has worked out for us.  I think at 60 days, airlines are worried about filling their flights, like cruise lines are worried about filling their ships after final payment.  No guarantees--things could go either way.  With EZAir the flexibility of being able to cancel/re-fare up to the 45 day mark is great.

Edited October 3, 2023 by SCX22

[HMSDingy]

18 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Interesting - I am thinking this is because Air Transat is a low-budget carrier (used to only do charters).  Most of the time when booking Economy overseas, you do get a bag per passenger included.  As I indicated before, you may have to pay for Economy seat selection, depending on airline policy when using EZ-Air.  EZ-Air may not be for all, but in your case it works to go with the airline.  They wouldn't be a choice for me in EZ-Air or direct.  Hope you have a great holiday.  

With Air Transat a regular standard economy gives you a free checked bag per person but you still need to pay for the seats. They have options where for an added cost, the seats are cheaper and you get a few advantages. The fare with Air Transat plus the added option comes out to less than what EZair quoted. We've never had problems with Air Transat but we have had some with Air Canada. Our favourite airline is Air France but they're very expensive, at least for our budget.

Edited October 3, 2023 by HMSDingy

[HMSDingy]

10 hours ago, SCX22 said:

 

Both domestic and international.  Don't fly anything higher than economy, so cannot comment on higher classes of service.  All examples below are though EZAir

 

SFO-LHR for an April cruise this year, outbound on United and return on Virgin, both N/S was $675.  At 75 days, when I first booked the cruise, it was $800 and at 60 days it dropped.

 

SFO-YVR for a June cruise this year, R/T, N/S on United was $396 at 59 days.  It was $520 on Air Canada R/T, N/S, at 72 days.

 

SFO-JFK for an August cruise this year on Delta R/T, N/S was $296 (main cabin, so we had to pay for checked bags) when I booked the cruise at 51 days.

 

SFO-LHR on Virgin and FLL-SFO on Delta for an October TA cruise for my parents was $461 at 55 days.  When my parents booked originally booked flights in February of this year (they book their cruises way in advance like many on the forum), flight on United outbound and Delta return was $698.

 

Not sure if we're lucky, but refaring or booking EZAir around 60 days has worked out for us.  I think at 60 days, airlines are worried about filling their flights, like cruise lines are worried about filling their ships after final payment.  No guarantees--things could go either way.  With EZAir the flexibility of being able to cancel/re-fare up to the 45 day mark is great.

Good to know. I'll check the EZair prices at 60 days out because by that time I should know which airline I'll be booking with.

[HMSDingy]

As I'm checking out CC, I looked into the fares with EZair and the same Air Transat flight is up $400 CAD per per person in Flexible but much lower in Restricted. In fact some of the other larger airlines have lower fares. I'm still better off booking directly with the airlines. As stated before, the Air Transat fare with the extra advantages as with Air Canada, is $300 CAD cheaper. 

[phabric]

On EzAir, if you modify your present flights to change your flights, remember you have re add your airline passenger number and seats each time.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, phabric said:

On EZ-Air, if you modify your present flights to change your flights, remember you have re add your airline passenger number and seats each time.

True, but it is all prompted - same as making an original booking.

[Steelers36]

4 hours ago, HMSDingy said:

As I'm checking out CC, I looked into the fares with EZair and the same Air Transat flight is up $400 CAD per per person in Flexible but much lower in Restricted. In fact some of the other larger airlines have lower fares. I'm still better off booking directly with the airlines. As stated before, the Air Transat fare with the extra advantages as with Air Canada, is $300 CAD cheaper. 

These may not be your flights as I don't recall your original post in the deleted thread.  But we can shop fares for early summer next year to Rome (FCO) from Montreal (YUL).  I accidentally began looking at it from YYZ, but recalled you will use YUL and pricing is different of course (costs more it seems).  In late June, Transat begins daily flights - otherwise you have to work around their schedule in shoulder seasons.  

 

Transat sells an Eco Budget ticket which is a bit unusual for transatlantic flying in that it excludes a checked bag and of course other restrictions like no changes or refunds.  EZ-Air is selling the Eco Standard ticket which does include a checked bag (to 50.5 lb).  This is similar to domestic North America where EZ-Air does not sell the stripped down Economy tickets with nothing included, but quotes standard economy (the original economy we are all used to).  If a guest wants to fly most budget all the way, then EZ-Air can be beat, but let's compare apples to apples.

 

For a Rome round trip leaving in late June from YUL and returning July 20, I see EZ-Air at $1,353 for Flexible and $1,453 for Restricted.  So I am not sure which flights you are looking at showing "much lower" in Restricted.  What I see is consistent with what I normally see when shopping airfares.  BTW, since I am in Canada, these fares are showing in CAD on Princess.com.  The flights are NS from YUL-FCO.

 

If I use Transat's website, the Eco Standard fare for same flights is $1,374.  This is $21/pp MORE than EZ-Air and EZ-Air gives complete flexibility to change flights, dates, and airlines until ticketed.

