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I used Air2Sea for the first time


Matt

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I booked flights for two cruises on Air2Seas for the first time today, and I wanted to share a few thoughts.

I purchased airfare for my Barbados cruise on Grandeur  in December, as well as RoyalCaribbeanBlog group cruise on Anthem in July.

  • The website design is notably dated. I'm talking 10 years ago old.
  • You can book Air2Sea on your own, or through your travel agent. For a while I assumed it had to be booked through the travel agent
  • The fees A2S took was less than I thought. I think it was (~$30 for Grandeur, ~100 for Anthem).
  • No payment required today. I'll pay (or cancel just before) final payment date.
  • Flights refundable up to 90 days before the cruise.
  • Speaking of refundable, it's nice not making payment for a flight I'm not sure I'll go on due to covid, but outside of covid, I did like spacing out purchases to make less of a "YIKES!" credit card bill later.
  • With the flights to England, I had to play around to get flight times I wanted. It becomes annoying if you want to compare prices between cabin types, or if one cabin type is sold out for one leg.  In those cases, it comes back with no results.

Overall, I was pleased with the experience and looking forward to seeing how it works if I want to cancel later.

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I was pleased that Air2Sea was able to get us non-stop flights to/from Barbados.  I wasn't able to find any when looking at individual airline websites.

 

We went one step further for our flights to Bridgetown....we bit the bullet and paid for Royal's transportation to/from the pier.  We figure it's one thing to make our way when in Florida or Texas but didn't want to worry about anything with international flights.  My wife's pto is tight, and if we missed the flight home, the options aren't as plentiful as they are in the States.

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Interesting about the fees.  I thought A2S charged a flat fee.  I guess I’ve  just never noticed.  I was surprised to see that yourAnthem  fee was so much.  I know back in “the day” the old air system (can’t  even remember what it was called) charged something like $15 PP and even that fee was waived if you were D or higher.

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I’ve been playing around with Air2Sea too using my reservation from the blog GC this July. One stray observation that I have come across is that my TA can access a whole lot more flight options than I can from the site. 
 

One specific example is the issue of non-stop flights. When using the Air2Sea site on my own, it does not give me any non-stop options at all. However, when my agent searches, quite a few come up on several different airlines. Not sure if this is just me, or if others have come across this as well?

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2 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I’ve been playing around with Air2Sea too using my reservation from the blog GC this July. One stray observation that I have come across is that my TA can access a whole lot more flight options than I can from the site. 

I fought this problem a while too. I knew there were directs, but I noticed the left column is the key. Even when results shows no non-stops, look at left column for a filter for non stops and I was able to get it.

Also, when you get results, pick the tab that allows you to choose specific flights, instead of the system packaging both flights.

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2 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

I'm partial to Southwest, so I've never found any good prices on Air2Sea.

 

That said, that bias wouldn't help me for a flight to England.

I doubt Southwest is in A2S only because Southwest isn't in any of the major booking sites.

For international travel, it seems like A2S is a no brainer. Which is why I booked both trips with A2S.

With covid, it can be a gut check if you want to book with a specific airline because you may only get credit back, but you're still laying out cash for flights that you arent certain yet if it will sail.

 

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3 hours ago, Matt said:

Overall, I was pleased with the experience and looking forward to seeing how it works if I want to cancel later.

Cancelling is very easy, I had done some searching on Air2Sea for a previous cruise to see how it all worked, not realizing that you paid for the flights with final payment of the cruise, I inadvertently booked flights.  A three minute phone call later, they were all cancelled. It was super easy.

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5 minutes ago, GregD said:

Cancelling is very easy, I had done some searching on Air2Sea for a previous cruise to see how it all worked, not realizing that you paid for the flights with final payment of the cruise, I inadvertently booked flights.  A three minute phone call later, they were all cancelled. It was super easy.

That's exactly why I booked with A2S, so good to hear!

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5 minutes ago, Matt said:

That's exactly why I booked with A2S, so good to hear!

Also, if you read my Liberty blog, I discuss Air2Sea quite a bit since we used that for last February. The flights were changed after they were booked, so we lost our seat assignments, so pay attention there, and watch your reservations if you keep them because you will have to talk to the respective airlines yourself after they are paid for if there are issues that come up. I tried speaking to the air2sea reps first and they sent me on to the airlines directly.

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11 minutes ago, Jill said:

This reminds me to cancel my flights to Rome and back since odyssey is cancelled. Used Air2Sea. (Hello @Sharla, I’ll be emailing you for the hundredth time this week!) 
 

Will use again to go back to Rome the following year and for Alaska. 

It seems between you and I @Sharla profile picture should look like the pic below. I don't know how she doesn't pull her hair out by now, she has been by our side since the start of this madness!

elle muliarchyk digital media GIF

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1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Another Air2Sea question for anyone who knows.  Many of you know that I always fly Delta.  Do I still collect SkyMiles if I book through Air2Sea?

