Air Travel Booked with Seabourn

[Rebels82]

For those of you who have booked your air travel through Seabourn….

1. How was your experience?

2. Would you recommend it or is it easier/better to book your own?

Thanks.

[jdk-atlga]

I have done several through SB FlightEase. Depending upon promos and other considerations, it was a great option and very easy to manage, once the booking is made. The flexibility to change and update, up until deadline, is a very great feature. Only airlines that I had trouble with (i.e., selecting seats) was British Air. 

Best, jdk

[Vineyard View]

Good to know. We are about ready to book ours. We’ve only used a cruise line to book air once before as many air depart,ents do not have good reputations. Our TA also gave SB high scores on FlightEase 

[safarigal]

We have never had a problem with booking our air through Seabourn. The prices have been very competitive, and it's good to know that if the flight is delayed if you have to arrive on the day you sail, they are aware of it.

[Hlitner]

For us, it is simply a matter of comparing Flightease options (easily done online) with options if we would directly book our air with an airline.  There are times when Flightease will have fantastic prices for international Business/First Class and other times when the prices are about the same.

 

Hank

[fdnycruiser]

We used it in April on a TA to Dover from Florida.  The price for business was unbelievably cheap, and the flight home on a nonstop from Heathrow to Orlando on Virgin Atlantic couldn’t have been better 

[Cantara24]

We have yet to have a bad experience with FlightEase, booking odd itineraries, i.e. home to embark point, disembark point to home from different continents all handled with ease and if the airlines change flight schedules, no cost to you. Your may pay more, likely you will pay less for what you can do on your own. We no longer have a mass of points to use so we find this a very useful solution.

We look at it as you are making a big cruise spend, why the need to nickel and dime the cost to get to where you need to be to do that.

[stan01]

We had a good experience with FlightEase for US domestic first class fares, and especially liked the ability to select our own flights rather than trying to communicate preferences to an intermediary.  We want to make our own choices, and trying to coordinate on the phone or by email with a travel agent or cruiseline call center is tedious.  I do understand that others still value this type of service.  We booked first class domestic fares about 6 months out in FlightEase which were about 20% less than what the airlines were charging at the time we booked.

[whystayhome]

We have been satisfied with Flight Ease and have gotten some great fares for one-way TA flights.  When our same day arrival in Copenhagen was delayed 6 hours, the Seabourn rep helped us get our luggage, hustled us into a cab, and Seabourn was waiting for us on the curb at the pier after a hair-raising ride when we arrived 5 - 10 minutes before scheduled departure. They grabbed our suitcases and raced us through check-in and on to the ship. If we were traveling independently, that wouldn’t have happened. 
 

On the other hand, we fly out of Washington Dulles and one time a Flight Ease rep booked us back to Seattle, Washington.  Good thing I caught that in time. 

 

Linda

 

 

[Hlitner]

3 hours ago, whystayhome said:

We have been satisfied with Flight Ease and have gotten some great fares for one-way TA flights.  When our same day arrival in Copenhagen was delayed 6 hours, the Seabourn rep helped us get our luggage, hustled us into a cab, and Seabourn was waiting for us on the curb at the pier after a hair-raising ride when we arrived 5 - 10 minutes before scheduled departure. They grabbed our suitcases and raced us through check-in and on to the ship. If we were traveling independently, that wouldn’t have happened. 
 

On the other hand, we fly out of Washington Dulles and one time a Flight Ease rep booked us back to Seattle, Washington.  Good thing I caught that in time. 

 

Linda

 

 

We try not to rely on the reps or anyone else to do our bookings.   With Flightease we can simply look online, compare various airports, and choose our own flights.  Living in the Northeast. We have access to 5 International airports and using the online system makes it ez for us to compare many options.  There are times when a business class seat out if Dulles will be a lot cheaper than Newark or perhaps Philly will have the best deal.

