Princess Air having trouble with airline changes

[mediaman]

Hello;

 

Princess is handling my air for a Spring cruise on the Grand from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and ending in London, UK. My home is in El Paso, Texas USA which is a large city but not an airline hub and it is a bit 'remote.'

 

Recent communications from Princess have been apologetic about their inability to provide full air connections to and from my home city of El Paso. Airline flight cuts and schedule changes are making problems.

 

Princess was only able to get a round trip (open jaw) air ticket from DFW Airport. I must make my own arrangements to and from DFW (or earlier airport) to home. The requirement of a fairly early check-in at the Fort Lauderdale pier and long airport layovers (10-14 hours) create part of the problem. They cannot even get me into Fort Lauderdale but must use Miami airport with a longer shuttle run. Some of the problem also appears to be use of preferred airlines by Princess.

 

My Travel Agent has tried many combinations along with my efforts. We have been defeated. I must leave the day before with an overnight in DFW and another overnight on return; possible cutting off a ticket leg in the process. Therefore I must pay my part of my own personal air and two nights of a hotel and related meal costs.

 

Princess is sorry about the problems and much of it may or may not be their fault. I may want the extra nights, forced on me, as a way of breaking the trip and keeping things less hectic. Meanwhile it is less convenient for time and costs. Blame is heaped on the airlines.

 

I wonder if you are finding any of these problems in your Princess Air arrangements (at least in the USA)?

[spongerob]

I haven't used Princess to book air in a long time, but when we did there was a list of cities that they would agree to provide air. Typically, larger cities. I think your best bet is to look for alternative options on your own.

[Toto2Kansas]

Hello;

 

Princess is handling my air for a Spring cruise on the Grand from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and ending in London, UK. My home is in El Paso, Texas USA which is a large city but not an airline hub and it is a bit 'remote.'

 

Recent communications from Princess have been apologetic about their inability to provide full air connections to and from my home city of El Paso. Airline flight cuts and schedule changes are making problems.

 

Princess was only able to get a round trip (open jaw) air ticket from DFW Airport. I must make my own arrangements to and from DFW (or earlier airport) to home. The requirement of a fairly early check-in at the Fort Lauderdale pier and long airport layovers (10-14 hours) create part of the problem. They cannot even get me into Fort Lauderdale but must use Miami airport with a longer shuttle run. Some of the problem also appears to be use of preferred airlines by Princess.

 

My Travel Agent has tried many combinations along with my efforts. We have been defeated. I must leave the day before with an overnight in DFW and another overnight on return; possible cutting off a ticket leg in the process. Therefore I must pay my part of my own personal air and two nights of a hotel and related meal costs.

 

Princess is sorry about the problems and much of it may or may not be their fault. I may want the extra nights, forced on me, as a way of breaking the trip and keeping things less hectic. Meanwhile it is less convenient for time and costs. Blame is heaped on the airlines.

 

I wonder if you are finding any of these problems in your Princess Air arrangements (at least in the USA)?

 

 

I normally book our air and don't use Princess for flights unless they are open jaw International flights. But even booking my own this time I have run into many snags. Our airline of choice stopped the straight through flights to Fort Lauderdale. Other airlines all gave us longer layovers and more connections than we actually are used to. PLUS, every flight time has been changed at least three times since we booked a couple of months ago.

Airfare anymore is crazy, and it isn't just the price. The schedules are mind boggling and I am sure a nitemare for the cruise lines with all the changes that have been implimented recently.

[bubbadog]

we book our own air,so we get seats and times we want,its a bit of planning but worth the piece of mind:))));) :D

[Pam in CA]

The problem is the airlines who are changing schedules, flights, etc. constantly and pretty drastically. Princess has little control over that and it could happen to you if you booked your own flight rather than cruiseline air.

 

Cruiselines, not just Princess, use air consolidators, companies that specialize in buying up blocks of seats on certain flights at a lower cost. Not all airlines participate in offering seats to consolidators so while it appears that Princess favors one airline, that just means that the consolidator is able to get seats on the airlines willing to sell to them. I use a TA and get consolidator air through her, and I have the exact same issues as the cruiselines. On my upcoming cruise, Delta changed my flight home out of Athens by several hours which means I'm going to have to self-disembark and rush to the airport after the cruise. On the other hand, I get pretty good rates so it's a trade-off. I'm willing to pay less and be inconvenienced more. Otherwise, I'd pay through the nose directly with the airlines. But that's my choice.

