6 Things you should know About Boxing Day

Boxing Day is a public holiday in the United States, United Kingdom and other European Countries which dates back to the days of Queen Victoria. It has nothing to do with the sport of boxing. It is an ancient tradition where the rich used to box up gifts to give them to the poor. It is traditionally a day off for the servants as they have to work on Christmas. But it is also a religious day and is celebrated as Saint Stephen's Day in many cities. It is also a good thing to thank those who work for you. So we have found 6 things which you should know before you book Boxing Day flight tickets.

1) It is celebrated on December 26th - Boxing Day is celebrated in many cities on the 26th of December and is a public holiday. If due to any reason it falls on a weekend then Monday will be declared as a public holiday. During the reign of Queen Victoria, it is declared as a holiday. But today it became an extended holiday after Christmas which focus on shopping and sporting events.

2) There is no trace for its name as Boxing Day - According to some of the historians the name Boxing Day is derived from the church because of the distribution of gifts and money to the poor after Christmas Eve. Some of the other beliefs suggest that the box refers to the gifts and presents given by the employer to their servants on the day after Christmas. As the servants have to work during Christmas Day.

3) It is also popular for shopping - Boxing Day is also considered as a shopping day as in the US and UK. It is one of the busiest days for shopping. At an earlier time before the craze of online sales, Boxing Day was considered one of the biggest shopping events of the year.

4) In Ireland the Boxing Day is known as Wren Day - The Irish people celebrate December 26 as Wren Day instead of calling it Boxing Day. According to old culture, poor children kill a wren and sell its features to people for good luck. But today the celebration features fake wren and people enjoy the day by wearing masks and buy colorful clothing.

5) Turkey Sandwiches - Boxing Day actually means having the leftovers of Christmas. Many people prepare too much food for Christmas and end up eating it for the whole week. Turkey is prepared in many forms like Turkey curry, turkey pies and the famous turkey sandwich which is famous during Boxing Day.

6) Different countries celebrate Boxing Day differently - Boxing Day is celebrated in different places in many different ways. In Canada, many people celebrate the day while spending time to shop. While in Australia, New Zealand, and Britain the people usually celebrate the day while enjoying sports like cricket, rugby, and soccer. In Ireland, as we have discussed earlier people celebrate the day while dressing up in traditional costumes. In the Bahamas, a week-long festival is celebrated which lasts until the New Year.

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How Can You Find The Best Thanksgiving Flight Deals?

It’s already September and travelers all around the world are planning to spend thanksgiving in some domestic or international destination with their loved ones. It is the best time of the year for the newly married couples to escape to a romantic Island. All the major airlines offer some of the irresistible thanksgiving flight deals which you have to find and save big on your trip. 

During the festive season, airlines offer low-cost airfares but all you have to do is search for the best deal. Just remember that these offers start from months before and you have to find the preferred destinations and book your tickets early. This year Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 28th of November in the US.

Best time to book the Air tickets is 30-45 days in advance. September is considered the best month to grab some exciting deals for thanksgiving. The month of thanksgiving is considered as the busiest time of the year in the US and you are advisable to book your flight tickets a little early. 

Some of the popular airlines which offer huge discounts during thanksgiving are American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Airlines, Spirit Airlines, JetBlue, Frontier and Southwest Airlines. Most of the popular domestic destinations like Miami, Atlanta, Orlando, New York, Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, and Denver are considered as the top attractions among tourists. If you prefer international destinations during thanksgiving then you can consider cities like Cancun, London, Tokyo, Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam, Mexico City, Bangkok, Barcelona, and Hong Kong.

Some of the flight booking hacks which can help you to save big during this thanksgiving season

1) While you plan to book a flight during thanksgiving then be prepared to book the tickets and be flexible. Mostly if you book a flight ticket a day or two before and after the festival you will find expensive flight deals. It is better to search with some flight booking agency before you book. It is one of the easy ways as these agencies hire travel enthusiasts and travel agents who will find the best fare for you online.

2) Consider an early morning flight which tends to depart from 2 am to 7 am, noon, or late in the evening like after 8 pm.

