Flight Booking Guide V.3 - August 2012
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Flight Booking Guide
V.3
August 2012
Introduction – What is ChoiceAir?? ChoiceAir is a web-based tool which enables you to search and add confirmed flights to your clients fly/cruise holiday. How to Access ChoiceAir To access ChoiceAir firstly log into www.cruisingpower.com and then select the booking tools tab as shown below. Using this drop down tab you will then be able to choose CruiseMatch to select your clients fly/cruise and then ChoiceAir to add your guests flights to the cruise. ChoiceAir enables you as an agent to confirm your flight booking in just ‘6 easy steps’ and these are shown on the following pages along with hints and tips to guide you through the flight booking process. You will find on the last page of this guide the contact number for our helpdesk should you need any assistance whilst using ChoiceAir. Please see on the next page some helpful hints and tips for when using ChoiceAir
Hints & Tips
• Any supplements quoted in ChoiceAir are per person and are not
commissionable.
• If the cost returned for the flight shows as £0.00 this identifies that that flight falls
within the fly/cruise package price.
• All scheduled flights include baggage allowances as per their website.
• With low-cost airlines we have included the cost of one item of hold baggage as
per the weight and size restriction as shown on their website.
• Always remember to check for number of stops on each flight display.
• If your flight search returns no flights with a £0.00 rate and your cruise is a
standard fly/cruise package ie no deviations or upgrades – please call our Air/Sea
department to assist with your booking.
• If we have allocated flights from London (LGW & LHR), ChoiceAir will display all
allocations that we hold ie your guest has a flycruise package from LHR –
ChoiceAir will also display our allocation from LGW
Complimentary Pre Night Stays
If you guest is entitled to a complimentary 1nt pre-stay before joining their cruise
this must be added to the option via pre/post hotels in your booking tool prior to
retrieving your option in ChoiceAir.
Flight Connections
If you select a flight option with a connection, we strongly recommend that you
select a flight with a minimum of 1 hour when connecting via Europe and 2.5
hours connection in America on the outward journey (to allow sufficient time to
clear immigration and customs in the US). This will ensure that your guests have
a smooth journey.Step 1 - Retrieve Your Reservation Once you have selected ChoiceAir from within the Booking Tools tab you will be re-directed to the screen below. Enter your guests Cruise Reservation Id reference number in the box highlighted Then select ‘Retrieve Reservation’ Hints & Tips If you have not held an option or confirmed a reservation within CruiseMatch you will not be able to access ChoiceAir as a Cruise Reservation ID is mandatory. Information is retrieved directly from your booking tool so ensure all names etc are correct.
Step 2 – Select Guests Travelling You are able to select the guests flights you would like to search for, if your guests are travelling together click on ‘select all’ and a tick will be placed within each box next to each guest as shown in the example below. Alternatively if your guests were travelling from different airports you are able to select and confirm each of the guests flights separately. Then select ‘Search & Reserve Flight for Selected Guests’ Hints & Tips – If there is an infant travelling and they do not require a seat on the aircraft you will need to call through to our Air/Sea desk to book your flights.
By clicking on the ‘+’ signs you can expand both the ‘Ship Information’ and the ‘Add More Guests’ as shown below In the case of cross referenced bookings, it is possible to book flights for both reservations at the same time by adding the second reservation ID to the below ‘Add More Guests’ box then clicking on Retrieve Reservation ID. Hints & Tips - A maximum of four cruise reservations based on double occupancy can be added in one search. ChoiceAir cannot be used to book more than 8 guests at one time due to airline restrictions.
Step 3 – Search Flights Page
ChoiceAir will automatically populate your departure and arrival airports for you along with the
required dates of travel which will include any pre/post stays. You will be able to use the drop
down boxes to tailor your guests flight requirements, however we suggest that you leave them
as ‘no preference’ to maximise the flight availability returned in your search.
• ‘Type of Flight’ will default automatically to the type of flight that is required for your
cruise package ie Roundtrip, One Way or Multi-destination
• We recommend that if your guest is travelling to Fort Lauderdale and has a LHR
gateway you change the destination airport code to MIA (Miami) from FLL (Fort
Lauderdale) in order to receive a choice of direct flights.
