Air Travel

Question:

Archive-name: travel/air/handbook/part2 Last-Modified: Wed Jul  5 18:36:19 1995 by Mark Kantrowitz Version: 1.22 Size: 83265 bytes, 1687 lines URL: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/mkant/Public/Travel/airfare.html ;;; Written by Mark Kantrowitz This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are also covered. It was previously posted under the title "FAQ: How to Get Cheap Airtickets". Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms *** Copyright: Copyright (c) 1989-94 by Mark Kantrowitz. All rights reserved. This FAQ may be freely redistributed in its entirety without modification provided that this copyright notice is not removed.  It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents (e.g., published for sale on CD-ROM, floppy disks, books, magazines, or other print form) without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.  Permission is expressly granted for this document to be made available for file transfer from installations offering unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet. This article is provided AS IS without any express or implied warranty. *** Topics Covered: Part 2 (Travel Agents, Connections, Airports, Baggage):    Travel Agents:    [2-1]  Travel Agents    [2-2]  Unusual Travel Agents: Commission Rebaters    [2-3]  Consolidators    [2-4]  Couriers    [2-5]  Travel Agencies that Specialize in Students    [2-6]  Visit USA    [2-7]  Free Upgrades to First Class    [2-8]  Companion Tickets    [2-9]  Avoiding Travel Scams    [2-10] Missed Connections    [2-11] Getting There Faster    [2-12] Airports Monopolized by One Carrier    [2-13] Hub Cities    Baggage:    [2-14] Lost Baggage    [2-15] Baggage Limits    [2-16] Pets    [2-17] Bicycles    [2-18] Restrictions on Electronics    [2-19] X-ray Machines/Metal Detectors    [2-20] Packing Tips/Checklist Search for [#] to get to question number # quickly.    It pays to use a travel agent only if you know a *good* one. A good travel agent will know when a small change in your schedule can save you a lot of money. If you buy direct from the airline, you may not find out such information, since they will only quote you the rates for the times you ask. So if you’re going to use a travel agent, make sure that you find one who is willing (and able) to search through the morass of fares and restrictions to find a good deal for you. A travel agent who just punches your data into the computer and tells you the prices is no better than the airline’s 800 number. A good travel agent can probably save you about 10-15%. [Actually, if the airline goes bankrupt between ticket purchase and flight time, and you bought your ticket from a travel agent, you may be able to get a refund, especially from some of the larger agencies. If the airlines goes bankrupt within 10 days of the purchase of the ticket, the agency may not have paid the airline yet (they are allowed 10 days to do so), so you can ask them for a refund. Better yet, buy your airtickets with a credit card, and the federal credit protection act will allow you to get a refund from your credit card company.] There are several major differences between using a travel agency and using the airport (airline) ticket agents:    1. A travel agent can look at all the airline fares, not just       those of a single carrier. A good travel agent will check fares       on at least three carriers. Airlines can only give you their own       best fares. Then again, you can always call up three (or more)       airlines yourself to discover the best fares on each.    2. A travel agent can check for special deals with consolidators.       Airline ticket agents can’t. Airlines sell heavily discounted       tickets only through consolidators, not direct to the passenger. Given the frequency of fare changes these days, a good travel agent can often find you some real bargains. A bad travel agent, on the other hand, may miss getting you the lowest possible fare. So it is best to find yourself a good travel agent. If you don’t care for consolidator tickets, the travel agents get the same pricing information as is available from most of the online reservation services and the airlines themselves. So you can do your own legwork if you wish by calling the airlines themselves. But why do it when a good travel agent can do it for you? After all, when you buy a ticket direct from the airline the airline still keeps the commission, so why not give the commission to a travel agent, who’ll do a little work to make sure you get the cheapest fare? One reason to do the legwork yourself, either through an online CRS or by calling the airlines directly, is to get full details on the fare rules governing special fares. Many travel agents do not know how to retrieve the rules from their CRS, or aren’t willing to do so. If you read through the rules yourself, you may find a loophole or two to your benefit. Note that some travel agencies try to funnel all their business to a specific airline, because the more tickets they sell to a single airline, the more money they get. Airlines have incentive programs to encourage this practice. The travel agent may also know how to look up fares on only one airline.  This means that your travel agent may be checking the fares on a single airline, instead of hunting around for the best fare from several airlines. This is especially true for travel agencies near airports that are dominated by one carrier. Your best bet may be to call several airlines before you go to your travel agent, doing the research on your own, or to tell the travel agent to check fares on two or three specific airlines. (Don’t tell them to check on all airlines — nobody is going to do that much work just for a $20 commission.)    Also, airlines sometimes sell bulk tickets to large travel agencies at bargain basement prices if they think they cannot fill the seats. So depending on the travel agency, you might be able to get a really good deal. Travel agents sometimes get complimentary tickets (e.g., one free ticket for every 25 sold), which they can sell as they wish. (These are called "Promotional Tickets" and are for standby travel.)    But then again, travel agents get a commission on air tickets and hotels. The commission is a fixed percentage of the fare (if you order direct from the airline, the airline pockets the difference). So the agent can earn more money by selling you a more expensive ticket. So be cautious when using a travel agent. Look over the agent’s shoulder and see if they’re overlooking a really cheap flight. Most travel agents will try to find you the cheapest possible flight, because they want your repeat business. But that’s the only incentive for them to try to hunt down an inexpensive fare, so they may not be as thorough on the cheaper routes. All computer reservation systems provide a method of displaying the applicable fares in order of price, from cheapest on up.    Since discount flights have restrictions on day of week and flight times, make sure that you let the travel agent know that you are flexible and will change a day either way if that will save you money. Also don’t be shy of stating the obvious — that you’re looking for the cheapest possible fare — since (most) travel agents aren’t mind readers.    Airport ticket agents tend to be better informed than the people at the toll-free reservation number, since they often have to deal with special situations (missed connections, bumped people, etc.) that require really knowing the reservation system’s ins and outs.    But beware. Airport ticket agents are not beyond lying or making mistakes.  A frequent complaint of air travelers is being quoted one price over the phone, and finding that their credit card has been charged another. Sometimes this happens because the computer system has trouble completing the transaction and delays it until the following morning (whence the fare change). But other times it is due to human error (as if computer problems aren’t due to human error either). When you get your tickets, be sure to verify that the price charged matches the price you were quoted. If they’re different, be prepared for a fight — airlines seem very reluctant to own up to this kind of error. Give as much detailed information as possible, such as the time you called, the name of the ticket agent, the price quoted, any unusual occurrences. Get the problem fixed *before* you use the ticket. They probably won’t refund you the difference, as the price on the ticket is almost always the correct price, but they are required to (by law) allow you to cancel the ticket and get a full refund without penalty. If they give you any trouble, pursue it with your credit card company. It is worth repeating, however, that you can get the refund only if you don’t use the ticket, and initiate any complaint promptly. [Note that this circumstance is different from when the airline prints an incorrect price in the newspaper. Not only is the error clearly documented, but the error occurs before the transaction is completed, not after.] Even though most airlines are now matching their lowest discount fares, it still pays to have your travel agent check several airlines. For example, USAir has a virtual monopoly out of Pittsburgh, some sometimes they don’t feel the need to reduce the fares. If you don’t mind making a connection, you can sometimes save some money by taking another airline. Most airlines have a "tickets by mail" service which lets you charge the tickets … read more »

Response:

Archive-name: travel/air/handbook/part2 Last-Modified: Wed Dec 20 19:53:19 1995 by Mark Kantrowitz Version: 1.24 Size: 83147 bytes, 1685 lines URL: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/mkant/Public/Travel/airfare.html ;;; Written by Mark Kantrowitz This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are also covered. It was previously posted under the title "FAQ: How to Get Cheap Airtickets". Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms *** Copyright: Copyright (c) 1989-94 by Mark Kantrowitz. All rights reserved. This FAQ may be freely redistributed in its entirety without modification provided that this copyright notice is not removed.  It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents (e.g., published for sale on CD-ROM, floppy disks, books, magazines, or other print form) without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.  Permission is expressly granted for this document to be made available for file transfer from installations offering unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet. This article is provided AS IS without any express or implied warranty. *** Topics Covered: Part 2 (Travel Agents, Connections, Airports, Baggage):    Travel Agents:    [2-1]  Travel Agents    [2-2]  Unusual Travel Agents: Commission Rebaters    [2-3]  Consolidators    [2-4]  Couriers    [2-5]  Travel Agencies that Specialize in Students    [2-6]  Visit USA    [2-7]  Free Upgrades to First Class    [2-8]  Companion Tickets    [2-9]  Avoiding Travel Scams    [2-10] Missed Connections    [2-11] Getting There Faster    [2-12] Airports Monopolized by One Carrier    [2-13] Hub Cities    Baggage:    [2-14] Lost Baggage    [2-15] Baggage Limits    [2-16] Pets    [2-17] Bicycles    [2-18] Restrictions on Electronics    [2-19] X-ray Machines/Metal Detectors    [2-20] Packing Tips/Checklist Search for [#] to get to question number # quickly.    It pays to use a travel agent only if you know a *good* one. A good travel agent will know when a small change in your schedule can save you a lot of money. If you buy direct from the airline, you may not find out such information, since they will only quote you the rates for the times you ask. So if you’re going to use a travel agent, make sure that you find one who is willing (and able) to search through the morass of fares and restrictions to find a good deal for you. A travel agent who just punches your data into the computer and tells you the prices is no better than the airline’s 800 number. A good travel agent can probably save you about 10-15%. [Actually, if the airline goes bankrupt between ticket purchase and flight time, and you bought your ticket from a travel agent, you may be able to get a refund, especially from some of the larger agencies. If the airlines goes bankrupt within 10 days of the purchase of the ticket, the agency may not have paid the airline yet (they are allowed 10 days to do so), so you can ask them for a refund. Better yet, buy your airtickets with a credit card, and the federal credit protection act will allow you to get a refund from your credit card company.] There are several major differences between using a travel agency and using the airport (airline) ticket agents:    1. A travel agent can look at all the airline fares, not just       those of a single carrier. A good travel agent will check fares       on at least three carriers. Airlines can only give you their own       best fares. Then again, you can always call up three (or more)       airlines yourself to discover the best fares on each.    2. A travel agent can check for special deals with consolidators.       Airline ticket agents can’t. Airlines sell heavily discounted       tickets only through consolidators, not direct to the passenger. Given the frequency of fare changes these days, a good travel agent can often find you some real bargains. A bad travel agent, on the other hand, may miss getting you the lowest possible fare. So it is best to find yourself a good travel agent. If you don’t care for consolidator tickets, the travel agents get the same pricing information as is available from most of the online reservation services and the airlines themselves. So you can do your own legwork if you wish by calling the airlines themselves. But why do it when a good travel agent can do it for you? After all, when you buy a ticket direct from the airline the airline still keeps the commission, so why not give the commission to a travel agent, who’ll do a little work to make sure you get the cheapest fare? One reason to do the legwork yourself, either through an online CRS or by calling the airlines directly, is to get full details on the fare rules governing special fares. Many travel agents do not know how to retrieve the rules from their CRS, or aren’t willing to do so. If you read through the rules yourself, you may find a loophole or two to your benefit. Note that some travel agencies try to funnel all their business to a specific airline, because the more tickets they sell to a single airline, the more money they get. Airlines have incentive programs to encourage this practice. The travel agent may also know how to look up fares on only one airline.  This means that your travel agent may be checking the fares on a single airline, instead of hunting around for the best fare from several airlines. This is especially true for travel agencies near airports that are dominated by one carrier. Your best bet may be to call several airlines before you go to your travel agent, doing the research on your own, or to tell the travel agent to check fares on two or three specific airlines. (Don’t tell them to check on all airlines — nobody is going to do that much work just for a $20 commission.)    Also, airlines sometimes sell bulk tickets to large travel agencies at bargain basement prices if they think they cannot fill the seats. So depending on the travel agency, you might be able to get a really good deal. Travel agents sometimes get complimentary tickets (e.g., one free ticket for every 25 sold), which they can sell as they wish. (These are called "Promotional Tickets" and are for standby travel.)    But then again, travel agents get a commission on air tickets and hotels. The commission is a fixed percentage of the fare (if you order direct from the airline, the airline pockets the difference). So the agent can earn more money by selling you a more expensive ticket. So be cautious when using a travel agent. Look over the agent’s shoulder and see if they’re overlooking a really cheap flight. Most travel agents will try to find you the cheapest possible flight, because they want your repeat business. But that’s the only incentive for them to try to hunt down an inexpensive fare, so they may not be as thorough on the cheaper routes. All computer reservation systems provide a method of displaying the applicable fares in order of price, from cheapest on up.    Since discount flights have restrictions on day of week and flight times, make sure that you let the travel agent know that you are flexible and will change a day either way if that will save you money. Also don’t be shy of stating the obvious — that you’re looking for the cheapest possible fare — since (most) travel agents aren’t mind readers.    Airport ticket agents tend to be better informed than the people at the toll-free reservation number, since they often have to deal with special situations (missed connections, bumped people, etc.) that require really knowing the reservation system’s ins and outs.    But beware. Airport ticket agents are not beyond lying or making mistakes.  A frequent complaint of air travelers is being quoted one price over the phone, and finding that their credit card has been charged another. Sometimes this happens because the computer system has trouble completing the transaction and delays it until the following morning (whence the fare change). But other times it is due to human error (as if computer problems aren’t due to human error either). When you get your tickets, be sure to verify that the price charged matches the price you were quoted. If they’re different, be prepared for a fight — airlines seem very reluctant to own up to this kind of error. Give as much detailed information as possible, such as the time you called, the name of the ticket agent, the price quoted, any unusual occurrences. Get the problem fixed *before* you use the ticket. They probably won’t refund you the difference, as the price on the ticket is almost always the correct price, but they are required to (by law) allow you to cancel the ticket and get a full refund without penalty. If they give you any trouble, pursue it with your credit card company. It is worth repeating, however, that you can get the refund only if you don’t use the ticket, and initiate any complaint promptly. [Note that this circumstance is different from when the airline prints an incorrect price in the newspaper. Not only is the error clearly documented, but the error occurs before the transaction is completed, not after.] Even though most airlines are now matching their lowest discount fares, it still pays to have your travel agent check several airlines. For example, USAir has a virtual monopoly out of Pittsburgh, some sometimes they don’t feel the need to reduce the fares. If you don’t mind making a connection, you can sometimes save some money by taking another airline. Most airlines have a "tickets by mail" service which lets you charge the tickets … read more »

