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Thursday, November 26, 2015

Must-dos while Booking Long-haul Flights

Owing to the convenience and advancement of services, air travel is the most preferred mode of transportation, especially in the case of inter-continental journeys. To make your travel experience even smoother, carriers are adding different options in long-haul journeys, such as Delhi to New York, Mumbai to Amsterdam and Pune to Sydney flights. Even after all these efforts, such flights can prove to be physically and mentally tiring, if not chosen carefully. Here is a list of tips given by experts that can be considered before booking your flight.

In the case of short-haul journeys, decision making is a simpler process as you can go for the cheapest or fastest one. However, while making a reservation for long-haul flights, everything, from the choice of airline, seat configuration to in-flight services matter a lot.

Price is Not the Only Criteria

When you book flights that include more than 10-15 hours of flying time, choosing it only on the basis of price can be a big mistake. After boarding the flight, there is nothing that you can change. For instance, if the carrier does not offer good entertainment facilities, you will get bored. Similarly, if meals served during the journey are not as per your taste, you will end up starving for hours. Hence, frequent flyers suggest on evaluating options on the basis of criteria that are important to you, rather than going directly for the cheapest option.

Stopovers and Layover Period

Most of the carriers prefer operating connecting flights rather than one single lengthy flight. It makes sense from operational as well as business perspective. Though the technological advancement in the recent years is unbelievable, one aircraft in the air for long can be a risky thing. Hence, long-haul flights usually include various stopovers. In the case of Pune to Sydney flights, the layover is usually at Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Abu Dhabi and Bangkok airports. Experts suggest you to check these stopovers and the layover period before making the reservation. For instance, make sure that you are given enough time to transfer from one terminal to other to board the connecting flight.

Keeping An Open Mind for New Options

The airline that you often travel with may not be the best option for long-haul journeys also. Hence, frequent travelers suggest you to check all the options available on the respective route. The main criteria to judge an airline are food, entertainment and comfort. You can easily check these details on travel portals. Carriers meeting your preferences on these points can be shortlisted for further evaluation.

Choice of Aircraft

After short-listing your options regarding carriers, the next step is to check the aircraft deployed by them on the respective route. Seating set up and amenities like seat-back screens or overhead screens legroom are important aspects. Prior information regarding these can prove to be quite handy in choosing the best option. For example, aircraft with 3-5-3 configuration are comparatively better than 3-3 ones in case of long-haul journeys.

If you are planning to book intercontinental flights anytime soon, these points can prove to be quite useful.

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