Jillyalex Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 I have booked back to back cruises on the Oasis for December in the Grand suites.. I'm looking to set up my airfare and have tried contacting Choice Air!! WOW I have never ever had such terrible customer service in my life!! Anyone experienced this?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlynn222 Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 I'm getting ready to call them too..I heard they are a lot more expensive than southwest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 I have never booked with them..but when I looked into it a cpl times, they were NOT cheaper. I have also heard about ppl that have booked with them, and had issues when flights cancelled etc....not sure how anxious I would be to use them. Anyone here used them, saved money and saw some advantage to using them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 I have used ChoiceAir a couple of times...usually when we are going overseas or during the dead of winter when I am concerned about weather. I am very surprised that you received poor customer service, JillyAlex. This is quite literally the first time I have ever heard that ! I have never had anything but excellent service and professionalism. I cannot imagine what could have caused that. First of all, you will NOT save money with ChoiceAir. ChoiceAir is not designed to save you money. ChoiceAir is designed to provide an integrated travel product to augment/supplement your cruise. If price is the most important thing to you, ChoiceAir is never going to be your best choice. Booking your own airfare will always be cheapest. However, if you want to make sure that your airline schedule and cruise schedule are complementary and completely integrated, and you don't mind paying a little bit more (I think there's a non-refundable $15 PP charge) to make sure that your trip is seamless, then ChoiceAir is a good choice (pun intended). They WILL find you a very reasonable airfare, but there is always going to be that extra charge. I do recall that when we took a transatlantic over and flew back from London they did get a fare that I was never able to match, checking on my own...so they do put some due diligence into looking for the lowest airfares. In a way, ChoiceAir provides the same kind of peace of mind that booking an excursion through the cruiseline does. They both provide a guarantee that the cruise ship will not leave without you OR if there is some unavoidable delay such as weather or flight screw-ups, they will get you to the ship some other way....but they are always more expensive. On simple itineraries where the risk of flight interruption is minimal (warmer months, etc.) or situations where I am spending an extra day on either side of my cruise, I don't normally use ChoiceAir but when I am going overseas or on a transatlantic where timing and coordination are crucial, I always do. It is worth the extra money to me. So, as with most things, it is a matter of personal preference and priorities. Jilly, I am truly surprised that you had a bad experience. If you are really interested in using ChoiceAir for whatever reason, I would try again. I am almost certain that you will have a better experience this time. They have always been very professional and responsive to me. Since you are obviously not concerned so much about $$ (b2b GS !) and if you are wanting some peace of mind about scheduling your best air itinerary, I recommend you give them a second try. There is always going to be that extra charge. No getting around that. Maybe they waive it for Pinnacle members...I don't know. Please let us know if you do try again. I would like to know if their customer service has really taken a dive or if it just someone having a bad day...as we all do from time-to-time. Good luck !! markinct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcarney Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 I have never booked with them..but when I looked into it a cpl times, they were NOT cheaper. I have also heard about ppl that have booked with them, and had issues when flights cancelled etc....not sure how anxious I would be to use them. Anyone here used them, saved money and saw some advantage to using them? I've only used them once, on my last trip, and they definitely saved me money - but I think it was a computer issue. We were just over a year out so most flights weren't published yet. I logged into ChoiceAir and noted that flying from our 'local' (2 hr away - DTW) major airport ran around the $650/pp range. Other semi-local airports were similar, $650-$800 range. I then checked the tiny (very tiny! - MBS) airport near the town I grew up in, about 1 3/4 hours away, and tix ran $461/pp. I booked immediately. The flights went well, on time, and it was GREAT getting through TSA - there were only about 30 people in the entire airport when we boarded. Parking was a breeze as well - the major airport would have run me $120+ for parking, and it was only $42 at the small airport. Bonus was that I was only 4 rows away from the airport doors. All in all, a great experience. If I cruise RC again I'll be checking ChoiceAir (and smaller airports) first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jillyalex Posted May 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2015 Hello everyone.. Thanks for your feedback.. I have booked on my own ( which I usually do ).. not impressed at all with the customer service at Choice Air.. not only price MUCH cheaper on my own booking but couldn't handle the type of service I got.. Both agents I spoke to didn't seem to know how to book the flight I had pre determined.. They put me on hold as they said they were going to "manually" rate the airfare!! Manual? in 2015! Anyways, they couldn't seem to let me know what the advantages would be to book through them so I gave up! markinct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlynn222 Posted May 2, 2015 Report Share Posted May 2, 2015 I am worried about not booking with choice air for my cruise in February.. we live in Ohio and I'm afraid the weather may be too bad and they may cancel flights...if I don't book with them and the cruise leaves on Sunday when would I be alright flying out the day before? I mean how long have they canceled flights due to weather? Also if your flight gets canceled will you have to rebook another flight or will you be on the same flight at a different time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted May 3, 2015 Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 I've never used them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike Posted May 3, 2015 Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 I am worried about not booking with choice air for my cruise in February.. we live in Ohio and I'm afraid the weather may be too bad and they may cancel flights...if I don't book with them and the cruise leaves on Sunday when would I be alright flying out the day before? I mean how long have they canceled flights due to weather? Also if your flight gets canceled will you have to rebook another flight or will you be on the same flight at a different time?I'm not sure choice air or not can help if there are no flights to rebook to in event of major winter weather. I would make sure to book the flight for at least 1 day BEFORE the cruise date, even then as early in the day too so as to give plenty of time to make another flight. I can't attest to how easy and fast rebooking with choice air is though I suspect depending on airline that the airline people would give the same runaround on rebooking that they do for Expedia, Priceline, etc. From what I've seen they're alot more apt to work with passengers who booked with the airline directly. Having worked at an airport here in the midwest I can tell you they're generally on top of it in so far as keeping operations viable as long as conditions warrant so giving yourself plenty of leeway beforehand is your best insurance imo for winter weather issues. If it was me and the cruise was Sunday and in the winter, I'd book to leave as early Friday as possible and if not because of work then Saturday as early as possible. Either way try not to worry too much, I'm sure the Ohio airports are capable of minimizing impact. More often than not the cancelations I would see are from those nasty New England snow storms shutting down their airports (which are also major hubs). If you can get your flights to take you south like Dallas or Houston you should be ok. Barring that if its on Quantum in NJ just aim to be there plenty in advance :) . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlynn222 Posted May 4, 2015 Report Share Posted May 4, 2015 I'm not sure choice air or not can help if there are no flights to rebook to in event of major winter weather. I would make sure to book the flight for at least 1 day BEFORE the cruise date, even then as early in the day too so as to give plenty of time to make another flight. I can't attest to how easy and fast rebooking with choice air is though I suspect depending on airline that the airline people would give the same runaround on rebooking that they do for Expedia, Priceline, etc. From what I've seen they're alot more apt to work with passengers who booked with the airline directly. Having worked at an airport here in the midwest I can tell you they're generally on top of it in so far as keeping operations viable as long as conditions warrant so giving yourself plenty of leeway beforehand is your best insurance imo for winter weather issues. If it was me and the cruise was Sunday and in the winter, I'd book to leave as early Friday as possible and if not because of work then Saturday as early as possible. Either way try not to worry too much, I'm sure the Ohio airports are capable of minimizing impact. More often than not the cancelations I would see are from those nasty New England snow storms shutting down their airports (which are also major hubs). If you can get your flights to take you south like Dallas or Houston you should be ok. Barring that if its on Quantum in NJ just aim to be there plenty in advance :) . Thanks...I would have to book it Saturday no earlier than 2 pm... hopefully I will be OK..I don't know how often Columbus cancels their flights due to weather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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