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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Flight Deals You Shall Not Go For

Who does not want to go for the flight deals? If these promise you the prospect for saving hundreds of dollars in a single trip, would you not like to go for these? And, the hurry is so much that you want to be ahead of others in grasping these offers, even if it means falling into a quagmire. It is to be understood that the deals have to be evaluated against certain touch points. We mention some of these touch points here:

1.       Airline Matters

The first thing to note is which airline is offering this deal to you. Is it the airline which is reputed or the one which is close to bankruptcy. If it is the latter case, then there are good chances that either the services will not be up to the mark or the scheduled flights would be cancelled. You will be running the risk of uncertainty by taking the flight offers from this airline.

Now, how will you know whether the airline is doing fine or not? One of the first things to check is the news item related to the airline. This will certainly throw light on its financial condition and whether it will be able to fly as per schedule or not.

2.       Country Matters

US aviation regulators are very strong. They do a comprehensive check on airlines and airplanes to ensure that air travel is safe all the time. So, travelling is US airlines, or for that matter, on airlines of other countries which have good record and have the young fleet of airplanes is safe to fly on. There is no problem in accepting the flight discount offers on that airline. However, if the airline is from a country which is not very reputed for maintaining good airplanes, then this would be a riskier proposition to accept flight deal from such an airline. A general check on average age of the fleet of airplanes is a good way to keep a check. 

Countries have their own regulators and some of these might not be as strict as some of their counterparts in other countries. This could mean compromising with air worthiness of the airplanes for passenger travel. Would you like to have a flight deal from the airline of such a country?

3.       Terms and Conditions

Every deal is designed to meet a specific purpose. And, this deal comes with its own set of terms and conditions. It is important to read through the fine print of these terms and conditions. Sometimes, these T&Cs are good enough superficially. Therefore, it is also important to understand the implications of going with these set of T&Cs.

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Marks of a Turnaround- Spirit Airlines Records the Best On-time Performance

This is a news which most of the people who fly different US airlines, including Spirit Airlines, would not have expected. The airline which most of the experts in US aviation circles would have written-off a few years back, has recorded the best on-time performance for the month of October of 2018. This astonishing 89% record is something for which Spirit Airline can pat itself on the back. Not only has the airline recorded the best punctuality but has also recorded the least cancellations. Many have already started pointing to the beginning of this turnaround for this airline which has been in news in the past mostly for negative reasons.

Spirit is known to be harsh to passengers in not providing free baggage allowance (many airlines now doing it as well) and not providing any entertainment or refreshments. Another incident which has made it quite infamous is that of the strike of pilots, first for salaries and then for flying the additional routes. With that incident put to past now with hike in salaries of pilots, the focus has shifted to operation efficiencies which can turn the fortunes of the airline around.

So, what is it that has led Spirit to make this change? Whether this is going to be a one-time affair or is going to remain there on a regular basis is something which future will tell, but lets us find out what led to this improved performance standard.

At first, the airline is fortunate to have most of its departure flights from south of the country. This part of the country does not have weather extremities on such a regular basis as the north-eastern part of the country. This does not lead too many cancellations or other disruptions.  

Second important reason is that the airline’s efforts to streamline the cabin baggage loading on plane by passengers has been quite successful. This is something on which other airlines are also working. But, it is only the Spirit airlines which has been successful in using it to this level.

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What Would You Expect An Online Travel Company To Do?

Whenever you have to plan a journey, travel agent is one of the first persons you want to contact. A flight booking agent can help you with the most suitable flights whereas the travel company can also tell about the destinations, hotel stays and guide you on local transportation. There could be quite a few agencies that you would contact. So, which online travel company do you prefer to contact first, and what makes you believe that this particular one shall be contacted ahead of others. Here is a set of guidelines which tell which airline is the best one to go ahead with.

1. Does the agency understand your travel needs?

Most often it is the flight agent who understands your precise requirements that will suit you the most. So is the case with the travel agency. Mind you, this is not the flight or travel agency which helps you to save more money which you would like to call first. It is that agent or agency that understands your precise requirements and is able to provide reasonable options that would be the first to be contacted.

2. How many and what options does it provide?

If you are looking for options, you could be looking for many or a few, depending on what is driving your travel plans. So, if the agent is sensible, the focus shall not be just on showing the maximum number of options but also on giving the right options. In providing these options, it shall not look as if your interests are being ignored or overlooked. This would be possible when the options provided appeal to you right away. Agent has to be alert to this requirement in order to retain your trust. 

3. Keeping you informed about the deals

If you are a good customer of any online travel company, then it must send you the best of its flight deals. Whether you fly on specific routes or are likely to visit new places provided you get a good deal for, your agent shall be able to inform you ahead of others. If it does not, and you get to know from some other source about the existence of such deal which could have suited you, there will be a decline in faith with the travel or flight agent. So, it is up to the flight company or the travel agency, as the case may be, to provide the best deals.

It can take any medium to provide this information to you. Whether by SMS on phone, an email or just by phone call, it shall be able to communicate the same to you.

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Airlines Count on the Operational Efficiencies for Cheap Plane Ticket Offers

There is a lot that goes into the offer of cheap plane tickets to you. The airlines keep in consideration a number of factors before doing so. The cost-benefit analysis for short and long-term is done and it is ensured that the offer sits in well in the overall marketing strategy. Some of these elements, such as currency fluctuations, competition analysis, government policies, demand-supply analysis for flight seats, geo-demographic analysis, consumer behavior analysis, etc are considered to be a part of the external environment. Some other elements are internal to the company. These include types and age of airplanes, operational efficiencies, load factors of airplanes, fuel efficiencies, internal costs and many other factors. In all, a lot of planning is involved with every offer and every offer for cheap air tickets is aimed to achieve a particular objective or a set of objectives.

Low Airfares Based on Efficiencies

It is a fact that one of the most important factors is the level of operational efficiency which the airline has. This operational efficiency begins right from the airport, is carried on during the flight time in the sky and is also in effect at the time of landing at the arrival airport.

At the airport, the airline tries to innovate the best ways to get the customers on-board right on the time of flight. Every step of the check-in process is so designed as to offer utmost convenience, reduce the wasteful time and ensure that the passengers are able to board well before the flight time. The planners ensure that the best possible operations research leads to least costs for the airline, in order to help it garner more revenues.

During the flight, it is the fuel efficiency which comes into play as a predominant consideration for operational reasons. The least is the load factor, the most efficient is the fuel consumption. To this end, the weight of the load on the plane is sought to be reduced. Limiting the number and weight of check and carry on bags and putting charges for bringing in more baggage, using composite materials for internal paraphernalia, such as seats, overhead cabins and others is just another way of reducing the load on airplane. Fuel is the most important component of the cost structure and once its consumption is reduced, the airline is in a position to pass on the benefits of low airfare tickets to the passengers.

The operational efficiency is also counted when the plane has landed on the airport. Here the turnaround time of the airplane is important. How quickly is the plane ready for the next flight, after completion of all the readiness checks is something which can not be ignored. In highly competitive market such as the United States, where there are thousands of airplanes in the sky at any given point of time and where air connectivity is primary connectivity, this level of operational efficiency plays a significant role in contributing to airline profits. Some of it, if not all, is passed on to the passengers in the form of low cost airline tickets.

We made the trips possible for 300,000 passengers and travelers to all around the world. Follow FlightsChannel on  Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | for the latest updates, exclusive offers & discounts to your favorite destinations and learn how to travel the world for less.

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