The rest of Q&A

Q – We will be leaving for a European Cruise booked through Regent Seven Seas in three weeks. We booked the air/sea program and paid extra for an air deviation. We were flying United Airline on a flight from Atlanta that is actually going to be operated by Lufthansa. We have a connection in Frankfurt to Istanbul, also on Lufthansa with a United flight number on a code-share.

Yesterday, we were advised that our seats had been taken away and re-assigned. We are now seated in different rows in middle seats. We had everything confirmed in writing and are furious about this. How could it happen and what can we do about it? We are being told to wait until the day of departure when something may open up. I just don’t think that customers realize that this sort of thing can happen.

A – You’re right – flyers think a confirmed seat means it is “confirmed” when, in fact, it doesn’t. . For those booked in economy seating, this sort of thing happens with some regularity. It almost never occurs in Business or First. Here is what likely happened:

Almost all seat changes occur for one of two reasons: They may have needed the seats you were holding for elite status flyers. Or, there may have been a change of equipment, a different type of aircraft or version of the aircraft assigned to your flight. When that happens the computers take over and rather haphazardly assign open seats.

Your flight is currently on airport lockdown. That means that the flight is showing full and no airline employee can get into the seating chart to make changes until 24-hours prior to departure. Lufthansa tells us that on transatlantic flights involving the Airbus 443, which we believe is your assigned aircraft, 30% of all seats remain unassigned until the day of departure. If you try calling 24 hours, to the  minute, prior to your scheduled departure you will likely be able to change your seats to two together.  If that fails, get to the  airport at least two and a half hours prior to departure for early check-in. We would expect that your seats would be changed at that time.

This does not strike us as a problem caused in any way by Regent. Cruise lines. But Regent should be following up with their contacts at Lufthansa to see if they can get this cleared for you prior to departure.

Q – We have read that Iran is a great destination with friendly people and a great deal to see. Wonder if you agree? We’ve been looking at Travcoa and Mir Tours. They each seem to be operating two departures this year. Which of the two passes your “legitimate Tour Operator” Test? Really enjoying the site but wish there were more on the various tour operators and the programs they offer. That would be great consumer information if accurate and professional ratings could be included.

A – Both Travcoa and Mir pass our tests with flying colors. Each has been around for a long time. Mir specializes in Eastern and central Europe. Travcoa is a more deluxe tour operator who we recommend highly. But Travcoa is quite expensive given what is included and the category of accommodations used.

Unfortunately, both companies have sold out their departures this year. All four dates are fully booked. Too bad, because we are in agreement that the personal contacts you would have on this journey might well make up for any pre-trip fear factor you might experience. Iran would be a fascinating destination for those with an open mind. It also might be a good idea to visit before they fully develop a nuclear delivery system. Just a suggestion.

We have not rated specific tours because we think it would be far too subjective. The assigned Tour Director and the make-up of the group might change the review of the tour from one departure to another. But we truly appreciate your feedback.

Q – Over a period of about 24 months, we’ve noticed that when we start planning our flights for vacation it seems that the prices have always gone up when we are ready to book, often just a day or two later. It happens too often to be a coincidence. Any recommendations or are we just plain nuts?

A – Actually, you have made a fairly sophisticated and little-known discovery. Airlines have developed software that will insert cookies on your hard drive. It alerts the airline that you are interested in particular flights and the software is programmed to raise the price when you finally go to book. It is our understanding that this is not, currently, illegal, Your behavior online is carefully monitored and stored and it can and will affect the price of items, like an airfare, that have been the subject of a previous search.  The solution is to disable your “cookies” just prior to initiating an online fare search.

Q – We have a rather unusual situation. We are traveling with friends on a Baltic cruise this July that includes three full days in St. Petersburg. My mother is quite ill and there is the remote possibility that I could be called during the cruise with the  need to fly out of Russia in a hurry. Our travel consultant has set us up with a full itinerary of specially created tours. The Visa will be included.  Is there any reason why I need to apply for a separate visa in addition to the one being provided?

A – Yes, in your specific set of circumstances you will need a separate visa. The documents issued by your consultant’s ground operator in Russia will cover you as long as you stick to the proscribed sightseeing program. But you are not covered for independent travel to the airport or, for that matter, for flights out of Russia. Your visa from the tour operator will only cover you for arrival and departure by ship. So, in the unlikely event that you get the call and have to fly out immediately, we do want you to have an independent visa covering such an eventuality.

Q – Realize yours is not an airline site but I always wonder about the cleanliness of the blankets I find all wrapped up, nice and tidy, on my seat when I am flying Business Class internationally. I’d love to know how often those blankets are actually  cleaned?  I start itching just thinking about it.

A – It turns out that blankets used by airlines are far more sanitary than the blankets that adorn your hotel room bed. Our favorite frequent flyer web site, Viewfromthewing.com recently tackled this subject. In the case of American Airlines, blankets are not put back into cellophane. The blankets are collected and sent off to cleaning contractors in major hubs who clean them and then repackage them. It is safe to assume that any airline blanket sealed in cellophane has not been used by other passengers. Hope that helps with the itching.

Q – We’ve been following traveltruth  for the past two years and we love every bit of it – but there is one question I don’t think you’ve ever addressed. When is the best time to get awful assigned seats changed to something better? Whenever we call the airlines they say the seating is “closed”.

