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Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Points to Remember while Flight Booking

With the onset new technologies and infrastructure in the aviation industry, the price of flight booking has been reduced significantly. The automation of reservation system and de-regulation of the industry were the milestones in the functioning and restructuring of the whole process. These not only affected the process of reserving a seat with different carriers, but also changed the approach of people towards air travel. The advent of low-cost carriers in the late 1990s affirmed this wave of change, and perhaps introduced most drastic changes in all the aspect, starting from price. Not only air travel, but other modes of transportation also underwent this process of modification. Now, travellers can opt for any of these flights to go to new places or explore old ones. However, in case of long distances that can take hours to reach via car or train, flights are usually preferred. In recent days, it has been observed that even for short-haul journeys people opt for air travel because of its time and cost efficiency. Here is a list of tips that can prove to be cost-reducing while reserving seats with any airline.

Timing and Advance Booking

The air ticket price is usually high during festivals or peak tourist seasons. Hence, experts advise on avoiding these times while planning the trip. Apart from this, the booking in advance can save a great deal of money as most of the flights are vacant, and carriers offer them at low cost to achieve minimum load factor for operation. This advance period may vary from three months to 20 days, but after that, there are less chances of cracking a lucrative deal. Last-minute deals are treated as the last resort as the chances of success are less than 30 per cent. However, it is worth noting that booking in advance for festive seasons also do not help; hence those times should be avoided if possible.

Look Beyond Price

Most of the people compare ticket prices on the basis of price. However, there are several other aspects that need to be considered like baggage allowance, meals offered and other services included in the ticket price. It has been seen that the lowest priced deals do not always give the best value for money. The cost is one of the most important factors, but others that may affect the travelling experience and needed to be kept in mind before ticket booking include the number of stops, flight and connecting timings.

Number of Stops

A direct flight to the destination is often the best option, but it is usually priced quite high. Hence, people can book a flight with one or two stopovers. This will neutralise the total cost of travel at the expense of precious time. However, it is not the best option for people who have to attend urgent business meeting or family event.

Connecting Options

There are certain routes, where a direct flight is not operated due to technological constraints or because of the revenue issues. Travellers, who have to travel to such destinations, need to check for airports on which these deals may land them. They can easily get connecting flights from popular airports. These little things help passengers in getting the cheapest deals, which offer the greatest value as well.

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