Check out these tips before buying flights!

There are a few things for you to remember when you buy airline tickets. These are the cases I have faced at the airport most often.

Confirm the times and dates

As simple as it sounds please triple check the time and dates that they are correct on your flight ticket. I have seen too many times that people arrive at the airport with their travel documents just to realize that they have typed in the wrong month.

Make sure you know your baggage allowance

When you are buying airline tickets, if the ticket fare sounds very cheap check if there is check-in baggage included. Many airlines present the lowest fare without check-in luggage. The low-cost airlines have forced also national airlines to renew their pricing. For example Finnair launched a new ticket type called “light ticket” last year. It’s a low-fare ticket that includes only hand baggage. Check your baggage allowance in advance so that you avoid the let down at the airport where you are forced to pay more for the check-in luggage.

Know your airline

Check which airline you are taking. You have to know your airline when you are travelling. Again this sounds very simple but I’ve had many cases that people come to the airport and say that they are flying for instance to Stockholm. There are many different airlines flying there and that’s like giving a postman a letter with a stamp and no address.

Please if you are struggling with your airline tickets call to the airline and not to the airport information. The airport information will anyway send you to ask from the airline.

Read the ticket regulations carefully

You will ease your journey by checking your ticket regulations beforehand. When you buy your ticket there is always information not only concerning baggage allowance but also about for example check-in times. It’s good to make sure for instance that you know what time your check-in ends (that said don’t leave your check-in for the last minute). Different airlines have different regulations and every ticket is different. That is why I suggest you to check the regulations carefully.

Check the documents needed

Before buying flight tickets remember to check what kind of documents you have to hold when entering to your destination country. Different documents are for instance passport, visa and ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization in USA). It’s important that you check that your passport is valid and check if there is any regulation for your passport to be valid 6 months after arrival. Be careful with visas! For example you might need a transit visa to Russia if you have a connecting-flight inside within the country.

Buy the flights to the same ticket

Do you know what means if flights are on the same ticket or on different tickets? If you buy all your flights in one purchase then you will get all your flights on the same ticket on one document. If you buy the flights separately you will get more than one document and several different tickets.

Does it matter if they are on the same ticket or not? Actually it does. If your first flight is delayed and you miss your second flight the airline doesn’t have to give you any refund and you have to buy a new flight yourself. If the flights are on the same ticket and the delay of the first flight causes you to miss your connecting flights the airline company will fix you new flights without any extra charge.

If you have bought flights separately it will also make the transfer after first flight more complicated. When you have your flights on different tickets you have to pick your luggage after the first flight and check them in again at the transfer station.

Get dreaming and let’s buy some flights!

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