Response:

Archive-name: travel/air/handbook/part1 Last-Modified: Wed Dec 20 19:54:28 1995 by Mark Kantrowitz Version: 1.21 Size: 90361 bytes, 1786 lines URL: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/mkant/Public/Travel/airfare.html ;;; Written by Mark Kantrowitz This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are also covered. It was previously posted under the title "FAQ: How to Get Cheap Airtickets". The information in this FAQ applies primarily to US domestic flights, though some information may also apply to international flights. Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms *** Copyright: Copyright (c) 1989-94 by Mark Kantrowitz. All rights reserved. This FAQ may be freely redistributed in its entirety without modification provided that this copyright notice is not removed.  It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents (e.g., published for sale on CD-ROM, floppy disks, books, magazines, or other print form) without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.  Permission is expressly granted for this document to be made available for file transfer from installations offering unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet. If this FAQ is reproduced in offline media (e.g., CD-ROM, print form, etc.), a complimentary copy should be sent to Mark Kantrowitz, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3891 USA. This article is provided AS IS without any express or implied warranty. *** Recent Changes: ;;; 1.20: ;;; 31-MAY-95 mk    Replaced all the URLs in [4-12] with a pointer to the FAQ’s ;;;                 home page, which now includes a substantially greater ;;;                 number of links. ;;; 1.21: ;;; 20-DEC-95 mk    Corrected several London numbers, thanks to Richard Relf. *** Topics Covered: Part 1:   [1-0]  Obtaining the FAQ   [1-1a] Standard Tricks: Advance Booking Discounts   [1-1b] Advance Purchase Fares   [1-2]  Nested/Overlapping Tickets Strategy   [1-x]  Stopovers and Circle Trips   [1-3]  Fare Classes   [1-4]  Classes of Service   [1-5]  Fare Types   [1-6]  Special Fare Categories   [1-7]  Children’s Fares   [1-8]  Clergy Fares   [1-9]  Military Fares   [1-10] Senior Citizen Fares   [1-11] Student/Youth Fares   [1-12] Family Fares   [1-13] Conference Fares   [1-14] Sympathy Fares, Emergency Fares   [1-15] Refunds   [1-16] Flying Standby   [1-17] Getting Bumped   [1-18] Special Travel Dates/Fare Sales/Fare Wars   [1-19] Moving Up the Return Flight   [1-20] Hidden City Fares   [1-21] Buying Someone Else’s Nonrefundable Ticket   [1-22] Discount Airlines   [1-23] Tour Desks Part 2 (Travel Agents, Connections, Airports, Baggage):    Travel Agents:    [2-1]  Travel Agents    [2-2]  Unusual Travel Agents: Commission Rebaters    [2-3]  Consolidators    [2-4]  Couriers    [2-5]  Travel Agencies that Specialize in Students    [2-6]  Visit USA    [2-7]  Free Upgrades to First Class    [2-8]  Companion Tickets    [2-9]  Avoiding Travel Scams    [2-10] Missed Connections    [2-11] Getting There Faster    [2-12] Airports Monopolized by One Carrier    [2-13] Hub Cities    Baggage:    [2-14] Lost Baggage    [2-15] Baggage Limits    [2-16] Pets    [2-17] Bicycles    [2-18] Restrictions on Electronics    [2-19] X-ray Machines/Metal Detectors    [2-20] Packing Tips/Checklist Part 3 (Safety & Comfort, Frequent Flyers):    Travel Safety, Comfort, and Convenience:    [3-1]  Travel Advisories/Health Information    [3-2]  Travel Safety    [3-3]  Air Quality    [3-4]  Smoke-Free Flights    [3-4a] Air Pressure Problems (Colds)    [3-5]  Special Meals    [3-6]  Jetlag    [3-7]  Pregnant Passengers    [3-8]  Tips for Families Flying with Children    [3-9]  Tips for Business Travelers    [3-9b] Best Seats    [3-10] Exchanging Currency    Frequent Flyers:    [3-11] Frequent Flyer Programs    [3-12] Premier FF Membership    [3-13] Hotel Frequent Flyer Plans    [3-14] Credit Card Voucher Offers    [3-15] Telephone Companies    [3-16] Discount Coupon Offers Part 4 (Appendices, Miscellaneous):    Appendices:    [4-1]  Airline Reservation Phone Numbers    [4-2]  Flight Information    [4-3]  On-line reservation services    [4-4]  Complaints and Compliments    [4-5]  Glossary    [4-6]  Other Sources of Information    [4-7]  Further Reading    [4-8]  Phone Numbers Included in this FAQ    Miscellaneous:    [4-9]  IRS Rules Change    [4-10] Airline Antitrust Litigation    [4-11] Miscellaneous Notes    [4-12] World-Wide Web (WWW) Resources Search for [#] to get to question number # quickly. *** Notes:    All dollar ($) amounts in this FAQ are in US dollars. Certain questions and topics come up frequently in the rec.travel.air newsgroup. This FAQ is intended to gather these questions and their answers into a convenient and comprehensive reference. The hope is that this will cut down on the user time and network bandwidth used to post, read and respond to the same questions over and over, as well as answering questions some readers may not even have thought to ask. Posts of a commercial nature, such as the buying and selling of airplane tickets, should be posted to rec.travel.marketplace and not this newsgroup. An updated version of this file is posted once a month on the 13th of the month to the newsgroups rec.travel.air and news.answers. The version date for the file is located in the header near the top of the file. In between postings, the latest version of this FAQ is available by anonymous FTP from    ftp.cs.cmu.edu:/user/mkant/Travel/   [128.2.206.173] email address) or via AFS in the Andrew File System directory    /afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/mkant/Public/Travel/ as the files airfare1.faq, airfare2.faq, airfare3.faq, and airfare4.faq. Other files available from this directory include:    bucket.faq       Edward Hasbrouck’s FAQ on Bucket Shops and Consolidators    classes.txt      List of fare classes    discounts.txt    Table of Airline Special Fare Discounts (29-JUL-92)    em_intrfrnc.txt  Summary of EM Interference by Laurie Bechtler    ff.faq           Joel Chan’s Frequent Flyer FAQ    flt_attdnt.txt   Description of the Job of a Flight Attendant    iata.tgz         List of worldwide airport IATA codes by Peter Loibl                     and Paulo Santos    jetlag.txt       The ANL jet lag diet.    online.faq       John Levine’s FAQ on Online Computer Reservation Systems    tourism.faq      Where to get tourist/travel information The FAQ postings are also archived in the periodic posting archive on    rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/news.answers/travel/air/handbook/ [18.181.0.24] If you do not have anonymous ftp access, you can access the archive by with "help" and "index" in the body on separate lines for more information. A HTML version of the FAQ is available as http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/travel/air/handboo… If you need to cite the FAQ for some reason, use the following format:    Mark Kantrowitz, "Air Traveler’s Handbook", rec.travel.air, <month>, <year>, Airlines give better fares to people who advance book because they are trying to encourage people to book as early as possible. If the airline were to lower fares just before flight time there would be a flood of people (on random flights) at the last minute. Airlines need an accurate estimate of the number of people and amount of baggage on a flight so that they can load the proper amount of fuel.  (Meals and beverages also have to be loaded.) Moreover, people who book at the last minute are usually flying on business, and therefore the business is paying for it.  People flying for pleasure usually know weeks or months in advance, and can’t afford the prices that a business would pay. Thus it is to an airline’s advantage to set rates according to the major differences between business and leisure travelers:     o  Business travelers fly mostly between 9 and 5, whereas leisure        travelers can fly offpeak hours.     o  Business travelers buy tickets on very short notice, whereas        leisure travelers plan trips well in advance.     o  Business travelers do not stay over a weekend (= Saturday        night), whereas leisure travelers do. So airlines typically give discounts for people who stay over a weekend, flying offpeak hours, and purchasing tickets 7 days, 14 days, 21 days or 30 days in advance. Such fares are known as excursion, discount, or supersaver fares. For example, US domestic excursion fares require that you buy your roundtrip ticket 7 days, 14 days, or 30 days in advance, and that you stay over a weekend (usually Saturday night, though sometimes Sunday night as well).  Some may also restrict the travel to a 30-day maximum stay. Stopovers aren’t allowed, except for the purpose of connection (if you want a stopover, you’ll have to pay extra). Some fares may be limited to a particular routing (e.g., routes with connections cost less than nonstop flights). You may also be limited to flying during offpeak hours, with flights during the busiest times of the day costing more. Tickets are usually non-refundable and non-transferable, and may either be non-changeable or have a $35 change fee. The price is usually the average of … read more »

Response:

