Thursday, September 25, 2008

Do You Know The Travel Agent

Now more than ever, travelers have to watch the dollars when they fly, perhaps this is the reason the number one subject that they talk about is airfare deals. Many airline companies have gone bankrupt in recent times but that does not mean that low cost air travel is dead even though it may depend on were you are in the world. The assistance of a good agent and some determined checking usually pays off.

Of course much of your success will require a certain flexibility on your part if you really want the best prices. Getting a cheap seat is always possible if you are that flexible and eager enough to adjust your schedule to the best day and time of the year to travel. If you're willing to modify your dates to suit one of the airlines' programs to help save money by slotting people into empty seats, then you are good to go as you have benefited from their decision. Still, if the time and date don't work out, you can always change them but be prepared for an additional, often hefty, administration charge. You can only avoid this situation if you have decided to pay the full price for the ticket and travel on a scheduled flight.

If you have been travelling regularly, then you are more likely to have advanced experiences about the ins and outs of the competitive world of airlines and airfare deals. One thing that is pleasant about some airlines is the way they acknowledge and appreciate their good customers' loyalty by designing a program called the frequent flyer program. It works in a way that passengers can have certain benefits to choose from and having a ticket for a partner is an example for which they can avail by collecting points or benefits each time they fly with a particular carrier. Some airlines have now joined forces in this to help retain customers, and formed partnerships with hotels that can be used as part of the arrangement.

Of course, these days it is the Internet where most of these tickets are sold and where the best airfare deals are to be found. While it is safer to book your flight with typical discount agents, it is also advisable to consider checking online sites that focuses in selling discounted airline tickets as many of them are also legitimate business ventures. The difficulty arises checking the validity of these discount sites and often it is not until after the customer has paid that they realise the deal was not genuine. A popular one to check out is Teletext Flights as everyone has heard of them and they can either check them out on the internet or via the text button on the tv. If you are able to, visit in person to the discount agents place of business and don't rely on email communication but if you can't get to see them, at least give them a call first. Ask as many questions as possible and find out any likely snags about their ticket deals, such as a stopover to an unattractive part of the world.

The importance of knowing exactly which airline you are flying with cannot be stressed enough so make sure you have this information. Even now, new airfare deals and opportunities are being made available on a regular basis so you have to keep up to date with what's happening in the industry if you fly regularly. By looking into the options carefully, you should succeed in finding the deal you want and to the right destination - just remember to be flexible.

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