 

We are willing to drive hours to a more distant airport if we can get a decent non stop flight.  These days, flight changes can mean missed connections, lost luggage, etc

 

Hank 

[Vineyard View]

Has anyone booked British Air BC recently?  I am hearing from TA that there have been some issues this year - probably better to book directly with them on Flight ease vs code share AA?  I was also told that BA is not letting seats be picked? 
 

Wish we could book direct, but to most places to Europe - out of SFO - that isn’t possible, so I am entering max 1 stop. 

[2SailingNomads]

We have flown BA multiple times this year in their business class, connecting thru LHR, and all booked thru AA.  They let you pick a seat on flights in Europe for no cost but you need to go to the BA site to pay to choose a seat in advance for the trans-ocean segment.  

[Vineyard View]

1 hour ago, 2SailingNomads said:

We have flown BA multiple times this year in their business class, connecting thru LHR, and all booked thru AA.  They let you pick a seat on flights in Europe for no cost but you need to go to the BA site to pay to choose a seat in advance for the trans-ocean segment.  

Thank you for this info. Do you recall what the charge was to choose the seats, and were you able to do that via Flight ease?

Edited December 10, 2023 by Vineyard View

[FlyerTalker]

5 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

Has anyone booked British Air BC recently?  I am hearing from TA that there have been some issues this year - probably better to book directly with them on Flight ease vs code share AA?

 

Of course, since you don't mention what those "issues" are, it's impossible to discuss whether that is true or not.

 

Paging Carnac the Magnificent!

 

 

[Vineyard View]

1 hour ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Of course, since you don't mention what those "issues" are, it's impossible to discuss whether that is true or not.

 

 

Fair response/question for sure. Thank you. 

Cancelled flights. Re-routed flights and inability to book seats on transatlantic flights. This question did not necessarily pertain to Flight ease at all,  but experience in the past several months with BA specifically being more so than other lines. I truly realize that this occurs with all airlines, but I was told by more than one person in the travel industry that they have experienced more than normal with BA. 
On an aside, friends who recently travelled independently on a land trip to the British Isles via BA, that we spent this weekend with, had a flight cancelled -  their return flight at the last minute. It was not a well handled situation - so that combination prompted my question. 

[CLOU]

There is a charge for reserving BC seats on BA in advance on transatlantic flights. I think it was just under $150 per ticket. Not sure if that was for each direction. However, if you have status on American Airlines you can book for free, but not until you first book the flight. Once you finish the booking process you can go to manage your flight on the website or app and book seats for free.

[jdk-atlga]

14 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

Thank you for this info. Do you recall what the charge was to choose the seats, and were you able to do that via Flight ease?

All:

With SB FlightEase, if you want to preselect your TA - BA seats, FlightEase will direct you to the British Air website. Each seat and each leg is priced separately. There is no BA charge if you book seat during your BA 24 hour check-in. Personally, I find this method price deceiving, when compared to the other airlines that FlightEase allows you to select your seats, without additional charge. 

Best, jdk

[FlyerTalker]

First off, be aware of the difference between a "cancelled" flight and one where there has been a schedule change.

 

The former is when an operational issue comes up, such as a mechanical problem or possibly crew staffing or weather.  The flight is still in the schedule, but on that particular day, the flight is cancelled.  This is significantly different than when there has been an overall schedule change and the purchased flight is no longer in the schedule, or has had flight times changed from the original itinerary.

 

But folks often conflate the two and call both a "cancelled" flight.  Semantics matter.

 

As for the comment about flight cancelled at the last minute -- well, that's exactly what a cancellation is.  The airline is planning to operate the flight, but for whatever reason, it's unable to.  That is what leads to re-routes and delays in getting to your destination.  BA is no more likely to cancel a flight than other majors.  And in fact, given the scope of both their operation and their alliance partners, they can likely handle cancellations better than others. They are not overall cancelling significantly more flights than other carriers.

