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Tauck's Air Department

kfnknfzk

I received an e-mail this morning from Tauck advising me that one of my flights had been changed (both flight number and time) by a certain airline for an upcoming tour. The change in time was not to my liking since I would need to leave my home at approximately 0230 to get to LAX, get through security and probably not have time to relax in the lounge unless I was willing to leave my home even earlier. As I was relaying the bad news to my husband, Tauck called to help with better times. I had not called them. They have done this in the past.

I know some of you prefer to book air on your own, but Tauck's unsolicited response is yet another reason why I book everything through them. I may or may not save a few pennies, but the convenience, responsiveness and hassle-free experiences are well worth it in my opinion.

Comments

BKMD

I prefer full control my air booking. Even to the point where I want to sit on the north side of a 787 because of their defective window "blinds" that let's the sun appear as an orange slow. I actually enjoy the "hunt." Many probably don't understand, but I suspect AlanS does.

Smiling Sam

kfnknfzk - ...I may or may not save a few pennies, but...

If saving a few (perhaps tens of thousands of) pennies is of no concern then selecting the option that provides the easiest and best service is clearly the way to go. Since you depart from a major hub, LAX, I'm sure that Tauck Air can get just about the best price available.

That isn't the case for those of us that depart from minor hubs, like Tucson. From minor hubs the Tauck Air price can sometimes be $1000 or more per person higher than what you can find on your own. For us departing from minor hubs the Tauck Air price, in my opinion, is rarely the way to go, especially for people that as BKMD puts it, "enjoy the hunt".

terrilynn

Agree with above. We always price compare and ALWAYS save $600-1000 to book on our own VS having Tauck do it for us - plus, we love picking our layovers. The few times we have had Tauck book us, we didn't like what they chose for us and they changed it to what we requested, but lately, they've not been able to book what we like AND the cost for them to book is A LOT higher. Maybe it is about the airport you leave from. There are SO many flight options now, that I like seeing them all before making a decision. That is great that they were able to help you rebook better times.

kfnknfzk

I completely understand that there are those who prefer to book their own flights. I, like BKMD, have aircraft preferences (airline, configuration, seats, et al). The purpose and take-away of my post was the level of service that Tauck provides when something goes wrong.

The use of "save a few pennies" is a figure of speech routinely used in a non-literal sense.

For those who are not fortunate to be near a major hub--and I certainly do not consider living near LAX fortunate--you might find that flying first in an opposite direction will actually save you money. It seems counterintuitive but it worked for me several times, albeit years ago. It might be worth researching. Just a thought that should be taken with a grain of salt.

sudhamali

We have tried booking on our own as well as through Tauck.If there is a major problem like we had when we returned from Thailand there would be better help or someone in Tauck can resolve the issue;unfortunately that flight was booked by us.In the panic times associated with the pandemic the airline changed one leg of the flight but not all the way through.After that experience we decided to use Tauck exclusively.

MarketArt

kfnknfzk did indeed receive extraordinary service, certainly nothing like the horror stories one hears from other tour companies. I survey a number of "nearby" airports and airlines and have always booked on my own; the search is part of the pre-travel anticipation. I often stop en route so it can get too complicated bringing in a third party. BUT the big Q is: What did BKMD smuggle in from Hawaii that's causing that orange slow???

British

With all the changes to flights that Tauck made with us, some which were impossible, they never once called us back, we had to call them, they were helpful, but on one occasion, they switched them back again. We ultimately canceled the trips.
Kfnknfzk…. You obviously do get special treatment from Tauck. I know you have traveled with them for a long time, for us it is only about 18 years.

mil

kfnknfzk Hi.
I understand the convenience by booking the air with Tauck, for my trip next Sept. I tried & called Tauck for my air, which I always do on my own.. and the $$ they gave was 2K more than the airline. Sure with Tauck you don't pay till due date, but I also prefer to split the payment as I charge it to my cc for milage . Also, regarding the chance of an unpredicted cancelation (with Emirates, which it's my prefer airline) it's always guaranteed with or without travel insurance
I always do my air, Love the planning and the fun of putting together all the logistic, at least for me is great... because it gives me a better understanding of the geography of the area, the access to it and also the political situation of it. (yes! political as you find out which other countries are allies - the fact that some airlines fly there and which do not, give you the idea.)
When I travel with Tauck ( D' only tour company I use) I always plan extras.. I customize my tour Pre & Post stays , I plan, I choose & I book them and at the end the result is always an Amazing trip..
Since, I try to visit a different country in every trip; I always add extra days so I can add as much as possible to it.
Have a lovely day.

