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Trouble with booking flights for July 3 tour end

maitcarmom

My husband and I are on the June 24, 2026 Norwegian Fjords trip.

As we always do, we go through Tauck for our flights. We live in New Orleans, and non-stop international flights are practically non-existent. The tour ends in Bergen, Norway on Friday, July 3. We depart that morning, changing planes in Copenhagen and arrive in Atlanta around 5 pm. But Tauck's air department cannot get us home (a 1 hour flight) until the next day. Although there are flights with available seats, Tauck's contract does not permit booking them. One Tauck agent suggested booking our own Delta flight and then she would re-book us only to Atlanta. But another Tauck agent said that our other flights were closed for booking and we likely would end up paying more for something else. So now, it seems that we have to spend the night in an Atlanta airport hotel.

It's partly the additional expense that's bothering me, but more upsetting is that after a trip, we are really ready to get home. I think that perhaps Tauck could have done a better job of the dates for this trip rather than it ending on the Friday of $th of July weekend the year of our country's 250th birthday.

Is anyone else having similar flight hassles for trips that weekend?

Comments

British

We took this tour last summer. We booked our own flights, I think we checked with Tauck first but they were not helpful. They do not have access to many flights. It’s often cheaper or book your own flights anyway. Also, we do try to avoid flying around US holiday when we can.

Mary Margaret McClure

Maitcarmom,

By booking your own flights gives you the freedom of choosing the airline and schedules that work best for your trip/tour itinerary. This gives me peace of mind knowing my flight itinerary will work in our best interest in departures and arrivals. I normally book the originator out of my city, less non-stop flight segments the better, and not using a third party to rely on for bookings.

When booking with the airline directly, they will work with you with regards to delays, weather, mechanicals, or cancellations. I worked for the airline industry for over three decades, and we truly will work with the customer in getting you there safely.

We always arrive the DAY BEFORE the tour begins, we sleep better knowing we're in place a day before the fun begins!

Hope this helps!

OurTravels34

This is very simple. Go to a reputable travel agent and they will figure it all out for you. Yes, you might have to pay a nominal fee for peace of mind. I guarantee they will come up with something that will work. Easy peasy; problem solved.

BKMD

I always book my own flights. Google flights is my primary search portal.

MCD

I ask my travel agent to see what Tauck is offering for flights, but I have never taken the Tauck option. I have always booked my own flights. Tauck still picks me up at the airport and transports me to the Tauck hotel, even when I arrive a couple of days before the tour starts.

inlanikai

Book directly with SAS airlines. One ticket BGO -> MSY same day. I just looked at July 3rd on their website and they have availability. www.flysas.com. The search results gave several options which included the ATL-MSY connection on DL as an SAS codeshare. It books in Euros so use a credit card that does not impose a foreign exchange fee when it converts back to dollars. If you have the Costco Citi card, even better as you'll also get another 3% back. I book all my air and Tauck tours using that card.

Tauck travel has limits when it comes to booking air. I used to have the same issue with 3-segment flights when we lived in Hawaii and tried to get to/from Europe for tours. Good luck.

Smiling Sam

If you do book with SAS, then I'd expect that your reservation/routing/times will change about once a month until you fly, based on my experience (not a fan).

I booked on SAS to get to the Northern Lights tour. Within three months of booking the routing and times changed three times. With the third change (where they wanted to give us two 50 minute layovers on the return segment) I finally cancelled.

Goddess

I can't remember when I've booked flights with ANY airline that haven't had schedule changes between booking and departure! The most recent when I wasn't even notified of a canceled flight segment by the airline and discovered it when checking for schedule changes on my own. Ended up having to cancel the entire booking and rebook with another airline.

kfnknfzk

Of the airlines I fly, SAS is the most common for my personal holidays—used to be once or twice a year, less so now. I recall there were scheduling issues at times but they were resolved quickly, perhaps because I fly out of and into a major hub.

Last year they emerged from a two-year bankruptcy proceeding and are now owned by a consortium of investors. I have flown with them since then and have been quite pleased with their service.

maitcarmom

The reason we always book with Tauck is in case of flight delays or problems. Family members have had problems when self-booking flights and encountering problems getting home. I would expect that if Tauck books the air, they would help. And we have already booked and been billed through Tauck. Maybe I should have tried booking myself, but didn't. I wish that Tauck had considered the holiday when setting dates for the trip, or that they would cover a hotel night in Atlanta for us, since it is not reasonable to expect people in their 60s/70s to spend the night in an airport gate area.

British

It depends where you live as to whether it’s more difficult. There has to be a stop for when Tauck does everything for you. It’s usually pretty cheap to stay in an airport hotel.
We’ve had terrible problems with a couple of Tauck booked flights!
Maybe you should have consulted the holiday, we try to avoid any if we can.

OurTravels34

…or use a travel agent. They have helped with complicated flight itineraries and flight predicaments, cancellations, delays, while we’ve been in the middle of a trip. It’s happened more than once. A reputable travel agent is worth more than you realize if there’s an issue.

kfnknfzk

I have never used a travel agent but agree that a good one would offer the same level of care and expertise that Tauck does.

I have never been dissatisfied with Tauck’s air department. When there have been scheduling issues, they have always resolved them quickly and with professionalism. Once when stranded in Frankfurt, Germany, a call to their emergency number was all it took to have me on my way.

Besides, I like the idea of one-stop shopping.