How to Find the Best Airfare: when and where to book bit.ly/12wDEsP

— EdgeSavvy (@EdgeSavvy) February 7, 2013

New — Flights with Connections Should NOT be Dreadful – bit.ly/11W75zT

— EdgeSavvy (@EdgeSavvy) February 6, 2013

Connecting flights and transfer points can be a nuisance for many travelers. They are, however, an essential reality in the world of air travel. When you are looking for the cheapest airline tickets to Europe, you may have to endure at least one connecting flight. While some European destinations do have direct flights from the US, others, however, may require one or more connecting points, especially if you are looking for lower cost flight tickets . During international travel, these transfer points are the norm, and there are things that you should know in regards to connecting flights that will make your trip as smooth as possible.

Connecting flights are the transfers or stopovers that take place in airports throughout the continent. They allow you to travel from your departure to your arrival point, but often require a stop to refuel, change planes and pick up or drop off other passengers. There are considerations that should be acknowledged in regards to transfer points, and these help to make your trip not only more convenient, but more enjoyable.

There are several points to be made about the connections. You may have just a transfer when you change a plane and take another flight to your destination within several hours. There are also stops when your connecting flight to the destination leaves only the next day by your choice or by the flight schedule. The overnight stops or stops that last for 24 hours or longer are called stopovers. Most airlines try to give you a possibility of the connection time that is less than 24 hours as in many cases you might need to pay $100 or so extra for a longer voluntary stopover. This applies only to the flight segments that are issued on one ticket document. If you hold several tickets, no extra cost will apply as you most likely will have 2 or more tickets issued for your travel.

If you would like to visit and explore Europe, you might want to plan your trip in advance and look for the cheapest airline tickets to Europe as well as hotel and car rental packages. You can add a night to your trip in a city other than the one you were planning to travel to or stop in several countries for a few days and explore them. If you have a stop over in Paris with Air France, you can schedule your flight so that you can stay a day or two in Paris. This will give you a chance to enjoy the city before you advance to your original arrival point.

Many airlines are emerging across Europe that offer lower prices and fewer amenities. These airlines do not run as many flights as the major carriers, but they will take you to most of the major European cities. They stop frequently in connecting cities, and offer cheaper rates because of the frequent stops and the length of the trip.

Just as flying with these smaller airlines, trips with connecting flights remain on the cheaper end if you are flying with one airline. Try not to mix and match your carriers to take advantage of the lowest rates, and also to take advantage of coordinating connection times. Because carriers coordinate their transfer with other planes from their line, they may not always be in sync with other airlines, there might be longer waiting times between the flights or different baggage rules may apply.

The cheapest airline tickets to Europe may also require that you research your own connecting time. You should know the expected weather, the traffic at one airport and the time it takes to get from one terminal to the next. You must make sure that your connecting point will allow you to reach your second plane on time. If you’re not sure how much time you need between the flights (especially, if you are booking separate flights on several airlines), just call the airline and ask for the minimum connecting time or MCT.

So you are in the market for cheap airline tickets to Europe or other continent when you need to take a transoceanic flight, but not sure where to start and how to find the best travel deals. This might be the first flight ever that may take 10 or more hours, so you not only need to know how to find the best airfare deals, but also might need some tips on what you need to know before, during or after your trip. The reality is that life gets much simpler when you know some travel tips.

Duplicate city names in different countries

There are lots of cities all over the world with the same names (especially the US). You can find Rome in Italy and in Georgia, USA or Sydney in Australia and in Ontario, Canada. Which one you need? Pay close attention to what city or destination you are choosing. If you work with an agent, they also make mistakes. There was a case when one of the
travel agents booked a flight for a passenger to Krakow, Poland instead of Kharkiv, Ukraine in Europe. This would seem obvious, but an agent did not know either place and a traveler was did not pay attention to what city or country he was flying. So if you work with an agent, ALWAYS ask to email you the flight itinerary before you actually purchase the
airline tickets.

Sometimes it id best to book your flights online. Current flight booking engine will give you options of most, if not all, the cities with similar spelling and countries, so you cannot make a mistake and choose the right one. Make sure you know how to spell the city you fly to and always double check flights, travel dates and time before you buy the tickets.

