Princess to Enable Air-Sea Customers to Book Published Air

Passengers booking air with Princess Cruises will be able to shop for and book their own flights, for cruises departing Sept. 1 and beyond. Customers and their travel agents will have access to real-time pricing and flight availability as well as immediate flight confirmation.

Princess passengers who book with the new program, Princess eZAir, will also have next-port protection in the event of flight delays, a feature Princess said no major online travel agency offers. Travelers using Princess eZAir can choose their airline, flight, preferred cabin and seating with no extra fee, Princess said.

Princess’ air program is similar to Choice Air, the program introduced by the brands of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. last August. Like Princess’ program, Choice Air enables passengers to choose airlines and flight times and to shop for the best published fares.

The introduction of these programs is a response to criticism that traditional air-sea programs have generally offered contract rates that are higher than published fares, making air-sea program utilization relatively low.

Princess would not say what percentage of its customers book air with the cruise line, but said it was a minority. ChoiceAir and Princess eZAir both offer flight searches similar to what travel search engines and online agencies offer.

Immediate flight confirmation is significant for cruise passengers who like to know their flight well ahead of time. In their air-sea programs, most cruise lines finalize flights close to the sailing date. There is no fee to book Princess eZAir. Choice Air charges a booking fee of $15 per person for domestic air and $25 for international.

Princess is offering flexible or restricted air options. The flexible plan allows passengers to cancel or modify their reservations without charge, while the restricted option typically offers a less expensive fare with cancellation and change fees.

The new program will be in effect for virtually all Princess cruises sailing after Sept. 1, the line said. Passengers can book with Princess eZAir approximately 330 days to four days before cruise departure. Passengers with existing air bookings will automatically be transferred to the flexible pricing option, Princess said.