[Stevesan]

Last I checked Princess does not contract with Continental which offers the best connections.

For example CO1439 leaves ELP at 11:45AM. After a three hour layover in Houston, you continue on CO4 at 6:25PM arriving at LHR at 9:35AM.

The return is a similar schedule.

 

There are a number of other airlines that offer R/T ELP<--->London.

Your TA could easily book nonPrincess air for you. If not, do it yourself and get a new TA.

[karmacruiser]

I was just wondering, did Princess originally book you out of El Paso and then later tell you that the best they could do was DFW?

 

We booked our own airfare for our December cruise and have had much the same experience as Toto and others. Our flights have also been changed numerous times. Our return flight was booked on a carrier that stopped flying into our hometown recently, they tried to rebook us to a town 70 miles away. We refused to do that, and after several phones calls they eventually booked us on another airline without any out of pocket to us.

 

It seems to me if they originally booked you from El Paso, they should fix it for you at their cost. Just my opinion.

[blindrid]

This is precisely why I rarely book air with a cruiseline. The schedules are often horrendous and compound that with the airline industry in general - they are really scrambling.

 

It's bad enough dealing with airlines to schedule on your own, but that's the way I go. I typically plan on plenty of time but at least I get to choose my airport of choice and airline as there a getting to be a quite of few airlines I choose not to book with taking into consideration the baggage fees and the like.

[gatour]

Have you looked into booking the air portion entirely on your own? If I understand you correctly. Princess air will get you from Dallas to Ft Lauderdale (Miami) for embarkation and then get you back from London to Dallas. They are saying that it is your responsibility to get from El Paso to Dallas on the outbound and then get from Dallas to El Paso on the inbound trip.

 

Since Dallas is a hub, prices can be high. I would recommend looking into a one way ticket from El Paso to Ft Lauderdale (or even Miami) and then a one way ticket from London to El paso. Not sure what airlines fly into El Paso, but I imagine you could get a flight from El Paso to Ft Lauderdale with just one stop. The trip from London may take a couple of stops though.

[Jade13]

Hello;

 

Princess is handling my air for a Spring cruise on the Grand from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and ending in London, UK. My home is in El Paso, Texas USA which is a large city but not an airline hub and it is a bit 'remote.'

 

Recent communications from Princess have been apologetic about their inability to provide full air connections to and from my home city of El Paso. Airline flight cuts and schedule changes are making problems.

 

Princess was only able to get a round trip (open jaw) air ticket from DFW Airport. I must make my own arrangements to and from DFW (or earlier airport) to home. The requirement of a fairly early check-in at the Fort Lauderdale pier and long airport layovers (10-14 hours) create part of the problem. They cannot even get me into Fort Lauderdale but must use Miami airport with a longer shuttle run. Some of the problem also appears to be use of preferred airlines by Princess.

 

My Travel Agent has tried many combinations along with my efforts. We have been defeated. I must leave the day before with an overnight in DFW and another overnight on return; possible cutting off a ticket leg in the process. Therefore I must pay my part of my own personal air and two nights of a hotel and related meal costs.

 

Princess is sorry about the problems and much of it may or may not be their fault. I may want the extra nights, forced on me, as a way of breaking the trip and keeping things less hectic. Meanwhile it is less convenient for time and costs. Blame is heaped on the airlines.

 

I wonder if you are finding any of these problems in your Princess Air arrangements (at least in the USA)?

 

Have you tried to book yourself? Go to the Cruise Air site on CC and see if anyone can suggest better flights.

[mediaman]

Thank you for your comments.

 

To answer some of your thread notes----

 

1. Princess had originally promised to book from my home city. They did change the origin and return to DFW airport as the only good trip point. DFW is about 700 miles away and PHX is about 700 miles in the wrong direction and DEN is far North. To show their sorrow for not being able to do better, Princess gave me a small, shipboard credit.

 

2. We have looked at every flight leaving El Paso on the day of ship departure. The earliest possible flight arrives in S. Florida (MIA or FLL) too late for me to claim my bags and get to the ship on time. Princess has insisted that I be at the ship about two hours before departure according to my TA. About six airlines serve El Paso.