How to buy cheap airline tickets to Europe, Asia, Americas, Far East

You have a choice of a travel agency or an airline. Which one would you prefer to use for your travel arrangements? My advise is to check both. Airlines compete among each other and they can give great flight deals. On the other hand, travel agencies might also offer you great flight deals because they work hard in negotiating airline fares.

Here is the truth… lately several airlines and several large and well known travel agencies started having some issues and several airline banned those huge agencies from selling their airline tickets. Therefore, small and specialized agencies (eg, that sell airfares to Europe, airfares to Japan, airfares to Bahamas) still do have very good contracts with major airlines of the world. So, my advise is to look who has the best flight deal, and not at the size of the agency or the popularity. At the end of the day, it matters how much you pay for the ticket and that you have a confirmed seat on a plane.

Another great option travelers have is online travel agencies. Some agencies operate online only; they will provide you customer support, but they might not look or book flights for you as you will be using a simple very user friendly flight search and booking system. This is to your advantage – online travel agencies exist and offer you online flight bookings so they can save YOU money by eliminating staff salaries.

Reconfirm your flight reservations

Call the carrier (airline) to reconfirm the flight in advance and them several days before the flight departure. This is good to let the airline know that you are definitely flying, but most importantly, to make sure that your flight schedule has not changed or flights have not been canceled. Since airlines have had their customer reps cut backs, it is very
unlikely that you will hear from them if there are any changes in flight schedules.

Don’t get bumped off the flight. Have your seats reserved in advance

Did you know that airlines overbook flights by at least 10%?

This is true and all airlines do this to avoid no-shows and empty seats on the planes. Therefore, they sell more tickets than there are seats on a plane. So when you make a flight reservation, whether you buy a cheap airline ticket in economy class or you decide to spend more and have a flight ticket with less restrictions, ALWAYS get the actual seats on the plane. If you cannot do this when purchasing flight tickets, call the airline after you buy flight tickets and ask them to assign you a seat on the plane.The main reason for that is that if the flight is really overbooked and everyone shows up to the flight, the airline is forced to ask someone to reschedule their flights or if there are no volunteers,
to bump passengers without the pre-assigned seats off the flight and to the next available flight. Read more about involuntary flight rescheduling here.

Don’t be surprised if you cannot get the seat assignment in advance. Sometimes this can happen too. Usually European domestic airlines would not assign any seats until the departure dates. In general, airlines can tell you if the seats cannot be assigned in advance or advance seat assignment is no longer available. This might sound complicated, but all this means that airlines have certain number of seats available to book in advance. There is also a number of seats that are allowed to be reserved at check-in only. So if you do not have a seat number, a don’t panic, arrive to the airport early and get the seats at the airport.

Don’t forget Visas, Passports and other travel documents

There are only several exception to the rule when you do not need visa or a passport to travel. If you travel within the US, you will be asked for your driver’s license to prove your identity. Similarly, if you travel within Europe as a European permanent resident or citizen (European Union countries), you will be asked for an ID or a driver’s license. However, if you cross the border of another country that you are not a citizen or in some cases permanent resident of, you must have a valid passport (sometimes visa too) to be allowed on board and to enter a foreign country.

Some travelers think that babies do not need documents to travel. Not true. The tiniest baby needs a passport or other valid document and even a visa required by the foreign country. The only exception to the rule is the US. If an infant (under 2 years of age) travels with parents within the US, most airlines do not require any documentation. A good practice is to always check with an airline, travel agent, or even a Consulate what travel documents you might need.

If you travel to a foreign country, contact a Consulate or an Embassy to see what documents you will need to enter the country.

These are some airline travel tips on how to find cheap airline tickets to Europe and other transoceanic continents,  and what you need to do before you take off. More air travel secrets will be revealed soon.

Stay tuned!

Most of us, travelers, always want to know how to find cheap domestic or discount international airline travel tickets and how to make sure that we get the best travel deal. The reality is – some things remain the same, while others change constantly, and the only way you can stay on the top of that is travel a lot (experience is gold) and gather the latest information before you travel.

