Help Me Understand Princess Air

[terrierjohn]

Does anyone have something good to say about Pricess Air. Or has everyone who has used it never made their cruise.

Flying from the UK with Princess mostly means arriving the day before the cruise and most scheduled airlines offer a reasonable way to cross the pond. For some Caribbean cruises Princess uses charter airlines arriving the day of the cruise, a bit more cramped but they would hold the ship for 250 passengers.

On our Alaska trip I fell sick and we missed our sailing because Princess quarantined me, BUT they arranged, and paid for, all the extra flights and hotels and got us to the ship on its first port of call. I doubt we would have got better customer service from even the luxury lines.

However this Friday our flights to Honolulu for our Tahitian Princess cruise include a 75 minute connection in Newark to complete, immigration, customs clearance and a security check. This will be tight and there is a significant possibility that we might miss the connection, this will be Princess airs biggest test for us. However the cruise starts Sunday so we should be there by then.

[SPI_Rick]

...... How bad could it get, either a change in Atlanta or Cincinnati - and, if they know we have to be there on time, won't they schedule accordingly? Also, please - what is "deviation charge" and what are the advantages? That cancellation coverage sounds good too.......

 

 

Boethius, while I am a fan of Princess Air, you should be aware that sometimes the routings can be inconvenient....for example, on our last cruise, getting to FLL from Dallas we were booked on a 7:00am flight out of DFW, which meant a 4:30am departure from our house....just to get to FLL at 1pm on the day prior to our embarkation. We would have preferred a later (and more leisurely) departure.

 

The "Deviatoin Charge" is a fee they charge to make a change in your air routing.....the charge is $50 per person for domestic changes and $75 per person for international changes. In the above example I could have paid a deviation charge of $50 per person to change the flights to a time later in the day.....but you pay the deviation charge PLUS the difference in the airfare charged by the carrier. In some cases the difference in airfare is not much, but in other cases Princess has deep discount fares and you could pay several hundred dollars in addition to the deviation fee. But your travel agent can sort it all out with Princess and let you know the total cost to change your air routing.

[bhopal21]

Boethius, I often travel w/friends from Al specifically on Delta; and they can fly from either Huntsville or Birmingham and join me in ATL for the rest of our trip all for less than I pay dpearting from ATL. . . .go figure.

 

So, I would certainly check my own flights first.

 

Mike:)

[Pam in CA]

Does anyone have something good to say about Pricess Air. Or has everyone who has used it never made their cruise.

I've used Princess Air a number of times, always with good routing and success. Most recently, I was looking for air for my November cruise, thinking I had plenty of time and that there would be plenty of seats. After all, November to Athens isn't exactly peak season. WRONG! This was almost a month ago and there were just 3 - 4 seats left on most of the major air carriers and they were asking, and getting, almost double what the Princess air was. So, I did a lot of research, used five different flight search engines and at least five different airlines, and finally booked through Princess. I got THE EXACT SAME FLIGHTS as I'd researched for about 60% what the airline had it for either on their website or through any of the online booking sites.

 

The point is, do your homework before you make any decision to either book your own flights or go with Princess air. And, if at all possible, fly out the day before. You can't control the weather or other flight delays that might be thousands of miles away yet still impact yours. If you do fly in the same day, get the insurance.

[WeBeGone]

We have only positive things so far with Princess air:

We used Princess air to get to Tahiti. We paid the $75 air deviation fee for a non-stop, Ft. Lauderdale to LA. I couldn't find any better prices.

 

We're using Princess air again in Nov for a one way to Rome. We have a short layover at Washington Dullus and are on Delta. Once again, couldn't find better prices since it's a one way.

[rainee]

We are leaving on July 31 for a flight from Chicago to Anchorage. We start our land tour the next day. We had Princess do the flights first and they came up with 2 different carriers (Alaska Air to Anchorage and United from Vancouver back to Chicago) both with layovers (Seattle and Denver, respectively). We opted to book direct flights with United, but are staying the night in Vancouver due to no direct flights after our cruise ends. We're flying out the next morning. Net price difference between the airfares? $13.24 pp. Okay, we have to pay for the hotel in Vancouver, but that's ok. I've never been to Vancouver! :D

 

Regards and have a great trip!