 

As for charging for seats.  This is a very known, and documented, aspect of the BA operation.  Most USA travelers are just used to free seat selection on flights, and think it is some kind of bait and switch when they encounter this in a non-USA carrier.  And this is not something unique to cruiseline air.  To consider this "price deceiving" is to admit that you didn't do research in advance and merely assumed you would get seat selection for free.

 

 

 

[Vineyard View]

9 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

As for charging for seats.  This is a very known, and documented, aspect of the BA operation.  Most USA travelers are just used to free seat selection on flights, and think it is some kind of bait and switch when they encounter this in a non-USA carrier.  And this is not something unique to cruiseline air.  To consider this "price deceiving" is to admit that you didn't do research in advance and merely assumed you would get seat selection for free.

 

 

 

We generally have flown on AF/KLM and not paid for seat selection. We did not for BA previously as well. That said, we often use miles so maybe that is the difference. 

Thank you idk-atlaga for clarifying the FlightEase cost to choose seats on BA
 

Regarding  BA flight issues, I can only say that our TA stated that she and the firm have experienced a lot of issues this year with BA. Our friends are a one off for sure, but their flight was cancelled. 
 

Thank you all fpr responding to my question

[2SailingNomads]

And BA charges different prices depending on where in the biz class cabin you wish to sit.  And agree that KLM who I prefer to fly for both the non-stop to AMS and the service.  

[Earthtones]

12 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

As for charging for seats.  This is a very known, and documented, aspect of the BA operation.  Most USA travelers are just used to free seat selection on flights, and think it is some kind of bait and switch when they encounter this in a non-USA carrier.  And this is not something unique to cruiseline air.  To consider this "price deceiving" is to admit that you didn't do research in advance and merely assumed you would get seat selection for free.

I don't think I'd call it bait and switch, but it just feels wrong to not include seat selection and free checked luggage for a business class seat. Thankfully, there really aren't any bad seats in BC and most sections are small enough that you might be able to swap with fellow passengers to sit with your traveling companions if desired.

[FlyerTalker]

33 minutes ago, Earthtones said:

I don't think I'd call it bait and switch, but it just feels wrong to not include seat selection and free checked luggage for a business class seat.

 

If it really feels wrong, don't buy from BA.

 

Problem solved.

 

(And this has been the policy for years, so complaining won't change a thing)

 

 

[jdk-atlga]

8 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

If it really feels wrong, don't buy from BA.

 

Problem solved.

 

(And this has been the policy for years, so complaining won't change a thing)

 

 

You have raised very good points regarding normal BA seat selection practices. The issue (for me) is that when comparison shopping with SB FlightEase, those seat expenditures are not factored into the final price. Going through the "Seat Selection" process within FlightEase at booking - it looks as though your initial seat selection is taken, but upon final booking acceptance, the BA seats that you thought you selected are gone.  Then, although you thought that you reserved your seats within FlightEase, you either wait until pre-flight check-in or pay upfront directly to BA.

 

I'm not saying that it is bait & switch, but a warning within FlightEase that the BA seats will/may cost extra, if selected early, could allow people to make different flight selections. Typically with FlightEase, the initial AA/BA flights seem the least expensive (at least from ATL) compared to Star Alliance or SkyTeam (which both allow for seat selection without cost), but the seat selection cost could make them more expensive, vis-a-vis. Bottom line, all the flights are really within competitive bounds.

 

My 2 cents worth,

jdk

[highplanesdrifters]

One also needs to compare lie flat seats in biz class, as they are not created equal.  For example: Many TA Biz seats on BA are just crammed uncomfortable lie flats with a small shelf. First class more traditional pods, quite nice.  Lots of old planes still lurking about.   Just looked at UA, ORD-EDI. Yes Polaris lie flat, but in a 2-2 config. No pod, no shelf, old plane.  Seat guru has been very helpful in sorting it all out.

[Vineyard View]

Thanks for all the BA advice. This was very helpful.
This morning am looking at other options on Flight ease…..lines I have not flown on in BC so will do some research.