A – Airlines, bless their hearts, close their seating down when their computer software tells them that just about all of their sucker seats are gone. This means regular folks coach seating. But every airline holds some seats for their most preferred elite status flyers. So the trick is to try to get those seats when they are released. This is what the pros do:

Set the airline on speed dial and sit down with a watch that is accurate. At exactly 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds prior to your departure time, hit speed dial. Better yet, use two phones. Seats are released for general sale at precisely 24 hours prior to scheduled departure from the gate. By the way, this call will also serve to reconfirm your flight, not a bad idea when the airlines operate under rules that allow them to take your seats and offer them to an Elite Status flyer. Always ask for an e-mail confirmation of anything promised to you in airlines reservations. It turns out the ad about “The Friendly Skies” was, alas, just an ad, not a statement of policy and practice.

Q – We will need to make a payment to Celebrity Cruises for our final payment for a two-week cruise to the Mediterranean. We booked it directly with Celebrity and there seems to be some confusion about the credits we were given when we booked with their agent, Joseph. I think we should be allowed to take the credit off the price but Celebrity is trying to get us to pay the full rate. Who can I turn to for help with this? Can I still get another travel agent involved with final payment only three weeks away?

A – You have made a direct booking with a commissioned salesman in a cubicle whose job is to maximize revenue for his employer. Celebrity will charge you the commission meant to compensate your travel agent. That’s the bad news. You’ve been suckered. The good news is that you may still be able to turn this reservation over to a professional cruise consultant since you have not yet made final payment. Since the travel consultant commission is built into all cruise pricing, it is unlikely you will have to pay anything for professional services.

There are two kinds of credits. If a cruise line mails you a credit because something happened on your last sailing, you can take the amount of the credit off your final price. But if you have received an “On-Board Credit” you may not deduct the value from your cruise price. The on-board credit, which we suspect you have, is simply applied to your final expense account aboard the ship. It is deducted from the amount to be charged to your credit card for on-board activities, drinks, medical treatment, spa services, gift shops etc. Hope this is helpful. Probably best to never book directly again. You should always have an advocate when purchasing travel services – things can and do go wrong.

Q – We were at a friends house last night doing some Pinot Noir blind tastings accompanied by s’mores when the subject of credit ratings for countries came up. A Wall Street player in our group said that he believed that credit agencies that rate businesses also rate countries. I’d really be interested in which countries get the highest ratings if you could chase that down. If you do, we’ll invite you to our next party, “Chardonnay and Cannolis.” We’re up in Westport.

A – We really like your themes. Well done. It sounds like no one in the neighborhood appreciate a fine cheese selection.

Your friend is correct. Several major ratings agencies have identified a select group of nations that have achieved the highest financial health ratings form the three major agencies. They are: Canada, Finland, Germany, Luxemburg, Australia, Singapore, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and Denmark.

These countries could, in our view, form the basis for a travel bucket list of countries you need to get to know better. Each has excellent healthcare, low or non-existent poverty, and high level accommodations and cuisine. It is also interesting to note that none of these countries has a serious pollution or crime  problems so travel is intrinsically safer than staying at home.

Q – As frequent cruisers, we have to make our minds up quickly about a 16-Day voyage on Regent Seven Seas between Oslo and Copenhagen. This is a cruise pretty much limited to the coast of Norway and St. Petersburg, which we’ve previously visited, is not  on the itinerary. Wondering of you would recommend this specific itinerary?

A – In fact, you’ve picked one of our favorites all-time cruise experiences. The North Cape cruises are only offered once or twice each summer by a few of the top lines. It is an ideal itinerary but rather expensive for the lines to operate since Norway is not particularly interested in attracting day visitors and port charges and docking fees are unusually high.

This particular itinerary is outstanding and we highly recommend it. Here are a few specific reasons why:

01 – Absolutely beautiful  small towns and villages. The fjords form a magnificent backdrop.

02 – The days at sea sometimes feature views of land.

03– There is no crime or poverty. It is really uplifting in many ways.

04 – It is a great way to beat the summer heat.

05 – There are not many  ships doing this route. Towns are not crowded.

06 – Most North Cape Cruises are 10-12 days. The length of this cruise seems to us to be ideal.

Q – We have a rather large, tightly-knit Greek family (so what else is new) and we’re planning to go to the islands in 2016 for a two-week spectacular trip. We thought it best to start now. Of course we’ll have all age groups and some will want to do their own thing. We have some decent financial reserves for this trip and were wondering if you could provide a few ideas we may not have thought of that we could bring to our travel agent.? We will likely number 23.

A – Sure. We’ve planned numerous family gatherings of this kind and we have some specific suggestions: Start with these  and have your agent think about including them in your itinerary:

Rent a yacht, preferably in the Cyclades island group, and spend six nights touring the best islands. Nothing will bring the family closer together, the per person cost will be manageable, and the crew will do all the work.

Try to get the family to an authentic wine village where they can join the locals in the harvest celebration while stopping their bare feet to crush grapes for next years wine.

Have the younger folks hike the Samaria Gorge on Crete. The hiking is memorable and the scenery is fantastic.

As a great finish, before flying home from Athens, charter a few helicopters and fly the family above the suspended in air” monasteries in the rock pinnacles of Meteora. Four of these impossible to get to structures still house small, monastic communities.

Do remember that you will want to carefully consider taking over entire restaurants for a party each night of your trip. That will involve a good deal of planning but the results will be well worth it.

You should start planning this trip fourteen months prior to departure.