Here are a few airline travel tips that are currently hot and that will help you find the best deals out there.

Be FLEXIBLE on travel dates and/or cities. You will have more flight availability options and a possibility to search more airlines and travel dates. Also, if you can, avoid Friday, Saturday and Sunday flights. Airlines charge more, usually about $20/per one way if you fly on a weekend day; this particularly applies to international/ transatlantic flights. If you live in a large metropolitan area, check flight prices from smaller cities that are close to you. Depending on the area and season, airlines tend to offer better airfares from smaller cities.

Buy airline tickets on Tuesdays. Based on experience and airfare trends, it seems that airline offer cheaper flights on Tuesdays, especially if you are looking for cheap international airline tickets. The theory is that airlines launch their flight sales on Monday nights and by the time all search engine systems are updated, you should be able to find great domestic and international airline travel deals on Tuesdays.

Fly on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. Yes, again Tuesday! The reasoning behind all this is that airline flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturday tend to be less full, and airlines are more inclined to offer special airfare deals or flight sales if you travel on these days.  So, if you can, avoid Monday, Friday and Sunday flights as these are known as business traveler days.  This way you will not only save money, but you will also have less crowded airports.

Big & well known travel agency vs Small travel agency.   Based on research and experience, most travelers tend to buy their plane tickets from big and well known travel agencies. But did you know that 90% of the time you can find lower airfares with smaller specialized travel agencies and even better airfares on these agencies’ websites? This is true! For the sake of this discussion, I just compared prices on the US domestic flight from Atlanta to Boston on Travelocity, Orbitz and Faretex.com. Guess what…  the flight price was lower by $25 each way on Faretex website. The fact is that the same flight tickets rules apply to everyone, whether buy flight tickets from big or smaller specialized travel agencies.

Low or Off Season airfares. If you can choose what time of year to fly, travel in a low or off season. Usually this is late fall, winter and early spring. Note, that depending on a country you fly to, summer might be the lowest season, so make sure you check on this. For instance, if you travel from the US to Europe, you’d want to fly during winter or late fall/early spring months. The weather in Europe might not be the warmest, but you will definitely get the best international airline travel deals.

Waitlist airline flights. If you usually work with an agent, you might have a possibility to buy cheaper airline tickets if your agent knows how to waitlist (if ticket rules permit) a lower flight service class. In many cases your agent can reserve you a more expensive flight and waitlist a lower airfare in your travel record (PNR). So if the airline rules permit and a flight is not full, you have a chance to get a cheaper airline ticket.

Availability & Expensive airline tickets. Travelers often do not realize that it is not always about “expensive” routes or airlines when it comes to booking discount international airline travel or even finding cheap domestic flights. Here is why… There are maybe 10 different coach or economy service classes on each flight. The difference between them is price, rules, and restrictions. When an airline offers a sale, a very limited number of seats are released for the lowest flight price or a so called flight sale. Once the lowest price seats are gone, the next higher airfare will show as the lowest available flight price (i.e. higher service class tickets). Therefore, when you search for flights and airfares, you do not find the advertised sale prices and what is available is more expensive. The lowest price airline tickets are usually gone first and then you need to pay more for a flight ticket. It is your choice to buy a more expensive ticket or choose a different date when lowest flight price is available. So remember that plane ticket price always depends on availability and the time when you purchase your ticket.

So if you’re looking for the lowest airfares, again, to be flexible, and check different dates or flights, and know where to book and buy cheap international airline travel tickets.

You can book seats on the plane either when you make a flight reservation, after you purchase a ticket, or when you check in at the airport. Either way it is fine as long as you get the seats you want.

Here are couple options how to reserve best airplane seats:

• You reserve or pre-assign seats. There are several websites that allow you choose and reserve seats. Some of them are checkmytrip.com, seatguru.com, or seatexpert.com . Usually you would need to have tickets purchased or on hold to reserve seats on these websites. Make sure you have a record locator, .i.e. reservation number, flight number, or traveler’s last name in order to access your travel record. Check the websites out and decide for yourself which one works best for you.
• You travel agent or airline agent books or pre-assigns seats. If you purchase airline tickets through a travel agent, agency website, or an airline directly, you can ask the agent to assign you seats on the plane before or after tickets are issued.

