About Your Trip>Air Services

Transfer Arrangements

Transfers are included with roundtrip airfare purchase. Transfer vouchers and other details will be provided approximately 3 weeks before your departure in your final document package.

If air is not purchased from Viking River Cruises, transfers between the airport and ship/hotel may be purchased separately at an additional cost per person, per direction, and are available to guests whose flights arrive or depart on embarkation/ disembarkation day only. Embarkation (ship) check-in is generally at 3:00 p.m.; earlier arrivals may relax in the lounge or leave luggage aboard while exploring the port city. Check-in time at most hotels is often in the early afternoon and if you arrive earlier the hotel may allow you to check in if your room is ready or will store your luggage so you can explore on your own. On departure day, guest disembarkation (ship) is generally at 10:00 a.m. and hotel check-out is generally at 12:00 p.m.

If you made your own flight arrangements and would like to book/purchase transfers through Viking, you can request assistance by phone or or click on the link below. Transfers may be purchased up to 30 days before departure.

Transfer Request Form

Additional Gateway Cities

For travel to Europe, Russia or Egypt, please click on the appropriate link below and add the amount to the New York air price for your selected itinerary and departure date. For travel to China, add the amount to the Los Angeles air price for your selected itinerary and departure date.For cities not listed, inquire about Viking Air Plus services.

2010 Additional Gateway Cities

2010 Additional Gateway Cities for Egypt

2011 Additional Gateway Cities

• Deviate to an alternate destination city or stay extra time before or after your cruise or cruisetour (click here to see a list of destinations offered)
• Stop over in another destination such as Paris, Hong Kong or a U.S. gateway
(click here to see list of other stopovers)
• Nonstop flights or the most direct air service available
• Reservations with airlines that accept frequent flyer mileage
• Travel on specific airlines or air routing
• Confirmation of flight schedules at time of reservation—no waiting once deposit and Passenger Information Forms are received
• Coordination of family, friends or groups traveling together from the same or different cities
• Premium economy class for greater comfort and amenities, where available

Please note: A $50-per-person nonrefundable fee applies, as well as any additional fees based on the difference between the selected air and the air price paid. Date or city deviations and stopover fees are typically between $100 and $200 additional.

Inquire about Viking Air Plus services when making a reservation.

• The average transoceanic flight upgrade requires 35,000–50,000 frequent flyer miles per passenger, per direction (see your specific airline mileage plan for details)
• Additional airline fees may apply, and you may need to pay a higher airfare to qualify. You will be advised of any and all additional charges prior to ticketing
• The frequent flyer program must be U.S. registered and applied to travel from a U.S. gateway
• The program applies to airline frequent flyer programs only; airline-affiliated credit card mileage programs do not qualify

Once the service is requested and Passenger Information Form (PIF) completed, a Viking Air Plus agent will contact your airline and investigate the availability of such an upgrade. The service is guaranteed—if we are unable to obtain an upgrade your $100 service fee will be refunded in full. (Once reservations are confirmed and accepted, the service fee is non-refundable.) For an upgrade request on an existing booking, Viking Air Plus can assist you.

Premium Economy Amenities - Up to 22% More Legroom

Amenities vary by airline and may include the following:
• Up to 22% extra legroom, 9% extra seat width, 60% extra seat recline*
• Adjustable headrests, legrests or lumbar support
• Personal entertainment system, laptop power port, noise-reducing headset
• Premium food service and/or complimentary bar drinks
• Private airport waiting area or lounge
• Fast-track security clearance (where available)
• Special check-in counter
• Additional baggage allowance
• Specially designed seats or special seating configuration

Premium Economy Class is an Air Plus service for which a nominal fee is charged.

*Please note United Airlines Premium Economy only offers extra legroom.

Paid Business or Premium Economy class travel is guaranteed on trans-oceanic flights only; travel in economy class may be required within the United States, Europe or Asia. The option to pay for an upgrade on these flights is available through Viking’s Air Plus department. Call for details.

Click on a Partner Logo to Learn More

See Air France video here.

Download and print the Passenger Information Form

Fill the Passenger Information Form out online

Secure Flight Program

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has implemented a new policy, Secure Flight Program, that requires specific passenger data to be collected and provided prior to your flight departure. Under Secure Flight, airlines will gather a passenger’s full passport name, date of birth and gender when making an airline reservation to determine if the passenger is a match to the No Fly or Selectee lists.

It is very important that your full name matches your passport exactly, including any middle names or initials. It is essential that the data provided at time of booking exactly matches the documents presented at check-in. This information will be required in order to issue airline tickets and boarding passes; if this data is not provided or is incorrect, it could cause delays during the check-in process, or could even result in the airline canceling your flight reservation. If you have a redress number, please contact the air department at 1-877-532-0580 to add this to your airline booking. If you encounter misidentification you are invited to apply for a redress number from the Department of Homeland Security to help prevent watch list matching misidentifications in the future. For more information about this new policy, please visit the TSA website here.

Confirming your flights

Flights can be reserved up to 320 days prior to departure, and flight schedules will be released 75 days prior to departure. Viking River Cruises utilizes contracted block space as outlined by each specific carrier; therefore, not all flights and routings may be available. Flight schedules/seat assignments may be changed or cancelled without prior notice at any time. Viking River Cruises attempts to accommodate guests traveling together; however, this can only be guaranteed by our Viking Air Plus service.

Our Air Department often secures auto-generated seats; should you want to make a change, please contact the airline directly. Flight schedules, seat assignments, and luggage restrictions (fees may apply) are subject to change by the airlines at any time. Viking River Cruises will make every effort to notify guests of these changes to flight schedules or luggage restrictions. However, we recommend that you contact your airline directly via website or phone at least 72 hours prior to your departure to confirm current policies for how much time to allow prior to check-in, carry-on or checked luggage restrictions, whether you can lock your bags, prohibited items, and luggage count and weight allowances for flights to and from your destination.

