Airfare through ABD

[tgeorge]

Do many of you take advantage of booking air through ABD or do you prefer to book on your own? If there is a specific flight that you want can you tell ABD that? From what I can tell the advantage is if your trip gets cancelled then your airfare is also refunded. Is that indeed the case? Thanks so much for your help

 

[Tozzie]

Do many of you take advantage of booking air through ABD or do you prefer to book on your own? If there is a specific flight that you want can you tell ABD that? From what I can tell the advantage is if your trip gets cancelled then your airfare is also refunded. Is that indeed the case? Thanks so much for your help

Airfare through ABD does not work like it does on cruises or other "package" trips. You can find your flights and as long as you are paying cash (not using miles) you can call ABD and give them the airline and flight numbers and they will book it for you. I have done that when I don't use miles, it makes it easier especially if they cancel your trip (that hasn't happened on a large scale for a while though) or if the airline changes flights. They can also book whatever class of travel you want as they don't buy in bulk .

I haven't used them to book my flights in a year as for my 2014 trips I used miles to pay for it.

 

[tgeorge]

Airfare through ABD does not work like it does on cruises or other "package" trips. You can find your flights and as long as you are paying cash (not using miles) you can call ABD and give them the airline and flight numbers and they will book it for you. I have done that when I don't use miles, it makes it easier especially if they cancel your trip (that hasn't happened on a large scale for a while though) or if the airline changes flights. They can also book whatever class of travel you want as they don't buy in bulk .

I haven't used them to book my flights in a year as for my 2014 trips I used miles to pay for it.

Fantastic info Tozzie...thank you. I have a lot of United miles, but don't plan on using miles for this trip since I will not be flying United. I thought booking through ABD would be best as long as I could designate the flight I want. Since they will allow me to do that I will definitely book my air with them. Thanks again!!

 

[Bobo912]

I've found the flight I wanted and then had ABD book it for me several times. When they booked our flight to Lima last year, their price was actually slightly less than the price on the Delta website for the same flight. The ABD rep told me they can sometimes get lower prices on Delta. But since I paid ABD for the flight rather than paying Delta directly, I didn't get double miles for paying with my Skymiles Amex card, so this year I just booked the flights myself.

I've had a trip cancelled, but I hadn't booked the airfare yet. But I think ABD will refund your airfare or pay fees to reschedule, regardless of whether you booked your airfare with them. I know a few folks have had first hand experience, so maybe they will chime in.

 

[sayhello]

Sometimes I book my flights through ABD, sometimes not. If I buy the trip insurance through ABD, then I usually book the airfare through ABD, because then I'm *positive* the airfare is included in the coverage. I've been told that the airfare is included if you fly from home to where the trip starts, and fly home from where the trip ends. If you plan to go to another country before or after, it's questionable if it's covered if you booked on your own. It's all rather confusing, and none of it is in writing. If you purchase trip insurance from an outside company, that's a moot point; outside companies don't care who you purchase your travel arrangements from, and it would all be covered.

Also, on the flip side, if ABD does by some chance cancel your trip, they'll cover your airfare whether you purchased it through them or not. It's just easier if you purchased it through them. When my Montana/Canada trip was cancelled in 2009, I'd bought the airfare myself. They switched me to the Alaska trip at no cost, and for the airfare, it turned out to be more cost effective to cancel the flight to Montana and book a new ticket to Alaska. I had to cancel that flight, and once I provided them proof that it was cancelled, they booked the new ticket for me at no cost. If they'd booked it, they would have just handled the whole thing.

Sayhello

 

[Bobo912]

Just FYI...when we flew to Edinburgh, and then from Edinburgh to Dublin for our Ireland ABD this summer, ABD told me that all of our flights were covered (I purchased travel insurance through ABD). I also called the insurance company and verified that the information was correct. It's always a good idea to check with the insurance company though, just in case.

 

[sayhello]

Just FYI...when we flew to Edinburgh, and then from Edinburgh to Dublin for our Ireland ABD this summer, ABD told me that all of our flights were covered (I purchased travel insurance through ABD). I also called the insurance company and verified that the information was correct. It's always a good idea to check with the insurance company though, just in case.

Was that airfare booked through ABD or on your own? I'm not sure if there's a difference. The answers I get from ABD are always confusing to me. I ask them specifically each time.

Sayhello

 

[Bobo912]

Was that airfare booked through ABD or on your own? I'm not sure if there's a difference. The answers I get from ABD are always confusing to me. I ask them specifically each time.

Sayhello

I booked it myself. I didn't feel confident with information from ABD either. That's why I contacted the insurance company. Since they both said the same thing, maybe the information was accurate. I don't think I would feel 100% sure unless I filed a claim and was actually reimbursed. Fortunately, I've never needed to.

 

[LoveMickey]

Here's one more consideration. We just booked our air through ABD and used our Disney Visa to pay for it. We got the 6 month extension on the cc for the air. But not for the 'extra' room seating on Delta.

 

[quinnc19]

If my trip is booked through Dreams, do they have to call ABD to add airfare or can I do it myself? Thanks!

 

[Tozzie]

If my trip is booked through Dreams, do they have to call ABD to add airfare or can I do it myself? Thanks!

You would have to go throuh the travel agent

 

[quinnc19]

Thanks, Tozzie!