Usually there are no problems reserving seats on the plane. However, you need to know that airlines allow only certain number of seats to be assigned in advance, and the remaining seats are usually held until the airport check-in. If there are no seats available for you to select, don’t worry, you can always try getting your preferred seats at check-in.

6 tips on how to get the best airplane seat:

1. Reserve seats early/ pre-assign seats. You can book seats as early as you or your agent makes a flight reservation. If there are no “good” seats left or no seats together (if you need more than one seat), get whatever is available. The fact is that if the flight is full and overbooked/ oversold, and you do not have a confirmed seat, i.e. you do not have a seat number, you can be the first one bumped off the flight. Some statistic show that one in every 10 people gets bumped off the flight because of overbookings (especially in the US); this seems rather exaggeration, but on some airlines it is true.
2. Be specific, know your preferences. You need to know what seats you want or prefer whether you or an agent reserves your seats.“Good seat” term is different for each person.
   • Check the aircraft cabin configuration so you know where you want to sit. You can find configuration of most aircrafts here http://www.seatguru.com or http://seatexpert.com
   • Try to stay away from lavatory or galley
   • Make sure your seats recline (usually the very last row does not recline)

3. Get seats reserved for the whole itinerary. This is important especially if you have connections. Make sure you have the seats reserved for every leg of the trip. Note, some airlines do not allow to pre-assign seats (e.g. European domestic flights, some US domestic flights). In this case, contact your agent or the airline and ask them to enter a remark into you PNR (passenger name record or flight booking) with your preferences.
4. Arrive early to the airport. This is necessary if you do not have seats assigned, you want to change the seats, and especially if you travel during the peak season. If you were not able to get your preferred seats at the time of booking, it does not mean that the flight is full. Airlines block seats for check-in only to include bulkhead and exit row seats – these are almost always available at check-in only.
5. Join a frequent flyer program. Frequent flyer program membership can give you lots of perks to include landing you a great seat on the plane.
6. Be kind and polite. Whether you speak to an airline or travel agent, your kindness can be your ticket to an extra “something.” Agents have relationships and ability to pull some strings and on many occasions surprise you.

A general rule is to always get a seat confirmation (a seat number) as soon as you reserve the flights or purchase a ticket. And if you do not like what is available at the time of booking, you can always try changing the seats at check-in.

So get seats and enjoy your flight!

1. The last minute deals offer the best discounts

   This used to be true, but nowadays this truth fades away. You may get some good discounts booking your travel the last minute, but you have to be flexible on travel dates or travel destination because of availability and destination popularity. Never wait until the last minute when booking travel for holidays. This is the busiest travel time (including Fridays during summer months) when flights and hotels get booked the most.
   

2. The more you pay, the better seat you’ll get on the plane

   Not quite true, unless you buy a business or first class ticket. You may pay $200 for a coach class ticket and sit next to a person who paid $1,500 for a ticket. All depends on availability, when you buy a ticket, and how restricted you want a ticket to be.

3. Driver’s license is sufficient for travel

   This may be true only when traveling within the US (residents only) or European countries (residents only); a valid personal ID like a driver’s license might be sufficient. In other cases you always need a passport or an equivalent ID to travel outside the United States or other country you reside in and all over the world.
   Note, if traveling internationally, you may also need a visa or a tourist card. Contact a Consulate or an Embassy to check the travel requirements for a specific country or check Bureau of Consular Affairs web page .

4. Book seats when you check-in at the airport

   Do not wait until the last minute to reserve your seats on the plane. Book your seats as much in advance as possible.  If your flight gets oversold and you do not have a confirmed seat number, you are most likely to be the first one to be bumped off the flight even if you have a ticket.  If you cannot get the seats you want at the time of booking your flight, take whatever seats are available, arrive early to the airport and ask an agent to change the seats.  You can also assign the seats yourself.
   Read more on Overbooking and Pre-assigned seats here.

