Air2Sea Questions

[dejavu21]

I searched Air2Sea just now and found flights for United (my preferred carrier) that do not exist on the United website.  The prices are almost $200 cheaper per person that the flights currently on United.com.  My questions:

1) Should I book this now, since final payment for my cruise isn't until April and would be refundable if needed?

2) I have a United credit card, thus, my baggage is usually free.  Will I need to pay for my baggage using Air2Sea?   There are 4 of us (Houston to Vancouver) so it could be a hefty pricetag.

Any other comments would be greatly appreciated.

[smokeybandit]

I would be very surprised if Air2Sea offered flights that United.com doesn't have.

I'm not sure on the credit card though since I believe you end up paying RC directly and they pay United.
 

[Zacharius]

I'm not an expert on Air2Sea or United, so I'll leave those questions for others, but...it's a little worrisome they're selling flights that United says may not exist. Willing to share the dates/flights? I'd be curious to look. 

[dejavu21]

21 minutes ago, Zacharius said:

I'm not an expert on Air2Sea or United, so I'll leave those questions for others, but...it's a little worrisome they're selling flights that United says may not exist. Willing to share the dates/flights? I'd be curious to look. 

@Zacharius  IAH to YVR - July 4th 2024 to July 14th, 2024.  Cruise is Brilliance, July 7-14. Let me know what you see.  Air2Sea has flight UA 6621 and United.com does not.  

I was curious as well, so, I called one of my friends who happens to be a United Pilot, and he can only see through June 18th at the moment.  

[smokeybandit]

I see it on United's site. However, I had to do the advanced search, not the quick search.

 

[dejavu21]

5 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

I see it on United's site. However, I had to do the advanced search, not the quick search.

 

Interesting.  Thanks for looking.  I guess i need to check my filters and see why I would need to do an advanced search. You would think they would show all flights.  Did you see the price difference on Air2Sea?  $407 for this flight.

[Zacharius]

17 minutes ago, dejavu21 said:

@Zacharius  IAH to YVR - July 4th 2024 to July 14th, 2024.  Cruise is Brilliance, July 7-14. Let me know what you see.  Air2Sea has flight UA 6621 and United.com does not.  

I was curious as well, so, I called one of my friends who happens to be a United Pilot, and he can only see through June 18th at the moment.  

I definitely se UA6621 IAH-YVR on 4 July 2024. Departs 1630, Arrives 1925. Thing is, it's a codeshare and is operated by Air Canada as AC1301. So it's an Air Canada flight that happens to carry a codeshare UA flight number. 

[Zacharius]

3 minutes ago, dejavu21 said:

Interesting.  Thanks for looking.  I guess i need to check my filters and see why I would need to do an advanced search. You would think they would show all flights.  

I didn't do any kind of advanced search for mine...just searched IAH-YVR on 4 July and it popped right up

[dejavu21]

5 minutes ago, Zacharius said:

I definitely se UA6621 IAH-YVR on 4 July 2024. Departs 1630, Arrives 1925. Thing is, it's a codeshare and is operated by Air Canada as AC1301. So it's an Air Canada flight that happens to carry a codeshare UA flight number. 

yeah, I see the problem.  On united.com you see the United flights operated by Air Canada.  I guess I was expecting to see the Air Canada flights as well.  Sorry for the goose chase.  Either way, Air2Sea is cheaper at the moment.

[smokeybandit]

Air2Sea sometimes has deals on flights for Alaska and Euro cruises, so that's not a surprise.

[twangster]

Banner says it all.  

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/flights/bookFlights

 

[Traveling Mike]

I always book any flights that look like a good deal to me.  Then I keep an eye out for better deals.  You can change or cancel your AirToSea booking up to your final payment.  You also keep all of your airline perks.  I get free bags with American.

[dejavu21]

9 minutes ago, Traveling Mike said:

I always book any flights that look like a good deal to me.  Then I keep an eye out for better deals.  You can change or cancel your AirToSea booking up to your final payment.  You also keep all of your airline perks.  I get free bags with American.

Thanks

[twangster]

A2S includes a place to insert your frequent flier number.  However it gets cleared every time you search again.  

When I've used them it's always bound me to my FF benefits and my TSA Pre number on my airline profile.  I've received upgrades days before the flight for example on Delta even though I booked it through A2S.  Luggage, worst case, can be dealt with at check in, if for some reason your FF # drops off.  

[dejavu21]

28 minutes ago, twangster said:

A2S includes a place to insert your frequent flier number.  However it gets cleared every time you search again.  

When I've used them it's always bound me to my FF benefits and my TSA Pre number on my airline profile.  I've received upgrades days before the flight for example on Delta even though I booked it through A2S.  Luggage, worst case, can be dealt with at check in, if for some reason your FF # drops off.  

