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Best of Ireland Trip - Did you use Tauck's airline connections

jrowlandjrowland
in General Discussion
Know its early but pre-planning helps me to survive the wait until May 2014. I've made my intial deposit for the Best of Ireland trip starting on May 10, 2014. As part of my pre-planning routine I'm looking at possible airline connections, routes that my be encountered and wanted to poast the following questions to past Tauck guests who have taken the Best of Ireland tour.

If you used Tauck's air connections would like to ask the following.
1. What kind of connection did you have to/from Ireland?
a. Airline
b. Which east cost U.S. airport did you use leaving the United States.
c. What were your departure times to/from Ireland
d. Which U.S. airport did you arrive at first when returning from Ireland and what if any was your layover time for a connection flight.

If you made your own flight arrangements would like to pose the same questions to you.

I have almost a year wait until 2014 but this research helps me to survive the wait!

Jeff

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    jdurkinjdurkin
    Jeff wrote:

    I have almost a year wait until 2014 but this research helps me to survive the wait!

    At last! Someone after my own heart! This is the sort of thing I do, but usually before I decide on a trip! And because my travel doesn't start in the US, Tauck aren't holding my hand for the flights. A good atlas is a must ... particularly for plotting US domestic flights. Those carriers know nothing about geography!

    Happy researching, Jeff!

    Cheers,

    Jan
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    habuhabu
    Jeff,
    We just completed the Best of Ireland tour on May 27. I used the Tauck airline department because the rep I initially spoke with said I could cancel the flight arrangements up to 60 days before the trip, something I could not do if I made the flight arrangements myself. I paid over $300 more than I would have, if I arranged the flights myself, for this benefit. To answer your questions:
    1. Initially I requested a Delta flight from SEA to Shannon that left SEA at 12:30PM with a 65 minute layover at JFK and then from JFK to Shannon. I received a call from Tauck about 1 month before the tour start date that Delta had changed the JFK to Shannon flight by 10 minutes and the airline could not guarantee I could make the connection. Result, the first flight left Seattle at 7:50 AM (almost 5 hours earlier than anticipated) and we had a 6+ hour layover at JFK. Tauck said I could keep the original times but if I did not make the JFK to Shannon flight they could not help me. The seats were changed once and not for the better.

    2. Most flights heading east over the Atlantic will leave after 6:00PM so you arrive in Europe around 7 to 10 in the AM. We arrived around 9:00 AM. Our return flight left from Dublin at 9:20 AM. Tauck scheduled our departure from the hotel 3.5 hours ahead of the flight departure time. Your bags must be ready 30 to 50 minutes before then. We were up at 4:30 AM and got back in SEA 24 hours later after a 4 hour layover in ATL.

    3. The most important information I can give you is that when Tauck makes the flight arrangements with Delta (I cannot comment about any other airline) you will receive many fewer miles if you are collecting miles in their Skymiles plan. For the flights from SEA to Shannon and from Dublin to SEA I received 2,367 miles. When I called Delta they blamed Tauck for not telling me the tickets were "BULK" rate tickets and therefore just about worthless for mile accumulation.

    Bottom line, I will never use any tour operator to make my flight arrangements. Check the web for the flights you want and do it yourself.
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    crackers54crackers54
    I have taken 9 Tauck trips and going on my 10th to Italy in Sept. and I have never used Tauck for my flights. I know you get the advantage of being able to cancel them, but I have always got better rates and better flight times. When I flew home from Grand Rapids, the people that used Tauck for reservations to fly to Boston had to fly back to Salt Lake before heading east. I headed east and only had one layover when they had 2 and headed west. You are limited to who they have an agreement with. Not to say that will help with all of the airlines changing your flight.

    This year I went to Australia/New Zealand and had 5 flights and 3 of them changed times on me after the reservation.
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    kcfromkckcfromkc
    I also have never used Taucks flights. You do save alot of money AND remember if you get the insurance the flight is covered even though you did not purchase it from Tauck !!!!!!!!!!!
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