5. It is better to use frequent traveler miles or points than real money

   Not always. If you use miles or points for your trip, you would still need to spend some money and pay for airport taxes/ fees. If traveling within USA or within Europe, it is best to actually buy tickets for money as you’ll get much better deals.
   In fact, you would probably need to spend $10,000- $20,000 on travel reward credit cards or take 10-20 flights in order to earn 25,000-30,000 miles to pay for your “free” ticket and twice as much for a transatlantic or transpacific flight. In addition, airlines have only few seats on the plane available to be used for miles or points. So, always do your research and see if it worth paying for you flight with real money or travel miles or points.

6. Infants or children under 2 year of age travel free

   This is usually the case for the US domestic flights, but never on international flights. When traveling outside the US, in most cases, you will be asked to buy a ticket for an infant (child under 2 years) with no seat and pay 10% of the full adult’s fare plus airport taxes/fees or just airport taxes/ fees.
   Note, airlines allow only 2 infants per adult. If one adult travels with 2 infants, airlines may also require you to buy a seat for the 2^nd infant; a child’s ticket under 12years old with a seat usually costs around 60-80% of the adult’s fare.

7. Packages offer the best value

   It can definitely be more effective way of making your travel arrangements, but not always the cheapest option. The only way you can know if you get a good deal is if you know the cost of each travel component. This may come to you as a surprise, but when you see the breakdown of your travel cost, in most cases you will see higher prices.  It can be a little more work to book your travel separately, but you can save more money by searching for best deals separately on flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, etc.

8. Airline will contact me if there is a schedule change

   Some airlines used to do this if you provided a correct e-mail address or phone number.  But this is no longer the case.  Therefore, you should recheck your travel times if you book way in advance and always reconfirm your flight 24-48 hours before the departure. This way you will be aware of any changes to your flight schedule.

9. Cancellation or Delay of the flight entitles you for compensation

   If flight delays are caused by “force majeure” conditions (e.g. weather, flooding, calamities) that are not caused by a human, you will not get any kind of compensation. An airline may offer some kind of compensation if the delay or cancellation is due to the airline’s fault (e.g. mechanical problems, overbooking, etc.).
   General rule is to always contact the airline for further instructions, especially if airport closure or delays are due to the weather conditions. Agents will assist you with rebooking and changing your flights.
   Read more on Overbooking and Compensation here.

10. Airport duty-free shops always offer the best bargain

    This is a 100 year old myth. Duty-free shops make huge profits because of this misconception. Travelers think they are getting best deals at the duty-free shops, but the reality is that this is not always true. You may notice that some airports may have better deals like Hong Kong or New York, but you may pay quite a bit more for the goods if purchased at the duty-free shops in Moscow. So always do your homework and know the “real” cost of an item you want to purchase at the duty-free shops.

Here is your FREE travel packing checklist.

Print it out, Pack it in, and Check it off the list!

Printable Travel Checklist

(download Adobe Acrobat to view and print the list)

First of all, do you need a domestic or an international travel ticket?

Domestic Airline Travel

These can be US domestic, within Europe, or within any country or other continent. If you are looking great deals on such tickets, you need to know WHERE to look for best fares. If you are looking for cheap US flights, your best shot might be both US local airlines and local or online travel agencies. Airlines compete among each other and they will give the best deals (just know WHEN to look). Travel agencies usually negotiate the low-cost flight ticket with airlines. So they both might be able to meet your travel needs offer you similar low airfares. The only downside for travel agencies is that they usually earn 0 commission on domestic flight tickets. Since agencies need to survive, they are forced to add a small service fee on the top of the ticket price. If you do not mind that, call your travel agent or best of all go online and check flights yourself.

If you’re traveling within Europe, you might want to contact a travel agent or search online travel agents’ websites first.  In Europe local travel agencies and agencies outside Europe that specialize in international travel (like www.Faretex.com ) will have low flight fares because they use very low so called consolidator fares. This is nothing else, but negotiated contracts with airlines to sell special very low priced airline tickets.

