Booking an Online Flight

Start shopping early if you’re booking a flight for any holiday or a wedding or a cruise.  There have been capacity cuts on all airlines over the last couple of years so there are fewer seats available particularly for holiday flights.

If you are going on an impromptu trip, you can book last minute, but if you must to be somewhere for Christmas or Mother’s Day or a cruise then booking a flight at least six weeks ahead is really a good idea.

Internet booking companies recommend that the best time to shop for your flight online is on a Monday or a Tuesday.  Airlines typically lower fares early in the week and raise them again towards weekends.  Start your investigations for a flight booking with a search engine that does a comprehensive fare search…. such as a webjet or Kayak.  These will give you a list of flights with the best schedules and prices but watch for booking fees.

Particularly in the USA, is you wish to save money, consider driving to a smaller airport.  Airfares can be cheaper from those airports and parking is often cheaper as well.  If your time allows for it, try to fly on non-peak days and avoid peak days like the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after in the US as those are when flights will be the most expensive.

Don’t think that only the main Search Engines are the places to look.  Check airline sites as well in your search for booking a flight.  Airlines pay commissions to other booking engines, so more and more they are posting the best air fares on their own sites and there may be specials that other search engines can’t find.  These specials can often appear for a short period and they are usually not advertised.

It’s best to avoid itineraries that involve several connections or several airlines.  Every stop and connection is a possible problem particularly for missed connections.  You might save a couple of dollars if everything goes as planned, but you will have a real headache if things do go wrong and if you’ve got to be there, the few extra dollars spent on a non-stop or direct flight is well worth it.  Get up early and catch the first flight… that is the one that is least likely to be delayed.

If you MUST be there for that holiday or wedding or cruise, we suggest booking your flight at least 24 hours before you need to arrive at your destination.  If you have a connection to make, make sure there is enough time to get to the next plane… even if the first one is delayed.  Look for and pick a minimum connection time of two hours.

Weather delays happen in Summer as well as Winter and the airlines are not responsible for these and they will not compensate you.  They will try to get you on the next available flight but that might not be until the following day and if you haven’t allowed enough time, you may miss the boat or the wedding.

Be smart when you’re booking a flight online, and your holiday will get off to a good start…. and you’ll get home on time.

Related posts:

1. Internet Flight Insurance
2. Air Travel With Pets
3. How to Dress and Pack for Airport Security