Should you select Regent Seven Seas Cruises (RSSC) Air or handle your own air reservations?

• Our best advice is to do your own air.

• When purchasing your own air you can book whatever airline you like, on whatever dates you like and control your own destiny.

• If the VALUE that you are getting from the cruise line is too good to pass up, then take the air from RSSC with the understanding that there are issues with contracts, codes of service and itineraries as explained below.

• Sometimes things work perfectly with no complications at all but other times it is a real problem.

What will my schedule be for the flight?
Without paying the $100 per person deviation/custom fee (see Air Deviation Arrangements below), RSSC will not provide you with your air itinerary until approximately 75-days prior to your trip departure date.  The only thing you will know more than 75-days out without paying the air deviation fee is that RSSC will get you from your gateway city to the city of embarkation and from your city of debarkation to your gateway city (or pre- or post-cruise hotel city, if applicable).  Although we may know the usual routing or airlines used for certain cruises; it is a constantly changing situation and by no means a guarantee.

Air Gateways

Air inclusive pricing is offered for 22 primary gateways. The gateways are Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York City, Newark, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington. The following 5 cities will have a surcharge of $299 per person: Honolulu, Calgary, Montreal, Edmonton, and Ottawa. The remaining cities not listed but part of the RSSC Air/Sea program will be assessed a $199 per person surcharge.

Air Arrangements
RSSC provides air arrangements as a convenience and service to the guests.  RSSC reserves the right to choose the air carrier, routing and city airport from each gateway city and the right to change airline routing for any reason and/or re-route Guests without prior notice to the nearest departure city if adequate air service is unavailable.  Airline schedules will be available 75-days prior to departure and final air schedules will be ticketed approximately 35-days prior to departure. Brown & Keene will check with RSSC at 75-days prior to departure and forward you the itinerary as soon as it is available.  Should you not request an Air Deviation (see Air Deviation Arrangements below), routings and schedules are at the sole discretion of the airline and RSSC. Alternatively, at approximately 75-days prior to your trip departure you may view your air schedule in the "My Account" section of Regent's website. Link here to go the the My Account area.

Air Deviation Arrangements
If you would like to customize your air arrangements, go in early or stay over after the cruise or select specific routes or carriers RSSC will  accept Air Deviation no earlier than 270-days prior to departure. The air deviation fee is a non-refundable fee of $100 per person, payable at the time of booking.  Air deviation itineraries are usually completed within 48-hours of request being made.  Any additional requested change will incur an additional $100 per person charge.  Air schedules may not be changed within 60-days of departure.

You may pay the $100 per person, non-refundable custom/deviation fee and then later the airline cancels your requested itinerary. RSSC will re-route you the best they can; however you will not be refunded the fee. In certain cases, not all, you may also have to pay $100 per person again to confirm new requested itinerary. The $100 per person is a “service” fee for working your file as the cruise line did not cancel your flight, the airlines did. If you are traveling with family members or friends (not in your same cabin) and want to be confirmed on the same air schedule, there will be a $100 per person Air Deviation fee as well as any applicable fare differentials.

Air Availability and Additional Charges for Certain Flights
As the air fares that RSSC negotiates with most major airlines however availability for certain classes of services are limited.  Not all airlines will be available and some airlines will require an up-charge if a guest wishes a particular flight. Secondary air gateways also require an up-charge as listed on the RSSC website.

Availability of Flights and Code of Service Issues
The cruise line may say they are sold out on a flight. You look at the plane on the web it is wide open. It makes no sense to you at all. This is because the cruise line is sold out “on the code of service” The cruise line contracts have a certain number of seats at a certain fare or code of service, once they sell out and go to a different code of service the cruise line is charged more for that seat. They in turn charge you that additional fee if you specifically request that flight.

Additional Fees on RSSC Assigned Air
The Code of Service and up-charges for certain airlines or flights are NOT assessed IF the cruise line assigns the air. RSSC contracted to get you air for a certain price and must get you to your destination. If the only flights available have additional charges they just have to pay that additional cost, they have no choice.

Economy and Business Class Seats
Economy Class tickets purchased through RSSC are not upgradable with miles to Business Class.  When you buy a Business Class upgrade from RSSC, they only guarantee the International flight (overwater portion of your itinerary) in Business Class.  The Domestic portion of your itinerary will be in Economy Class, unless otherwise noted.  The only variance is if you have the SAME carrier all the way then the domestic part will be in domestic first class.  For example, you fly United Airlines from your gateway city and United Airlines to Hong Kong and then all will be upgraded.  However, if for example, you fly Delta from your gateway city to New York (Economy) and then British Air to London (Business).