International Airline Travel

If you’re a resident of the US, traveling to or within Europe, you may check out information on travel within Europe above.

What concerns transatlantic, transpacific or other between countries international travel, your best bet is a travel agency. The consolidators will offer you the cheapest airfare deals and will find you the best schedules. Depending on personal preferences, some might prefer talking to a travel agent, while others would want to do their own fare search online at their own pace. There is no right or wrong choice here. As long as you find a flight and low-cost airfare that work for you, you succeed.

HOW to find a travel agency or a good travel website

Always work with a travel agent (in person or online) or travel website that specializes in your travel destination or region. For example, if you need to fly from the US to Europe, search for ‘flights to Europe’ or so. Usually online search will give you best results for cheap international flight ticket. Check several websites or call several travel agents and compare the deals.

NOTE, you might know lots of huge agencies like Travelocity, Orbitz, etc. They might seem attractive to you because they’re big and well known. But they will not always give you the best flight, hotel or cruise deals. They might be good for US domestic travel, but not always for international travel. So going with a small and focused on certain destination agency would be a good choice.

HOW and WHEN to search for best fares

Where you need a flight, hotel or a cruise, you need to know how to find the best fares and when to look for those.

Let’s say that you found a travel agent or travel website that specialized in your travel destination.

5 tips on How to Find Cheap Airline Tickets:

1. Be Flexible. In order to find lowest airfare, you might need to be flexible on travel dates, arrival/departure times, airlines, and sometimes destinations. If you read a section on “How to Change an Airline Ticket”, you’ll find information on the structure of the ticket fares. In short, there are different price levels for every flight and the only difference is the price and number of seats an airline assigns to that price level.  Therefore, if you want to find cheap airline tickets, the following needs to be taken into consideration: when you buy a ticket, how popular is the destination, travel season (peak or low), and how full the flight gets.
2. Book domestic flight tickets as early as you can (this applied to some international travel as well). Most domestic airlines have best fares with 21, 14, and 7 day advance purchase. This means that you may find lower fares when booking (= purchasing) a flight this many days before the flight. In some case this might be proven wrong – when airlines cannot fill the seats and start offering discounted airline tickets shortly before the departure date. So keep an eye on what is going on with the flight.
3. ‘Play’ with the flight search. This means that you need to be creative when searching for flights. Check flights couple days or weeks (if possible) earlier and later, check various airlines, different connections (an airline might have several hubs or fly with 1 or several connections), search based on price and try searching based on schedule (you’ll see different results) . This will help you find the best deals on plane tickets.
4. Check air travel package deals. If the purpose of your travel is vacation, instead of booking flights, hotel, and car rental separately, check on air travel package rates. Sometimes your total travel package rate is lower that if you book everything separately.
5. Use miles or points when possible. Apply for airline/ hotel/ car rental, etc. frequent traveler programs. They are FREE, and you can get lots of benefits. For example, I cannot remember the last time I paid for a hotel room when Hilton Hotel is in my destination. Check out Hilton Honors website here. Go to the airline, car rental, or hotel websites and sign up. You can find the list of world airlines and their websites here. The only disadvantage of using miles and points is that you need to book your travel early as there is limited number of seats for miles or points on the plane and they go fast.

If you cannot decide whether to use an airline or a travel agent, here are some suggestions.

AIRLINE vs. TRAVEL AGENT/AGENCY WEBSITE

Advantages of booking a ticket with an airline:

• you are talking directly to the carrier ( i.e. airline), the entity responsible for a flight operations
• it may take much less time to deal with the airline directly (if an agent knows his/her job)
• airline customers representatives are usually open 24/7
• flight changes can be made directly with the airline

Advantages of using travel agents or travel websites:

• lower negotiated (consolidator) fares
• more flight options; travel agents/online travel booking websites search all possible airlines, not just one
• low fares available 24/7 given that an agency has a online booking system

Send in your comments on how you find your best deals, and we’ll be happy to share them with the rest of the world.
Send us a note or make a comment here, and we’ll make sure to provide your questions are answered and topics covered.

Good luck!