Paid Business or Premium Economy class travel is guaranteed on trans-oceanic flights only; travel in economy class may be required within the United States, Europe or Asia. The option to pay for an upgrade on these flights is available through Viking’s Air Plus department. Call for details.

Special requests

Airline arrangements such as seat assignments, special meal requests, and frequent flyer credit may be determined by the airline. It is recommended that you or your travel agent contact your airline to make these requests.

Forced overnight stays

Due to airline schedules beyond our control, international flights may require a hotel overnight at a U.S./international gateway. Viking River Cruises can assist with hotel reservations, but all associated costs for the overnight, including hotel and food costs, are at the guest’s expense.

Luggage restrictions

Until recently, most international airline baggage restrictions allowed each passenger two free checked bags of up to 50 or 70 pounds each and one carry-on. Several air carriers have recently adopted policies of charging passengers an amount, in addition to the fare already paid, for any checked baggage or for more than one checked bag. While airline reservations are made when deposits and Passenger Information Forms (PIFs) are received, Viking River Cruises air department generally issues airline tickets 45 days prior to departure and many of the new baggage restrictions apply based on when your air ticket is issued.

Each airline has its own rules and restrictions for domestic and international travel; we suggest you contact your airline(s) directly to verify checked luggage and carry-on restrictions for your flights to and from your home airport, as there may be fees for additional or overweight luggage. It is possible a domestic airline ticket may be issued in conjunction with your international ticket. Domestic travel is within or between the U.S., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada. Domestic luggage restrictions often differ from international ones.

Click on the link below to see the most up-to-date restrictions we have received from each of our partner airlines.

Click here for Luggage Restrictions

China travelers

You will travel on domestic China flights during your trip. Viking River Cruises monitors luggage restrictions for these intra-China flights and luggage allowance is very limited and strictly enforced. On intra-China flights, a guest may carry on 1 piece only; with dimensions not to exceed 8 x 16 x 22 inches (20 x 40 x 55 cm) and the total weight not to exceed 11 pounds (5 kg). There are no size or piece restrictions for checked luggage allowance for intra-China flights; however, guests are allowed a total of 44.2 pounds (20 kg) for all pieces. Any item in excess of the above restrictions must be checked and excess charges range from $100 to $200 per piece based on weight and distance traveled. Alcoholic beverages are not permitted in carry-on luggage.

On intra-China flights, it is currently recommended to lock checked luggage. Therefore, we suggest you bring a luggage lock for each bag you will be checking.

Links to Viking preferred airlines

Here are links to our preferred airline partners’ websites, so you can confirm your flights online, request a seating change or check for the latest restriction information. Click on the airline logo to go to the site.

Secure flight information

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requires certain passenger information at the your airline reservation is made. Some of the information that you provide to Viking River Cruises is used for your air booking, based on these requirements. At a minimum this includes the exact spelling of your full name as it appears on your passport, your gender and your birth date. It is essential that the data provided at time of booking exactly matches the documents presented at check-in. For more information about this new policy, please visit the TSA website here.

Seat assignments

When you receive your air reservation, it may or may not reflect a seating assignment. Airline policies concerning specific seat requests, random seat assignments and check-in-only seat requests vary widely. Additionally, airlines sometimes change their schedules or change aircraft, resulting in a different configuration from the one in place when your reservation was made. Therefore, air seats are not guaranteed and may be changed by the airline or by Viking. When you contact your airline, you can find out whether you have seat assignments and what the policy is regarding obtaining or changing seats.

Frequent flyer miles

In order to earn frequent flyer miles, your mileage account number must be added to the air reservation. This is usually something you can do easily on the airline’s website. Please be advised that Viking River Cruises may use special contract rates in order to pass on air savings and frequent flyer mile accumulation may not be allowed.

Aircraft information

Airlines use many different types of aircrafts and offer all kinds of seat configurations and onboard services. In many cases specific information may not be made available until closer to departure. For a helpful overview, we recommend consulting this website for the most up-to-date information on the aircraft most airlines are using.

Airline fees

Most airlines are now charging fees for checked baggage and other services. These fees depend on the airline, on the passenger’s frequent flyer status, on the class of service purchased and so on. They also may change without notice at any time. Here is a handy website managed by one of the major airline reservation systems that tracks airline fees.

Special requests

Many airlines offer special meals, disability/mobility assistance or other special services; these generally must be requested ahead of time. Please visit your airline’s website and look for the words “services,” “special needs” or “special services.”

Airlines may sell travel insurance on their websites; please note that if you have already purchased travel protection coverage through Viking River Cruises, your Viking-purchased air is covered under this program, so you would not need additional coverage. Be sure to check with your insurance provider for details.

Online flight check-in

Not all airlines allow online check-in, but we encourage you to check the airline website to see if they offer this convenient service. If so, find out how close to flight time you can check in—it is usually within 24 hours of departure—and you will need to use your airline record locator number. Some airlines also let you sign up for flight-related notifications and updates via email or text messages to a mobile device.

Airline links

For your convenience, here are links to many of our air partners’ websites. Once you know your airline, flight schedule and record locator number, you should log on as soon as possible to check your seating status and learn which services your carrier provides. Click on the airline logo to go to the site. In the event you are unable to log on or need further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact Viking River Cruises.

	No online system; call 1-800-882-8122 for assistance.

	No online system; call 1-877-824-4846 for assistance.

No online system; call 1-800-227-4262 for assistance (requires membership login).	Check-in only within 72 hours.

No online system; call 1-800-438-5000 for assistance.

No online system; call 1-800-221-2350 for assistance.