3) Finding alternate airports are another way to save a huge amount of money. You will usually find alternate airports in all the major cities around the world. Boarding and departing from a less popular airport is the best hack to save a huge amount of money on your next flight booking.

4) Sign up for fare alerts on different flight booking and major airline websites if you do not wish to check airfares manually. Some of the websites which offer these free services are Google, FlightsChannel, Kayak, Hopper and many others.

5) Many of the major airlines offer frequent flyer programs and credit card points which can be clubbed with your airfares for some additional discounts. But these frequent flyer miles are impossible to use unless you are flexible with the dates of your trip. These programs are useful to those travelers who are free to decide the travel dates.

6) As you can see, this bargain-hunting process is very time consuming but can help you to save that extra bucks which can be used somewhere else. If you don't want to spend time and energy then the best way is to call a travel agent or any flight booking agency, which can charge a very nominal amount. A clever flight booking agent will find even a better deal than you could ever find usually for the international routes.

We hope this article would be helpful to find some of the best thanksgiving flight deals. These tricks will help you to spend your holidays with the ones you love.

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Reading the Fine Print for Cheap Flight Deals

Every deal does have some end objective. Smart companies offer deals sugar-coated in such a magnificent way that one is not able to fathom the objectives of the companies for deals. Rather, the focus is on the sweetness of the deal, that is, what benefit is provided by the company. Airlines also offer deals, in one way or the other, with some ultimate objective in mind. To achieve the pointed objectives, deals often come with terms and conditions. It is important to read through these terms and conditions. Why?

Well, when reading through these terms and conditions, you come to know the following about the cheap flight deals:

1. Type of deal- Whether this is a flat discount or a percentage discount? Whether this is just for flight ticket reservations, or also for other travel products such as hotels and vacations?
2. The travel and booking period limitations- When the deals pertain to flights, it often bound by time limits. There could be time limits for booking the tickets as well as for the travel period. This limits the scope of time for availing the deal.
3. Eligibility criteria for availing it- For whom does it apply? Is it open to only frequent flyers, or to people of certain age groups, or there are some other parameters which define eligibility of availing the deal.

The crafting of deal depends on what needs to be achieved. If the airlines are not very clear on what needs to be achieved, the deal would either over-deliver or under-deliver. Under-delivery of deal keeps achievement short of stated objective and over-delivery means passing more than warranted benefits to the target audience. There have been times when the companies have lost more than what they have gained due to over-delivery.

Another point to be noted is that in the backdrop of online medium where these deals are generally provided, there needs to be suitable technical support which would make this feasible. So, if there are some rules which need to be applied for the deal to be made workable, the same shall be feasible technically.

The importance of reading these terms and conditions is to know whether you are eligible to make use of it or not and to what extent. Failure to do so might lead to disappointment.

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How to Avail Cheap International Flights From USA to Europe?

Europe is one region where people from United States prefer to visit. The transatlantic flights are available from many airlines including the American and European carriers. These flights are both direct and connected ones. The direct flights connect American cities with European cities without any stop in between. However, the connecting flights have single or multiple stops. Since there are many flight combinations between the two cities, it is natural to find the cheapest international flight tickets. Some of the ways in which cheap international flights can be bought online are given below.

1. Flexibility of travel- If passengers are flexible on date and time of travel, then flights of low airfares can be found easily. The non-peak time flights are cheaper than those operating in peak times.
2. Flexibility on choice of airlines and airports- Certain airlines, especially the European ones, might offer free check-in baggage and some of the less popular ones might even provide cheaper airfares as compared to popular ones. So, being flexible on choice of airlines can help in saving money.

Similarly, there are secondary airports to the major airports, both in USA and in Europe. The flights from or to these secondary airports are generally cheaper than those between the major airports. This is yet another way of saving on international flight tickets.

3. Look for deals online- Travel agencies and airlines always look for making new customers. These provide deals on different online resources to gain new customers. Prospective passengers can keep a tab on these resources and keep checking for deals.

