5 Step Check-List Before Booking A Flight

With air ticket prices becoming more and more affordable for domestic and international destinations alike, you can now choose almost any destination around the globe for your next holiday.

Whether you like planning ahead and you want to book your air tickets months before boarding or you like to act on the spur of the moment and you want to browse last-minute flight offers, you now stand a better than ever chance to get the ticket you want for the price you want it, but if you still feel you can do with some guidance before even starting looking for flights, here is our five-step checklist for booking a flight.

1. Go Online

You can choose to simply walk into the office of a travel agency and get your tickets booked by the agency, but the method preferred by most travelers today is online booking. One of the reasons for the growing popularity of flight booking websites is that these websites work with more airline partners than traditional, brick-and-mortar agencies, therefore the choice they offer is much wider and much more varied, both in terms of prices and in terms of the features available.

2. Checking Prices

Online booking websites are very easy to use, allowing you to find out whatever you need and want to know about your flight. The most important detail that determines the choice in many cases is price, so the best booking sites, such as Traveloka, allow users to use various filters, the price filter making it possible to shorten the list of available flights, therefore making the choice much easier. Start searching for tickets at least 20 days prior to your planned departure date – that way you will be able to benefit from advance-booking prices.

3. Check What Is Included

Once you have found the tickets that fit into your budget, it is time to find out what your fares include. Above the base fee, air tickets include lots of different fees and taxes, but not all of them include the same charges. Make sure you find out what the tickets you have in mind include to avoid the unpleasant surprise of having to pay extra fees. Online booking platforms usually provide the possibility of contact through emails or via a chat line, so you can easily get through to someone at the company and find out about what your fares include.

4. Find Out about How Much Luggage You Can Take with You

Most flights impose a certain weight limit on the luggage you are allowed to take with you. Different airlines might have different weight limits in place, so make sure you find out about how much weight you can take with you without being charged any extra – ask for that information via the email or chat line provided by the booking site.

5. Find Out if your Tickets are Refundable or Transferable

There are a few details you need to find out referring to refunds and transferability prior to hitting the Pay button. In some cases you can change the departure date without being charged anything extra, while in other cases you will not be able to receive a refund if you cannot board the plane for some reason. Proceed with the payment only after you find out about these aspects as well, but if you receive a favorable answer, act fast – don’t forget, the best tickets are not around for too long.