Air Fees and Taxes
All RSSC fares now include the air taxes.  If you take the NON USE air credit and make independent air arrangements, then you will receive the normal air credit along with a credit for the air taxes.  The fees and taxes vary by itinerary.  If you take the RSSC air, then the air taxes are not an additional cost as they are already in the fare.

Should you pay for the custom itinerary or just wait for an air assignment?
Neither solution is perfect. We used to advise to pay the $100 and get locked in with your preferred air itinerary; however we now more often advise to wait and see what air itinerary RSSC issues to you.  Here are the pros and cons of each, and as you can see it is a complicated decision and one that you must make for yourself.

• Paying for the deviation/custom air: Aside from the additional $100 per person fee, it can be a problem for two reasons; (1) there are many more cancelled flights than in previous years, and due to this fact it seems that many of our clients with “custom” air end up getting changed anyway; and (2) you may pay additional charges for specific airlines or code of service fees that might have been assigned for no extra charge by the cruise line anyway.

• You wait for RSSC to assign the air at approximately 75-days and you risk a bad itinerary with multiple connections.  Alternatively, you may get a perfect itinerary as nothing else was available and the cruise line absorbs the additional fees and charges.  Prior to 60-days of your departure, you can request custom air at that time if you do not like the itinerary.

RSSC is NOT RESPONSIBLE to get you to the ship if you are delayed by the airlines
RSSC is not responsible for flight delays or last minute flight cancellations by the airlines. If you are delayed or your flight is cancelled, then the airlines will re-route you to your destination.  If you purchased the air through RSSC, then you may contact RSSC (contact information is provided with your cruise documentation) and they will try to assist in the process.  If you miss the ship’s embarkation time, then YOU are responsible to get to the ship just as you would be if you did your own air.  The designated ground/land operator (contact information is provided in your cruise documentation) will try to assist any RSSC Guest in getting to the ship no matter how they purchased the air.

Pre- or Post-Cruise Hotel / Land Programs
If you purchase a pre- and/or post-cruise land or hotel program, through RSSC then the Air Department will assign your air itinerary accordingly.  If a RSSC hotel package is removed from a booking with the Reservations Department, the Air Department automatically updates the air schedule to match the sailing dates. However, if you purchase RSSC Air but make independent pre- and/or post-cruise hotel arrangements, then this is considered a “break in service” and thus you will be forced to pay the Air Deviation fee.

Forced Overnight

If there is not any possible air schedule from your air gateway that will allow for arrival to match the embarkation schedule, then Regent will provide a complimentary hotel night (Forced Overnight). If you add a pre- or post-cruise hotel to your booking, the complimentary night is removed. Additional nights cannot be added to a Forced Overnight.

Transfers
If you have chosen a pre- or post-cruise stay and do not purchase the hotel night(s) from RSSC, then you forfeit the ground transfers to or from the ship.  Therefore, the ground transfers are your responsibility.  The Destination Services desk can assist with post-cruise transfer arrangements once Guests are onboard.  Also, we suggest that you contact your hotel Concierge as they may be able to assist with your transfer arrangements.

Seat assignments, Frequent Flyer Numbers and Award Upgrades – Contact the airlines directly.
Neither RSSC nor your Brown & Keene Travel Consultant will confirm airline seat assignments, add frequent flyer numbers to airline records, and/or request special meals.  These services should be arranged directly by you with the airline once your itinerary has been assigned or the tickets have been issued. Neither RSSC nor Brown & Keene is responsible for lost/changed seat assignments. In almost all cases, the tickets issued by RSSC are not upgradable with miles.  Any requests of this nature must be handled directly with the
airline(s). Some airlines restrict the accumulation or use of Frequent Flyer miles in conjunction with fares used by the cruise lines.

Baggage / Luggage Policy

Luggage for RSSC guests must be handled pursuant to regulators and tariffs of airlines, government security requirements and ground operators. Luggage exceeding these limitations will be subject to charges as set forth by the individual operators, including any excess baggage charges. Fees for checked luggage are now common and are the responsibility of the guest. Please check with your specific airline(s) for their respective luggage policy. Guests may bring a reasonable amount of luggage onboard an RSSC vessel. No baggage or items heavier than 70 lbs. will be loaded onto or off-loaded from our vessels.

Cancelled Air Tickets
All airline tickets issued by RSSC are refundable only to RSSC, therefore, all tickets should be returned to: Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Attention: Air Refunds. Regent Seven Seas Cruises will determine the amount of any refund due. If the air ticket is lost, the Guest is responsible for the costs of its replacement. Regent Seven Seas Cruises has no responsibility for altered travel plans caused by airline delays or for any act, omission or event occurring while not on board.

Disclaimer: The information contained on this webpage is for general information purposes. The information is provided to the best of our knowledge, as of April 2010, and while we endeavor to keep the information up-to-date and accurate, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, or reliability with respect to the information provided. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.