4. Meta Search websites- Meta search websites, also called as fare comparison websites, hold importance in finding cheap airline tickets as these allow users to check comparative fares of different agencies.

5. Use frequent flyer miles- One of the easiest ways to reduce the cost of air tickets to foreign countries is to make use of the frequent flyer miles. Generally, these can be used for reward flights or cabin class upgrades. These allow passengers to fly with less cost of tickets.

6. Sign up for newsletters and airfare alerts- Passengers can also make use of the newsletters to find exclusive deals in the inbox. For this, they need to sign up with various websites which will permit them to send newsletters on regular basis. There can also be provisions for setting preferences which tells the website what type of newsletters shall be sent.

Some websites might also be featuring the air fare alerts. These can also be set for certain routes which are flown frequently. Once the air fares go below this set level of alert, the notification is received in the email or through SMS.

7. Call for exclusive deals- Even when a website offers online flight booking, it is always a good idea to call the flight agency as there could be deals which are not published online in public domain.

These are some of the ways in which the international flights can be availed for low costs. The list is not exhaustive and there could be any number of ways to find cheapest foreign flights to Europe from USA.

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Low Cost Carriers, Comfort Parameters and Cheap Airline Tickets

Setting up an airlines business involves investment of huge sums of money. This investment of capital nature and the operating costs of the airlines signifies involvement of too much of money in this business. The product which is sold with this level of investment is that of seats. In order to ensure that the airline business does not go defunct, careful assessment of internal and external factors is done along with short and long term planning for marketing. 

This leads to the selection of the right business model with clarity on revenue earning capacities. Broadly, the aviation sector operates under the two models- the low cost model and the full service model. There are many operational and non-operational difference between the two models.

The ultimate aim of the full service legacy carriers is to provide comfortable journey with air fares taking a secondary priority. Full attention is paid to the comfort level of seats, meals and refreshments, scope for entertainment and other such parameters which are lifestyle defining.

On the other hand, there are the low cost carriers, also called the budget carriers, whose primary objective is to offer cheap airline tickets, with the most basic level of comfort and no frills. The emphasis is on cutting down things while planning. There is a cut down on legroom, seat space, complimentary meals, entertainment provisions and a range of other services provided by the airline. This is done for giving the ultimate cut to the airfares. This is how the cheap flight tickets are offered to the passengers.

In reducing the services to the bare minimum, mindful execution of operational changes is done. This means that the comfort levels will not be reduced beyond a point will not be done so that passengers stop travelling in plane. So, the airline will not go for addition of more seats beyond a point. Similarly, the flights have to be operated on short-haul routes as people cannot be without meals on medium or long-haul flights.

Further, the airline might have to put restrictions on carriage of certain items in cabin, that are otherwise allowed by legacy carriers, for the risk of creating a mess that creates cleaning nightmare.

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Alaska Airlines Noble way of Reducing Use of Single Use Plastic

There is no denying the fact that plastics are the bane of modern civilization. If our generation is really to be called a civilization, it is pertinent that its activities shall not lead to environment degradation and loss of lives of any living being. The use of plastics has endangered the lives of terrestrial, marine, aquatic and aerial lives. To this end of saving the lives, saying no to the use of plastics is a movement which has been catching on for the last couple of years.

The awareness generated by the various people and groups through various platforms has resulted in taking concrete step by all to stop the use of single use plastics. It shall be noted that single use plastics, or those plastics which are consigned to the garbage bins after using once, are the major environment pollutants. Alaska Airlines, one of the major US airline companies, has tweaked its policy a little and provided a simple solution of reducing the use of single use plastic bottles.

The airline, in a recent notification, has said that it will encourage its passengers to bring their empty water bottles which can be pre-filled after the TSA security screening at airports. It estimates that even if 10 percent of passengers bring their bottles and pre-fill it with water prior to boarding the plane using the water filling facility present at the airport, it will lead to reduction of 7 lakh bottles and 4 million plastic cups annually.

