Once you decide when and where you want to go, and which airline
you want to use, getting reservations and tickets is a fairly simple
process. You can make all of your arrangements by telephone, at
the airline's ticket office, or through a travel agent or other
ticket outlet. There are a few potential pitfalls, however, and
these pointers should help you avoid them.
* If your travel plans fall into a busy period, call for reservations
early. Flights for holidays may sell out weeks-sometimes months-ahead
of time. Don't buy a standby fare or an 'open return' ticket if
you need to fly during a high-demand period, especially the end
of August. You could be stranded for a week or more before a seat
becomes available.
* Ask the reservations agent to give you the on-time performance
code for any flights that you are considering. This is a one-digit
code in the reservations computer that shows how often that flight
arrived on time (within 15 minutes) during the most recent reported
month. For example, an "8" means that flight arrived
within 15 minutes of the scheduled arrival time between 80% and
89.9% of the time. If you are deciding between two flights with
similar schedules and fares, you may want to choose the one with
the better on-time record. (Only the largest U.S. airlines are
required to maintain these codes.)
* When you make a reservation, be sure the agent records the
information accurately. Before you hang up or leave the ticket
office, review all of the essential information with the agent-the
spelling of your name, the flight numbers and travel dates, and
the cities you are traveling between. If there is more than one
airport at either city, be sure you check which one you'll be
using. It's also important to give the airline your home and work
telephone numbers so they can let you know if there is any change
in their schedule.
* Your ticket will show the flight number, departure time, date,
and status of your reservation for each flight of your itinerary.
The "status" box is important. "OK" means
you're confirmed. Anything else means that the reservation is
not yet certain (e.g., waitlisted).
* A "direct" (or "through") flight can have
one or more stops. Sometimes flights with only one flight number
can even involve a change of planes. Ask about your exact routing.
* If you are flying to a small city and your flight number has
four digits, you may be booked on a commuter airline that has
an agreement with the major carrier in whose name the flight is
held out. If you are unsure, ask the reservations agent about
the airline and the aircraft type; these flights are identified
in the computer.
* When a reservations agent asks you to buy your tickets by a
specific time or date, this is a deadline. And if you don't make
the deadline, the airline may cancel your reservations without
telling you.
* Try to have your tickets in hand before you go to the airport.
This speeds your check-in and helps you avoid some of the tension
you might otherwise feel if you had to wait in a slow-moving ticketing
line and worry about missing your flight.
* If your reservations are booked far enough ahead of time, the
airline may offer to mail your tickets to you. However, if you
don't receive the tickets and the airline's records show that
they mailed them, you may have to go through cumbersome lost-ticket
procedures (see the end of this chapter). It is safer to check
the telephone directory for a conveniently located travel agency
or airline ticket office and buy your tickets there.
* As soon as you receive your ticket check to make sure all the
information on it is correct, especially the airports (if any
of the cities have more than one) and the flight dates. Have any
necessary corrections made immediately.
* Bring a photo I.D. when you fly, and have your airline ticket
issued using your name as it appears on that I.D. Many airlines
are requesting such identification at check-in in order to reduce
the re- selling of discount tickets. (Airlines don't permit tickets
to be sold or given to other persons.) On international flights,
make sure your name is the same on your ticket and your passport.
If your name has recently changed and the name on your ticket
and your I.D. are different, bring docu- mentation of the change
(e.g., a marriage certificate or court order).
* It's a good idea to reconfirm your reservations before you
start your trip; flight schedules sometimes change. On international
trips, most airlines require that you reconfirm your onward or
return reservations at least 72 hours before each flight. If you
don't, your reservations may be canceled.
* Check your ticket as you board each flight to ensure that only
the correct coupon has been removed by the airline agent.
Paying for and refunding airline tickets
* If you plan to pay in person and with your own bank check,
take at least two forms of identification with you like a driver's
license, major credit card, or employee I.D. card. Particularly
when you purchase tickets far from your home town, airlines, travel
agencies and other ticket outlets will want to confirm your identity.
If you paid for your ticket with cash and you have a refundable
fare, you can often get an immediate refund from the issuing airline
or travel agency. If you paid by personal check, the refund will
gen- erally have to be mailed to you. NOTE: In some cases tickets
purchased overseas in foreign currency can only be refunded in
that same currency and country, due to foreign government monetary
restrictions. Keep this in mind if you are considering buying
a ticket in a foreign country.
* When you pay by credit card, your charge account is billed-whether
you use your tickets or not. You won't receive credit unless the
original unused tickets are returned to the airline. You usually
can't get a cash refund for a credit card purchase.
* If you buy your tickets with a credit card and then change
your flights, the ticket agent may want to credit the amount of
the old tickets and issue another set with a second charge to
your account. You may want to insist that the value of your old
tickets be applied to the new ones, with the difference in price
charged or credited to your account. While this creates a little
extra work for the airlines, it prevents double-billing to your
charge account.
Payment by credit card provides certain protections under federal
credit laws. When a refund is due, the airline must forward a credit
to your card company within seven business days after receiving
a complete refund application. If you paid by credit card for a
refundable fare and you have trouble getting a refund that you are
due, report this in writing to your credit card company. If you
write to them within 60 days from the time that they mailed your
first monthly statement showing the charge for the airline ticket,
the card company should credit your account even if the airline
doesn't. This procedure is particularly useful if your airline ceases
operations before your flight.
Airline tickets are similar to negotiable documents. Because of
this, refunds can be difficult to obtain if tickets are lost or
stolen. Many passengers believe that air tickets can be replaced
as easily as travelers checks just because the reservation is in
the computer, but that is not the case. Your ticket number may be
shown on your credit card receipt or travel agency itinerary. If
it is not, jot down the number on a sheet of paper and carry it
separately from your ticket. Bring it with you on your trip. If
the ticket does go astray, the airline can process your refund application
more quickly, and perhaps issue an on-the-spot replacement ticket,
if you can give them this number. You should report a lost ticket
immediately to the airline that is shown as the issuing carrier
at the top of the ticket. You may be required to repurchase a ticket
in order to continue your trip. If you no longer meet all of the
restrictions on your discount fare (e.g., seven-day advance purchase)
the new ticket may cost more than the old one did. In that event,
however, it is generally the higher fare that is eventually refunded,
as long as you don't change any of the cities, flights or dates
on your trip. Once the airline establishes that you actually bought
the ticket, they will begin processing your refund application.
There is often a waiting period of two to six months. If anyone
uses or cashes in your ticket while the refund is pending, the airline
may refuse to give you your money back. Finally, there is a handling
charge that the airline may deduct from the refund. All in all,
getting a refund or replacement for a lost ticket is a lot of trouble,
and there's no guarantee you'll receive either one. So the best
advice is-don't lose the ticket in the first place.
