Flight ease questions

[sandiego1]

We’ll be on the Pole to Pole in 2025. Is there a way to book the flight to Florida now and add the return leg later? Flights aren’t available yet for June 2025 so we can’t book the return.

 

Also is it possible to fly out of one city and return to a different one?

 

Lastly, is Southwest an option with FlightEase? We’ll have a lot of luggage for this 5 month cruise and don’t want to pay for checked bags if possible.

Edited March 9 by sandiego1

[SusieKIslandGirl]

I've never seen Southwest offered. And yes, there are times when you can change your cities. We're near Seattle but opted to fly to Atlanta from Rome for a visit with DS. Flight Ease doesn't show any flights until the entire round trip is available. We just dealt with that on flights to and from Singapore. Had to wait an extra 28 days-seemed like forever.

[Menocchio]

Most flight aggregators don't include Southwest. Their system doesn't play well with others. Google Flights will acknowledge that their flights exist, but can't tell you how much they cost. If you think Southwest might fly to where you're going, it might be worthwhile to check their site directly.

Edited March 9 by Menocchio

[kennystwin]

I just booked FlightEase out of DFW and checked Dallas Love Field (a major Southwest hub) as an option. Yes, it showed Southwest flights but they were restricted fares only and were priced higher than the "Wanna Get Away"  public pricing. While other airlines start selling tickets 330 days out, Southwest publishes their schedule only 6-9 months out, so you might have to wait to book your tickets.

 

I always factor in luggage fees when evaluating the fares. On occasion, I find that the first class (or some premium economy) fares can become a good value as they generally include 2 checked bags per person and sometimes have higher weight limits so you may want check that out as well.

 

And yes, FlightEase lets you have different origin and return cities.

[terrydtx]

It is possible to book a one way fare, but when you book the return flight later, you will have to cancel the first flight and rebook the whole trip. You can book different leave from and return to airports. 

[Torquer]

Can someone refresh my memory on how far in advance you can book flights through Flight Ease?  I seem to remember something like 330 days before the disembarkation date for the cruise, but I would like the exact number.  When I try to book through Flight Ease, I get the infamous error message:  "We are unable to process your request. Please try again later or call us at the number listed on the page for assistance."  I have seen this many times in the past, for just about any problem, but I would like to know if I am trying to book too early or if something else is wrong.

[RuthC]

As far as I know, it's still 330 days. If the flight is open for booking on the airline's site, then it should be open for booking on Flight Ease. 

[[Big Z]]

53 minutes ago, Torquer said:

Can someone refresh my memory on how far in advance you can book flights through Flight Ease?  I seem to remember something like 330 days before the disembarkation date for the cruise, but I would like the exact number.  When I try to book through Flight Ease, I get the infamous error message:  "We are unable to process your request. Please try again later or call us at the number listed on the page for assistance."  I have seen this many times in the past, for just about any problem, but I would like to know if I am trying to book too early or if something else is wrong.

330 days as per HAL: 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/ca/plan-a-cruise/get-ready-for-your-cruise/faq#237:~:text=Confirm your preferred flights as early as 330 days prior to your return or as late as 4 days before departure.