[Evelyn143]

Does anyone have something good to say about Pricess Air. Or has everyone who has used it never made their cruise.

 

We have just returned from a transatlantic and Baltic b-t-b cruise. We live in Ft. Lauderdale and needed a return flight from Copenhagen to Miami. We paid $75 PP for customized air. We flew British Air from Copenhagen to Heathrow and then Miami. We arrived late at Heathrow and the security procedures at Heathrow delayed us even more. We barely made our flight but our luggage did not. It arrived in good condition 2 days later. We have used cruiseline air with all our European cruises and have no complaints. Princess air was cheaper than British Air had quoted us for the same flights. When our cruises start in Europe we fly in 2-3 days early.

 

Evelyn & Bob

[coombs2]

I would advis to NEVER book with Princess Air. We did las year out of Newark to Fort Lauderdale. we got connections in Ohio. we got to the ship so late that they had finished taking embarkation photos. so we did not get one for our first cruise ever. that is something we can never get back.

on the way home, we went through ohio again and princess gave us a layover for several hours when there was an earlier connection. fortunately at the last minute we got waitlisted for the earlier flight and got got upgraded to first class, but we still coulnt go direct to newark.

lesson learned- book your own air. it is cheaper and less stressful.

[Princess Chatterer]

One of the first times I bought Princess deviation I simply told my late great T.A. "Get me there a day early." So what did Princess and my T.A. do? They booked to arrive at almost midnight "a day early" then told me that it was non-negotiable, period. I argued with Princess and the T.A. over their definition of the word "day" and finally prevailed. Basically Princess said your T.A. gets just one bite of the deviation apple and that is it. In other words if your T.A. doesn't complain at the time the deviation route and time is fixed then you, the passenger are screwed.

 

Now I've gotten a lot smarter. I say to the T.A. "I will pay for Princess deviation only IF Princess with get me there X days early and I arrive at my destination between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m."

 

Once Princess fixes your deviation route and times with your T.A., unless you book with Princess direct, there is no going back for another bite of the apple without paying another deviation fee.

[CrusinAgain]

We tried Princess Air with the Princess transfer and they booked us on the first flight out in the morning getting us to the port airport at 10 a.m. Used the Princess transfer and we were on the ship bypassing all the lines simply because we stopped at a hotel to register for the ship. The air was alot cheaper than what we were finding online to book and this was 4 months out so we were very pleased. The return left to go home at 12:30 so we didnt have to spend our day at the airport.

[bhopal21]

If you will notice, there is a trend here.

 

If you are flying internationally or doing an "open jaw" it is usually better to use Princess air, if flying within the US it most always pays to arrange your own.

 

Mike:)

[spongerob]

We have almost always found it better to book our own air. When you ask for deviations, you not only pay the fee (waived if you book a hotel stay through Princess, at twice the rate you can probably get if you book on your own) but you also pay the difference in airfare costs. There are a few exceptions where it is probably beneficial to book your air travel through Princess. Generally speaking you are better off making your own arrangements.

[Pam in CA]

I would advis to NEVER book with Princess Air. ... - book your own air. it is cheaper and less stressful.

The OP asked a general question about using Princess air and there are times when it not only makes sense but is either a lot cheaper or the only way to get to your destination. Your comment to never book with Princess and implication that it's always cheaper and less stressful to book your own is misleading and incorrect information since that's just not true in all cases.