• If you do not know the destination airports 3 letter code, type the first three letters of the
city name and a list of possible airports will be displayed.Step 4 – Flight Availability
The flight availability page shown below will display all the available flights and any applicable
supplements per guest. It also provides the capability to narrow down the flights returned by
using the Filter Box on the left hand side of the page. Should you flight return a supplement this
cost will then be automatically added to the original fly/cruise price quoted.
You are able to edit your
search criteria or restart
your search by clicking
here.
You can choose to either
display ‘Roundtrip Flights’
or ‘Separate Flights.’ By
selecting ‘Separate Flights’
you can tailor the outbound
and inbound flights to suit
your clients needs.
By clicking on ‘Show Flight
Details’ you will see a pop
up box with specific flight
information.
You are able to see at a
glance if this is a direct
flight by the number of
stops indicated here.Step 5 – Guest Preferences ChoiceAir displays various information within the Guest Preferences Page these include: • Summary of the flight information by guest • Any upsell costs relating to the flight chosen • The option to add any special requests ie wheelchair or Frequent Flyer Numbers • View the airlines baggage regulations • Pre-book your clients seats if the airline permits Please be aware you are unable to add any special requests with the following low cost carriers Monarch Schedule, Jet2, Easyjet, BMIbaby, Aer Lingus & Flybe Please see the example on the next page which highlights the points above. Finally select ‘Proceed to Flight Summary’
Guest Preferences Contd.,
Secure Flights Information You will now see the below pop up box which will request you to complete your guests middle names and date of birth. Dates of Birth are optional on the page unless you are booking a child on a low cost flight with BMIbaby or FlyBe. Some airlines do not accept the middle name if the Date of Birth is not entered, we recommend you obtain both details from each guest to minimise any issues that could arise from incompleted information. Please note that ‘Redress Number & Known Traveller’ are only for US Guests only. If your guests do not have have a middle name (not recorded on their passport) place a tick in the ‘No Middle Name’ box. Should you not have the information required press continue and you will see the pop up box below, you will be reminded to obtain the relevant information from your guests no later than 72 hours prior to departure, then place a tick in the box and click continue.
Step 6 – Flight Summary
The flight summary will recap your flight details, special service requests, frequent flyer numbers
and finally your total cost. It will also include within the total cost any additional upsell that may
have been applied to your chosen flights.
As you are booking from a
live flight system when you
get to your summary you
may find that your price
may have increased ,
should this happen you will
see a warning displayed.
Your total price as shown
below will then show any
applicable upsell.
You will need to place a
tick here to agree that you
accept the policies.
You are not required to
complete the ‘Guest
Contact Information’ box.
If you are happy to proceed
click on ‘Confirm Flights’Once you have chosen ‘Confirm Flights’ you will then see the pop up box below. ** Important – Once you confirm your flights in ChoiceAir this AUTOMATICALLY confirms your cruise ** Click with your mouse on ‘View Confirmation’ DO NOT just press enter otherwise you will retrieve an error message advising you that your flights have not been confirmed when they have. You will then be redirected to your final page which is your ‘Payment Screen’ ** If you are booking a low cost carrier you will not need to collect payment for this flight** ** You are only required to collect our normal deposit of £150 per passenger ** The ‘Payment Screen’ will display your ChoiceAir reference number which is also known as the ‘Record Locator’ for the airline. You then have the option at the bottom of the screen to either Print, Log Out or Continue with Additional Guests.