Thanks @twangster

[steverk]

I'd book it. It's refundable u to final payment date, so you have nothing to lose.

[smokeybandit]

Has anyone ever tried to book an AIr2Sea flight across cruise reservations when one is a minor and couldn't otherwise be booked solo?

[twangster]

42 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Has anyone ever tried to book an AIr2Sea flight across cruise reservations when one is a minor and couldn't otherwise be booked solo?

Yes, but had to call and book everyone at the same time.  The primary reason was to ensure the kids were on the same flight reservation with the parents in case of IROPS so everyone in the family would be rebooked together by the airline.  In this case the minor kids were in the cabins of the grandparents while the parents were in their own cabin.  The grandparents lived in a different city so they had different flights.  This was called into A2S and took about an hour to get done.

[smokeybandit]

32 minutes ago, twangster said:

Yes, but had to call and book everyone at the same time.  The primary reason was to ensure the kids were on the same flight reservation with the parents in case of IROPS so everyone in the family would be rebooked together by the airline.  In this case the minor kids were in the cabins of the grandparents while the parents were in their own cabin.  The grandparents lived in a different city so they had different flights.  This was called into A2S and took about an hour to get done.

Same exact situation I'm in. Not sure I want to be on the phone with A2S for an hour for what right now isn't much savings.

[F1guynz]

Hi,

I booked a refundable Air2Sea flight yesterday with no payment due until December.

When I booked, I did not receive an email confirmation, although it says my flights are booked and there are booking references, which are valid Air New Zealand codes.

I cannot see them in the Air New Zealand app and cannot add them. I suspect they are still reservations, not bookings, and will not be visible until paid for.

I thought I might be able to see the flight and payment details and have the ability to make payment under the cruise bookings on the Royal website, but I can't find them anywhere, so there is no option to pay.

As this is my first time using Air2Sea, I was hoping somebody here would be able to explain how the payment works. Will they send me an invoice? Can I pay earlier, or will I need to phone the number in the U.S.?

 

 

 

[dejavu21]

7 minutes ago, F1guynz said:

Hi,

I booked a refundable Air2Sea flight yesterday with no payment due until December.

When I booked, I did not receive an email confirmation, although it says my flights are booked and there are booking references, which are valid Air New Zealand codes.

I cannot see them in the Air New Zealand app and cannot add them. I suspect they are still reservations, not bookings, and will not be visible until paid for.

I thought I might be able to see the flight and payment details and have the ability to make payment under the cruise bookings on the Royal website, but I can't find them anywhere, so there is no option to pay.

As this is my first time using Air2Sea, I was hoping somebody here would be able to explain how the payment works. Will they send me an invoice? Can I pay earlier, or will I need to phone the number in the U.S.?

 

 

 

When I booked mine, I did get an e-mail from [email protected] confirmation, but it took 24 hours, so not as fast as they said I would.  I can see my bookings, but can't really do anything with them until I pay for them.  

The only way I can see mine is to 1) Go to RC.com and view reservations, 2) click on "pay remaining balance", then 3) hit the back button, then I can see the cruise and flight details.

The Air2Sea payment will be added to the cruise fare, all due on the final payment date.  You can pay early as well, if you like. 

[F1guynz]

1 hour ago, dejavu21 said:

1) Go to RC.com and view reservations, 2) click on "pay remaining balance",

Thanks, it hasn't been added to the cruise fare yet and when I click back it still has the search for flights option.

I will give it a few days and see if I get the invoice and update to cruise fare, maybe I am just being too impatient.

 

 

 

[Lovetocruise2002]

15 hours ago, F1guynz said:

Hi,

I booked a refundable Air2Sea flight yesterday with no payment due until December.

When I booked, I did not receive an email confirmation, although it says my flights are booked and there are booking references, which are valid Air New Zealand codes.

I cannot see them in the Air New Zealand app and cannot add them. I suspect they are still reservations, not bookings, and will not be visible until paid for.

I thought I might be able to see the flight and payment details and have the ability to make payment under the cruise bookings on the Royal website, but I can't find them anywhere, so there is no option to pay.

As this is my first time using Air2Sea, I was hoping somebody here would be able to explain how the payment works. Will they send me an invoice? Can I pay earlier, or will I need to phone the number in the U.S.?

 

 

 

Their system is a disaster. Sometimes you get a confirmation email, sometimes you don’t. As far as not being able to pull it up on your app, that is new one for me. I have used air2sea for both delta and air Canada, and it shows up immediately on both apps once reserved. As far as paying for it, the air is linked to your cruise reservation. If you pull a new copy of your booking confirmation (either your or if you used a TA), you will see a new line showing the cost of air. You would pay for they the same way you would pay for your cruise. Both air and cruise fare must be paid by cruise final payment date. 

