Traveling is a passion for some people, while others travel to enjoy their life. People book airlines to go to the place that they love. But, in some cases, travelers get annoyed by the low-quality service offered by airline companies.
Some airlines give you cheap ticket flights, fantastic customer service and treat you in the best way. But on the other side of this spectrum, some airlines over promise a lot of things but fail to deliver.
You have to neglect a lot of annoying things that happen during your flight if you are traveling in the airline that doesn’t give you value for money.
We can easily criticize the airlines for their poor service, but there are some imbecile gotchas in which we are falling. In this article, we are going to discuss these gotchas.
Now without waiting too much, let us take a closer look at the ten airfare gotchas to avoid at all costs:
- Forgetting to clear your browser cookies:
Many travelers make a mistake of not clearing their browser cookies. In this digital world, travel companies, travel booking sites as well as hotel booking websites track you when you visit their website.
Also, whether you book your flight or not, these companies target you with their ads.
According to research by the Northern University, branded hotel booking sites show you the cheaper search results for attracting new customers.
So, it is highly recommended to clear your browser cookies after your search on Google or any other search engine.
- Not using your rights:
Have you heard about public passenger rights? Well, as a traveler and a passenger, you have some rights. You can use these rights against airline companies.
You can use these rights while asking for refunds of your lost baggage and for other issues during the flight.
We suggest you visit air passenger rights visit airpassengerrights to know more about your rights and how to use them.
- Unrevealed ticket fees:
Most of the times as a buyer, we think we have got a great deal on the airline ticket. But have you ever noticed the hidden fees that airlines charge you?
This is the biggest airfare gotcha that you must avoid. Airlines charge you fees for carrying your baggage and your pet during the flight.
Some airlines also charge additional fees for just exchanging your flight seat. Here, the main point is that these fees vary a lot, and you cannot predict them.
For more information about such additional charges, just visit the official website of the particular airline.
As per the bts.gov, in 2018, airlines earned an average revenue of $4 million from the baggage fees.
- Booking a ticket through the third party:
Are you booking your tickets through travel agents? Then, it is time to say no to travel agents. Travel agents may charge you big bucks for booking your ticket.
Rarely, you will find a travel agent who really helps you and does not rip you off.
Now, you may be thinking about alternatives to travel agents. Beside travel agents, you can search for the flight tickets on the best airline ticket booking websites like Kayak, Kiwi, Google Flights, etc.
These websites will help you in finding the cheap airfares in just minutes. Over the years, people have been trusting these websites, and it is better to search on these sites rather than contacting a travel agent.
At last, we have come up with the best strategy for you. This is nothing but visiting the airline’s official website to get tickets.
Occasionally, airlines offer massive discounts if you book your ticket through their official website.
- Non-stop flights:
The airline plays a word game in case of non-stop and direct flights. These both words look quite similar.
Most of the passengers who book a direct flight might think that direct means the airline don’t stop until the place of destination is reached. But, sometimes, these direct flights may ruin your sleep during the flight.
Direct flights may land on the airport to pick the passengers. Therefore, it is better always to book non-stop flights.
The frustrating part is that for the non-stop flights, you again have to pay the additional fees. You definitely have to avoid this airfare gotcha.
Air Canada gives you the best prices on the tickets. Know more about the Air Canada cheap flights
on Faremart, a travel booking platform that provides satisfactory services with worth grabbing discounts on your air travel. The brand has access to around 450 airlines with updated information and full 24/7 support and assistance.
- Understanding the basic economy and regular economy:
Some people don’t understand the difference between the basic economy fares and regular economy fares.
This happens if you don’t search on a trusted booking site. Most of the flight booking sites often group basic economy charges in the regular economy fares, which is entirely wrong.
Many airlines recommend you to go with the basic economy. But as per some travelers, the basic economy is nothing but a crap experience.
For the regular economy, you have to pay more fee than the basic economy. But you will spend quality time during the flight.
- Buying tickets early:
Do you know the perfect time to buy the airline ticket? 2 months before the flight is the ideal time to book your ticket. Many people believe in a myth that booking an airline ticket before six months is the right time.
But those who believe in this myth, mostly end up paying a large amount of money on the ticket.
So, it is better to stop thinking in this famous myth and book a ticket at the perfect time. Finally, timing is the key to save your money!
- Picking the right airport:
We know the airport where we arrive but do you have the information about the airport where you are going to land?
This mighty airfare gotcha will cost you a lot of money if you neglect it.
That is why your research before booking flight matters a lot.
The airport of your departure must be close to the city area. This can reduce your airfare by hundreds of dollars.
- Missing your flight:
Do you know what happens when you miss your flight? Probably not, but if you miss your flight and don’t contact the airline regarding, then you have to pay the re booking fees.
If you don’t follow the airline’s rules and regulations, then, you have to reserve your seat again by paying the full ticket price. This is the worst experience that a passenger can have.
This airfare gotcha can cost you thousands of dollars if you miss your international flight.
- Not using the reward points:
Have you heard about the reward points program offered by the airlines? Many airlines offer such program where they give you specific points for flying with their airplane.
This is completely different than the travel credit card reward points.
You can use these points to buy thing via an airline’s website, or you can use these points for traveling in the future.
There are very fewer chances that airlines will tell you about their reward points program. So, don’t hesitate to use these points as you can save a lot of money with such points.
The Final Say
We have just listed out the top 10 airfare gotchas to avoid at all costs in the above article. So, neglect these gotchas and travel with enthusiasm, excitement, and passion.
And if you know any remaining gotchas that you have experienced then, feel free to share them by commenting below.