Check out other travel tips:

Got Bumped? Overbooking & Pre-assigned Seats
Paper Ticket or E-ticket?
Information on Your Airline Ticket
How to Change Your Airline Ticket

Yes, this is true. This happens because airlines want to protect themselves in the case of cancellations and no-shows. There will always be people not showing up for their flights or those who need to cancel a trip at the last minute. If airlines do nothing, there will be many empty seats on planes and airlines might not be able to fill those up the last minute. Therefore, airlines sell more tickets than there are seats on the plane.

Pre-assigned seats – Get Seats Reserved

If you travel on peak days or during the peak season, always get a seat confirmation (a seat number) as soon as possible even if the ticket is not purchased yet (yes, it is possible). If there are no “good” seats left or no seats together (if you need more than one seat), get whatever is available. The fact is that if the flight is full and overbooked/ oversold, and you do not have a confirmed seat, i.e. you do not have a seat number, you will be the first one bumped off the flight. Some statistic show that one in every 10 people gets bumped off the flight because of overbookings (especially in the US); this seems rather exaggeration, but on some airlines it might be true.

Therefore, make sure you have seat numbers as soon as you get the flights booked. If you do not like what is available at the time of booking, you can try changing the seats at check-in.

TIP Most airlines have a number of seats reserved for check-in only. So get to the airport early and you may even get a bulkhead or exit row seats (with more legroom). However, some airlines, especially in Europe, might not be able to book you seats in advance, only at check-in. So arrive early to the airport.

Voluntary or involuntary rescheduling?

Yes, when an airline sells more tickets than there are seats on a plane and the flight full, it is very likely that some passengers will be left behind or bumped off the flight.

It may be voluntary or involuntary. Funny, ah?

When a flight is full and oversold, the first thing an airline agent does is look for volunteers who agree to give up their seats and be rebooked on a next flight. Usually airlines give some kind of incentives or compensation for a passenger to give up a seat. These might be frequent flyer miles, food vouchers, ticket vouchers, cash, free tickets, etc.

Want to Volunteer?

If you are not in a hurry and want to try to reduce the cost of flying, this might seem attractive and you can volunteer to be bumped. Usually airlines are more willing to compensate you (cash, vouchers, tickets, etc.) if you volunteer to give up your seat. But remember that not every agent or airline will give you a voucher, extra frequent flyer miles, or a free ticket if you don’t ask for it. So go for it, it does not hurt to ask.

If you decide to volunteer to switch to a different flight, always weigh your options and know the restrictions of the “free” stuff you are offered.

Always ask:

• What you get if you give up your seat; money (don’t confuse with airline dollars, it is not the same), hotel voucher in case of overnight, food, miles, etc.
• When is the next flight and How long you need to wait until the next flight and whether it is worth waiting
• Whether the airline offers a standby or a confirmed seat for the next flight (if you get a standby, it is not a confirmed seat and you will be on that flight ONLY if there are seats left)

No Volunteers?  – No Problem

If there are no volunteers to switch to another flight, any passenger may get bumped off the flight, there is nothing illegal in this. Usually passengers with children or high tier frequent flyers might be the last ones to be bumped, but all depends on the airline agent.

If the airline needs to do the involuntary rescheduling for some passengers, it always (unless some rules changed) has to issue a written statement to include who and why gets bumped, the passenger rights, etc. Usually airlines are not willing to compensate for the involuntary rescheduling unless it requires an overnight stay, so they may just provide some minor incentives.

— IMPORTANT —

If you get rescheduled for a flight that will get you to the destination within 1 hour, you will not get compensated in any way for the inconvenience.

If the airline arranges some transportation for you to reach the destination with 1-2 hours of your original scheduled arrival, you should be compensated. According to the Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations, you should get “an amount equal to your one-way fare to your final destination that day, with a $400 maximum.” Some airlines are just ignoring this regulation because people do not know and they do not ask for that.

