Princess Cruises Makes It "eZ" to Book Your Flights

Princess Cruises is introducing a completely re-designed, new generation air program giving passengers easy and full control of their flights and the ability to seamlessly coordinate them with their cruise itinerary. For the first time, Princess passengers will have access to real-time pricing and flight availability, immediate flight confirmation, competitive airfares, and something no major online air booking website offers–next port protection in the event of flight delays. The innovative Princess eZAir(SM) program provides passengers and their travel agents the ease of a single booking source for both air and cruise reservations, with all transactions conveniently accessed online.

Travelers using Princess eZAir can choose air carriers and flights, as well as select their preferred cabin level and seating, all with no extra customization fee. They can also order special meals, request a wheelchair and apply their frequent flyer number. And unlike air purchased through other online air booking websites, the line will assist Princess eZAir passengers with re-routing to the next port of call should they experience a flight delay that causes them to miss the ship’s departure.

“We’ve modernized our air program to give our passengers full control of their flight arrangements,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. “Until now, passengers paid a set price for air and were given their flight details closer to sailing. Now they can plan their entire vacation as they wish, with real-time access to flights – and competitive airfares – that are compatible with their cruise and other travel plans.”

With Princess eZAir, cruise passengers can choose from two different air options – flexible and restricted – depending on the certainty of their travel plans. The flexible plan allows passengers to cancel or modify their reservation without charge, while the restricted option offers the benefit of a typically less expensive fare for those travelers who are comfortable with cancellation and change restrictions. Passengers can view both fare options side by side, so they can make the best choice for their vacation schedule.

Flexible Air Option – Passengers choosing the flexible air option will have the benefit of a fully refundable air ticket that can be changed without charge, giving them full freedom with their travel plans. Tickets are refundable up to 45 days before the flight.

Restricted Air Option – Passengers also have a choice of a typically lower-priced restricted option which is not refundable, and is subject to change fees. In addition, restricted air tickets must be paid for at the time of booking air to lock in the schedule and lower rate.

With Princess eZAir, flights can be purchased from approximately 330 days to four days before cruise departure. The new program will be in effect for virtually all Princess voyages sailing after Sept 1, 2010. Passengers with existing air bookings will automatically be transferred to the Flexible pricing option. Princess air flights can be booked through a professional travel agent or by calling 1-800-PRINCESS.