A word of warning though, as one who uses air2sea frequently, despite my love/hate feelings towards them, make sure you pull a new copy of your booking confirmation each time you make changes to your air. They are not supposed to, but they have re-priced my cruise fare 3 times in the past when I make changes to my air. 

[smokeybandit]

Not being able to find it on your airline app could be just how that airline works with Air2Sea for held bookings.

[Luv2Travel]

When you get your confirmation from Air2Sea you may see another record locator than the one given on your reservation. For my upcoming flight reservations I have one record locator for Air2Seas, one for Iberia, and one for British Air. So you'll want to use the correct record locator per airline when you're trying to view your reservation in the airline app. If you don't receive an email from Air2Sea by tomorrow, then give them a call back (or ask your TA to call) and ask for one to be sent. Also note that some airlines will not let you select your seats until the booking is paid for (when you pay for your cruise and air in full). Hope you have a great cruise!

[JohnK6404]

OK... time to resurrect an Air2Sea post!

We booked our flights today through Air2Sea for our Western Med sailing next year (roundtrip Barcelona in May). This is our first time using Air2Sea. 

Booked flights on British Airways... the flight over is all BA (JFK-LHR-BCN), but the return flight is on/operated by American Airlines (BCN non-stop to JFK).

(1) I'm assuming it will take a day or so before this reservation appears in the BA system so I can "manage" our booking (add any additional info since it only asks for the primary traveler's KTN, etc.). Will we have to also access the reservation through American Airlines for the return flight? I apologize for my international flight ignorance as this is my first trip overseas and my wife has not been overseas in decades.

(2) One more question for now... on BA, do we have to pay the airfare in full before we can look at the seating options (through TA I'm assuming as the airfare has already appeared on our booking online)? I know they can charge fees for certain seats. We also want to make sure we are seated next to each other... we're not sure if purchasing seats earlier on is necessary. Any thoughts/recommendations?

Thank you all in advance!!!

[steverk]

13 hours ago, JohnK6404 said:

OK... time to resurrect an Air2Sea post!

We booked our flights today through Air2Sea for our Western Med sailing next year (roundtrip Barcelona in May). This is our first time using Air2Sea. 

Booked flights on British Airways... the flight over is all BA (JFK-LHR-BCN), but the return flight is on/operated by American Airlines (BCN non-stop to JFK).

(1) I'm assuming it will take a day or so before this reservation appears in the BA system so I can "manage" our booking (add any additional info since it only asks for the primary traveler's KTN, etc.). Will we have to also access the reservation through American Airlines for the return flight? I apologize for my international flight ignorance as this is my first trip overseas and my wife has not been overseas in decades.

(2) One more question for now... on BA, do we have to pay the airfare in full before we can look at the seating options (through TA I'm assuming as the airfare has already appeared on our booking online)? I know they can charge fees for certain seats. We also want to make sure we are seated next to each other... we're not sure if purchasing seats earlier on is necessary. Any thoughts/recommendations?

Thank you all in advance!!!

I can't speak for your specific airlines, but I can say that on some flights I've been able to reserve seats immediately and on others I have not.  On one recent trip, they booked us on United going and Air New Zealand coming back.  We could book the United seats immediately.  The Air New Zealand had to wait until we paid for it.

[JohnK6404]

Thanks! ANY insight is greatly appreciated. The first time through this process is a PITA!

The booking number Air2Sea gave me on the confirmation e-mail for BA was not the reservation number they have established for this trip! BA could not find that number and had to search by passenger names/flight numbers, etc.

[smokeybandit]

Each airline has different rules for what you can do on a held reservation.

Air2Sea should have given you their own record locator for each booked leg (which unfortunately looks like an airline confirmation number) then confirmation numbers for the flights themselves.

This is what they sent in the confirmation email last year for a now-canceled flight

[teddy]

We’re flying British Airways to/from London this coming October.   We booked the flights ourselves, flying in premium economy.  
 

Since we have no status, we had to pay to choose the seat locations we wanted….otherwise we would have had to wait until check in opened 24 hours before departure.  

 

I do realize there is a difference between booking our own flights and going through the cruise line, however I can’t imagine BA changing their seating policy just for Air2Sea, unless maybe you can pick from the seats allocated to A2S. 
 

We’ve flown on TAP Air and Lufthansa through A2S, and for both airlines, we had to pay in full before we were able to choose seats. 

 

 

[smokeybandit]

7 minutes ago, teddy said:

however I can’t imagine BA changing their seating policy just for Air2Sea,

It's not about Air2Sea, but about the booking status of the tickets.  Some airlines are more strict than others about tickets that aren't yet paid.

