I wanted to share my travel tips based on thousands of hours flying both personally and professionally to make your summer travels less stressful.
1. Fly on off peak days. Friday, Sunday, and Monday will cost you more.
2. Use sites such as Kayak or Farecast to find the best fare as airlines will not always show you the best alternatives.
3. Book directly with the airline so you have better control of your ticket and seat assignment. Discount Web sites will get you a steal of a deal but you could find yourself bumped off the flight or stuck in a middle seat. Discount sites will show you a great seat selection before you pay and suddenly you have no assignment at all after you buy the ticket.
4. Use Seatguru to make sure you are not sitting in a less than desirable seat.
5. Book thirty to forty-five days out to get a great seat on the plane but check back with the airline Web site to see if the fare dropped since your purchase as some airlines will refund the difference.
6. Check-in online. This will give you more time to catch your flight if you are delayed. You normally can also find a better seat if you check-in within twenty-four hours as the frequent flyers were upgraded to 1st class and their seats become available.
7. If your flight is canceled or extremely delayed, phone a friend to see if another airline is going to the same city. In many cases you can get your ticket exchanged to the other airline without a fee. Airlines would rather keep your ticket and will not offer the choice to transfer you – they have no choice if the flight is canceled.
8. Know your rights. Gate agents will tell you anything. If in doubt check Aairconsumer.dot.gov.
By Robert Strasser for © 2009 Eliminate Chaos, LLC
