There is always a scramble for cheap air tickets. This is an
undeniable fact. All sort of tactics is used by smart passengers to reduce the
cost of flights as much as possible. Experienced passengers do not stop at
this. They go a few steps forward and check for other charges which they might
have to pay apart from tickets. If flight booking is done online with the
agency, then these charges must be asked for. However, if this is done with the
airline, then their policies mention these clearly. So, what are these charges
which shall be known beforehand or during the course of flight booking online?
a) Charges
for taking the service of ticket booking from agency- Sometimes, the agency
would charge a flat rate for a ticket. This rate could be per passenger based.
This needs to be checked beforehand with the agency.
b) Cancellation
charges- If you have plans to book a refundable ticket, you must know what you
will get back if you happen to cancel the ticket. These deductions are your
loss and adds to the cost of ticket which you will be buy next.
c) Ticket
modification and itinerary change charges- If you want to change the date of
travel or reroute the flight choices, then there could be charges for the same
as well. If you think that there could be a chance that there itinerary would
need to be changed, then the charges need to be known.
d) Preferential
seating charges- Airlines could even add special charge on certain most
demanded seats. Usually the ones with more leg room, near the aisle or windows
are charged more. However, the other ones are not charged for. Whether American airlines follow this practice shall be checked but many low cost carriers around the world do follow this practice.
e) Check-in
baggage charges- If you are carrying a baggage with you, then it is pertinent
to check whether the baggage is going to cost you anything or not. Charges for check-in baggage depend on the route you are flying on, your frequent flyer
membership status, whether free allowance is granted against redemption of
frequent flyer points or not, and whether you are a specially person or not.
f) Charges
for refreshments- It will not take long to just look into the menu of the
airline you are flying with and what all complimentary refreshments are
included in your ticket price. If you have to take some other meals, then a
quick price-check can tell you the costs.
In
general, these are the broad charges which the passengers looking to fly on the
airline shall watch out for. These can together inflate the cost of your travel
significantly.