Archive-name: travel/air/handbook/part1 Last-Modified: Wed May 31 02:41:41 1995 by Mark Kantrowitz Version: 1.20 Size: 90286 bytes, 1784 lines URL: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/travel/air/handboo… ;;; Written by Mark Kantrowitz This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are also covered. It was previously posted under the title "FAQ: How to Get Cheap Airtickets". The information in this FAQ applies primarily to US domestic flights, though some information may also apply to international flights. Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms *** Copyright: Copyright (c) 1989-94 by Mark Kantrowitz. All rights reserved. This FAQ may be freely redistributed in its entirety without modification provided that this copyright notice is not removed.  It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents (e.g., published for sale on CD-ROM, floppy disks, books, magazines, or other print form) without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.  Permission is expressly granted for this document to be made available for file transfer from installations offering unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet. If this FAQ is reproduced in offline media (e.g., CD-ROM, print form, etc.), a complimentary copy should be sent to Mark Kantrowitz, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3891 USA. This article is provided AS IS without any express or implied warranty. *** Recent Changes: ;;; 1.20: ;;; 31-MAY-95 mk    Replaced all the URLs in [4-12] with a pointer to the FAQ’s ;;;                 home page, which now includes a substantially greater ;;;                 number of links. *** Topics Covered: Part 1:   [1-0]  Obtaining the FAQ   [1-1a] Standard Tricks: Advance Booking Discounts   [1-1b] Advance Purchase Fares   [1-2]  Nested/Overlapping Tickets Strategy   [1-x]  Stopovers and Circle Trips   [1-3]  Fare Classes   [1-4]  Classes of Service   [1-5]  Fare Types   [1-6]  Special Fare Categories   [1-7]  Children’s Fares   [1-8]  Clergy Fares   [1-9]  Military Fares   [1-10] Senior Citizen Fares   [1-11] Student/Youth Fares   [1-12] Family Fares   [1-13] Conference Fares   [1-14] Sympathy Fares, Emergency Fares   [1-15] Refunds   [1-16] Flying Standby   [1-17] Getting Bumped   [1-18] Special Travel Dates/Fare Sales/Fare Wars   [1-19] Moving Up the Return Flight   [1-20] Hidden City Fares   [1-21] Buying Someone Else’s Nonrefundable Ticket   [1-22] Discount Airlines   [1-23] Tour Desks Part 2 (Travel Agents, Connections, Airports, Baggage):    Travel Agents:    [2-1]  Travel Agents    [2-2]  Unusual Travel Agents: Commission Rebaters    [2-3]  Consolidators    [2-4]  Couriers    [2-5]  Travel Agencies that Specialize in Students    [2-6]  Visit USA    [2-7]  Free Upgrades to First Class    [2-8]  Companion Tickets    [2-9]  Avoiding Travel Scams    [2-10] Missed Connections    [2-11] Getting There Faster    [2-12] Airports Monopolized by One Carrier    [2-13] Hub Cities    Baggage:    [2-14] Lost Baggage    [2-15] Baggage Limits    [2-16] Pets    [2-17] Bicycles    [2-18] Restrictions on Electronics    [2-19] X-ray Machines/Metal Detectors    [2-20] Packing Tips/Checklist Part 3 (Safety & Comfort, Frequent Flyers):    Travel Safety, Comfort, and Convenience:    [3-1]  Travel Advisories/Health Information    [3-2]  Travel Safety    [3-3]  Air Quality    [3-4]  Smoke-Free Flights    [3-4a] Air Pressure Problems (Colds)    [3-5]  Special Meals    [3-6]  Jetlag    [3-7]  Pregnant Passengers    [3-8]  Tips for Families Flying with Children    [3-9]  Tips for Business Travelers    [3-9b] Best Seats    [3-10] Exchanging Currency    Frequent Flyers:    [3-11] Frequent Flyer Programs    [3-12] Premier FF Membership    [3-13] Hotel Frequent Flyer Plans    [3-14] Credit Card Voucher Offers    [3-15] Telephone Companies    [3-16] Discount Coupon Offers Part 4 (Appendices, Miscellaneous):    Appendices:    [4-1]  Airline Reservation Phone Numbers    [4-2]  Flight Information    [4-3]  On-line reservation services    [4-4]  Complaints and Compliments    [4-5]  Glossary    [4-6]  Other Sources of Information    [4-7]  Further Reading    [4-8]  Phone Numbers Included in this FAQ    Miscellaneous:    [4-9]  IRS Rules Change    [4-10] Airline Antitrust Litigation    [4-11] Miscellaneous Notes    [4-12] World-Wide Web (WWW) Resources Search for [#] to get to question number # quickly. *** Notes:    All dollar ($) amounts in this FAQ are in US dollars. Certain questions and topics come up frequently in the rec.travel.air newsgroup. This FAQ is intended to gather these questions and their answers into a convenient and comprehensive reference. The hope is that this will cut down on the user time and network bandwidth used to post, read and respond to the same questions over and over, as well as answering questions some readers may not even have thought to ask. Posts of a commercial nature, such as the buying and selling of airplane tickets, should be posted to rec.travel.marketplace and not this newsgroup. An updated version of this file is posted once a month on the 13th of the month to the newsgroups rec.travel.air and news.answers. The version date for the file is located in the header near the top of the file. In between postings, the latest version of this FAQ is available by anonymous FTP from    ftp.cs.cmu.edu:/user/mkant/Travel/   [128.2.206.173] email address) or via AFS in the Andrew File System directory    /afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/mkant/Public/Travel/ as the files airfare1.faq, airfare2.faq, airfare3.faq, and airfare4.faq. Other files available from this directory include:    bucket.faq       Edward Hasbrouck’s FAQ on Bucket Shops and Consolidators    classes.txt      List of fare classes    discounts.txt    Table of Airline Special Fare Discounts (29-JUL-92)    em_intrfrnc.txt  Summary of EM Interference by Laurie Bechtler    ff.faq           Joel Chan’s Frequent Flyer FAQ    flt_attdnt.txt   Description of the Job of a Flight Attendant    iata.tgz         List of worldwide airport IATA codes by Peter Loibl                     and Paulo Santos    jetlag.txt       The ANL jet lag diet.    online.faq       John Levine’s FAQ on Online Computer Reservation Systems    tourism.faq      Where to get tourist/travel information The FAQ postings are also archived in the periodic posting archive on    rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/news.answers/travel/air/handbook/ [18.181.0.24] If you do not have anonymous ftp access, you can access the archive by with "help" and "index" in the body on separate lines for more information. A HTML version of the FAQ is available as http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/travel/air/handboo… If you need to cite the FAQ for some reason, use the following format:    Mark Kantrowitz, "Air Traveler’s Handbook", rec.travel.air, <month>, <year>, Airlines give better fares to people who advance book because they are trying to encourage people to book as early as possible. If the airline were to lower fares just before flight time there would be a flood of people (on random flights) at the last minute. Airlines need an accurate estimate of the number of people and amount of baggage on a flight so that they can load the proper amount of fuel.  (Meals and beverages also have to be loaded.) Moreover, people who book at the last minute are usually flying on business, and therefore the business is paying for it.  People flying for pleasure usually know weeks or months in advance, and can’t afford the prices that a business would pay. Thus it is to an airline’s advantage to set rates according to the major differences between business and leisure travelers:     o  Business travelers fly mostly between 9 and 5, whereas leisure        travelers can fly offpeak hours.     o  Business travelers buy tickets on very short notice, whereas        leisure travelers plan trips well in advance.     o  Business travelers do not stay over a weekend (= Saturday        night), whereas leisure travelers do. So airlines typically give discounts for people who stay over a weekend, flying offpeak hours, and purchasing tickets 7 days, 14 days, 21 days or 30 days in advance. Such fares are known as excursion, discount, or supersaver fares. For example, US domestic excursion fares require that you buy your roundtrip ticket 7 days, 14 days, or 30 days in advance, and that you stay over a weekend (usually Saturday night, though sometimes Sunday night as well).  Some may also restrict the travel to a 30-day maximum stay. Stopovers aren’t allowed, except for the purpose of connection (if you want a stopover, you’ll have to pay extra). Some fares may be limited to a particular routing (e.g., routes with connections cost less than nonstop flights). You may also be limited to flying during offpeak hours, with flights during the busiest times of the day costing more. Tickets are usually non-refundable and non-transferable, and may either be non-changeable or have a $35 change fee. The price is usually the average of the two one-way tickets.  (E.g., a 2-week advance PGH/BOS advance ticket is

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Archive-name: travel/air/handbook/part2 Last-Modified: Wed Jun  7 14:22:18 1995 by Mark Kantrowitz Version: 1.21 Size: 82845 bytes, 1679 lines URL: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/travel/air/handboo… ;;; Written by Mark Kantrowitz This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are also covered. It was previously posted under the title "FAQ: How to Get Cheap Airtickets". Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms *** Copyright: Copyright (c) 1989-94 by Mark Kantrowitz. All rights reserved. This FAQ may be freely redistributed in its entirety without modification provided that this copyright notice is not removed.  It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents (e.g., published for sale on CD-ROM, floppy disks, books, magazines, or other print form) without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.  Permission is expressly granted for this document to be made available for file transfer from installations offering unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet. This article is provided AS IS without any express or implied warranty. *** Topics Covered: Part 2 (Travel Agents, Connections, Airports, Baggage):    Travel Agents:    [2-1]  Travel Agents    [2-2]  Unusual Travel Agents: Commission Rebaters    [2-3]  Consolidators    [2-4]  Couriers    [2-5]  Travel Agencies that Specialize in Students    [2-6]  Visit USA    [2-7]  Free Upgrades to First Class    [2-8]  Companion Tickets    [2-9]  Avoiding Travel Scams    [2-10] Missed Connections    [2-11] Getting There Faster    [2-12] Airports Monopolized by One Carrier    [2-13] Hub Cities    Baggage:    [2-14] Lost Baggage    [2-15] Baggage Limits    [2-16] Pets    [2-17] Bicycles    [2-18] Restrictions on Electronics    [2-19] X-ray Machines/Metal Detectors    [2-20] Packing Tips/Checklist Search for [#] to get to question number # quickly.    It pays to use a travel agent only if you know a *good* one. A good travel agent will know when a small change in your schedule can save you a lot of money. If you buy direct from the airline, you may not find out such information, since they will only quote you the rates for the times you ask. So if you’re going to use a travel agent, make sure that you find one who is willing (and able) to search through the morass of fares and restrictions to find a good deal for you. A travel agent who just punches your data into the computer and tells you the prices is no better than the airline’s 800 number. A good travel agent can probably save you about 10-15%. [Actually, if the airline goes bankrupt between ticket purchase and flight time, and you bought your ticket from a travel agent, you may be able to get a refund, especially from some of the larger agencies. If the airlines goes bankrupt within 10 days of the purchase of the ticket, the agency may not have paid the airline yet (they are allowed 10 days to do so), so you can ask them for a refund. Better yet, buy your airtickets with a credit card, and the federal credit protection act will allow you to get a refund from your credit card company.] There are several major differences between using a travel agency and using the airport (airline) ticket agents:    1. A travel agent can look at all the airline fares, not just       those of a single carrier. A good travel agent will check fares       on at least three carriers. Airlines can only give you their own       best fares. Then again, you can always call up three (or more)       airlines yourself to discover the best fares on each.    2. A travel agent can check for special deals with consolidators.       Airline ticket agents can’t. Airlines sell heavily discounted       tickets only through consolidators, not direct to the passenger. Given the frequency of fare changes these days, a good travel agent can often find you some real bargains. A bad travel agent, on the other hand, may miss getting you the lowest possible fare. So it is best to find yourself a good travel agent. If you don’t care for consolidator tickets, the travel agents get the same pricing information as is available from most of the online reservation services and the airlines themselves. So you can do your own legwork if you wish by calling the airlines themselves. But why do it when a good travel agent can do it for you? After all, when you buy a ticket direct from the airline the airline still keeps the commission, so why not give the commission to a travel agent, who’ll do a little work to make sure you get the cheapest fare? One reason to do the legwork yourself, either through an online CRS or by calling the airlines directly, is to get full details on the fare rules governing special fares. Many travel agents do not know how to retrieve the rules from their CRS, or aren’t willing to do so. If you read through the rules yourself, you may find a loophole or two to your benefit. Note that some travel agencies try to funnel all their business to a specific airline, because the more tickets they sell to a single airline, the more money they get. Airlines have incentive programs to encourage this practice. The travel agent may also know how to look up fares on only one airline.  This means that your travel agent may be checking the fares on a single airline, instead of hunting around for the best fare from several airlines. This is especially true for travel agencies near airports that are dominated by one carrier. Your best bet may be to call several airlines before you go to your travel agent, doing the research on your own, or to tell the travel agent to check fares on two or three specific airlines. (Don’t tell them to check on all airlines — nobody is going to do that much work just for a $20 commission.)    Also, airlines sometimes sell bulk tickets to large travel agencies at bargain basement prices if they think they cannot fill the seats. So depending on the travel agency, you might be able to get a really good deal. Travel agents sometimes get complimentary tickets (e.g., one free ticket for every 25 sold), which they can sell as they wish. (These are called "Promotional Tickets" and are for standby travel.)    But then again, travel agents get a commission on air tickets and hotels. The commission is a fixed percentage of the fare (if you order direct from the airline, the airline pockets the difference). So the agent can earn more money by selling you a more expensive ticket. So be cautious when using a travel agent. Look over the agent’s shoulder and see if they’re overlooking a really cheap flight. Most travel agents will try to find you the cheapest possible flight, because they want your repeat business. But that’s the only incentive for them to try to hunt down an inexpensive fare, so they may not be as thorough on the cheaper routes. All computer reservation systems provide a method of displaying the applicable fares in order of price, from cheapest on up.    Since discount flights have restrictions on day of week and flight times, make sure that you let the travel agent know that you are flexible and will change a day either way if that will save you money. Also don’t be shy of stating the obvious — that you’re looking for the cheapest possible fare — since (most) travel agents aren’t mind readers.    Airport ticket agents tend to be better informed than the people at the toll-free reservation number, since they often have to deal with special situations (missed connections, bumped people, etc.) that require really knowing the reservation system’s ins and outs.    But beware. Airport ticket agents are not beyond lying or making mistakes.  A frequent complaint of air travelers is being quoted one price over the phone, and finding that their credit card has been charged another. Sometimes this happens because the computer system has trouble completing the transaction and delays it until the following morning (whence the fare change). But other times it is due to human error (as if computer problems aren’t due to human error either). When you get your tickets, be sure to verify that the price charged matches the price you were quoted. If they’re different, be prepared for a fight — airlines seem very reluctant to own up to this kind of error. Give as much detailed information as possible, such as the time you called, the name of the ticket agent, the price quoted, any unusual occurrences. Get the problem fixed *before* you use the ticket. They probably won’t refund you the difference, as the price on the ticket is almost always the correct price, but they are required to (by law) allow you to cancel the ticket and get a full refund without penalty. If they give you any trouble, pursue it with your credit card company. It is worth repeating, however, that you can get the refund only if you don’t use the ticket, and initiate any complaint promptly. [Note that this circumstance is different from when the airline prints an incorrect price in the newspaper. Not only is the error clearly documented, but the error occurs before the transaction is completed, not after.] Even though most airlines are now matching their lowest discount fares, it still pays to have your travel agent check several airlines. For example, USAir has a virtual monopoly out of Pittsburgh, some sometimes they don’t feel the need to reduce the fares. If you don’t mind making a connection, you can sometimes save some money by taking another airline. Most airlines have a "tickets by mail" service which lets you … read more »