 

3. DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) is a big hub and often has better airfares than from my home city. It's all part of the airline's unrest over the past several months that is the problem.

 

4. Booking the entire air on my own would produce costs about three times what Princess can do. Even with the added costs of my own connector flights to and from DFW or DFW/ORD on return and hotel costs, it is still better. Princess does have some air deals better than I can get by a wide margin but not all cities and airlines are used.

 

Thanks again for your suggestions and comments.

[spongerob]

Thank you for your comments.

 

To answer some of your thread notes----

 

1. Princess had originally promised to book from my home city. They did change the origin and return to DFW airport as the only good trip point. DFW is about 700 miles away and PHX is about 700 miles in the wrong direction and DEN is far North. To show their sorrow for not being able to do better, Princess gave me a small, shipboard credit.

 

2. We have looked at every flight leaving El Paso on the day of ship departure. The earliest possible flight arrives in S. Florida (MIA or FLL) too late for me to claim my bags and get to the ship on time. Princess has insisted that I be at the ship about two hours before departure according to my TA. About six airlines serve El Paso.

 

3. DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) is a big hub and often has better airfares than from my home city. It's all part of the airline's unrest over the past several months that is the problem.

 

4. Booking the entire air on my own would produce costs about three times what Princess can do. Even with the added costs of my own connector flights to and from DFW or DFW/ORD on return and hotel costs, it is still better. Princess does have some air deals better than I can get by a wide margin but not all cities and airlines are used.

 

Thanks again for your suggestions and comments.

Remember, too, that air fare quoted by Princess is subject to change until final payments have been made. I think you are looking at the same cruise we booked a while ago (Grand Princess FLL-Southampton) for which we could not find decent air arrangements that had an acceptable cost. You should be able to get from DFW to FLL the day of the cruise, but I wouldn't risk that given that the next place you could embark is Bermuda.

 

Personally, I would arrange it so that you could go from El Paso to FLL the day before the cruise, which would mean a late arrival in FLL, but who cares? Even if you had a delay in Dallas you could still get an early flight to FLL, I would hope. In any event, it was problems like you are facing that made us re-consider the TA cruise and book a roundtrip out of Southampton later.

 

Coming home should be a little easier, but I'm guessing you would still have to plan an overnight stay in Dallas. Which isn't so bad, considering how you'll feel after a long-haul flight from London.

[CruisinChris]

I researched this for you and came up with the below itinerary for $1650. Not bad considering the time of year. You could also probably shop this for a while and do better.

 

As mentioned, you would need to change the outbound flight to the day before because as you've noted it's not possible to get to south florida (FLL or MIA) in time to make the ship. You must go the day before - and that's not that bad! ;). Go have dinner overlooking the beach and relax! Another poster mentioned that continental offered the best connections and that also appears to be true. If Princess doesn't contract with Continental - then that's why you're having such a tough time getting out of El Paso. I recommend that you cancel the air that they've cobbled together for you and go on your own. You may pay more but at least you've got convenience on your side. On the way home you'll be thankful for it. It's a long day.

 

Fri, Apr 10, 2009El Paso International Airport (ELP) to Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL) Depart: 08:30am

 

Arrive: 11:27am

El Paso, TX (ELP) to

Houston, TX (IAH)

Continental Airlines

Flight 1475 (on Boeing 737-300)

Adult fare rules

 

1 Stop – change planes in Houston, TX (IAH)

Connection Time: 1 hr 43 mins

Depart: 01:10pm

 

Arrive: 04:43pm

Houston, TX (IAH) to

Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)

Continental Airlines

Flight 1548 (on Boeing 737-800)

Adult fare rules

 

Total Travel Time: 6 hrs 13 mins

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Total Travel Time: 6 hrs 13 mins

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Sat, Apr 25, 2009London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to El Paso International Airport (ELP) Depart: 11:15am

 

Arrive: 02:10pm

London, Great Britain (LHR) to

Chicago, IL (ORD)

Continental Airlines

Flight 8250 operated by Virgin Atlantic (on Airbus A340-300)

Adult fare rules

 

1 Stop – change planes in Chicago, IL (ORD)

Connection Time: 4 hrs 30 mins

Depart: 06:40pm

 

Arrive: 08:55pm

Chicago, IL (ORD) to

El Paso, TX (ELP)

American Airlines

Flight 1031 (on McDonnell Douglas MD-80 Jet)

Adult fare rules

 

Total Travel Time: 16 hrs 40 mins

 

 

Review the price

(All prices are in US dollars.)