This is a staggering figure. Imagine the scale of reduction if all passengers begin to bring their bottles and pre-fill with water, and this happens not just for Alaska Airlines but for all airlines globally. However, to match that scale of a reform, the airline or the airport authorities will have to put up a number of filling stations since almost everyone would be requiring to pre-fill the bottles before boarding.

It shall be noted that the filled water bottles of more than 100 ml quantity are not allowed during security clearance. Therefore, these have to be filled at the airport from designated filling points where water dispensers are present, after clearing the security check. So, people doing Alaska Airlines reservations can take solace in the fact that it will allow you to carry a standard size empty water bottle for pre-filling water at the airport before boarding.

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Environment Protection Initiatives of China Southern Airlines

It is quite often that we visit the websites or offices of the airline companies for booking tickets. We do not think beyond just our travel needs on the ground at the airport and during the flights. We do not know, or care to know about what the airline is involved in unless it is reported in press. What we shall know, and which do not, is about the initiatives taken by the airline companies towards betterment of environment. 

Environment is the single factor which is of concern to not only our generation but also of the future generations. We read about it in our school textbooks and leave it at that. The airline companies, however, have taken to sustainable environmental initiatives with the solemn objective to make a healthy environment for all generations. China Southern Airlines also has its own set of initiative to tell about. The people doing China Southern Airlines reservations online can read through these initiatives. Some of these are given below in detail:

The airline remains committed to sourcing or production of products in an ethical manner.

Improvement in energy efficiency is another segment where the airline is focused.

Usage of water is required to be measured and minimized. The fact that there is an emphasis on measurement of water in all its uses conforms to the requirement of using it minimally.

Use of recycling and reuse methods for waste management. There is a realization that this might not be easy to achieve all of a sudden. So, the focus is on systematic reduction of waste that is being sent to the landfill and then on culminating it all together. In the meantime, all alternative arrangement for recycling and reuse shall happen.

The airline also remain committed to undertaking the carbon audit. And, on this front, it also wants its suppliers to make this audit. The purpose of this audit is to ensure that the carbon footprint from its operations is reduced. Though reduction in emissions remains the top priority, it encourages its suppliers to buy offset credits where reduction in emissions is not possible.

These are some of the major environment initiatives of China Southern, an airline which operates from Guangzhou in southern part of China.

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Identifying the Flight Booking Websites for Making Reservations

On the face of it, every flight booking website looks same. It will have a search and booking engine which is used for finding the flights. Then, websites may or may not have an online payment gateway to facilitate online booking. Those sites which do not facilitate the online booking, do provide either the contact form or the phone number so that the people can call them for flight ticket reservations. This is the normal way in which the websites relating to airline ticketing function. So, how will you identify a website which is good for you?

First thing to note is the airfares offered by flight booking website. You would certainly like to go with the one which regularly and consistently provides cheapest fares.

Second important point is the deals offered by the site. If the deals offered are really good and these are provided quite frequently, then this site could be the best suited for your travel needs.

Third factor which plays a role is that of understanding the business model of the website. Some sites are meant to deliver the cheapest fares and these clearly outline the risk factors associated with it. 

You can lay hands on cheap fares using these sites. To know precisely what the site is offering, you need to check its organizational profile and history of operations. This information also helps in identification of the right site.

Fourth factor is of ancillary charges which are levied by the website. These are related to ticket cancellations, changes to itinerary and other such matters. Quite naturally, the website which charges the lowest and has a clear policy are preferred by the passengers. This does require reading through the relevant sections of the site.

Fifth factor is of the additional useful features offered by the airline. This could be lowest fare calendars, seeking newsletter preferences, providing fare alert notifications facility, push notifications, saving search histories and historical booking records. These features provides unmatched customer satisfaction. These add-ons could make a site leap over the others.

Similarly, there could be other considerations which guide people to select a flight booking website in place of another.

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Role of Affiliates in International Flight reservations

Those who are working in the field of online marketing or digital marketing are aware of the different web channels from which the traffic to the website is acquired. These channels are captured in the online analytics tools which help in understanding the user behavior. One of these channels is that of the Affiliates. 