[hotmike98]

spongerob is correct: you really have to watch out on the back end of package. two years ago we did a round trip out of Seattle, so it was definitely cheaper to book our own rt flights on Alaska Air from Long Beach. On the hotel in Seattle, even though we had a group of FORTY people they charged an outrageous rate at the comfortable and convenient Westin. The Princess transfer was really a pain. We were the last stop of about seven hotels on the way from the airport. The next morning, on the transfer to the port, they tried to charge me $15 for a case of wine (we had it delivered to the hotel from a local wine shop recommended here on CC), so I just put it in my lap on the bus. But the reall kicker for me was when Princess insisted on a per person charge of $159 for the hotel, even for our daughter who stayed in our room, making our room 150% of what the charge was for the identical room to others in our group. Rip off! Moral is, you have to put the price AND the route AND the convenience factors together before you book Princess Air, deviation fee or not. And make sure your TA knows your parameters on what's acceptable before you accept a deviation fee routing if it's no better than the non-deviation routing.

[catergirl]

when we were on the tahitian this year there were 2 examples of people who booked princess air and they were late,they did not wait and not gotten to the next port by princess. it cost them as much to get to raratonga as the cruise! when we were booking future cruise onboard again the girl was promotting the advantages of princess air! ha! even we had defrosting flight delays in toronto, engine trouble delays in chicago amd we were told by princess to work it out with the airline!! we had princess air and insurance! crap! do your own and look for the bottom line!

[janetz]

Thank you for all the information to help us to make the best choice. ;) When my sister checks this thread later, she will be surprised at all the responses. Love this board. :D

[cruisinalong001]

We only had one experience with Princess air and canceled our cruise because of the "arrangements". We were to fly back from Manaus Brazil to Orlando after the cruise. We were to disembark from the ship early (6 or 7AM, I forgot which). The charter flight left at 9 PM (14 hours later). It was then to fly to ATLANTA arriving between 3 and 4 AM. Then there was another layover until a flight to Orlando the next day! Talk about flights for the convenience of the cruise line.! Most airline flights go from Manaus to Miami and then connect to Orlando. Called Princess air....no help. Canceled the cruise. The heck with them.! Booked an RCL cruise a few months later. Had a great time.

[Boethius]

We have only positive things so far with Princess air:

We used Princess air to get to Tahiti. We paid the $75 air deviation fee for a non-stop, Ft. Lauderdale to LA. I couldn't find any better prices.

 

We're using Princess air again in Nov for a one way to Rome. We have a short layover at Washington Dullus and are on Delta. Once again, couldn't find better prices since it's a one way.

 

 

Ahhhh, Roma - what kind of rate did you get for the flight? I love Rome and absolutely lust to return. Hope you have a glorious time!

[Boethius]

We have only positive things so far with Princess air:

We used Princess air to get to Tahiti. We paid the $75 air deviation fee for a non-stop, Ft. Lauderdale to LA. I couldn't find any better prices.

 

We're using Princess air again in Nov for a one way to Rome. We have a short layover at Washington Dullus and are on Delta. Once again, couldn't find better prices since it's a one way.

 

 

Ahhhh, Roma - what kind of rate did you get for the flight? I love Rome and absolutely lust to return. Hope you have a glorious time!

[Boethius]

Wow, a lot of pros, a lot of cons. Thank so much, kids. You've given me much to ponder. I'll let yawl know what we decide. Hope everyone has a grand times on their trip(s):)

[Pam in CA]

Even on the same cruise, you'll find two people with completely different experiences. I think some of the differences are related to where you're flying from, where you're flying to, and when in varying combinations.

[bhopal21]

I think some of the differences are related to where you're flying from, where you're flying to, and when in varying combinations.

 

Probably the most concise post on the subject.;)

 

Mike:)

[janetz]

Probably the most concise post on the subject.;)

 

Mike:)

 

 

Ditto! :)

[sk8terchick]

We have been on 11 Princess cruises & have always used their air package. Our friend who is a travel agent & books our cruises for us also uses their air, never have we gotten a bad flight & she told me flights usually work out cheaper than getting it on your own. Also if something goes wrong with flights they will wait for you if booked through their air package. I would say our worst lay over was maybe an hour or two, which is fine with me I like to stretch my legs after being in such cramped quarters and long flights we have even gone direct. Everyone is different:) so you have to do what is best for you, have a great day.

[harnesshorseman]

webegone i am also on the star princess 11/21 transatlantic lets exchange info on ports excursions etc.