We are in Lyon, France for the next 10-days to take part in the Virtuoso Cruise Icons annual event. These are our peers, and we’ve built some strong friendships with many of these folks. Kristin Karst, one of the owners of AMA Waterways is hosting us on this river cruise through Provence to experience the Christmas Markets and the Fete des Lumieres (Festival of Lights) in Lyon.
Don’t worry… Peri, Kim and Satonis are all in the office if you need anything this next week.
Our trip didn’t start out very well: The plane that was supposed to carry us to Europe got stuck in a freak snow storm in Amsterdam, so we woke up Monday morning to the news that our flight had been cancelled. It ultimately worked out, but it reminded me that I haven’t talked about air travel challenges in a while. Here are some things to keep in mind for the next time you travel by air:
First, the not-so-good news:
- Airlines are still recovering from the pandemic. Performance of the airlines is better than it was a year ago, but still not as good as it should be. The Federal Government threw $50 billion plus at the airlines during the pandemic so they WOULDN’T be short staffed post-pandemic… ask your elected representatives what happened. Before the partisan hate-mail starts, be aware that both the current government and the previous one pushed these billions of our tax dollars to the airlines (in almost equal measure).
- We’re poorly served by airlines in North America. Skytrax audits airlines globally with an objective criteria as opposed to (un)popular opinion polls. The highest rating is 5-stars, and currently ALL 5-star air carriers are from Asia. With the exception of Air Canada (4-stars), all North American carriers are 3-stars or less.
Now some ideas for coping with air travel:
- Plan for weather delays in winter. Despite my rant about airlines above, it was not KLM’s fault that weather prevented the plane from picking us up. These things happen in winter.
- Travel interruptions usually fix themselves. The first email I got on Monday from KLM was that my flight was cancelled. Two hours later I was emailed my replacement schedule on one of KLM’s competitors. Our natural instinct is to want to talk to someone at the airlines when schedules change. Often it will be faster (and far less frustrating) just to wait.
- Plan to arrive a day or two in advance of a cruise or land tour. If you’re crossing more than 3 time zones, you’ll have some jet lag, and having a buffer for potential delays, will save you some worry and stress.
- Consider Premium or Business Class. It will cost you more, but sometimes it’s not THAT much more. For this trip, we ended up paying about $600 more each to be in Business Class… and worth every penny. Remember it’s not only the extra space on the plane (although that is really nice). It’s about priority check-in, priority boarding, priority bag handling, and lounge access. All of which help on a long travel day.
- Be careful with cruise line air. Unless you’re saving a lot of money by booking your air through the cruise line, you’re usually better off doing your own thing. You’ll control way more variables, and have more flexibility if you book directly with the airline.
- Use Air Tags if you’re an iPhone user. In the past when the airlines have lost my baggage, I’ve have been able to advise THEM where to look for it. Also, when my pals at United Airlines decided to “deliver” my bag to the sidewalk in front of my house, instead of to my doorstep, I was able to phone one of my neighbors so they could fetch it for me because I wasn’t at home.
As I’ve suggested to you before, I don’t see any credible evidence from either the airlines themselves that they will voluntarily improve their performance, or from our regulators (from either political party) that they will enact any meaningful consumer protection laws (like just about all other countries have), so it is contingent upon the individual traveller to navigate the nasty business of air travel.
Today’s Travel Opportunities
Viking Existing Client Offer – Up to $1000 off your next cruise
Viking is throwing additional goodies at those with an existing booking that want to book a second cruise. Here’s the fine print:
- You have to have had a Viking Booking made before November 21, that you have NOT YET travelled.
- If you book another Viking River, Ocean or Expedition cruise, they’ll give you up to $1000 off per cabin for trips 15 days and longer, or $500 off per cabin on shorter voyages.
- It must be a new reservation, and it must be made before December 31.
- Many of our clients received the letter from Viking with this offer, and jumped on it. Please remember if you’ve booked directly with Viking, we can still add an additional $100 per person on board credit to your reservation (even on this offer). Get in touch with us for more details.
Here two additional Viking Offers (must be booked by December 11) :
- British Isles Explorer departing London on July 1 or 24 for 15-days
- Visit London (overnight), Dover, Dublin, Holyhead (Wales), Liverpool, Belfast, Ullapool, Kirkwall, Edinburgh, Invergordon, Shetland Islands, Bergen (overnight)
- Veranda rooms from $7999 per person, with air from $999.
- New York City to Reykjavik departing June 24 for 15-days
- Visit NYC, Halifax, L’Anse aux Meadows (Newfoundland), 2 stops in Greenland, 5 stops in Iceland before arriving in Reykjavik.
- Veranda rooms from $8499 per person, with air from $999
Uniworld 12-days of Christmas
Uniworld is offering a deal a day, and today is Day 10. If you want to see what’s been on offer, here’s the link: https://pamperedcruiser.uniworld.com/us/12days
Here are two that caught my eye:
- Venice 2 for 1 fares. 7-nights departing on July 28, or August 11.
- Make multiple stops in Venice, as well as Mazzorbo, Burano, and Chioggia.
- This is MUCH better than staying in a hotel in Venice for a week!
- We did this cruise last year. Here’s a link to our video blog: https://youtu.be/QRIHi6SED6g?si=-U8NNBdcoOs39Gxb
- 25% off Egypt on Sep 14 or 21 for 12-days.
- Visit Cairo, Luxor, Kom Ombo, Aswan, Edfu, and Esna
- See 12 UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the Pyramids, the Egyptian Museum, and the Valley of the Kings.
- Fares start at $7499 LESS 25%
Europe in Winter 2024 with Tauck
- Rome to Venice departing December 22 or 29, 2024 for 8-days
- Visit Rome, the Vatican, Florence, and Pisa
- See St. Peters and Vatican after hours, as well as other Tauck exclusives.
- $7390 per person
- Spain (Barcelona to Madrid) departing November 3 for 8-days
- Visit Barcelona, Malaga, Granada, Seville, Cordoba, & Madrid.
- $6990 per person
Atlas Cultural Expeditions. 2nd Guest Sails Free
Atlas’ ships are yachts that hold fewer than 200 guests, making them small enough to get into some less known ports in Europe. Fares include an open bar and gratuities.
- Malta to Dubrovnik departing June 24 for 1 week
- Visit Valletta, Katakolon (for Olympia), Kefalonia, Parga, Butrint (Albania), Kotor, Dubrovnik.
- Verandas from $3649 after the 2 for 1 savings
- Amsterdam to Lisbon departing Sep 20 for 10 days
- Amsterdam, Paris (Honfleur), Channel Islands, Bordeaux (overnight), Gijon (Spain), La Coruna, Porto, Lisbon
- Verandas from $5149 after the 2 for 1 savings
Have something to say about this?
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If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here or call 800-876-0168 to get in touch today.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