An affiliate is a website of another entity (individual or company) from which your website derives the traffic. This traffic can be diverted using through the banners or text links of your website present on the affiliate website. This is one of the most convenient method of online marketing for international flight reservations.

While targeting the passenger traffic from another country, if you place ad in some of the most popular and contextually relevant websites of that country, you stand to gain immediate visibility and receive traffic. Affiliate marketing is resorted to in a big way as use of telephone and email medium is not possible unless the customers have given express approval for sending the messages or emails. 

This makes offline marketing through telephones and emails next to impossible. So, affiliates provide relevant traffic for the ultimate purpose of customer acquisition. The flight booking websites can, hereby, make use of hundreds of different websites, related or unrelated to flights or air tickets for gaining traffic.

What types of affiliates are best for online flight booking sites?

Some examples of relevant websites could be those of hotels and resorts, amusement parks, holiday packages, car rental companies and credit card companies. These are only some of the examples and many other websites could also be used for affiliate marketing.

How to make use of affiliates?

There are different ways in which links of your website can be placed on the affiliate websites. These are banner links or text links.

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How To Get Cheap flight tickets for Group Travel?

There are times when there is a plan for international travel by a group. This group could be of family, friends or of professionals. So, it can be a working group traveling for some work or a leisurely vacation. This requires arranging for the travel documents and booking the flights. 

While travel documents are to be arranged by persons in their individual capacity, the tickets are to be booked together. For groups of more than 8 or 9 people, the airline does not permit online flight reservations. For them, the booking is required to be done with the flight agents over the phone or with the airline or agency office.

The cheap flight tickets for group travel are not available online. The limitation with the online booking is that passengers can only avail discounts or deals which are available online. These are available to the public at large and there is nothing special to be given online for group flights. 

However, exclusive and more attractive deals can be given offline, over the phone. This is so because there is always a separate inventory of unpublished airfares which are available to agents and these can be availed on call or meeting face to face. Besides these unpublished fare tickets there are group flight discounts which can also be sought.

Another method of reducing the cost of travel internationally by opting for flight passes. You can have the travel itinerary planned in such a manner so as to avail these passes. These passes allow you to travel to different countries at very cheap rates. This is good for people traveling in a group.

You can also enquire about single visas for multiple countries, or visa-free travel destinations. These save you the cost of applying for visa for multiple countries for travel purposes. For instance, the Schengen Visa for Europe serves the same purpose. Many tourists travel to different European countries under this single visa. 

Due to this single facility provided by countries, the agencies plan their travel and tour packages around these countries only. This is highly convenient for the tourists as they can pass through these countries on single visa without having to apply for each one separately.

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Importance of Carrying Proper Travel Documents For International Flights

When flying international you must remember that you are going to a totally different country which has its own laws, practices and regulations. Therefore, while you would be rejoicing the travel to a land of different culture and customs, you must also be careful to be on the right side of law. One of the most important things to check out for are the travel documents. 

These documents shall be appropriate and as per the requirement of the destination country. Sometimes, when there is an intermediary stop in a third country, it is important to have proper documents for entering into that country as well. So, what are the travel documents we would need for international flights?

1.       Passport- This is one of the most important documents needed for international travel. This acts as a valid identification proof for traveling to a foreign land. This single document is acceptable to all the countries of the world.

2.       Air ticket- Quite naturally you would need a confirmed air ticket, either in printed or soft form, to be able to travel. This shall be retained along with the boarding pass for some time after the journey has happened.

3.       Visa and transit Visa- Without a Visa issued by the foreign country, you cannot gain an entry into it. Even when you are flying through some cities, you might need a transit visa. The regulations vary from one country to another.

4.       Special Documents- Certain documents are required to be produced in certain special circumstances or when people fly with certain special passengers. These documents could be:

a)      Health and vaccination documents for pets.

b)      Training documents for pets that serve as emotional support animals or are service dogs.

c)       Fit to Fly certificate for pregnant women.

d)      Birth certificate for infant or child

e)  Identification or valid ID proofs for military personnel, seniors and medical condition patients.