Yes unless fares like the ultra cheap fares are purchased (basic economy) which may not.  You can provide your SM# to A2S when you book.

Also, any perks for having status with Delta and TSA Precheck work business as usual for the same fare type you would purchase direct with Delta such as complimentary upgrades or waived bag fees based on DL status.

 

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3 hours ago, Matt said:

I doubt Southwest is in A2S only because Southwest isn't in any of the major booking sites.

For international travel, it seems like A2S is a no brainer. Which is why I booked both trips with A2S.

With covid, it can be a gut check if you want to book with a specific airline because you may only get credit back, but you're still laying out cash for flights that you arent certain yet if it will sail.

 

I meant because Southwest isn't in A2S I haven't seen many good deals on other airlines. Though Southwest is changing to allow their fares to appear in the booking engines.

 

But for international flight A2S seems ideal.

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5 hours ago, em.down.the.rabbit.hole said:

Ah I'm on the Anthem the week after you guys...I'll wave as we pass in the cruise terminal ? ... but good news today about International cruising out of the UK this summer...fingers crossed for all of us Anthem bound cruisers.

The UK cruises are said to be domestic passengers only.  Not international, meaning US.  I have Anthem cruise in Sept. out of Southampton, but don't think it will be a go.  They indicate they will  do short cruises only and with local passengers.  I hope I am wrong as I really want to do my cruise in Sept.   UK is also not planning to do other countries in their cruises, like Denmark, Amsterdam, etc.  Which are some of the ports I have scheduled.   We will wait and see what happens I guess.

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3 hours ago, Linda R said:

The UK cruises are said to be domestic passengers only.  Not international, meaning US.  I have Anthem cruise in Sept. out of Southampton, but don't think it will be a go.  They indicate they will  do short cruises only and with local passengers.  I hope I am wrong as I really want to do my cruise in Sept.   UK is also not planning to do other countries in their cruises, like Denmark, Amsterdam, etc.  Which are some of the ports I have scheduled.   We will wait and see what happens I guess.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/03/09/travel-news-holiday-abroad-covid-restrictions-spain-portugal/

Scroll through this article (post at 3.47pm most interesting) .... International cruising from UK expected later on this summer... not just domestic cruising.

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12 hours ago, Matt said:

For international travel, it seems like A2S is a no brainer. Which is why I booked both trips with A2S.

With covid, it can be a gut check if you want to book with a specific airline because you may only get credit back, but you're still laying out cash for flights that you arent certain yet if it will sail.

 

During Covid, I'll admit A2S does make sense. In the normal times, I would still argue that it really depends. If you're doing a one-way international, sure, A2S does seem to make sense if you don't have airline miles to use one a one-way flight without taking the hit (or finding one of the few airlines that flies between the US/Europe with one-way fares that aren't insane). If you're doing, say, US to Europe roundtrip flights, I would still consider booking your own flights directly through the airline...price wise may not be much different if at all, and you have the personal decision of paying at the time of booking (directly with airline) or later (with A2S). Each person's budget is going to be different in regards to which one of those is better. 

9 hours ago, Linda R said:

The UK cruises are said to be domestic passengers only.  Not international, meaning US.  I have Anthem cruise in Sept. out of Southampton, but don't think it will be a go.  They indicate they will  do short cruises only and with local passengers.  I hope I am wrong as I really want to do my cruise in Sept.   UK is also not planning to do other countries in their cruises, like Denmark, Amsterdam, etc.  Which are some of the ports I have scheduled.   We will wait and see what happens I guess.

I wonder how that would work if, for example, you have UK citizenship but live elsewhere. For example, I have a good friend who is a dual US/UK citizen living in the US (hasn't lived in the UK since they were a kid), I wonder if he could roll up to the ship with his UK passport and get let on, or if they would ask for proof that he actually lives in the UK currently. This isn't necessarily a common issue, but I would be curious. 

 

12 minutes ago, Matt said:

Yes, they even provide an area in the booking to enter your Sky Miles number

Technically that's not a guarantee they'll give you miles. It really does depend on the fare basis. I believe most A2S fares will give you miles, but not necessarily every fare, even if you do input your number. 

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I don't like flying in the day of a cruise and I have been burned by making this choice before, but if you feel inclined to do so or must for any reason, Air2Sea does come with some promises to get you to the ship even that means getting you to the next port of call should you have flight issues the day before or day off a cruise.  

Having found myself trying to find alternate flights the day of a cruise it's a huge source of stress and a lot of work with no motivation for the airlines to work with you.  Air2Sea has contracts with airlines and in some cases they buy space so they have a relationship with the airlines and they are motivated to help you get there.  That's a huge advantage of Air2Sea.  