[teddy]

2 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

It's not about Air2Sea, but about the booking status of the tickets.  Some airlines are more strict than others about tickets that aren't yet paid.

Yea…in hindsight, I realize I answered a question that wasn’t asked…. I was thinking about choosing basic seats for free instead of the actual subject matter.  After a long day at work, my brain doesn’t always process things efficiently  

 

[dejavu21]

On 7/7/2024 at 10:18 PM, JohnK6404 said:

OK... time to resurrect an Air2Sea post!

We booked our flights today through Air2Sea for our Western Med sailing next year (roundtrip Barcelona in May). This is our first time using Air2Sea. 

Booked flights on British Airways... the flight over is all BA (JFK-LHR-BCN), but the return flight is on/operated by American Airlines (BCN non-stop to JFK).

(1) I'm assuming it will take a day or so before this reservation appears in the BA system so I can "manage" our booking (add any additional info since it only asks for the primary traveler's KTN, etc.). Will we have to also access the reservation through American Airlines for the return flight? I apologize for my international flight ignorance as this is my first trip overseas and my wife has not been overseas in decades.

(2) One more question for now... on BA, do we have to pay the airfare in full before we can look at the seating options (through TA I'm assuming as the airfare has already appeared on our booking online)? I know they can charge fees for certain seats. We also want to make sure we are seated next to each other... we're not sure if purchasing seats earlier on is necessary. Any thoughts/recommendations?

Thank you all in advance!!!

John,  I just finished my Alaskan cruise and using Air2Sea for the first time.  I'm a United member and so that was my prefered airline.  I was able to choose seats after booking (before final payment) if I remember correctly.  Also, because Air2Sea is considered a travel agent (by the airlines), seating assignments was all I could edit/change, even after final payment.  It did take about a week before the Air2Sea booking showed up on my RC balance.  I typically like to book airfare myself, but Air2Sea usually offers $500 discount off of airfare for any international destinations.  Since we flew into Vancouver from Houston, we used them and paid way less.  Hope this helps.

[USCG Teacher]

On 7/7/2024 at 11:18 PM, JohnK6404 said:

Booked flights on British Airways... the flight over is all BA (JFK-LHR-BCN), but the return flight is on/operated by American Airlines (BCN non-stop to JFK).

(1) I'm assuming it will take a day or so before this reservation appears in the BA system so I can "manage" our booking (add any additional info since it only asks for the primary traveler's KTN, etc.). Will we have to also access the reservation through American Airlines for the return flight? I apologize for my international flight ignorance as this is my first trip overseas and my wife has not been overseas in decades.

(2) One more question for now... on BA, do we have to pay the airfare in full before we can look at the seating options (through TA I'm assuming as the airfare has already appeared on our booking online)? I know they can charge fees for certain seats. We also want to make sure we are seated next to each other... we're not sure if purchasing seats earlier on is necessary. Any thoughts/recommendations?

I don't have any experience with BA, but I have flown AA through Air2Sea.  I was not able to select seats until the airfare was paid.  At 6'3", seat selection is fairly important to me, so I was able to pay my airfare specifically ahead of final payment so that AA would allow me to select my seats.  Not sure if it is relevant to their standard procedures, but my flight was domestic.  As with all things Air2Sea related, it seems that YMMV.

[JohnK6404]

7 hours ago, USCG Teacher said:

At 6'3", seat selection is fairly important to me, so I was able to pay my airfare specifically ahead of final payment so that AA would allow me to select my seats. 

We're thinking this may be the way to go... thank you!

[smokeybandit]

Southwest now appears as an available airline in AIr2Sea.

[teddy]

Re:  British Airways 

We’re flying them to London and back this fall (booked on our own, not through cruise line)  

We booked premium economy and had to either pay for choose our seats ahead of time or wait until much, much closer to the day of the flight to choose.

[teddy]

2 hours ago, teddy said:

Re:  British Airways 

We’re flying them to London and back this fall (booked on our own, not through cruise line)  

We booked premium economy and had to either pay for choose our seats ahead of time or wait until much, much closer to the day of the flight to choose.

Geeze.  I’m batting 1000 in this thread…I’m now repeating myself.
 

it’s been a long summer I guess 

[Pattycruise]

Does anyone know if you book Delta via Air 2 sea can you select seats and upgrade them before you’ve fully paid for your ticket?

air2 sea is only offering main cabin or premium economy but id like comfort+, I’d prefer to not wait till final payment to book this. Btw main cabin price at air 2 sea  is extremely close in price to comfort plus price!

[smokeybandit]

From what I've been told, you can book premium cabins right away directly with A2S if you pay right away and not take advantage of the final payment perk