Tauck Air
I wanted to compare prices for flights via using Tauck Air vs me making reservations on my own: and I CAN NOT get through to Tauck Air to! I have tried several times and have sat on the phone waiting for almost 30 minutes each time and gave up. (This has given me pause as to whether or not I should even bother.) At least with Tauck's main line they let you leave a call back number & do return the call.
Anyone else having this problem? Any solutions?
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Book the trip and ask the reservation person to connect you to the air dept. I assume u plan on taking the trip. The air dept. will quote u a price but u do not have to accept.
Try calling in the evening or Sat. Week days are the worst.
You can also have Tauck book it, but until it's paid for if you find a better rate you can cancel and go with what you've found independently.
I suggest not pushing the Tauck air button but the regular talk to agent button. Sometimes that agent can help you or they can transfer you. I always ask for a callback if I get disconnected.
I mentioned in my recent evaluation form the frustration of trying to get through to an agent. I made a suggestion for easy access for customers who have already booked. I received a call back on another issue but the customer service agent also addressed the issues Tauck was facing in answering the phone in detail. Tauck is aware of the problem and is working to fix it. She said they had just trained 16 agents who were ready to start now. Also she said the callback feature has several triggers. It will be triggered when there are a certain number of callers in the queue. Then if that list gets too long, it is not even offered. Mystery solved! I appreciated the detailed response, the admssion of a problem and the courtesy I was given.
I find calling the minute the lines open in the morning is best to get someone live or an early callback.
If what you want is fairly simple, send them an email. I did it and got the required reservation with 24 hours. They gave me 3 choices and I was able to get what I wanted with no hassle
Do some research, if you have a simple request like NY-JFK to Paris and know the airline you want this works. It may not work for a complex one like Indianapolis to somewhere in Africa, here you will have several layovers.
By everyone’s replies, I’m confused as to whether you have booked the tour and just want to book your flight, or are you considering booking the tour? To me, it reads you have booked the tour but are deciding whether to book your flights with Tauck or do it yourself.
Where are you flying from and which airport do you need to fly to In Scotland, the two main ones are Glasgow or Edinburgh, although they are only about forty miles apart. Glasgow likely has more choices.
Sometimes Tauck air prices are cheaper, sometimes not. Do research before you do eventually get through to them, so that if Tauck gives you a good price you can say yes then and there.
Yes, call the main line and ask the agent to put you through to the air department. We have had the main reservation agent be able ro book flights too sometimes.
Bucketlist, thanks for finding out how the call back system works! I do hope the newly employed agents get to know their stuff well, we’ve had incorrect info from some in the past, had to call back and get a difference agent.
We recently booked New Zealand in 2023 and when we worked with the Tauck airlines desk (very nice to deal with) we were surprised that the tickets were "instant purchase", because in the past the cost was added to the Final Payment. The payment is now just like booking directly with the airline.
Based on the above comments, I wonder how quickly you could get support from Tauck if a issue arrived while flying?
For some time now, it depends on the destinations as to whether you have to pay upfront for flight tickets. I certainly remembered having to pay up front for South America.
santoliston,
If Tauck books your air, you will be given an emergency number when you receive your final documents. I have only needed to use it once when stranded in an airport overseas. My issue was resolved promptly and I even received a follow up call to ensure the remainder of my air journey was uneventful.
Thank you for the update kfnknfzk, feel a lot better about booking our air with Tauck.
I am going on the Week in Scotland tour on June 5. I'm arriving a day early. I booked my own flight from Boston to Edinburgh, non stop, and I have a driver picking me up at EDI and taking me to Glasgow. I could have flown to Glasgow but most flights from Boston go through Amsterdam, which has been overcrowded and they lose luggage in the transfer. Good luck. If you have any points or miles to use, that helps too.
Bear in mind that the Jubilee celebrations are that weekend and it will be in Scotland too, all the locals will be partying, the Scots are famous for that.
Cathy, did you ask Tauck if they would provide the transfer from Edinburgh airport to your hotel? I know they say Glasgow airport for this tour but often they will pick up/drop off from other nearby transportation hubs. It's worth asking.
We booked through Tauck air and our return flight was canceled the day before we were supposed to leave. I informed our cruise director and she got us booked into a hotel and had our flights re-booked for the following day. It was nice not having to personally deal with hours on the phone & figuring out logistics. Bonus night & day in Brussels and was covered by our Tauck trip insurance.
Thanks everyone--these were very helpful!
We frequently book through Tauck air. We returned last week from an Ireland trip. Husband got covid one week into the two week tour. Tour left us - we called Tauck guest relations. They emailed Tauck air (said email is much quicker to work with them than phone) and cc'd us in the email. We had immediate response from air and continued communications while we worked out the details of quarantining and returning home. They were really great - and flexible. I much preferred emailing them than trying to do it ourselves. We already had our hands full with pre-test for return home and letter of recovery should it be needed. In the end the pre-test ended on the 12th and we had home kit negative test and flew home on the 13th. Didn't really want to fly home positive - not fair to others on the flight.