 

If I shop Eco Budget on the same flights on Transat website, the fare is $1,184, which is $169 LESS than the EZ-Air quote.  But, it is an unfair comparison since it is not the same thing. 

 

I realize you can buy the Eco Budget you must be referring to from Transat and then pay $75 fee for a checked bag.  This brings total cost to $1,259.  The savings is $94 over purchasing from EZ-Air, but of course you get added benefits with EZ-Air.  It is up to guest to decide of course if extra cost is worth it.

 

Same with Transat's Option Plus.  At $119, it includes the $75 checked bag, meaning you pay $44 for some extra perks, including seat selection and priority processing.  This seems a valuable offering to me and if I was to fly Transat would likely do that. 

 

[Lady Arwen]

26 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

These may not be your flights as I don't recall your original post in the deleted thread.  But we can shop fares for early summer next year to Rome (FCO) from Montreal (YUL).  I accidentally began looking at it from YYZ, but recalled you will use YUL and pricing is different of course (costs more it seems).  In late June, Transat begins daily flights - otherwise you have to work around their schedule in shoulder seasons.  

 

Transat sells an Eco Budget ticket which is a bit unusual for transatlantic flying in that it excludes a checked bag and of course other restrictions like no changes or refunds.  EZ-Air is selling the Eco Standard ticket which does include a checked bag (to 50.5 lb).  This is similar to domestic North America where EZ-Air does not sell the stripped down Economy tickets with nothing included, but quotes standard economy (the original economy we are all used to).  If a guest wants to fly most budget all the way, then EZ-Air can be beat, but let's compare apples to apples.

 

For a Rome round trip leaving in late June from YUL and returning July 20, I see EZ-Air at $1,353 for Flexible and $1,453 for Restricted.  So I am not sure which flights you are looking at showing "much lower" in Restricted.  What I see is consistent with what I normally see when shopping airfares.  BTW, since I am in Canada, these fares are showing in CAD on Princess.com.  The flights are NS from YUL-FCO.

 

If I use Transat's website, the Eco Standard fare for same flights is $1,374.  This is $21/pp MORE than EZ-Air and EZ-Air gives complete flexibility to change flights, dates, and airlines until ticketed.

 

If I shop Eco Budget on the same flights on Transat website, the fare is $1,184, which is $169 LESS than the EZ-Air quote.  But, it is an unfair comparison since it is not the same thing. 

 

I realize you can buy the Eco Budget you must be referring to from Transat and then pay $75 fee for a checked bag.  This brings total cost to $1,259.  The savings is $94 over purchasing from EZ-Air, but of course you get added benefits with EZ-Air.  It is up to guest to decide of course if extra cost is worth it.

 

Same with Transat's Option Plus.  At $119, it includes the $75 checked bag, meaning you pay $44 for some extra perks, including seat selection and priority processing.  This seems a valuable offering to me and if I was to fly Transat would likely do that. 

 

Very helpful , thank you

[HMSDingy]

2 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

These may not be your flights as I don't recall your original post in the deleted thread.  But we can shop fares for early summer next year to Rome (FCO) from Montreal (YUL).  I accidentally began looking at it from YYZ, but recalled you will use YUL and pricing is different of course (costs more it seems).  In late June, Transat begins daily flights - otherwise you have to work around their schedule in shoulder seasons.  

 

Transat sells an Eco Budget ticket which is a bit unusual for transatlantic flying in that it excludes a checked bag and of course other restrictions like no changes or refunds.  EZ-Air is selling the Eco Standard ticket which does include a checked bag (to 50.5 lb).  This is similar to domestic North America where EZ-Air does not sell the stripped down Economy tickets with nothing included, but quotes standard economy (the original economy we are all used to).  If a guest wants to fly most budget all the way, then EZ-Air can be beat, but let's compare apples to apples.

 

For a Rome round trip leaving in late June from YUL and returning July 20, I see EZ-Air at $1,353 for Flexible and $1,453 for Restricted.  So I am not sure which flights you are looking at showing "much lower" in Restricted.  What I see is consistent with what I normally see when shopping airfares.  BTW, since I am in Canada, these fares are showing in CAD on Princess.com.  The flights are NS from YUL-FCO.

 

If I use Transat's website, the Eco Standard fare for same flights is $1,374.  This is $21/pp MORE than EZ-Air and EZ-Air gives complete flexibility to change flights, dates, and airlines until ticketed.

 

If I shop Eco Budget on the same flights on Transat website, the fare is $1,184, which is $169 LESS than the EZ-Air quote.  But, it is an unfair comparison since it is not the same thing. 

 

I realize you can buy the Eco Budget you must be referring to from Transat and then pay $75 fee for a checked bag.  This brings total cost to $1,259.  The savings is $94 over purchasing from EZ-Air, but of course you get added benefits with EZ-Air.  It is up to guest to decide of course if extra cost is worth it.

 

Same with Transat's Option Plus.  At $119, it includes the $75 checked bag, meaning you pay $44 for some extra perks, including seat selection and priority processing.  This seems a valuable offering to me and if I was to fly Transat would likely do that. 