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Labor Tensions, Unaccompanied Minor and Emotional Dog Support Keep AA Busy Whole Week

American Airlines found itself in media highlight for all the wrong reasons the past week. The three notable incidents which put AA in spotlight this week are related to tensions with labor union, holding back unaccompanied minor kids overnight by airline and putting the emotional support dog in bathroom.

Labor tensions

American Airlines has accused the unions of its mechanics- Transport Workers Union of America and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers- for deliberating slowing down the work. It has said that the mechanics have not been operating at their normal work levels for the last few months. This has resulted in cancellations of 900 flights in the last two months. The cancellation of American Airlines reservations has resulted in considerable financial loss to the airline. The airline approached the court and obtained an injunction against the unions. The court directed the mechanics not to participate in any disruption to the airline.

Case of Unaccompanied Kids

How would you react if you are not informed of the arrival of your unaccompanied minor kids? And, on top of it, the kids are kept overnight with the airline itself? Naturally, you would go berserk and try your level best to find the kids. And, if the airline is not cooperating to give a phone access to the kids, you are certainly going to be mad about it.

American Airlines flight had a layover in Charlotte, which was already late, but the kids were not offered food. Instead they were rushed on to next flight to Portland. This flight also got delayed to a few reasons. These delays were not communicated to the parents and even the efforts of the parents to speak to the kids was not supported by the airline. The airline has offered an apology for the incident.

Case of Emotional Support Dog

Yet another incident which has kept the airline in news is that of an emotional support dog being in locked up in bathroom. As per the woman who was flying Miami to Los Angeles when this happened, the airline had not been sensitive to her needs as she required the presence of her emotional support animal because she has been suffering from extreme anxiety. The woman is suing the airline for $75000. However, the airline mentioned in its statement that the as per airline policy 777 planes do not allow pets in premium cabin. The passenger agreed to fly in Main Cabin so that the pet could fly with her in cabin. Further, the dog was carried in a kennel which was not able to fit beneath the seat.    

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The Three Journey Types and Cheap Round Trip Flights

Flights can be booked for three types of journeys. For those who have used the online flight search engines for searching flights and booking air tickets, must have seen all these three journeys listed as options to choose. These three are- One-way, Round Trip and Multi City. One of these three options are to be selected for online flight reservations.

The one-way flight option is selected when the person has to travel from one point to another but does not have plan to return at the time of ticket booking. This means that only the date of departure is to be entered in the search engine form to look for flights.

The round trip travel option is selected when the person has precise plans to return as well and want to search for flights and fares for booking for segments of flight in one go.

The multi city flights are selected when the person has to hop from one destination to another using flights and there is a need to book tickets for all the flights within one itinerary. This is one of the rarest to be used on search engines but, nevertheless, holds promise of cheap flights.

Among these three journey types, the round-trip flights are considered to be cheapest. The airlines always want their seats to be booked as soon as possible with maximum revenue generation. These release tickets for booking in a window of booking period and increase prices as the flight day approaches. 

Therefore, the cheapest fares are to be found at the start of this booking time window and the most expensive fares are available closest to the flight time. Now, since the airline would want to get bookings done in advance, the round trip journeys provide advance bookings scenarios for return journeys. For this reason, round trip flight tickets are generally cheaper than their separate one-way flight tickets.

You must have noticed that the search and booking engines in USA generally have the round-trip journey tab open by default. If you have to take the one-way or multi-city trips, then you have to change the default tab of round-trip. This shows that people in USA do search for round trips because they know that the airlines offer cheaper fares most of the times.

It is also interesting to note that the different flight markets might have different tabs of flight types open by default. So, while round trip tab is open by default in USA and Canada or elsewhere in North America, this is not the case with the Asian countries, such as India. In India, the preferences are for one-way tickets and therefore, the one-way tab can be seen open by default on search engines. 

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How Much Baggage Are You Allowed To Bring After jetBlue Airlines Reservations?