 

1 Adult: $1,418.00

Taxes & Fees: $186.50

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Ticket total: $1,604.50

Travel Protection-1 plan $35.95

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Total payment due: $1,640.45 *

[Iamcruzin]

The high cost of fuel is causing the airlines to take drastic measures to meet their bottom line. Canceling flights to fill other flights is one way they keep costs down. I can understand why Princess is having a problem finding you a more direct flight. At the end of our cruise in Nov we are flying from San Juan Puerto Rico to JFK New York with a 4 hour stop over in Miami for a connecting flight to JFK. I would have thought that I would be able to have a direct flight coming from and going to very highly traveled destinations. But, I guess Sunday at the time we would be traveling a direct flight is either expensive or not popular.

[mediaman]

Friends:

 

1. To Cruizin'Chris- The suggestions are well researched but won't work. For my arrival in S. Florida, Princess says that I must be on board by 3:00pm (2-2 1/2 hrs. before scheduled departure). The claim by Princess and my TA is that the earliest same-day flight arrives in FLL about 2:15pm and/or MIA will not permit enough time to get my bags and the shuttle to the ship. Also there is no spare time for any possible flight delays. I would hate to catch up in Bermuda, three days later. The cost of booking my own complete air is substantially higher than Princess' air even with my added costs.

 

Princess also says that it cannot arrange return flights from London Heathrow (or Gatwick) before about 2:00pm. They say that the Southampton arrival time, departure clearance, airport checkin & security and shuttle time will not permit an earlier flight. Later flights that day, find a long layover (10-12 hours) at some point. (PS. I am on the cruise from FLL to Southampton with the added portion to SW Europe and the Med.)

 

2. Others- Yes, I have "given up" and arranged layovers in DFW (heading to FL) and ORD (on return to the USA). It does allow for more relaxed travel but adds more time and cost. It's a trade-off for convenience and comfort. The airline schedule and price changes (both predictable and not) catch us all. I even completed my booking payment in order to hold my guaranteed costs. We are all seeing the effect of the money crisis, airline difficulties and cost saving measures. The air passenger is getting less service and convenience so that good connection schedules become difficult. Never mind the discomfort and fees added for most coach class travel. I really can't fault Princess except for some rigid policies, consolidator uses and the unpredictable elements of bureaucracy and weather. I have learned to go with the flow and realize when it's not worth fighting and when pleasant requests may still get help if you know the rules.

[dutchess43]

Mediaman I cannot understand you being told that they cannot give you flights before 2p.m. when your ship docks at 5a.m. & the port you are in the day before is France. It seems to me that information is a snow job due to the flights they have probably blocked seats on. We are leaving from Ft. Lauderdale & returning from Barcelona in April on Navigator of the seas. I booked our own air we are docking at 5 a.m. & we are on a 11:10 a.m. flight on Aer Lingus with a change in Dublin. Granted we are a lot closer to the airport then you but still feel that 2 p.m. time is ridiculous. This is why when I can I book our own air.

[wrp96]

Mediaman I cannot understand you being told that they cannot give you flights before 2p.m. when your ship docks at 5a.m. & the port you are in the day before is France. It seems to me that information is a snow job due to the flights they have probably blocked seats on. We are leaving from Ft. Lauderdale & returning from Barcelona in April on Navigator of the seas. I booked our own air we are docking at 5 a.m. & we are on a 11:10 a.m. flight on Aer Lingus with a change in Dublin. Granted we are a lot closer to the airport then you but still feel that 2 p.m. time is ridiculous. This is why when I can I book our own air.

 

 

dutchess43, mediaman's cruise ends in Southampton not Ft. Lauderdale. Southampton is much, much further away from Heathrow or Gatwick than Port Everglades is from FLL. It's only a 10 minute taxi ride from Port Everglades to FLL. But Southhampton is over an hour away from Heathrow if not more.