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Archive-name: travel/air/handbook/part3 Last-Modified: Wed May 31 01:37:25 1995 by Mark Kantrowitz Version: 1.21 Size: 95174 bytes, 1885 lines URL: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/travel/air/handboo… ;;; Written by Mark Kantrowitz This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are also covered. It was previously posted under the title "FAQ: How to Get Cheap Airtickets". Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms *** Copyright: Copyright (c) 1989-94 by Mark Kantrowitz. All rights reserved. This FAQ may be freely redistributed in its entirety without modification provided that this copyright notice is not removed.  It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents (e.g., published for sale on CD-ROM, floppy disks, books, magazines, or other print form) without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.  Permission is expressly granted for this document to be made available for file transfer from installations offering unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet. This article is provided AS IS without any express or implied warranty. *** Topics Covered: Part 3 (Safety & Comfort, Frequent Flyers):    Travel Safety, Comfort, and Convenience:    [3-1]  Travel Advisories/Health Information    [3-2]  Travel Safety    [3-3]  Air Quality    [3-4]  Smoke-Free Flights    [3-4a] Air Pressure Problems (Colds)    [3-5]  Special Meals    [3-6]  Jetlag    [3-7]  Pregnant Passengers    [3-8]  Tips for Families Flying with Children    [3-9]  Tips for Business Travelers    [3-9b] Best Seats    [3-10] Exchanging Currency    Frequent Flyers:    [3-11] Frequent Flyer Programs    [3-12] Premier FF Membership    [3-13] Hotel Frequent Flyer Plans    [3-14] Credit Card Voucher Offers    [3-15] Telephone Companies    [3-16] Discount Coupon Offers Search for [#] to get to question number # quickly. Travel advisories are issued by the US State Department, and include Travel Warnings and Consular Information Sheets for every country. These contain basic information every US citizen should know before traveling to a foreign country. Travel Warnings contain advisories about recent dangerous circumstances affecting travelers to particular countries, such as political and social unrest. Consular information sheets list the location of the US embassy or consulate. They also include unusual immigration practices, health conditions, minor political disturbances, unusual currency and entry regulations, crime and security information, and drug penalties. For more information or personal help, call    Citizens Emergency Center:  202-647-5225    Citizens Consular Services: 202-647-3444    Passport Services:          202-647-0518    Visa Services:              202-663-1225    US State Department:        202-647-4000/5225 They can help with citizenship matters, property and legal problems, questions of how to pay taxes and vote, and provide advice on similar issues while you are abroad. The State Department desk officers for particular countries will sometimes be more candid than the published travel warnings. Advisories and related files may also be obtained by anonymous ftp from    ftp.stolaf.edu:/pub/travel-advisories/advisories by joining the travel-advisories list. To subscribe, send an email    subscribe in the message body. [This service is provided by Craig D. Rice You can also call the US Department of Transportation's Free Travel Advisory number at 800-221-0673. For international health information (vaccines, etc.), call the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, at 404-332-4559. They also have a fax-back service at 404-639-3311. You should also read a tour book on your destination, to familiarize yourself with any notable local laws, currency regulations, and other restrictions. Activities you may take for granted at home (e.g., littering and spitting) may be illegal in the country you're visiting. Travel by commercial airplane is among the safest ways to travel. But there are still some risks. To improve your chances of surviving in the event of a crash:   -  Sit near the wings, as the airplane is reinforced there to      support the wings.   -  Wear natural-fiber clothes. Synthetics can melt or ignite,      producing smoke and toxic fumes and causing burns.   -  Wear comfortable shoes or sneakers, without high heels. High      heels can snag on the escape slide.   -  Bring your own infant safety seat. Use one which has been      approved for use in motor vehicles AND aircraft. Don't use one      which was made before February 26, 1985.   -  In the event of a crash, do not carry any bags or other items      with you. They can cause you to tumble on the slide, leading to      broken bones or more serious injuries. There are two things you should do every time you board a plane, since they vary from aircraft to aircraft:   -  Count the number of seats from you to the nearest exits, both in      front of you and behind you. This will let you find the exits      even if you've been blinded or the smoke is so thick you can't      see the way out.   -  Locate your personal flotation device. It may be your seat      cushion, or it may be an inflatable life vest in a plastic bag stored      beneath your seat. Sometimes a life vest is stored in or under your      armrest, especially in business or first class. If you personal      flotation device is missing or damaged, bring this to the      attention of the flight attendant before takeoff. If you do this, you'll save yourself precious seconds in the event of a real emergency. Those seconds can mean the difference between life and death. Fatal accidents involving plane crashes are extremely rare. The chances of your being on such a crash is less than one in a million, according to figures from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). During the past ten years there have been usually only one or two fatal crashes a year, involving no more than 300 deaths. In contrast, in a typical year there are more than 40,000 fatal automobile accidents in the US. Of course, these numbers aren't really comparable. A more accurate comparison would involve the fatal accident rates per passenger mile and per passenger trip. But even so, air transportation is definitely safer than ground transportation. Other safety issues:    +  Notify the flight attendant of any relevant medical conditions,       disabilities, and/or medications. Medication should be       transported in the original bottle. Carry a card listing any       serious health conditions, the required medication and dosages, and       your doctor's home and work telephone numbers. Include a list of       allergies and your blood type.    +  If traveling by car in a foreign country and you are involved in       a minor accident, do not leave your car. Instead, go to a       well-lit area, such as a shopping mall (or better yet, a police       station) and call the police. A common scam is for       criminals to follow foreigners from the airport, bump their       cars in a remote location, and then rob them.    +  If you need directions, ask at the airport information desk, a       hotel, gas station, bank, or restaurant. Don't ask a stranger on       the street. Even if you're lost act as if you know where you're       going and continue walking.    +  Walk only in well-lit areas and avoid slums.    +  Don't make it obvious that you're a foreigner. When in Rome, do       as Romans do. Keep a low profile and try to blend in as much as       possible. Dress as they dress and carry your camera       inconspicuously. Avoid clothing and jewelry that identifies you       as a traveler. Don't engage in loud and boisterous behavior       that draws attention. Women should be especially careful to       dress apropriately, as clothing restrictions are more stringent       for women in many foreign countries. Don't wear provocative clothing.    +  Carry important documents and valuables in a money belt or neck       pouch. Store unneeded valuables in the hotel safe and not in       your room.    +  In Europe, the groups of small children who crowd around you       outside airports, hotels, and similar establishments are often       pickpockets. Avoid crowds and unexpected situations.    +  Do not leave valuables unattended on the plane.    +  If you are having trouble managing your bags, get a baggage       cart. A common ploy is for a scam artist to bump into you,       sending your bags flying. While this individual is helping you       gather your bags (and distracting your attention), a confederate       is walking away with one of your bags. Stay alert. It is best to       travel light, with a single piece of luggage.    +  Keep a list of your credit card numbers at home in a safe place,       in case your cards are lost or stolen during your trip. You may       want to bring a list of the bank phone numbers with you.    +  Let your family and friends know your itinerary, in case of       emergency. They should also know how to get a copy of your       medical and dental records, and your will, if necessary.    +  If carrying a purse, carry it in front of your, close to your       body, and

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Archive-name: travel/air/handbook/part2 Last-Modified: Mon Jul 17 18:34:43 1995 by Mark Kantrowitz Version: 1.23 Size: 83404 bytes, 1690 lines URL: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/mkant/Public/Travel/airfare.html ;;; Written by Mark Kantrowitz This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are also covered. It was previously posted under the title "FAQ: How to Get Cheap Airtickets". Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms *** Copyright: Copyright (c) 1989-94 by Mark Kantrowitz. All rights reserved. This FAQ may be freely redistributed in its entirety without modification provided that this copyright notice is not removed.  It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents (e.g., published for sale on CD-ROM, floppy disks, books, magazines, or other print form) without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.  Permission is expressly granted for this document to be made available for file transfer from installations offering unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet. This article is provided AS IS without any express or implied warranty. *** Topics Covered: Part 2 (Travel Agents, Connections, Airports, Baggage):    Travel Agents:    [2-1]  Travel Agents    [2-2]  Unusual Travel Agents: Commission Rebaters    [2-3]  Consolidators    [2-4]  Couriers    [2-5]  Travel Agencies that Specialize in Students    [2-6]  Visit USA    [2-7]  Free Upgrades to First Class    [2-8]  Companion Tickets    [2-9]  Avoiding Travel Scams    [2-10] Missed Connections    [2-11] Getting There Faster    [2-12] Airports Monopolized by One Carrier    [2-13] Hub Cities    Baggage:    [2-14] Lost Baggage    [2-15] Baggage Limits    [2-16] Pets    [2-17] Bicycles    [2-18] Restrictions on Electronics    [2-19] X-ray Machines/Metal Detectors    [2-20] Packing Tips/Checklist Search for [#] to get to question number # quickly.    It pays to use a travel agent only if you know a *good* one. A good travel agent will know when a small change in your schedule can save you a lot of money. If you buy direct from the airline, you may not find out such information, since they will only quote you the rates for the times you ask. So if you’re going to use a travel agent, make sure that you find one who is willing (and able) to search through the morass of fares and restrictions to find a good deal for you. A travel agent who just punches your data into the computer and tells you the prices is no better than the airline’s 800 number. A good travel agent can probably save you about 10-15%. [Actually, if the airline goes bankrupt between ticket purchase and flight time, and you bought your ticket from a travel agent, you may be able to get a refund, especially from some of the larger agencies. If the airlines goes bankrupt within 10 days of the purchase of the ticket, the agency may not have paid the airline yet (they are allowed 10 days to do so), so you can ask them for a refund. Better yet, buy your airtickets with a credit card, and the federal credit protection act will allow you to get a refund from your credit card company.] There are several major differences between using a travel agency and using the airport (airline) ticket agents:    1. A travel agent can look at all the airline fares, not just       those of a single carrier. A good travel agent will check fares       on at least three carriers. Airlines can only give you their own       best fares. Then again, you can always call up three (or more)       airlines yourself to discover the best fares on each.    2. A travel agent can check for special deals with consolidators.       Airline ticket agents can’t. Airlines sell heavily discounted       tickets only through consolidators, not direct to the passenger. Given the frequency of fare changes these days, a good travel agent can often find you some real bargains. A bad travel agent, on the other hand, may miss getting you the lowest possible fare. So it is best to find yourself a good travel agent. If you don’t care for consolidator tickets, the travel agents get the same pricing information as is available from most of the online reservation services and the airlines themselves. So you can do your own legwork if you wish by calling the airlines themselves. But why do it when a good travel agent can do it for you? After all, when you buy a ticket direct from the airline the airline still keeps the commission, so why not give the commission to a travel agent, who’ll do a little work to make sure you get the cheapest fare? One reason to do the legwork yourself, either through an online CRS or by calling the airlines directly, is to get full details on the fare rules governing special fares. Many travel agents do not know how to retrieve the rules from their CRS, or aren’t willing to do so. If you read through the rules yourself, you may find a loophole or two to your benefit. Note that some travel agencies try to funnel all their business to a specific airline, because the more tickets they sell to a single airline, the more money they get. Airlines have incentive programs to encourage this practice. The travel agent may also know how to look up fares on only one airline.  This means that your travel agent may be checking the fares on a single airline, instead of hunting around for the best fare from several airlines. This is especially true for travel agencies near airports that are dominated by one carrier. Your best bet may be to call several airlines before you go to your travel agent, doing the research on your own, or to tell the travel agent to check fares on two or three specific airlines. (Don’t tell them to check on all airlines — nobody is going to do that much work just for a $20 commission.)    Also, airlines sometimes sell bulk tickets to large travel agencies at bargain basement prices if they think they cannot fill the seats. So depending on the travel agency, you might be able to get a really good deal. Travel agents sometimes get complimentary tickets (e.g., one free ticket for every 25 sold), which they can sell as they wish. (These are called "Promotional Tickets" and are for standby travel.)    But then again, travel agents get a commission on air tickets and hotels. The commission is a fixed percentage of the fare (if you order direct from the airline, the airline pockets the difference). So the agent can earn more money by selling you a more expensive ticket. So be cautious when using a travel agent. Look over the agent’s shoulder and see if they’re overlooking a really cheap flight. Most travel agents will try to find you the cheapest possible flight, because they want your repeat business. But that’s the only incentive for them to try to hunt down an inexpensive fare, so they may not be as thorough on the cheaper routes. All computer reservation systems provide a method of displaying the applicable fares in order of price, from cheapest on up.    Since discount flights have restrictions on day of week and flight times, make sure that you let the travel agent know that you are flexible and will change a day either way if that will save you money. Also don’t be shy of stating the obvious — that you’re looking for the cheapest possible fare — since (most) travel agents aren’t mind readers.    Airport ticket agents tend to be better informed than the people at the toll-free reservation number, since they often have to deal with special situations (missed connections, bumped people, etc.) that require really knowing the reservation system’s ins and outs.    But beware. Airport ticket agents are not beyond lying or making mistakes.  A frequent complaint of air travelers is being quoted one price over the phone, and finding that their credit card has been charged another. Sometimes this happens because the computer system has trouble completing the transaction and delays it until the following morning (whence the fare change). But other times it is due to human error (as if computer problems aren’t due to human error either). When you get your tickets, be sure to verify that the price charged matches the price you were quoted. If they’re different, be prepared for a fight — airlines seem very reluctant to own up to this kind of error. Give as much detailed information as possible, such as the time you called, the name of the ticket agent, the price quoted, any unusual occurrences. Get the problem fixed *before* you use the ticket. They probably won’t refund you the difference, as the price on the ticket is almost always the correct price, but they are required to (by law) allow you to cancel the ticket and get a full refund without penalty. If they give you any trouble, pursue it with your credit card company. It is worth repeating, however, that you can get the refund only if you don’t use the ticket, and initiate any complaint promptly. [Note that this circumstance is different from when the airline prints an incorrect price in the newspaper. Not only is the error clearly documented, but the error occurs before the transaction is completed, not after.] Even though most airlines are now matching their lowest discount fares, it still pays to have your travel agent check several airlines. For example, USAir has a virtual monopoly out of Pittsburgh, some sometimes they don’t feel the need to reduce the fares. If you don’t mind making a connection, you can sometimes save some money by taking another airline. Most airlines have a "tickets by mail" service which lets you charge the tickets … read more »