FAQ’s Q: What are the benefits of ‘ChoiceAir’ A: Travel agents are able to confirm travel details to their clients immediately. Being able to book the cruise and the air at the same time can help close the sale faster and with less chance of having the guest book elsewhere. Q: Once flights are confirmed through ChoiceAir, can they be viewed through ChoiceAir? A: Yes. You are able to view the air itinerary in ChoiceAir; however for best practice we recommend you always review the air itinerary through your booking tool. Q: Once a ChoiceAir booking is complete, can I view my flight information? A: Yes. All external tools will display ChoiceAir flight details and price. Q: At what point in booking a cruise holiday is ChoiceAir available? A: ChoiceAir can you used to allocate flights once an option or confirmed booking is made with your booking tool of choice. Please be aware that should the cruise be on option and you confirm your flights in ChoiceAir this automatically confirms the cruise reservation. Q: How far in advance may guests book their flights using ChoiceAir? A: Guests may book air anytime after the airlines publish their schedules, which is generally 330 days prior to travel. Q: How many guests can be booked in a ChoiceAir reservation? A: Up to 8 guests may be booked through Choice Air at one time. Q: Does ChoiceAir need to be booked at the same time as the cruise reservation? A: No. Guests may book ChoiceAir up to 7 days prior to sailing. Q: Do all guests on a reservation have to book ChoiceAir at the same time on the same day? A: No. ChoiceAir can book flights for different guests on the same cruise reservation at different times. PLEASE NOTE There is a risk that the same flights and/or pricing may not be vailable Q: Can we book guests from different gateways on the same cruise reservation? A: Yes. You can book guests on the same cruise reservation from different gateways. You must select the passengers departing from one gateway and complete their flight reservation before selecting the next passengers with the different gateway and repeating the process.
Q: What is the procedure if another guest wishes to be added onto an existing ChoiceAir
booking?
A: If another guest is added to the cruise reservation, flights can still be booked through Choice
Air. PLEASE NOTE There is no guarantee that the same flights and/or prices as per the
original ChoiceAir guests will be available.
Q: Will ChoiceAir book flights with dummy names?
A: The system has been programmed not to book flights containing the following dummy
names: TBA, T.B.A., T B A, To be announced, TBD, T.B.D., unknown, cabin, guest, vendor,
prizewinner, announced, test, guest two, prize, travel, name, tour, conductor, names,
apellido, nombre, winner.
Q: Are transfers included when guests buy ChoiceAir?
A: Yes if they are travelling as per the standard cruise package, their fly/cruise package cost
includes the transfers.
Q: Can ChoiceAir be booked for guaranteed staterooms?
A: Yes.
Q: Can ChoiceAir be used for complex exotic itineraries?
A: Yes. ChoiceAir can handle multi-destination (open-jaws), one-way destination and roundtrip
itineraries. Stopovers are not supported.
Q: Will the flight supplement costs from ChoiceAir be added automatically to the Cruise
Reservation?
A: Yes, ChoiceAir adds the supplement cost. The costs are displayed per person.
Q: Will the ChoiceAir flight itinerary appear in the cruise reservations?
A: Yes, the flight itinerary details – Airline two letter codes, Flight Number, Route, Arrival &
Departure Times and Record Locator - are available in the cruise reservation
Q: Will ChoiceAir show if the flight is a code share?
A: Yes.
Q: Will ChoiceAir display fares from an airlines website?
A: ChoiceAir displays flights that are available in Amadeus or from the internal RCCL air
inventory e.g. charters or allocations that we may have contracted. ChoiceAir does not
search airline websites at this time..Q: Will information be available regarding aircraft size, airline policies and restrictions? A: Equipment type is displayed to guests. Certain standard special services such as wheelchairs can be requested through the tool. All guests with special needs (extra seat, oxygen) are encouraged to consult their preferred airline directly. Alternatively, the Air/Sea team may be able to assist. Q: How do we handle infants in the Choice Air system? A: ChoiceAir displays adult, child and infant with a seat fares. Infant without the seat pricing is not displayed through ChoiceAir and needs to be processed manually in Air/Sea. Q: Can we change the arrival airport the guest wishes to fly into? A: Yes, you can select a different arrival / departure airport for the guests to fly into e.g. your guests may wish to fly into Orlando even though the cruise is departing from Miami. Please ensure the guest is aware they will forfeit any transfers in this instance. Q: Does Choice Air offer the ability to search multiple departure dates to find the cheapest fare? E.g. a guest is flexible to depart 1-2 days earlier than their sailing A: ChoiceAir can not search a date range so you will need to search each possible departure date separately. Q: What if I want to cancel my ChoiceAir Booking? A: You would need to call through to our Air/Sea Desk who will be able to provide the necessary assistance. Contact Details for Assistance Our helpesk telephone number for any questions or assistance is 0844 493 3089
You can also read
