Article by Renata
So you are in the market for cheap airline tickets, but not sure where to start and how to find the best travel deals. Then you wonder what you need to know before, during or after your trip. The reality is that life gets much simpler when you know some travel tips like how to find cheap flights tickets, how reserve seats, or even change those restricted, but most inexpensive airline tickets.
Duplicate cities in different countries
There are lots of cities all over the world with the same names (especially the US). You can find Rome in Italy and in Georgia, USA or Sydney in Australia and in Ontario, Canada. Which one you need? Pay close attention to what city or destination you are choosing. If you work with an agent, they also make mistakes. There was a case when one of the ravel agents booked a flight for a passenger to Krakow, Poland instead of Kharkiv, Ukraine in Europe. This would seem obvious, but an agent did not know either place and a traveler was did not pay attention to what city or country he was flying. So if you work with an agent, ALWAYS ask to email you the flight itinerary before you actually purchase the airline tickets. Or if you book flights online, make sure you know how to spell the city you fly to and always double check flights, travel dates and time before you buy the tickets.
How to buy cheap airline tickets
You have a choice of a travel agency or an airline. Which one you prefer with your travel arrangements? My advise is to check both. Airlines compete among each other and they can give great flight deals. On the other hand, travel agencies might also offer you great flight deals because they work hard in negotiating airline fares. Here is the truth… lately several airlines and several large and well known travel agencies started having some issues and several airline banned those huge agencies from selling their airline tickets. Therefore, small and specializedagencies still do have very good contracts with major airlines of the world. So, my advise is to look who has the best flight deal, not at the size of the agency or the popularity. At the end of the day, it matters how much you pay for the ticket and that you have a confirmed seat on a plane.
Also, check online travel agencies. Some agencies are online only; they will provide you customer support, but they might not do the initial flight search for you as you will be using a simple flight search and booking system. This is to your advantage – online travel agencies exist and offer you online flight bookings so they can save YOU money by eliminating staff salaries. So look for cheap flights yourself and book the flights you prefer.
Reconfirm your flight reservations
Call the carrier (airline) to reconfirm the flight in advance and them several days before the flight departure. This is good to let the airline know that you are definitely flying, but most importantly, to make sure that your flight schedule has not changed or flights have not been canceled. Since airlines have had their customer reps cut backs, it is very unlikely that you will hear from them if there are any changes in flight schedules.
Don’t get bumped off the flight. Have your seats reserved in advance
Did you know that airlines overbook flights by at least 10%? This is true and all airlines do this to avoid no-shows and empty seats on the planes. Therefore, they sell more tickets than there are seats on a plane. So when you make a flight reservation, whether you buy a cheap airline ticket in economy class or you decide to spend more and have a flight ticket with less restrictions, ALWAYS get the actual seats on the plane. If you cannot do this when purchasing flight tickets, call the airline after you buy flight tickets and ask them to assign you a seat on the plane.The main reason for that is that if the flight is really overbooked and everyone shows up to the flight, the airline is forced to ask someone to reschedule their flights or if there are no volunteers, to bump passengers without the pre-assigned seats off the flight and to the next available flight. Read more about involuntary flight rescheduling here.
Don’t be surprised if you cannot get the seat assignment in advance. Sometimes this can happen too. Usually European domestic airlines would not assign any seats until the departure dates. In general, airlines can tell you if the seats cannot be assigned in advance or advance seat assignment is no longer available. This means that airlines have certain number of seats available to book in advance. There is also a number of seats left for check-in only. So, don’t panic, arrive to the airport early and get the seats at the airport.
Don’t forget Visas, Passports and other travel documents
There are only several exception to the rule when you do not need visa or a passport to travel. If you travel within the US, you will be asked for your driver’s license to prove your identity. Similarly, if you travel within Europe as a European permanent resident or citizen (European Union countries), you will be asked for an ID or driver’s license. However, if you cross the border of another country that you are not a citizen or in some cases permanent resident, you must have a valid passport to be allowed on board and to enter a foreign country.
Some travelers think that babies do not need documents to travel. Not true. The tiniest baby needs a passport or other valid document and even a visa required by the foreign country. The only exception to the rule is the US. In most cases, a baby (under 2 years of age) does not need any documentation when flying with parents.
If you travel to a foreign country, contact a Consulate or an Embassy to see what documents you will need to enter the country.
These are some travel tips on how to find cheap airline tickets and what you need to do before you take off. More air travel secrets will be revealed soon.
Enjoy!
About the Author
With over 15 years of experience in airline travel industry, I will share all the secrets that airlines or travel agents do not want you to know.For more travel tips or to buy cheap airline tickets visit http://www.faretex.com/Air Travel Guide