Response:

Archive-name: travel/air/handbook/part1 Last-Modified: Wed Jul  5 18:36:04 1995 by Mark Kantrowitz Version: 1.20 Size: 90273 bytes, 1784 lines URL: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/mkant/Public/Travel/airfare.html ;;; Written by Mark Kantrowitz This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are also covered. It was previously posted under the title "FAQ: How to Get Cheap Airtickets". The information in this FAQ applies primarily to US domestic flights, though some information may also apply to international flights. Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms *** Copyright: Copyright (c) 1989-94 by Mark Kantrowitz. All rights reserved. This FAQ may be freely redistributed in its entirety without modification provided that this copyright notice is not removed.  It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents (e.g., published for sale on CD-ROM, floppy disks, books, magazines, or other print form) without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.  Permission is expressly granted for this document to be made available for file transfer from installations offering unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet. If this FAQ is reproduced in offline media (e.g., CD-ROM, print form, etc.), a complimentary copy should be sent to Mark Kantrowitz, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3891 USA. This article is provided AS IS without any express or implied warranty. *** Recent Changes: ;;; 1.20: ;;; 31-MAY-95 mk    Replaced all the URLs in [4-12] with a pointer to the FAQ’s ;;;                 home page, which now includes a substantially greater ;;;                 number of links. *** Topics Covered: Part 1:   [1-0]  Obtaining the FAQ   [1-1a] Standard Tricks: Advance Booking Discounts   [1-1b] Advance Purchase Fares   [1-2]  Nested/Overlapping Tickets Strategy   [1-x]  Stopovers and Circle Trips   [1-3]  Fare Classes   [1-4]  Classes of Service   [1-5]  Fare Types   [1-6]  Special Fare Categories   [1-7]  Children’s Fares   [1-8]  Clergy Fares   [1-9]  Military Fares   [1-10] Senior Citizen Fares   [1-11] Student/Youth Fares   [1-12] Family Fares   [1-13] Conference Fares   [1-14] Sympathy Fares, Emergency Fares   [1-15] Refunds   [1-16] Flying Standby   [1-17] Getting Bumped   [1-18] Special Travel Dates/Fare Sales/Fare Wars   [1-19] Moving Up the Return Flight   [1-20] Hidden City Fares   [1-21] Buying Someone Else’s Nonrefundable Ticket   [1-22] Discount Airlines   [1-23] Tour Desks Part 2 (Travel Agents, Connections, Airports, Baggage):    Travel Agents:    [2-1]  Travel Agents    [2-2]  Unusual Travel Agents: Commission Rebaters    [2-3]  Consolidators    [2-4]  Couriers    [2-5]  Travel Agencies that Specialize in Students    [2-6]  Visit USA    [2-7]  Free Upgrades to First Class    [2-8]  Companion Tickets    [2-9]  Avoiding Travel Scams    [2-10] Missed Connections    [2-11] Getting There Faster    [2-12] Airports Monopolized by One Carrier    [2-13] Hub Cities    Baggage:    [2-14] Lost Baggage    [2-15] Baggage Limits    [2-16] Pets    [2-17] Bicycles    [2-18] Restrictions on Electronics    [2-19] X-ray Machines/Metal Detectors    [2-20] Packing Tips/Checklist Part 3 (Safety & Comfort, Frequent Flyers):    Travel Safety, Comfort, and Convenience:    [3-1]  Travel Advisories/Health Information    [3-2]  Travel Safety    [3-3]  Air Quality    [3-4]  Smoke-Free Flights    [3-4a] Air Pressure Problems (Colds)    [3-5]  Special Meals    [3-6]  Jetlag    [3-7]  Pregnant Passengers    [3-8]  Tips for Families Flying with Children    [3-9]  Tips for Business Travelers    [3-9b] Best Seats    [3-10] Exchanging Currency    Frequent Flyers:    [3-11] Frequent Flyer Programs    [3-12] Premier FF Membership    [3-13] Hotel Frequent Flyer Plans    [3-14] Credit Card Voucher Offers    [3-15] Telephone Companies    [3-16] Discount Coupon Offers Part 4 (Appendices, Miscellaneous):    Appendices:    [4-1]  Airline Reservation Phone Numbers    [4-2]  Flight Information    [4-3]  On-line reservation services    [4-4]  Complaints and Compliments    [4-5]  Glossary    [4-6]  Other Sources of Information    [4-7]  Further Reading    [4-8]  Phone Numbers Included in this FAQ    Miscellaneous:    [4-9]  IRS Rules Change    [4-10] Airline Antitrust Litigation    [4-11] Miscellaneous Notes    [4-12] World-Wide Web (WWW) Resources Search for [#] to get to question number # quickly. *** Notes:    All dollar ($) amounts in this FAQ are in US dollars. Certain questions and topics come up frequently in the rec.travel.air newsgroup. This FAQ is intended to gather these questions and their answers into a convenient and comprehensive reference. The hope is that this will cut down on the user time and network bandwidth used to post, read and respond to the same questions over and over, as well as answering questions some readers may not even have thought to ask. Posts of a commercial nature, such as the buying and selling of airplane tickets, should be posted to rec.travel.marketplace and not this newsgroup. An updated version of this file is posted once a month on the 13th of the month to the newsgroups rec.travel.air and news.answers. The version date for the file is located in the header near the top of the file. In between postings, the latest version of this FAQ is available by anonymous FTP from    ftp.cs.cmu.edu:/user/mkant/Travel/   [128.2.206.173] email address) or via AFS in the Andrew File System directory    /afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/mkant/Public/Travel/ as the files airfare1.faq, airfare2.faq, airfare3.faq, and airfare4.faq. Other files available from this directory include:    bucket.faq       Edward Hasbrouck’s FAQ on Bucket Shops and Consolidators    classes.txt      List of fare classes    discounts.txt    Table of Airline Special Fare Discounts (29-JUL-92)    em_intrfrnc.txt  Summary of EM Interference by Laurie Bechtler    ff.faq           Joel Chan’s Frequent Flyer FAQ    flt_attdnt.txt   Description of the Job of a Flight Attendant    iata.tgz         List of worldwide airport IATA codes by Peter Loibl                     and Paulo Santos    jetlag.txt       The ANL jet lag diet.    online.faq       John Levine’s FAQ on Online Computer Reservation Systems    tourism.faq      Where to get tourist/travel information The FAQ postings are also archived in the periodic posting archive on    rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/news.answers/travel/air/handbook/ [18.181.0.24] If you do not have anonymous ftp access, you can access the archive by with "help" and "index" in the body on separate lines for more information. A HTML version of the FAQ is available as http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/travel/air/handboo… If you need to cite the FAQ for some reason, use the following format:    Mark Kantrowitz, "Air Traveler’s Handbook", rec.travel.air, <month>, <year>, Airlines give better fares to people who advance book because they are trying to encourage people to book as early as possible. If the airline were to lower fares just before flight time there would be a flood of people (on random flights) at the last minute. Airlines need an accurate estimate of the number of people and amount of baggage on a flight so that they can load the proper amount of fuel.  (Meals and beverages also have to be loaded.) Moreover, people who book at the last minute are usually flying on business, and therefore the business is paying for it.  People flying for pleasure usually know weeks or months in advance, and can’t afford the prices that a business would pay. Thus it is to an airline’s advantage to set rates according to the major differences between business and leisure travelers:     o  Business travelers fly mostly between 9 and 5, whereas leisure        travelers can fly offpeak hours.     o  Business travelers buy tickets on very short notice, whereas        leisure travelers plan trips well in advance.     o  Business travelers do not stay over a weekend (= Saturday        night), whereas leisure travelers do. So airlines typically give discounts for people who stay over a weekend, flying offpeak hours, and purchasing tickets 7 days, 14 days, 21 days or 30 days in advance. Such fares are known as excursion, discount, or supersaver fares. For example, US domestic excursion fares require that you buy your roundtrip ticket 7 days, 14 days, or 30 days in advance, and that you stay over a weekend (usually Saturday night, though sometimes Sunday night as well).  Some may also restrict the travel to a 30-day maximum stay. Stopovers aren’t allowed, except for the purpose of connection (if you want a stopover, you’ll have to pay extra). Some fares may be limited to a particular routing (e.g., routes with connections cost less than nonstop flights). You may also be limited to flying during offpeak hours, with flights during the busiest times of the day costing more. Tickets are usually non-refundable and non-transferable, and may either be non-changeable or have a $35 change fee. The price is usually the average of the two one-way tickets.  (E.g., a 2-week advance PGH/BOS advance ticket is around $200 … read more »

Response:

