Important things to know when booking the air tickets  [Top]

• Booking With Airlines: If you want to purchase a ticket at a regular price with the airlines, then you can book it yourself. Depending upon your destination your airline preference changes, as international flights have controlled circuits. Also, flights have marked dates or days. You will have to make your own domestic itinerary if your destination is not a metro city. The disadvantage of booking directly by airline is that you may not a cheaper ticket. If you are getting sponsored by your company, it makes sense to book directly from the airline. The advantage of booking with the airline is that you can make changes in the date without any extra charges.
   
• Ask Questions: Is it one way or round trip ticket? Ask for seating preference if you wish for aisle or window, smoking or non-smoking. For passengers with particular diet requirements, the airlines offer the choice of special meals, taking into account religious and medical restrictions on food. This should be mentioned at the time of reservation. In most cases, round trip tickets is cheaper than one way tickets for inbound and outbound journey.
   
• Booking Through Travel Agent: Only a travel agent will search, compare and evaluate fares and schedules offered by every carrier. This is the common channel most of them employ. Visit or call several agencies to find the one that best suits your needs. Take advice from friends and others who knows a Travel agent that they trust. If you know or heard of a travel agent in your city, see what he can do for you. Before any proceedings conclude a good decision based on the analysis of your own judgement.

  Travel agents will make sure you get the best rate possible. Since travel agencies represent all airlines they are able to shop around to get you the best deals, schedules, etc. Take time to clear your doubts and questions relating to your travel. They will answer or rally round to find a solution to your question.
   

• Special Fares: All airlines have special rate categories, but you have to ask for them by name, since the agents are usually not familiar with them. You may even have to talk to the agent's supervisor. There is a student, military, children, family, conference, senior citizen (age 62 or above), handicapped special fares.
   
• Getting the Best Rate: Ask the travel agent to 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. Then again, you can always call up three (or more) airlines yourself to discover the best fares on each. 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.
   
• Check Restrictions on the Tickets if bought from a Consolidator: Ticket consolidators are often 30-40% cheaper than buying direct from the airline. They buy blocks of unsold seats from the airlines and resell them at a slim margin. Such tickets are usually heavily restricted like no special meals, no changes, no transfers, no refunds. Cancellation penalties are often much more severe than on regular tickets. Definitely check about the points mentioned above if you are buying tickets from a consolidator
   
• Check The Time of the Connecting Flight: While buying the ticket check the time of your next connecting flight. See carefully if the ticket issued to you allows enough time to get from one gate to the next at the connecting airport. The airline computers have an estimate of the minimum time required to make a connection, but this isn't always accurate, especially if the gates are at opposite ends of the airport, or you're seated at the tail of the plane. The connection times are based on the arriving and departing airline, whether the flight is international or domestic.

1. Call up various airlines and check the rate from them first.
2. Call a number of travel agents from the yellow pages. It is generally better if you don't depend on just one travel agent. It is better to ask around and get a feel for the ticket rates and get the best price.Typically the travel agents offer anywhere from 10%-30% discount on the price. Ask the travel agent how much discount he will offer or what is the price. If you are not rigid about your dates, you should ask him the rates for several dates because the rates vary depending on the time of the year you are planning to travel.
3. Compare their quotes, availability schedules. It may be better to book a round trip ticket since the cost of booking a round trip ticket is usually less than two one-way tickets. There might be some restrictions on the duration of stay in USA for such round trip excursion tickets.
4. Ask them for discounts that they will offer on this price. You should also mention that there may be students' discount or senior / handicapped discount. There is also a discount available for cancer patients and patients with some medical conditions... details of which can be obtained from the airlines.
5. Ask them for the services that they will provide along with the tickets.
6. Go to their offices and see their work yourself before buying a ticket from them.
7. Ask them if they are members with IATA or other organizations. If yes, will they provide changes in the itinerary? If yes, at what cost. While booking the tickets, you should always ask the agents about the cancellation rates or the rates about extending the ticket dates. Sometimes there are no charges for getting the dates extended depending on the class. There are some classes under economy class for which the rates are reasonable but there are certain restrictions like you wont be able to cancel or there will be a significant fees if you cancel or extend the tickets.
8. Ask them if they will assist you with visas. Many travel agents provide a service package like getting the passport and visa made for you or getting the foreign exchange.
9. Check the confirmation of your reservation before making the payment. This confirmation should have "OK" mentioned on the ticket with a stamp from the Airline. You can cross check it by directly calling the airline office and asking them if you were listed as confirmed.
10. Only after confirming everything, make a payment.
11. You should ask the airlines for the price first. (provide them with Airlines telephone numbers)