Flyers do have the need to carry some baggage alongwith on the flights. The airlines also recognize this need. The price of air tickets which the airline charges from the airline does include some kind of free baggage allowances, and jetBlue airlines is no different in this respect. It is a matter of fact that some decades back the airlines had free allowance for both the cabin and the check-in baggage. 

This was true globally barring a few exceptions. However, of late, as aviation sector has become more competitive and especially after the arrival of low cost carriers on the horizon, the check-in baggage free allowances have become redundant. Most of the US carriers now do not provide free check in baggage allowances. Jetblue baggage allowance is also not free.

For the people who have completed the jetblue reservations, the free allowance is limited only to cabin baggage nowadays. There are charges for taking even a single check-in bag alongwith. Let us examine its policies for both the cabin and the check-in baggage.

Cabin Baggage Allowance

As is the case with other airlines, jetBlue allows one cabin bag and one personal item free of cost. 22" L (55.88 cm) x 14" W (35.56 cm) x 9" H (22.86 cm) are the three dimensions of the cabin bag which is allowed. The personal items can be a purse, small backpack, laptop or briefcase. There could be some other personal items which are allowed free. This needs to be checked with the customer support team well before you have to fly and preferably at the time of booking airtickets.

Check in Baggage Allowance

The check-in baggage allowance is directly dependent on the frequent flyer status of the member. Blue members have to pay $30 and $40 for 1^st and 2^nd check-in bag respectively. Blue Plus members are allowed 1^st bag free of cost whereas the second is charged $40. For Blue Flex, Mint and Mosaic Members the allowance is free for 2 check in bags.

Please note that the size of bag is considered in linear dimensions, which is the sum of length, breadth and height. The linear size shall not be more than 158 cm and the weight of each bag shall not be more than 23 kg.

However, weight more than 23 kg but less than 45 kg is allowed but there are excess baggage charges for being overweight.

Similarly, size of more than 158 cm but less than 203 cm linear dimensions is also not allowed free. There are excess charges to be paid for this oversized baggage.

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Comparing Airlines On Cheap Air Tickets For Students

Whenever students have to fly in any country, it is natural for them to search for the student deals. Since some airlines do offer student flight deals on regular basis and the word goes around globally that airlines offer deals to students, they search for these inevitably. The cheap student flights are provided by way of reduction in the airfares or by way of offering more check-in baggage allowances. Some airlines have specifically provided the students check-in box in search engine to help them search flights with discounted fares on regular basis. These airlines have clearly identified certain passengers segments for offering cheap air tickets and students are one of these. Asian and European carriers have this feature right in their search engine box.

American carriers, such as United Airlines, are not known for these offers. Whether students or military personnel, direct discounts on fares is hardly on offer anytime during the year for them. While there is excess baggage allowance for military, no such offer is provided to students. United contends that it is providing United Airlines reservations at such a low fare that there is not much scope for reduction in prices any further. The best it and other airlines can do is to provide them enhanced free baggage allowances.

The foreign airlines which do provide these special deals are limited and can be counted on fingers. Indian carrier Jet Airways has an edujetter program and Air India has Maharaja Scholarship program, Malaysia Airlines has the MHExplorer program and China Eastern allows for extra check-in baggage allowances. These are some of the few instances known. All these benefits reduce the overall cost of travel and cheap student flights become a reality which allows them to travel even on small budget.

It is not easy to say whether, by not providing the low airfare tickets, what benefit accrues to the airline. From a common person perspective, this is a lost opportunity as the airline does not factor in the future customers.

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What to Expect in Air Canada Economy Class Cabins?

Air Canada is the flag carrier of Canada. The airline is the oldest carrier of the country and plays a pivotal role connecting the far off regions of this vast country. It also plays a significant role in providing connectivity to the inaccessible, far-off regions of the country. The airline is a full service carrier. 

This means that it not only provide the economy class tickets, but also the higher classes. Passengers looking for Air Canada reservations often have to make choice of cabin classes of travel.  Economy is the least expensive of all whereas the business and first class cabins are pricier than economy.