Archive-name: travel/air/handbook/part2 Last-Modified: Thu May 30 17:54:03 1996 by Mark Kantrowitz Version: 1.26 Size: 83388 bytes, 1689 lines URL: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/mkant/Public/Travel/airfare.html ;;; Written by Mark Kantrowitz This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are also covered. It was previously posted under the title "FAQ: How to Get Cheap Airtickets". Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms *** Copyright: Copyright (c) 1989-94 by Mark Kantrowitz. All rights reserved. This FAQ may be freely redistributed in its entirety without modification provided that this copyright notice is not removed.  It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents (e.g., published for sale on CD-ROM, floppy disks, books, magazines, or other print form) without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.  Permission is expressly granted for this document to be made available for file transfer from installations offering unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet. This article is provided AS IS without any express or implied warranty. *** Topics Covered: Part 2 (Travel Agents, Connections, Airports, Baggage):    Travel Agents:    [2-1]  Travel Agents    [2-2]  Unusual Travel Agents: Commission Rebaters    [2-3]  Consolidators    [2-4]  Couriers    [2-5]  Travel Agencies that Specialize in Students    [2-6]  Visit USA    [2-7]  Free Upgrades to First Class    [2-8]  Companion Tickets    [2-9]  Avoiding Travel Scams    [2-10] Missed Connections    [2-11] Getting There Faster    [2-12] Airports Monopolized by One Carrier    [2-13] Hub Cities    Baggage:    [2-14] Lost Baggage    [2-15] Baggage Limits    [2-16] Pets    [2-17] Bicycles    [2-18] Restrictions on Electronics    [2-19] X-ray Machines/Metal Detectors    [2-20] Packing Tips/Checklist Search for [#] to get to question number # quickly.    It pays to use a travel agent only if you know a *good* one. A good travel agent will know when a small change in your schedule can save you a lot of money. If you buy direct from the airline, you may not find out such information, since they will only quote you the rates for the times you ask. So if you’re going to use a travel agent, make sure that you find one who is willing (and able) to search through the morass of fares and restrictions to find a good deal for you. A travel agent who just punches your data into the computer and tells you the prices is no better than the airline’s 800 number. A good travel agent can probably save you about 10-15%. [Actually, if the airline goes bankrupt between ticket purchase and flight time, and you bought your ticket from a travel agent, you may be able to get a refund, especially from some of the larger agencies. If the airlines goes bankrupt within 10 days of the purchase of the ticket, the agency may not have paid the airline yet (they are allowed 10 days to do so), so you can ask them for a refund. Better yet, buy your airtickets with a credit card, and the federal credit protection act will allow you to get a refund from your credit card company.] There are several major differences between using a travel agency and using the airport (airline) ticket agents:    1. A travel agent can look at all the airline fares, not just       those of a single carrier. A good travel agent will check fares       on at least three carriers. Airlines can only give you their own       best fares. Then again, you can always call up three (or more)       airlines yourself to discover the best fares on each.    2. A travel agent can check for special deals with consolidators.       Airline ticket agents can’t. Airlines sell heavily discounted       tickets only through consolidators, not direct to the passenger. Given the frequency of fare changes these days, a good travel agent can often find you some real bargains. A bad travel agent, on the other hand, may miss getting you the lowest possible fare. So it is best to find yourself a good travel agent. If you don’t care for consolidator tickets, the travel agents get the same pricing information as is available from most of the online reservation services and the airlines themselves. So you can do your own legwork if you wish by calling the airlines themselves. But why do it when a good travel agent can do it for you? After all, when you buy a ticket direct from the airline the airline still keeps the commission, so why not give the commission to a travel agent, who’ll do a little work to make sure you get the cheapest fare? One reason to do the legwork yourself, either through an online CRS or by calling the airlines directly, is to get full details on the fare rules governing special fares. Many travel agents do not know how to retrieve the rules from their CRS, or aren’t willing to do so. If you read through the rules yourself, you may find a loophole or two to your benefit. Note that some travel agencies try to funnel all their business to a specific airline, because the more tickets they sell to a single airline, the more money they get. Airlines have incentive programs to encourage this practice. The travel agent may also know how to look up fares on only one airline.  This means that your travel agent may be checking the fares on a single airline, instead of hunting around for the best fare from several airlines. This is especially true for travel agencies near airports that are dominated by one carrier. Your best bet may be to call several airlines before you go to your travel agent, doing the research on your own, or to tell the travel agent to check fares on two or three specific airlines. (Don’t tell them to check on all airlines — nobody is going to do that much work just for a $20 commission.)    Also, airlines sometimes sell bulk tickets to large travel agencies at bargain basement prices if they think they cannot fill the seats. So depending on the travel agency, you might be able to get a really good deal. Travel agents sometimes get complimentary tickets (e.g., one free ticket for every 25 sold), which they can sell as they wish. (These are called "Promotional Tickets" and are for standby travel.)    But then again, travel agents get a commission on air tickets and hotels. The commission is a fixed percentage of the fare (if you order direct from the airline, the airline pockets the difference). So the agent can earn more money by selling you a more expensive ticket. So be cautious when using a travel agent. Look over the agent’s shoulder and see if they’re overlooking a really cheap flight. Most travel agents will try to find you the cheapest possible flight, because they want your repeat business. But that’s the only incentive for them to try to hunt down an inexpensive fare, so they may not be as thorough on the cheaper routes. All computer reservation systems provide a method of displaying the applicable fares in order of price, from cheapest on up.    Since discount flights have restrictions on day of week and flight times, make sure that you let the travel agent know that you are flexible and will change a day either way if that will save you money. Also don’t be shy of stating the obvious — that you’re looking for the cheapest possible fare — since (most) travel agents aren’t mind readers.    Airport ticket agents tend to be better informed than the people at the toll-free reservation number, since they often have to deal with special situations (missed connections, bumped people, etc.) that require really knowing the reservation system’s ins and outs.    But beware. Airport ticket agents are not beyond lying or making mistakes.  A frequent complaint of air travelers is being quoted one price over the phone, and finding that their credit card has been charged another. Sometimes this happens because the computer system has trouble completing the transaction and delays it until the following morning (whence the fare change). But other times it is due to human error (as if computer problems aren’t due to human error either). When you get your tickets, be sure to verify that the price charged matches the price you were quoted. If they’re different, be prepared for a fight — airlines seem very reluctant to own up to this kind of error. Give as much detailed information as possible, such as the time you called, the name of the ticket agent, the price quoted, any unusual occurrences. Get the problem fixed *before* you use the ticket. They probably won’t refund you the difference, as the price on the ticket is almost always the correct price, but they are required to (by law) allow you to cancel the ticket and get a full refund without penalty. If they give you any trouble, pursue it with your credit card company. It is worth repeating, however, that you can get the refund only if you don’t use the ticket, and initiate any complaint promptly. [Note that this circumstance is different from when the airline prints an incorrect price in the newspaper. Not only is the error clearly documented, but the error occurs before the transaction is completed, not after.] Even though most airlines are now matching their lowest discount fares, it still pays to have your travel agent check several airlines. For example, USAir has a virtual monopoly out of Pittsburgh, some sometimes they don’t feel the need to reduce the fares. If you don’t mind making a connection, you can sometimes save some money by taking another airline. Most airlines have a "tickets by mail" service which lets you charge the … read more »

Response:

Archive-name: travel/air/handbook/part2 Last-Modified: Thu Jan 18 17:49:20 1996 by Mark Kantrowitz Version: 1.25 Size: 83144 bytes, 1685 lines URL: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/mkant/Public/Travel/airfare.html ;;; Written by Mark Kantrowitz This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are also covered. It was previously posted under the title "FAQ: How to Get Cheap Airtickets". Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms *** Copyright: Copyright (c) 1989-94 by Mark Kantrowitz. All rights reserved. This FAQ may be freely redistributed in its entirety without modification provided that this copyright notice is not removed.  It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents (e.g., published for sale on CD-ROM, floppy disks, books, magazines, or other print form) without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.  Permission is expressly granted for this document to be made available for file transfer from installations offering unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet. This article is provided AS IS without any express or implied warranty. *** Topics Covered: Part 2 (Travel Agents, Connections, Airports, Baggage):    Travel Agents:    [2-1]  Travel Agents    [2-2]  Unusual Travel Agents: Commission Rebaters    [2-3]  Consolidators    [2-4]  Couriers    [2-5]  Travel Agencies that Specialize in Students    [2-6]  Visit USA    [2-7]  Free Upgrades to First Class    [2-8]  Companion Tickets    [2-9]  Avoiding Travel Scams    [2-10] Missed Connections    [2-11] Getting There Faster    [2-12] Airports Monopolized by One Carrier    [2-13] Hub Cities    Baggage:    [2-14] Lost Baggage    [2-15] Baggage Limits    [2-16] Pets    [2-17] Bicycles    [2-18] Restrictions on Electronics    [2-19] X-ray Machines/Metal Detectors    [2-20] Packing Tips/Checklist Search for [#] to get to question number # quickly.    It pays to use a travel agent only if you know a *good* one. A good travel agent will know when a small change in your schedule can save you a lot of money. If you buy direct from the airline, you may not find out such information, since they will only quote you the rates for the times you ask. So if you’re going to use a travel agent, make sure that you find one who is willing (and able) to search through the morass of fares and restrictions to find a good deal for you. A travel agent who just punches your data into the computer and tells you the prices is no better than the airline’s 800 number. A good travel agent can probably save you about 10-15%. [Actually, if the airline goes bankrupt between ticket purchase and flight time, and you bought your ticket from a travel agent, you may be able to get a refund, especially from some of the larger agencies. If the airlines goes bankrupt within 10 days of the purchase of the ticket, the agency may not have paid the airline yet (they are allowed 10 days to do so), so you can ask them for a refund. Better yet, buy your airtickets with a credit card, and the federal credit protection act will allow you to get a refund from your credit card company.] There are several major differences between using a travel agency and using the airport (airline) ticket agents:    1. A travel agent can look at all the airline fares, not just       those of a single carrier. A good travel agent will check fares       on at least three carriers. Airlines can only give you their own       best fares. Then again, you can always call up three (or more)       airlines yourself to discover the best fares on each.    2. A travel agent can check for special deals with consolidators.       Airline ticket agents can’t. Airlines sell heavily discounted       tickets only through consolidators, not direct to the passenger. Given the frequency of fare changes these days, a good travel agent can often find you some real bargains. A bad travel agent, on the other hand, may miss getting you the lowest possible fare. So it is best to find yourself a good travel agent. If you don’t care for consolidator tickets, the travel agents get the same pricing information as is available from most of the online reservation services and the airlines themselves. So you can do your own legwork if you wish by calling the airlines themselves. But why do it when a good travel agent can do it for you? After all, when you buy a ticket direct from the airline the airline still keeps the commission, so why not give the commission to a travel agent, who’ll do a little work to make sure you get the cheapest fare? One reason to do the legwork yourself, either through an online CRS or by calling the airlines directly, is to get full details on the fare rules governing special fares. Many travel agents do not know how to retrieve the rules from their CRS, or aren’t willing to do so. If you read through the rules yourself, you may find a loophole or two to your benefit. Note that some travel agencies try to funnel all their business to a specific airline, because the more tickets they sell to a single airline, the more money they get. Airlines have incentive programs to encourage this practice. The travel agent may also know how to look up fares on only one airline.  This means that your travel agent may be checking the fares on a single airline, instead of hunting around for the best fare from several airlines. This is especially true for travel agencies near airports that are dominated by one carrier. Your best bet may be to call several airlines before you go to your travel agent, doing the research on your own, or to tell the travel agent to check fares on two or three specific airlines. (Don’t tell them to check on all airlines — nobody is going to do that much work just for a $20 commission.)    Also, airlines sometimes sell bulk tickets to large travel agencies at bargain basement prices if they think they cannot fill the seats. So depending on the travel agency, you might be able to get a really good deal. Travel agents sometimes get complimentary tickets (e.g., one free ticket for every 25 sold), which they can sell as they wish. (These are called "Promotional Tickets" and are for standby travel.)    But then again, travel agents get a commission on air tickets and hotels. The commission is a fixed percentage of the fare (if you order direct from the airline, the airline pockets the difference). So the agent can earn more money by selling you a more expensive ticket. So be cautious when using a travel agent. Look over the agent’s shoulder and see if they’re overlooking a really cheap flight. Most travel agents will try to find you the cheapest possible flight, because they want your repeat business. But that’s the only incentive for them to try to hunt down an inexpensive fare, so they may not be as thorough on the cheaper routes. All computer reservation systems provide a method of displaying the applicable fares in order of price, from cheapest on up.    Since discount flights have restrictions on day of week and flight times, make sure that you let the travel agent know that you are flexible and will change a day either way if that will save you money. Also don’t be shy of stating the obvious — that you’re looking for the cheapest possible fare — since (most) travel agents aren’t mind readers.    Airport ticket agents tend to be better informed than the people at the toll-free reservation number, since they often have to deal with special situations (missed connections, bumped people, etc.) that require really knowing the reservation system’s ins and outs.    But beware. Airport ticket agents are not beyond lying or making mistakes.  A frequent complaint of air travelers is being quoted one price over the phone, and finding that their credit card has been charged another. Sometimes this happens because the computer system has trouble completing the transaction and delays it until the following morning (whence the fare change). But other times it is due to human error (as if computer problems aren’t due to human error either). When you get your tickets, be sure to verify that the price charged matches the price you were quoted. If they’re different, be prepared for a fight — airlines seem very reluctant to own up to this kind of error. Give as much detailed information as possible, such as the time you called, the name of the ticket agent, the price quoted, any unusual occurrences. Get the problem fixed *before* you use the ticket. They probably won’t refund you the difference, as the price on the ticket is almost always the correct price, but they are required to (by law) allow you to cancel the ticket and get a full refund without penalty. If they give you any trouble, pursue it with your credit card company. It is worth repeating, however, that you can get the refund only if you don’t use the ticket, and initiate any complaint promptly. [Note that this circumstance is different from when the airline prints an incorrect price in the newspaper. Not only is the error clearly documented, but the error occurs before the transaction is completed, not after.] Even though most airlines are now matching their lowest discount fares, it still pays to have your travel agent check several airlines. For example, USAir has a virtual monopoly out of Pittsburgh, some sometimes they don’t feel the need to reduce the fares. If you don’t mind making a connection, you can sometimes save some money by taking another airline. Most airlines have a "tickets by mail" service which lets you charge the … read more »

