How do you organise or book a flight

@LeighB (700)
Thailand
March 4, 2011 7:28pm CST
There are many options today when it comes to organising and booking a flight... high street travel agents, national newspapers, the internet, etc. I was wondering how people today booked their flights. Do you look for the cheapest deal, do you always choose the same airline (amassing air miles) regardless of price, Is your mind decided by flight times, is airport location or is there another factor as to how you choose your flight. So, what influences your decission when booking a flight and where do you go to book them?
2 people like this
10 responses
@NYNY911 (63)
• United States
6 Apr 11
i travel a lot by air- i always book my flights online, either with priceline or travelocity. they offer very reasonable air fares. i fly to asia a lot from new york so i have to find great deals on international flights. do not go to your airline at the airport- you will overpay way way too much. a lot of the deals offered online also come with special rates on hotels and rent a car offers too.
@LeighB (700)
• Thailand
9 Apr 11
Hi NYNY, welcome to mylot and thanks for the response, On line booking does seem the best if you want a whole package and the best deals. Normally I look up the dreals on line and then go to a travel agent shop and ask them if they can do better. I always try to get the best deal going but I am not naive to think I always do get the best bargain.
@doggydimon (1369)
• Philippines
6 Mar 11
Nowadays I usually book with the airlines that offers the cheapest fare to my next destination. And with the advent of budget airlines, I usually go with them and hence book online. I am a travel agent and believe me nothing compares to the price of some budget airlines as to those of the regular airlines. A decade ago, I only book on airlines which I can earn miles. But with budget airlines today, who needs miles if you can buy 3 tickets from the budget airlines compared to 1 ticket of the regular airlines. I have been traveling near my home country thus I am saying this. But if long haul flights are concerned, I might take the regular airlines. But then again, some budget airlines are introducing cheap fares from Asia to Europe. We will see.
@LeighB (700)
• Thailand
6 Mar 11
Yes, I agree, at last we have budget airlines giving the over priced ones a run for their money. Like you, I too have flown on budget airlines and although there are no free drinks or food they are available at a price. If you use these budget flights for short haul travel do we really need the food and drinks. They ave made air travel accessable to the masses which can only be good news. I think I will also give it a few more years before I consider a long haul flight on a budget airline. Although, if I had to travel and didn't have the funds then at least there is an alternative. Thanx for your contribution, Dimon.
@irene66 (1669)
• Philippines
6 Mar 11
Hello there! Booking a flight is really a task when you want to travel. You cannot go places without your ticket. Often times I go to travel agency to book a flight. This way I can get the ticket myself. Though I had use other means like online booking but sometimes this is more of a work because you need to send money just the same and have your ticket be printed else where if you do not have a printer.
@LeighB (700)
• Thailand
6 Mar 11
Hello Irene, As you say, it is not always convenient to book on line, especially if you don't have access to a printer. And sometimes, what looks like a good deal on the net can be an even better deal if booked through a travel agent.
@sender621 (14894)
• United States
5 Mar 11
I used to think that you had to go to the airport to book a flight. Thank goodness for travel agents. Going to them and letting them take care of it for you is one less burden when you travel. Now there is even the advantages of booking a flight online on your own.
@LeighB (700)
• Thailand
5 Mar 11
Yes, today we have so many options for purchasing tickets. It certainly makes life easier.
• Philippines
5 Mar 11
We usually book our flights online. There, you can see the best offer depending on the dates and time you specified. Dates that are months after the day of booking are usually cheaper but still, the offers vary from day to day. Just choose which suits best for you. We then print a copy and have it change into a real ticket on the day of flight.
@LeighB (700)
• Thailand
5 Mar 11
With the invention of the internet it has become a lot easier to book flights and especially as we can now print of e-tickets too.
• Armenia
5 Mar 11
You can search in travel.yahoo.com There are lot of information on the web that can help you organize a trip
@LeighB (700)
• Thailand
5 Mar 11
Thanks for the advice David, I'll have a look there.
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
5 Mar 11
I used to go on line but am having second thought in regards to booking international flights and will go through a Travel Agent. My family traveled to Europe last summer and we could have saved if I had consulted a travel agent and booked with them.
@LeighB (700)
• Thailand
5 Mar 11
Hi Bob, I have come across this before also. Booking on line only to find if I had gone to a high street trvel agent I could have got the same deal only cheaper. Now I use the net for info and then print off the details and go to my travel agent to see if they can get me a better deal. They also offer special deals for valued customers. So I use both.
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
5 Mar 11
When I booked my trip around the world I used a travel agent that specializes in travel to Australia and New Zealand. They have offices in London and other cities in my home country. They offer great deals on long haul flights. Then when I booked my flight to New Zealand and the Pacific Islands I booked on the airline's own website. I used travel agents offering cheap flights to go to other places. To find out the best deal for my latest trip I used a search called Flight Scanner. It was able to find me the cheapest route which was London-Madrid-Bogota-Cartagena De Indias return. Then I booked with a travel agent that is well known for its reasonable cost. When I was a single person I looked for the best quality airline and wasn't too bothered with flight times. Sometimes I arrived or departed in the middle of the night. I was keen on getting the most convenient airport location. One time I was very poor so chose a low cost airline and then took a bus on to my first destination. Now I travel with my three year old disabled son and my baby daughter. It is expensive for me to get an adult, a child and an infant fare. I want to travel on a decent airline that has convenient flight times. Though on my last trip we had to stay overnight close to London, then we had a delayed flight, missed our connecting flight, were forced to stay overnight in Bogota and then when we arrived found our luggage was missing.
@LeighB (700)
• Thailand
5 Mar 11
Hi Maximax, Thanks for your response. Wow! you have certainly seen a lot of the World and it can't always be easy travelling with 2 young children. Being that your 3 year old is disabled, I guess you need to look at airlines that will offer you support care and have a friendly attitude with help. It can't have been easy, missing your connecting flight in Bogota and with your luggage going missing. But at least this hasn't detered you from continue flying. I think sometimes it is a lot easier to book a flight where you can talk to an individual about the requirements you need, rather than a computer screen where only basic info is given. Well, enjoy your next trip where ever it may be.
@palonghorn (5479)
• United States
5 Mar 11
I always book my flights online. I usually check out several booking websites such as cheaptickets. But more times than not I go with a particular airline. I do the comparison, but find a lot of times its cheaper if you go to the airline's website directly and book from there. The biggest influence is the cost, second would be time of departure/arrival, depending on if I'm needing to get somewhere at a particular time.
@LeighB (700)
• Thailand
5 Mar 11
Hi palonghorn, I think in this day and age most of us go for price first, after all, air travel seems to be getting more and more expensive, but if you do the researh you canstill find some good offers out there. just not always convenient travel times.
@picjim (3002)
• India
5 Mar 11
I go for the most reasonable priced option.I'll choose the same airline if i am satisfied with their service.I prefer to book my ticket through an agent.The reason being my credit limit is small and my card can't accommodate the fare of all my family members.
@LeighB (700)
• Thailand
5 Mar 11
Hi Picjim, Normally I check out cheap flights and times on the net and then take that info to a travel agent to see if they can better it. Either way I will book through them.