 

Thanks for all of your help. Our cruise is Aug 5th to 25th from Barcelona to Rome. I calculated an Eco Budget with the Option Plus with Air Transat and got a better price had I gone with EZair. The price quoted by  EZair was also Eco budget but, after having spoken to an Air Transat rep, the luggage was not included. With the Option Plus the seats to Barcelona were free and for those on the return flight I chose better seating at a lower cost . With EZair, I would have to factor in the costs of seats at the standard price which would be higher and the cost of the luggage. At the time of this writing, Air Transat Eco Budget with Option Plus and seats & luggage included is $2454.40 for two and EZair is $2828.24. With EZair, the price would be for standard seating and $75 per person per way for the luggage.

Edited October 3, 2023 by HMSDingy

[Kmkub]

This is very helpful information. We are doing a bunch of firsts; first time to Europe, first time in business class cubes and first time EZ Air.

 

A question - how did you go about selecting your meals and checking in for the EZ Air flights? I’ve gotten no real communication and I can’t see the trips on Delta; only on Princess.com.

 

This time in two weeks, we’ll be over the ocean. 🙂

[Steelers36]

48 minutes ago, Kmkub said:

This is very helpful information. We are doing a bunch of firsts; first time to Europe, first time in business class cubes and first time EZ Air.

 

A question - how did you go about selecting your meals and checking in for the EZ Air flights? I’ve gotten no real communication and I can’t see the trips on Delta; only on Princess.com.

 

This time in two weeks, we’ll be over the ocean. 🙂

EZ-Air provides the airline confirmation number(s).  You certainly ought to be able to pull up your booking on the airline you booked.  Also, be aware if you booked with the actual airline flying the plane or a codeshare.  Once booking is retrieved on airline website, make sure your personal information is all correct and filled in, including your FF member number, etc.  You should also review selected seats. 

 

You always check-in with the operating airline.  Normally, any meal selection is done on board.  We have always been presented with menus in J Class shortly after boarding and they come by and get your choices.  Some airlines might sell a meal or meal package ahead of time, but then you often choose from a selection of the type of snack or meal you booked in advance.  If it is special diet selections you are thinking of, again you do this with the operating carrier website.

 

[dickinson]

@Steelers36 What do you mean by "operating" airline?  We have one flight that says Delta but it is a codeshare with Virgin Atlantic so the plane is Virgin Atlantic (strangely to me if we booked the Virgin Atlantic flight it would cost more).  I assume we check in with Delta.

 

@KmkubWe recently flew to Europe for a cruise on business class (1st time in BC).  Outgoing flight was on SAS.  They asked what we wanted when on the plane.  Flying home was United.  Shortly before we had left home (about two weeks before the flight) I received an email from United asking for our choices for the main meal.  

[Paula_MacFan]

37 minutes ago, dickinson said:

We recently flew to Europe for a cruise on business class (1st time in BC).  Outgoing flight was on SAS.  They asked what we wanted when on the plane.  Flying home was United.  Shortly before we had left home (about two weeks before the flight) I received an email from United asking for our choices for the main meal.  

We recently flew to Europe as well using EZ Air and flew United Polaris First Class both ways.  I was able to see our flights on the United app immediately at booking (330 days out) and was able to manage flights on the app up until travel time.  This included pre-ordering meals, bag information, checking in, etc.

[Hlitner]

8 hours ago, Kmkub said:

This is very helpful information. We are doing a bunch of firsts; first time to Europe, first time in business class cubes and first time EZ Air.

 

A question - how did you go about selecting your meals and checking in for the EZ Air flights? I’ve gotten no real communication and I can’t see the trips on Delta; only on Princess.com.

 

This time in two weeks, we’ll be over the ocean. 🙂

Not too many years ago, we flew Delta One (on a brand new A350) from Tokyo to Detroit.  When we met the chief steward (who we knew from a previous flight) I asked him "how is the food in Delta One?"  He just laughed and said something along the lines of "just typical Delta airline food" which is to say eatable but nothing memorable.  

 

If you do have some kind of special diet preference you can certainly check your options a few days before the flight and perhaps choose a special meal.  That being said, we assume you will be taking an evening/overnight flight to Europe.  My best advice is have something to eat in the airport lounge (you will get lounge access with your Business Class ticket) before the flight and eat lightly (if at all) on the flight.  For whatever reason, many experienced flyers will say that eating less (onboard) helps deal with jet lag.  The irony about flying to Europe is that the flight is not long enough to get a decent night;s sleep if one stays up for the entire dinner service and asks to be woken up for breakfast.  

 

As to your flight, the EZAIR info does show your Delta flight locator code.  You should be able to go into Delta's web site, and pull up your reservation using your name and that code.  You may not have complete access until the cruise line has actually made the payment to Delta (sometimes only about 4 weeks prior to the flight).  You can go into EZAIR and request immediate ticketing, but once done it has negative impact on your ability to cancel without penalty.

 

Hank