The later you reach your destination due to the involuntary rescheduling, the more compensation you are entitled to receive given that you:

• had a confirmed reservation
• checked-in on time and were present within the given deadlines at the gate

You can read more on the Department of Transportation regulations on the matter here http://airconsumer.dot.gov/publications/flyrights.htm#overbooking

Always demand compensation of any kind if an airline schedules you on a flight that requires you to spend a night or if your rescheduled flight gets you to the destination 2 or 4 or more hours of your original scheduled arrival time.

As always there are exceptions to the rule, when delay/rescheduling occurs due to safety or weather conditions or when traveling internationally (especially inbound travel to the US, e.g. flying from Europe to the US). In these cases airlines will rarely provide you with any kind of compensation.

If your travel involves European countries, you can find more details on air passenger rights from European Commission http://ec.europa.eu/transport/passengers/air/air_en.htm .

Good news is that if you get bumped off the flight, you always get to keep your original flight ticket that can be used towards another flight with the same carrier. If you choose so, you may also seek for “involuntary refund” for the portion of flight that you got bumped.

Check out other travel tips:

How to Find the Best Airline Ticket Deal
Paper Ticket or E-ticket?
Information on Your Airline Ticket
How to Change Your Airline Ticket

E-ticket is an electronic form of a paper ticket. Flight reservation is made as usual, but an agent issues an electronic equivalent of the traditional paper ticket. The flight information is not printed on the ticket, but it saved in the airline’ reservation system. Usually, a passenger receives a booking confirmation number (#9 on the paper ticket below) and itinerary showing the flight(s) details and/or e-ticket passenger receipt. Also, check out a sample e-ticket receipt coupon and receipt with itinerary in the picture. There is basically no much difference between the e-ticket receipt coupon and the traditional paper ticket receipt.

Benefits of an E-ticket:

• CANNOT lose or misplace a ticket
• No paper ticket issued
• Can check-in online on the airline’s website or electronic kiosks at the airport; on some occasions you can even check your bags online
• Can be purchased at the last minute online 24/7
• No need to wait for a ticket to be mailed
• No need to reissue a paper ticket if you need to change or refund it
• Email confirmation is all you need to travel

Disadvantages of an E-ticket:

• Usually there is very limited information on the E-ticket coupon. So in case of the reservation system malfunction, there might be complications if a passenger needs to change an electronic ticket.
• There might be some challenges to reissue an electronic ticket if a passenger needs to be transferred to another airline especially when flight cancellations occur due to non-weather related reasons. Airlines may use different procedures, reservation systems, and networks, and they are not always compatible.

Paper Tickets

A paper ticket is a traditional ticket that has a paper coupon for each travel segment, and this form is still used in the travel industry. After booking a flight, an agent issues a hard copy (=coupon pass ticket) of the flight reservation and a passenger receives a ticket consisting of paper coupons for each flight segment plus a passenger receipt. This ticket is required during at check in to exchange for a boarding pass.

If your agent issues a paper ticket, make sure you save the passenger receipt (the last coupon) for your records throughout the travel.

Disadvantages of a paper ticket:

• In case of reissue (if a passenger lost a ticket), there can be a fee and in some cases a passenger may be asked to buy a new ticket.
• If a passenger needs to change the ticket, he or she will be required to present an old ticket to the agent. Usually, the change or refund is not possible without the original ticket.
• Some airlines charge for a paper ticket
• Usually you cannot check-in online if you hold a paper ticket

Advantages of a paper ticket:

• Most of your travel information is recorded on the ticket. This is very helpful if the airline reservation system is down or if the flight is cancelled due to some mechanical (usually non-weather related) reasons. Other airlines are able to “read” the original flight information from your paper ticket coupons.
• Paper ticket are very useful when traveling internationally as some countries require the proof of return travel, and a paper ticket contains such information.

You will almost always get a paper ticket for an infant (a child under 2 years old) if she/he travels with no seat.

Note, always make sure that the agent takes the correct travel coupon from your ticket. You might have some issues on the next leg of the trip if an agent accidentally takes the wrong one. This does not happen often, but I suggest double checking than going through unnecessary trouble.

Check out other travel tips:

How to Find the Best Air Travel Deal
Got Bumped? Overbooking & Pre-assigned Seats
Information on Your Airline Ticket
How to Change Your Airline Ticket