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9 minutes ago, twangster said:

I don't like flying in the day of a cruise and I have been burned by making this choice before, but if you feel inclined to do so or must for any reason, Air2Sea does come with some promises to get you to the ship even that means getting you to the next port of call should you have flight issues the day before or day off a cruise.  

Having found myself trying to find alternate flights the day of a cruise it's a huge source of stress and a lot of work with no motivation for the airlines to work with you.  Air2Sea has contracts with airlines and in some cases they buy space so they have a relationship with the airlines and they are motivated to help you get there.  That's a huge advantage of Air2Sea.  

+1 for this.  I rarely fly in on day-of but when I do, for whatever reason, I always choose A2S.  It just helps with the stress level and give some peace of mind that you will have someone to help you if things go south - and they do.

Example:  I will be cruising on Symphony Feb 12-19 2022.  I am booked for Grandeur Feb 20 - Mar. 6.  So far I have been unable to find a flight out of Miami to Bridgetown the afternoon or evening of Feb. 19 which means that I will be flying from MIA-BGI the morning of Feb. 20.  Flying out of the country on embarkation day is a double no-no but seems unavoidable at the moment.  Having an A2S reservation is making the best of a bad situation.

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37 minutes ago, Zacharius said:

Technically that's not a guarantee they'll give you miles. It really does depend on the fare basis. I believe most A2S fares will give you miles, but not necessarily every fare, even if you do input your number. 

So how do you confirmed then if a specific fare gives you miles?  That would be deal breaker for me (I think) if I did not get SkyMiles for booking through Air2Sea.  Roundtrip flights from DTW-LHR, too many miles there to give up.

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8 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

So how do you confirmed then if a specific fare gives you miles?  That would be deal breaker for me (I think) if I did not get SkyMiles for booking through Air2Sea.  Roundtrip flights from DTW-LHR, too many miles there to give up.

I fly primarily with AA so it's not really going to answer your question, but I have used A2S (and its predecessor) many times and I have never failed to get airline miles.  I think the only time you would be denied airline miles would be on the bottom of the bottom class of service (the one where you aren't even allowed to bring carry-on luggage) and I feel quite confident that you would never fly in that class of service when flying to a cruise.  I guess you would have to ask either A2S or Delta or both to actually get an answer...but my guess is that you will get miles.

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14 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

So how do you confirmed then if a specific fare gives you miles?  That would be deal breaker for me (I think) if I did not get SkyMiles for booking through Air2Sea.  Roundtrip flights from DTW-LHR, too many miles there to give up.

I'd call and ask A2S if the fare qualifies.  Generally avoid the basic economy fares which don't allow you to select seats or don't include carry on luggage depending on the airline.  I doubt you want your family spread all over the plane in any open seat the day of flight so you are probably not going to bump into these types of fares.

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12 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

If I've learned anything about A2S in this thread, it's that it seems way more complicated than I originally thought it was.

+1 on that. 

I have been somewhat researching it for a while too before @Matt posted this.  I don't need to use it yet.  I'm almost positive the cruise this July to Norway isn't happening.  I was researching for the sailing that I booked July 2022 to Norway.  I wanted to be prepared this summer when flights do get released.  The more I look into it, the more I am not sure if I even want to do it this way or just book direct.  With our own situation for July 2022, we plan to fly into Heathrow at least 5 days prior to sailing and probably fly back to DTW the day after the ship gets back.  So with that cushion, I don't even know if it's worth dealing with Air2Sea.  Unless the price is cheaper than Delta direct, which I doubt it would be seeing that the other thread mentioned an Air2Sea booking fee....

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I agree with the passenger calling in directly. Not because I am a lazy t/a but just so they are hearing all of the options and making sure they have their FULL legal names entered correctly. I would suggest making sure you have a very good idea of what your wants/needs are prior to placing that call though. Using the airlines site, search engines or even recommendations from the "boards" can be quite helpful in arming you with useful info. 

 

Several years ago I did find an international one-way in business class that was only a couple of hundred US$ more than an economy seat. Rare? Certainly, but I love the hunt too!

 

My best tip with "ChoiceAir," now "Air2Sea," is to price roundtrip AND 2 one-way flights. It is counterintuitive to conventional planning but can open up the field of options as well as pricing lower sometimes.

 

 

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1 hour ago, twangster said:

I don't like flying in the day of a cruise and I have been burned by making this choice before, but if you feel inclined to do so or must for any reason, Air2Sea does come with some promises to get you to the ship even that means getting you to the next port of call should you have flight issues the day before or day off a cruise.  

Air2Sea also allows you to choose to arrive day(s) earlier or depart day(s) later than your cruise. If you want to spend more time in your port city.

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