Response:

Archive-name: travel/air/handbook/part3 Last-Modified: Wed Jul  5 18:36:33 1995 by Mark Kantrowitz Version: 1.21 Size: 95161 bytes, 1885 lines URL: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/mkant/Public/Travel/airfare.html ;;; Written by Mark Kantrowitz This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are also covered. It was previously posted under the title "FAQ: How to Get Cheap Airtickets". Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms *** Copyright: Copyright (c) 1989-94 by Mark Kantrowitz. All rights reserved. This FAQ may be freely redistributed in its entirety without modification provided that this copyright notice is not removed.  It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents (e.g., published for sale on CD-ROM, floppy disks, books, magazines, or other print form) without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.  Permission is expressly granted for this document to be made available for file transfer from installations offering unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet. This article is provided AS IS without any express or implied warranty. *** Topics Covered: Part 3 (Safety & Comfort, Frequent Flyers):    Travel Safety, Comfort, and Convenience:    [3-1]  Travel Advisories/Health Information    [3-2]  Travel Safety    [3-3]  Air Quality    [3-4]  Smoke-Free Flights    [3-4a] Air Pressure Problems (Colds)    [3-5]  Special Meals    [3-6]  Jetlag    [3-7]  Pregnant Passengers    [3-8]  Tips for Families Flying with Children    [3-9]  Tips for Business Travelers    [3-9b] Best Seats    [3-10] Exchanging Currency    Frequent Flyers:    [3-11] Frequent Flyer Programs    [3-12] Premier FF Membership    [3-13] Hotel Frequent Flyer Plans    [3-14] Credit Card Voucher Offers    [3-15] Telephone Companies    [3-16] Discount Coupon Offers Search for [#] to get to question number # quickly. Travel advisories are issued by the US State Department, and include Travel Warnings and Consular Information Sheets for every country. These contain basic information every US citizen should know before traveling to a foreign country. Travel Warnings contain advisories about recent dangerous circumstances affecting travelers to particular countries, such as political and social unrest. Consular information sheets list the location of the US embassy or consulate. They also include unusual immigration practices, health conditions, minor political disturbances, unusual currency and entry regulations, crime and security information, and drug penalties. For more information or personal help, call    Citizens Emergency Center:  202-647-5225    Citizens Consular Services: 202-647-3444    Passport Services:          202-647-0518    Visa Services:              202-663-1225    US State Department:        202-647-4000/5225 They can help with citizenship matters, property and legal problems, questions of how to pay taxes and vote, and provide advice on similar issues while you are abroad. The State Department desk officers for particular countries will sometimes be more candid than the published travel warnings. Advisories and related files may also be obtained by anonymous ftp from    ftp.stolaf.edu:/pub/travel-advisories/advisories by joining the travel-advisories list. To subscribe, send an email    subscribe in the message body. [This service is provided by Craig D. Rice You can also call the US Department of Transportation's Free Travel Advisory number at 800-221-0673. For international health information (vaccines, etc.), call the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, at 404-332-4559. They also have a fax-back service at 404-639-3311. You should also read a tour book on your destination, to familiarize yourself with any notable local laws, currency regulations, and other restrictions. Activities you may take for granted at home (e.g., littering and spitting) may be illegal in the country you're visiting. Travel by commercial airplane is among the safest ways to travel. But there are still some risks. To improve your chances of surviving in the event of a crash:   -  Sit near the wings, as the airplane is reinforced there to      support the wings.   -  Wear natural-fiber clothes. Synthetics can melt or ignite,      producing smoke and toxic fumes and causing burns.   -  Wear comfortable shoes or sneakers, without high heels. High      heels can snag on the escape slide.   -  Bring your own infant safety seat. Use one which has been      approved for use in motor vehicles AND aircraft. Don't use one      which was made before February 26, 1985.   -  In the event of a crash, do not carry any bags or other items      with you. They can cause you to tumble on the slide, leading to      broken bones or more serious injuries. There are two things you should do every time you board a plane, since they vary from aircraft to aircraft:   -  Count the number of seats from you to the nearest exits, both in      front of you and behind you. This will let you find the exits      even if you've been blinded or the smoke is so thick you can't      see the way out.   -  Locate your personal flotation device. It may be your seat      cushion, or it may be an inflatable life vest in a plastic bag stored      beneath your seat. Sometimes a life vest is stored in or under your      armrest, especially in business or first class. If you personal      flotation device is missing or damaged, bring this to the      attention of the flight attendant before takeoff. If you do this, you'll save yourself precious seconds in the event of a real emergency. Those seconds can mean the difference between life and death. Fatal accidents involving plane crashes are extremely rare. The chances of your being on such a crash is less than one in a million, according to figures from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). During the past ten years there have been usually only one or two fatal crashes a year, involving no more than 300 deaths. In contrast, in a typical year there are more than 40,000 fatal automobile accidents in the US. Of course, these numbers aren't really comparable. A more accurate comparison would involve the fatal accident rates per passenger mile and per passenger trip. But even so, air transportation is definitely safer than ground transportation. Other safety issues:    +  Notify the flight attendant of any relevant medical conditions,       disabilities, and/or medications. Medication should be       transported in the original bottle. Carry a card listing any       serious health conditions, the required medication and dosages, and       your doctor's home and work telephone numbers. Include a list of       allergies and your blood type.    +  If traveling by car in a foreign country and you are involved in       a minor accident, do not leave your car. Instead, go to a       well-lit area, such as a shopping mall (or better yet, a police       station) and call the police. A common scam is for       criminals to follow foreigners from the airport, bump their       cars in a remote location, and then rob them.    +  If you need directions, ask at the airport information desk, a       hotel, gas station, bank, or restaurant. Don't ask a stranger on       the street. Even if you're lost act as if you know where you're       going and continue walking.    +  Walk only in well-lit areas and avoid slums.    +  Don't make it obvious that you're a foreigner. When in Rome, do       as Romans do. Keep a low profile and try to blend in as much as       possible. Dress as they dress and carry your camera       inconspicuously. Avoid clothing and jewelry that identifies you       as a traveler. Don't engage in loud and boisterous behavior       that draws attention. Women should be especially careful to       dress apropriately, as clothing restrictions are more stringent       for women in many foreign countries. Don't wear provocative clothing.    +  Carry important documents and valuables in a money belt or neck       pouch. Store unneeded valuables in the hotel safe and not in       your room.    +  In Europe, the groups of small children who crowd around you       outside airports, hotels, and similar establishments are often       pickpockets. Avoid crowds and unexpected situations.    +  Do not leave valuables unattended on the plane.    +  If you are having trouble managing your bags, get a baggage       cart. A common ploy is for a scam artist to bump into you,       sending your bags flying. While this individual is helping you       gather your bags (and distracting your attention), a confederate       is walking away with one of your bags. Stay alert. It is best to       travel light, with a single piece of luggage.    +  Keep a list of your credit card numbers at home in a safe place,       in case your cards are lost or stolen during your trip. You may       want to bring a list of the bank phone numbers with you.    +  Let your family and friends know your itinerary, in case of       emergency. They should also know how to get a copy of your       medical and dental records, and your will, if necessary.    +  If carrying a purse, carry it in front of your, close to your       body, and run the strap

... read more »

Response:

