Making flight reservations

[jackienut]

Searched this forum but couldn't find posts relating to my question. For those of you who have worked directly with ABD in making your intn'l travel plans, rather than an agent, how well did Disney do on booking your flights? Did you find that ABD got you the best price? How far out did they book? Were you satisfied with the arrangements made for you? Also, for those of you who chose to travel a day early or stay a day late, did ABD handle those flight plans as well? Any feedback on your experiences will be appreciated. Thanks

 

[3pirates]

I asked ABD about this. I asked if they provided any discounts or got better rates on airlines or if they simply provided the service for convenience. They said it was more for convenience.

 

[Computer Magic]

I found airline cheaper by booking my own flight.

as for arriving early or staying later, I was told you had to find your own transporation. They only provide transportation the start of the trip and the end of the trip.

 

[awatt]

I found the price from our gateway city was the same from ABD as I could find on the internet. So I booked with ABD. They originally booked us with Alitalia. Then a few months later they switched us to Continental, I didn't know why. Turns out ALitalia is in trouble and those who booked their air independently and flew Alitalia were very unhappy with the service. While I'll never know for sure, I wonder if this is why ABD switched us. it makes sense.

This time, we are booking our own air because I am using some FF miles. Otherwise I would book with them again.

Also, before I booked the first time my TA was able to let me know what the flight arrangements/times would be before I booked, so I knew what we were getting.

 

[Magix]

For my first trip, London/Paris in 2006, ABD was able to get the same airfare I'd found online (the cheapest I could find), so I booked with them. For this year's trip (Rome/Amalfi Coast), they couldn't offer anything that was a reasonable price and worked within their own timeframe for arrival/departure. So, my friends and I booked on our own, cobbling together something with 2 different airlines, which ABD couldn't do.

 

[ppiew]

Booked our air with ABD this time to hopefully eliminate the problems encountered last year. Here is what I did: found the flight/fare on internet, called ABD, they quoted same fare so I booked thru them. Our flight was a week before our ABD tour and the return was a week after, so apparently that doesn't make any difference to them. Did it this way for piece of mind of have a single 24 hr day call # if needed.

 

[3pirates]

If you book through them, what do they do about payment terms? The airlines want you to pay now, ABD doesn't require full payment until later.

Also, how does trip insurance work if you do/don't book the flight thru them?

 

[awatt]

We had to pay the airfare up front. It was included in teh trip insurance. If you don't book with them, get a second, separate policy for the airfare- that's what I did this time around.

I have to add to my previous post. The other day my TA let me know that there were some problems with the ABD air last time around. They wanted to switch us to departing from one airport, and returning to another, and did not provide transportation between the two. This would have been a nightmare for us. Thankfully my TA (Kevin the moderator) handled it for us without my even knowing and did not allow this switch to go through. There are 2 points to learn from this: From now on I'm handling my own air arrangements, and this is why it pays to have a good TA. They are more effective than individuals should issues arise.

 

[MJGirl]

Just thought I would add my experience. We combined an ABD with a Med Cruise. Because of this, they would not arrange our flights. We eventually booked our flight from Toronto to London, Paris to Barcelona, then Barcelona to Toronto. After thinking about it, I don't know if they would have arranged the Toronto - London, London - Paris part or not. I have no complaints, as I ended up getting a great flight on my own!

 

[Computer Magic]

We had to pay the airfare up front. It was included in teh trip insurance. If you don't book with them, get a second, separate policy for the airfare- that's what I did this time around.

I am pretty sure you can add the flight to your ABD insurance even if you book you own flight. I added the flight and trip insurance when I paid made the final payment which was 45 days out. I hold off the trip insurance until I have to pay for the entire trip since your deposit is refundable up to day 45. This way I don't lose the insurance cost if I have to cancel before 45 days.