The economy class of Air Canada has divisions of North America and Caribbean, and that of International. The former comes with a 3-3 configuration with single aisle in middle. The airline offers 600 hours of entertainment including the popular shows of TV, movies and music albums. There is an in-seat laptop charger, about 9 inches personal touchscreen TV, individual reading light, enRoute magazine and pillow/blanket and earphones for a nominal fee.

If you have bought the international economy Air Canada tickets, then you can expected to be offered fine wines and spirits, in-seat power for laptop, personal touchscreen TV, free headphones, adjustable headrest, enRoute magazine and duty-free shopping facility.

While the economy tickets are cheapest, you can still look for economy flight deals to reduce the cost of air tickets further. These deals could be available through different mediums and on different resources. You might have to hunt for these a little bit. Else, you can call the airline customer service to check for the deals as well.

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What is an Open-jaw Flight Ticket?

People use the online search and booking engines for making flight reservations. These engines are present on all websites that provide online flight ticket booking facility. Visitors to the website are typically required to select whether they want one-way, round-trip or multi-city flights. Thereafter, they have to enter details such as traveling date, number and type of passengers, cabin class of travel and some others before hitting the search button. The multi-city flight search and booking option also includes the open-jaw tickets.

What is an Open-jaw Flight?

If someone leaves from Point A to reach Point B via Point C and returns in either of following ways:

a) from Point D to Point A, or 

b) from Point B to Point A directly by skipping Point C, or 

c) from Point D to Point E, 

then these types of flight are called the open-jaw flights. Basically, the return journey does not happen along the same leg as the departure journey.

So, when people opt for multi-city flights on flight reservation websites, they can enter open-jaw flight patterns of cities and get themselves the reservations. The destination of first leg could or could not be the origin of the next leg. Further, the final return destination might not be the first origin city. This allows booking of open-jaw flight tickets using the multi-city flight booking tab present on websites.

What are the advantages of Open-jaw flights?

The first benefit of this type of flight is that it helps passengers to save time on travelling. If the passengers were to follow the same route back to the origin station, it could involve a lot of travelling on local transport. With open-jaw tickets, this can be avoided and passengers can directly reach the origin station from the current city.

The second benefit is that the passenger get more time to explore the city. By saving on the time of commutation, the same can be utilized more productively by visiting more sightseeing destinations, exploring business and trade opportunities or doing fun-filled activities.

Another important benefit is that it offers the scope of saving money on flight ticket by reducing the intermediate flight connections.

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Military Discount Flights for US International Operations

United States of America is the most powerful country on this planet. The economic strength of the country along with its military might gives it this proud distinction. The presence of US military in different parts of the world, stationed on temporary or permanent basis, gives it a huge leverage over the other countries. Whether it is the army ground bases, naval assets or the air force stations, the US military has worldwide presence.

In order to maintain this power projection across the globe, there is a need for regular deployment and rotation of military personnel. Most often this is done by using the air transport medium. Besides the military air assets, use is also made of private airline companies. The private airline companies in US also willingly contribute in this purpose by offering military discount flights by way of free check in baggage or enhanced baggage allowances.

These commercial airline companies offer international flight reservations at same fares as to the public and these are not discounted in real terms. Rather, they are allowed free baggage allowance for which the general public has to pay about $35 per check in bag. Some airlines might even allow three check-in bags for free.

This leads to a saving of about $105 per flight. But, these are generally offered for the US military active duty personnel. Then there are other requirements to be fulfilled. These include carrying the military ID proof which will make them eligible for all the perks and privileges. It is also expected of them to carry their orders for movement as this might also be required by airline officials at the airport.

Therefore, the conditions of travel of US military personnelon domestic or international routes using the commercial airlines services are not different from those of the general public. The benefits of air travel, whatever these are, do not extend to their family members. Therefore, the aviation is driven on the basis of total commercialization.

If there is a need for emergency movement of passengers at a short notice, the airlines are within their rights to ask some passengers to disembark voluntarily. At times, even special flights are arranged for airlift personnel to the required international destination.

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