Archive-name: travel/air/handbook/part2 Last-Modified: Wed Oct  9 15:43:34 1996 by Mark Kantrowitz Version: 1.26 Size: 83241 bytes, 1685 lines URL: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/mkant/Public/Travel/airfare.html ;;; Written by Mark Kantrowitz This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are also covered. It was previously posted under the title "FAQ: How to Get Cheap Airtickets". Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms *** Copyright: Copyright (c) 1989-94 by Mark Kantrowitz. All rights reserved. This FAQ may be freely redistributed in its entirety without modification provided that this copyright notice is not removed.  It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents (e.g., published for sale on CD-ROM, floppy disks, books, magazines, or other print form) without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.  Permission is expressly granted for this document to be made available for file transfer from installations offering unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet. This article is provided AS IS without any express or implied warranty. *** Topics Covered: Part 2 (Travel Agents, Connections, Airports, Baggage):    Travel Agents:    [2-1]  Travel Agents    [2-2]  Unusual Travel Agents: Commission Rebaters    [2-3]  Consolidators    [2-4]  Couriers    [2-5]  Travel Agencies that Specialize in Students    [2-6]  Visit USA    [2-7]  Free Upgrades to First Class    [2-8]  Companion Tickets    [2-9]  Avoiding Travel Scams    [2-10] Missed Connections    [2-11] Getting There Faster    [2-12] Airports Monopolized by One Carrier    [2-13] Hub Cities    Baggage:    [2-14] Lost Baggage    [2-15] Baggage Limits    [2-16] Pets    [2-17] Bicycles    [2-18] Restrictions on Electronics    [2-19] X-ray Machines/Metal Detectors    [2-20] Packing Tips/Checklist Search for [#] to get to question number # quickly.    It pays to use a travel agent only if you know a *good* one. A good travel agent will know when a small change in your schedule can save you a lot of money. If you buy direct from the airline, you may not find out such information, since they will only quote you the rates for the times you ask. So if you’re going to use a travel agent, make sure that you find one who is willing (and able) to search through the morass of fares and restrictions to find a good deal for you. A travel agent who just punches your data into the computer and tells you the prices is no better than the airline’s 800 number. A good travel agent can probably save you about 10-15%. [Actually, if the airline goes bankrupt between ticket purchase and flight time, and you bought your ticket from a travel agent, you may be able to get a refund, especially from some of the larger agencies. If the airlines goes bankrupt within 10 days of the purchase of the ticket, the agency may not have paid the airline yet (they are allowed 10 days to do so), so you can ask them for a refund. Better yet, buy your airtickets with a credit card, and the federal credit protection act will allow you to get a refund from your credit card company.] There are several major differences between using a travel agency and using the airport (airline) ticket agents:    1. A travel agent can look at all the airline fares, not just       those of a single carrier. A good travel agent will check fares       on at least three carriers. Airlines can only give you their own       best fares. Then again, you can always call up three (or more)       airlines yourself to discover the best fares on each.    2. A travel agent can check for special deals with consolidators.       Airline ticket agents can’t. Airlines sell heavily discounted       tickets only through consolidators, not direct to the passenger. Given the frequency of fare changes these days, a good travel agent can often find you some real bargains. A bad travel agent, on the other hand, may miss getting you the lowest possible fare. So it is best to find yourself a good travel agent. If you don’t care for consolidator tickets, the travel agents get the same pricing information as is available from most of the online reservation services and the airlines themselves. So you can do your own legwork if you wish by calling the airlines themselves. But why do it when a good travel agent can do it for you? After all, when you buy a ticket direct from the airline the airline still keeps the commission, so why not give the commission to a travel agent, who’ll do a little work to make sure you get the cheapest fare? One reason to do the legwork yourself, either through an online CRS or by calling the airlines directly, is to get full details on the fare rules governing special fares. Many travel agents do not know how to retrieve the rules from their CRS, or aren’t willing to do so. If you read through the rules yourself, you may find a loophole or two to your benefit. Note that some travel agencies try to funnel all their business to a specific airline, because the more tickets they sell to a single airline, the more money they get. Airlines have incentive programs to encourage this practice. The travel agent may also know how to look up fares on only one airline.  This means that your travel agent may be checking the fares on a single airline, instead of hunting around for the best fare from several airlines. This is especially true for travel agencies near airports that are dominated by one carrier. Your best bet may be to call several airlines before you go to your travel agent, doing the research on your own, or to tell the travel agent to check fares on two or three specific airlines. (Don’t tell them to check on all airlines — nobody is going to do that much work just for a $20 commission.)    Also, airlines sometimes sell bulk tickets to large travel agencies at bargain basement prices if they think they cannot fill the seats. So depending on the travel agency, you might be able to get a really good deal. Travel agents sometimes get complimentary tickets (e.g., one free ticket for every 25 sold), which they can sell as they wish. (These are called "Promotional Tickets" and are for standby travel.)    But then again, travel agents get a commission on air tickets and hotels. The commission is a fixed percentage of the fare (if you order direct from the airline, the airline pockets the difference). So the agent can earn more money by selling you a more expensive ticket. So be cautious when using a travel agent. Look over the agent’s shoulder and see if they’re overlooking a really cheap flight. Most travel agents will try to find you the cheapest possible flight, because they want your repeat business. But that’s the only incentive for them to try to hunt down an inexpensive fare, so they may not be as thorough on the cheaper routes. All computer reservation systems provide a method of displaying the applicable fares in order of price, from cheapest on up.    Since discount flights have restrictions on day of week and flight times, make sure that you let the travel agent know that you are flexible and will change a day either way if that will save you money. Also don’t be shy of stating the obvious — that you’re looking for the cheapest possible fare — since (most) travel agents aren’t mind readers.    Airport ticket agents tend to be better informed than the people at the toll-free reservation number, since they often have to deal with special situations (missed connections, bumped people, etc.) that require really knowing the reservation system’s ins and outs.    But beware. Airport ticket agents are not beyond lying or making mistakes.  A frequent complaint of air travelers is being quoted one price over the phone, and finding that their credit card has been charged another. Sometimes this happens because the computer system has trouble completing the transaction and delays it until the following morning (whence the fare change). But other times it is due to human error (as if computer problems aren’t due to human error either). When you get your tickets, be sure to verify that the price charged matches the price you were quoted. If they’re different, be prepared for a fight — airlines seem very reluctant to own up to this kind of error. Give as much detailed information as possible, such as the time you called, the name of the ticket agent, the price quoted, any unusual occurrences. Get the problem fixed *before* you use the ticket. They probably won’t refund you the difference, as the price on the ticket is almost always the correct price, but they are required to (by law) allow you to cancel the ticket and get a full refund without penalty. If they give you any trouble, pursue it with your credit card company. It is worth repeating, however, that you can get the refund only if you don’t use the ticket, and initiate any complaint promptly. [Note that this circumstance is different from when the airline prints an incorrect price in the newspaper. Not only is the error clearly documented, but the error occurs before the transaction is completed, not after.] Even though most airlines are now matching their lowest discount fares, it still pays to have your travel agent check several airlines. For example, USAir has a virtual monopoly out of Pittsburgh, some sometimes they don’t feel the need to reduce the fares. If you don’t mind making a connection, you can sometimes save some money by taking another airline. Most airlines have a "tickets by mail" service which lets you charge the … read more »

Response:

Archive-name: travel/air/handbook/part1 Last-Modified: Tue Mar 19 14:26:32 1996 by Mark Kantrowitz Version: 1.22 Size: 90743 bytes, 1794 lines URL: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/mkant/Public/Travel/airfare.html ;;; Written by Mark Kantrowitz This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are also covered. It was previously posted under the title "FAQ: How to Get Cheap Airtickets". The information in this FAQ applies primarily to US domestic flights, though some information may also apply to international flights. Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms *** Copyright: Copyright (c) 1989-94 by Mark Kantrowitz. All rights reserved. This FAQ may be freely redistributed in its entirety without modification provided that this copyright notice is not removed.  It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents (e.g., published for sale on CD-ROM, floppy disks, books, magazines, or other print form) without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.  Permission is expressly granted for this document to be made available for file transfer from installations offering unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet. If this FAQ is reproduced in offline media (e.g., CD-ROM, print form, etc.), a complimentary copy should be sent to Mark Kantrowitz, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3891 USA. This article is provided AS IS without any express or implied warranty. *** Recent Changes: ;;; 1.20: ;;; 31-MAY-95 mk    Replaced all the URLs in [4-12] with a pointer to the FAQ’s ;;;                 home page, which now includes a substantially greater ;;;                 number of links. ;;; 1.21: ;;; 20-DEC-95 mk    Corrected several London numbers, thanks to Richard Relf. ;;; 19-MAR-96 mk    Info about Jet Train provided by Srivathsan Narasimhan *** Topics Covered: Part 1:   [1-0]  Obtaining the FAQ   [1-1a] Standard Tricks: Advance Booking Discounts   [1-1b] Advance Purchase Fares   [1-2]  Nested/Overlapping Tickets Strategy   [1-x]  Stopovers and Circle Trips   [1-3]  Fare Classes   [1-4]  Classes of Service   [1-5]  Fare Types   [1-6]  Special Fare Categories   [1-7]  Children’s Fares   [1-8]  Clergy Fares   [1-9]  Military Fares   [1-10] Senior Citizen Fares   [1-11] Student/Youth Fares   [1-12] Family Fares   [1-13] Conference Fares   [1-14] Sympathy Fares, Emergency Fares   [1-15] Refunds   [1-16] Flying Standby   [1-17] Getting Bumped   [1-18] Special Travel Dates/Fare Sales/Fare Wars   [1-19] Moving Up the Return Flight   [1-20] Hidden City Fares   [1-21] Buying Someone Else’s Nonrefundable Ticket   [1-22] Discount Airlines   [1-23] Tour Desks Part 2 (Travel Agents, Connections, Airports, Baggage):    Travel Agents:    [2-1]  Travel Agents    [2-2]  Unusual Travel Agents: Commission Rebaters    [2-3]  Consolidators    [2-4]  Couriers    [2-5]  Travel Agencies that Specialize in Students    [2-6]  Visit USA    [2-7]  Free Upgrades to First Class    [2-8]  Companion Tickets    [2-9]  Avoiding Travel Scams    [2-10] Missed Connections    [2-11] Getting There Faster    [2-12] Airports Monopolized by One Carrier    [2-13] Hub Cities    Baggage:    [2-14] Lost Baggage    [2-15] Baggage Limits    [2-16] Pets    [2-17] Bicycles    [2-18] Restrictions on Electronics    [2-19] X-ray Machines/Metal Detectors    [2-20] Packing Tips/Checklist Part 3 (Safety & Comfort, Frequent Flyers):    Travel Safety, Comfort, and Convenience:    [3-1]  Travel Advisories/Health Information    [3-2]  Travel Safety    [3-3]  Air Quality    [3-4]  Smoke-Free Flights    [3-4a] Air Pressure Problems (Colds)    [3-5]  Special Meals    [3-6]  Jetlag    [3-7]  Pregnant Passengers    [3-8]  Tips for Families Flying with Children    [3-9]  Tips for Business Travelers    [3-9b] Best Seats    [3-10] Exchanging Currency    Frequent Flyers:    [3-11] Frequent Flyer Programs    [3-12] Premier FF Membership    [3-13] Hotel Frequent Flyer Plans    [3-14] Credit Card Voucher Offers    [3-15] Telephone Companies    [3-16] Discount Coupon Offers Part 4 (Appendices, Miscellaneous):    Appendices:    [4-1]  Airline Reservation Phone Numbers    [4-2]  Flight Information    [4-3]  On-line reservation services    [4-4]  Complaints and Compliments    [4-5]  Glossary    [4-6]  Other Sources of Information    [4-7]  Further Reading    [4-8]  Phone Numbers Included in this FAQ    Miscellaneous:    [4-9]  IRS Rules Change    [4-10] Airline Antitrust Litigation    [4-11] Miscellaneous Notes    [4-12] World-Wide Web (WWW) Resources Search for [#] to get to question number # quickly. *** Notes:    All dollar ($) amounts in this FAQ are in US dollars. Certain questions and topics come up frequently in the rec.travel.air newsgroup. This FAQ is intended to gather these questions and their answers into a convenient and comprehensive reference. The hope is that this will cut down on the user time and network bandwidth used to post, read and respond to the same questions over and over, as well as answering questions some readers may not even have thought to ask. Posts of a commercial nature, such as the buying and selling of airplane tickets, should be posted to rec.travel.marketplace and not this newsgroup. An updated version of this file is posted once a month on the 13th of the month to the newsgroups rec.travel.air and news.answers. The version date for the file is located in the header near the top of the file. In between postings, the latest version of this FAQ is available by anonymous FTP from    ftp.cs.cmu.edu:/user/mkant/Travel/   [128.2.206.173] email address) or via AFS in the Andrew File System directory    /afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/mkant/Public/Travel/ as the files airfare1.faq, airfare2.faq, airfare3.faq, and airfare4.faq. Other files available from this directory include:    bucket.faq       Edward Hasbrouck’s FAQ on Bucket Shops and Consolidators    classes.txt      List of fare classes    discounts.txt    Table of Airline Special Fare Discounts (29-JUL-92)    em_intrfrnc.txt  Summary of EM Interference by Laurie Bechtler    ff.faq           Joel Chan’s Frequent Flyer FAQ    flt_attdnt.txt   Description of the Job of a Flight Attendant    iata.tgz         List of worldwide airport IATA codes by Peter Loibl                     and Paulo Santos    jetlag.txt       The ANL jet lag diet.    online.faq       John Levine’s FAQ on Online Computer Reservation Systems    tourism.faq      Where to get tourist/travel information The FAQ postings are also archived in the periodic posting archive on    rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/news.answers/travel/air/handbook/ [18.181.0.24] If you do not have anonymous ftp access, you can access the archive by with "help" and "index" in the body on separate lines for more information. A HTML version of the FAQ is available as http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/travel/air/handboo… If you need to cite the FAQ for some reason, use the following format:    Mark Kantrowitz, "Air Traveler’s Handbook", rec.travel.air, <month>, <year>, Airlines give better fares to people who advance book because they are trying to encourage people to book as early as possible. If the airline were to lower fares just before flight time there would be a flood of people (on random flights) at the last minute. Airlines need an accurate estimate of the number of people and amount of baggage on a flight so that they can load the proper amount of fuel.  (Meals and beverages also have to be loaded.) Moreover, people who book at the last minute are usually flying on business, and therefore the business is paying for it.  People flying for pleasure usually know weeks or months in advance, and can’t afford the prices that a business would pay. Thus it is to an airline’s advantage to set rates according to the major differences between business and leisure travelers:     o  Business travelers fly mostly between 9 and 5, whereas leisure        travelers can fly offpeak hours.     o  Business travelers buy tickets on very short notice, whereas        leisure travelers plan trips well in advance.     o  Business travelers do not stay over a weekend (= Saturday        night), whereas leisure travelers do. So airlines typically give discounts for people who stay over a weekend, flying offpeak hours, and purchasing tickets 7 days, 14 days, 21 days or 30 days in advance. Such fares are known as excursion, discount, or supersaver fares. For example, US domestic excursion fares require that you buy your roundtrip ticket 7 days, 14 days, or 30 days in advance, and that you stay over a weekend (usually Saturday night, though sometimes Sunday night as well).  Some may also restrict the travel to a 30-day maximum stay. Stopovers aren’t allowed, except for the purpose of connection (if you want a stopover, you’ll have to pay extra). Some fares may be limited to a particular routing (e.g., routes with connections cost less than nonstop flights). You may also be limited to flying during offpeak hours, with flights during the busiest times of the day costing more. Tickets are usually non-refundable and non-transferable, and may either be … read more »

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