Flight Tip Friday
Tips for Airline Tickets
#4: Shopping for Airplane Tickets
As anyone who’s ever tried to book plane tickets will tell you, there are thousands of different sites out there to do that on. So which one do you choose? Here are my top recommendations for shopping around for the right place to book your flight.
Google Flights
99.99999% of the time, when I am looking for plane tickets, I go to Google Flights first. Their database is MASSIVE for finding the exact ticket you are looking for. You can just about search any filter you can think of. Class of service, airline alliance, non-stop & connecting, the list goes on and on.
My favorite thing about google flights is the price chart. You can put in your flight options and Google will tell you all the prices for that route surrounding your dates. This is great for situations like: the day you chose the flight is full so the plane ticket is super expensive, but if you fly the next day its 1/2 the price.
Book Directly from the Airline
When booking a flight, the best place to make that booking is always through the airline that you are flying. You might find that the plane tickets directly from the website of the airline are a few dollars more expensive. Bite the bullet there and pay the extra. Here’s why:
When you book through a third party site, like Expedia or Hopper, they own your ticket. So if something goes wrong, the airline CANNOT help you. You’ll have to call the third party for them to make changes to the ticket. When it comes to cancelled flights, that can be a nightmare.
Check Your Source
If it turns out that you find cheaper plane tickets through a third party site, don’t just jump on booking it. You’re probably finding that fare because the company who’s offering it bought the rights to those tickets from the airline at a discounted price. Don’t just jump to book it before checking the source.
Make sure your source is reputable. In many cases, discounted tickets have A LOT of restrictions. If you’re dealing with a company like Hop2 travel for example, it is very difficult to get issues resolved. Make sure the third party company has a good reputation for customer service. You may or may not need to use it.
Final Words
Just because you find a cheap plane ticket, doesn’t mean you’re getting a good deal. Make sure you know where you’re getting your ticket from and what the restrictions are. It’s better to pay a few extra dollars than to potentially spend hundreds is something goes awry. When traveling, its always better to be safe than sorry.
Next Post: Beware of Basic Economy
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