BKMD

Let's not forget that everyone hates the airlines like they hate insurance companies. It feels good to feel like you're getting the best deal
For example, on my recent Hawaii trip, my original first class airfare was $2300 RT (almost as much as my biz class RT to Cairo!) I checked it via google flights a couple of times/week and the price dropped to $1700, so I rebooked the flights and got a $600 credit good until the end of 2023. I've already used it on another flight booking. Unlike pre-Covid when there were absurd rebooking fees (one of the reasons people hate airlines), now there is no rebooking fee in most cases, so it now is cost-effective to rebook flights to save some money.

kfnknfzk

Very well said, cathyandsteve. I once received a private message from an individual who demanded to know how many trips I had taken with Tauck! Sad. Why would one even care?

British - I do not receive "special treatment," but you are entitled to your beliefs, no matter how incorrect they may be.

British

Kfn…thanks, some travel forums have the number of tours a person has taken next to their names. It’s away to see if the poster may know maybe what they are talking about when it comes to a particular tour

Sealord

I thought I had taken a fair number of Windstar cruises (17) until I met a man on the Wind Surf who had done a hundred and fifty. Our seventeen got us an offer to upgrade to the owner’s suite last year … we took the next smaller one for logistical reasons.

Claudia Sails

Back to the Tauck air vs book your own, I just learned this morning that booking Tauck air has another benefit. There was a thread started by someone else a few weeks ago titled "Insurance for pre and post tour travel" where I just posted what I learned on this.

For our Douro cruise this year we added some days in Barcelona that aren't part of a tour or anything Tauck arranged. We'll book our own train fare to Barcelona and have booked our hotel ourselves. If we had booked our own airfare, our Guest Protection coverage would have ended when any Tauck arranged parts of the trip ended. But because they arranged our air for this trip, our Coverage won't end until our flights back home.

If you aren't adding any independent travel to the start or end of a tour then it likely doesn't matter. If you're only adding what Tauck calls Pre -tour or Post-tour stays in their hotel at their rate then you are covered as well.

While coverage for potential covid delay was part of my concern, I'm more worried about just the ordinary things that could happen like getting injured or having a major medical event that sadly us old folks can have.

Just something to consider depending on the way you like to arrange your trips and maybe have more time at your destination.

mil

cathyandsteve Hello.
Happy week... already work is crazy! lucky me..
Well, regarding the planning , I do it when I'm traveling on my own, as I have done for many years- exactly 25 years (as an independent traveler paying my own expenses - not on a family travel paid by my parents - add about another 20 years
Then , I decided I wanted to be pamper and decided to go with Tauck- ( last 8 years) and add another 2 years lost by Covid. plus a window of about (3) years mother not wantting to travel with a toddler. )
Back to the subject
When I'm in a Tauck tour, I always add pre & post days.. and those I still plan my own activities.. the airport transf. I have Tauck do it, of course, it's part of the Tour. .
Now, regarding the unlucky private message.. it is a shame, but it is the world we are living in.. everyone is very aggressive and abuse towards others.. very Sad!! and Hey, if we want to be babysit , what's the issue? they offer the service and we take it.- it creates jobs
My thought.

Have a lovely day.

inlanikai

I book my own flights. Living in Hawaii one does not have many options and routing usually involves 2 or 3 segments and overnight flights. I also use the website expertflyer.com (EF is a subscription service) to help with all the possibilities before booking with an airline direct (I never use the online travel agents). Once booked I use EF to set alerts for aircraft changes, schedule changes and specific seat assignment availability if the one I wanted was not available when booking. They'll email and/or text me if anything changes, always before the airline does. Nothing against Tauck, I just want the flexibility and control.

gafly26482

Sealord: re ___“I met a man on the Wind Surf who had done a hundred and fifty” ___ Was it Bill? We met him at his ~98 trips, interesting fellow.

AlanS

A lady on our tour has 6 back-to-back Tauck tours after this one. She doesn’t get back home until sometime in August!

BSP51

Who’s watching her cats!

Sealord

It is possible I got the number wrong … a hundred … a hundred and fifty … either one is amazing. But, I don’t remember his name being Bill. My father was a Bill, so that probably would have connected. This guy did a lot of business trips to Europe, and every time his business was finished he did a Windstar cruise. He probably got the Officer’s Suite a lot.