Ticket Cost Subject To Seat Availability

"Ticket cost subject to seat availability' If you are a frequent traveller you are familiar with these words, not the best to your ears but true and very useful. When an airline  or a travel agent tells you that the fare is subject to seat availability, it means the next time you inquire the same fare may not be available and yet  the flight is not full.

Airlines have segmented their fares into groups to ensure they offer good fares to their customers and at the same time make profits, as a result there are different levels of classes with different fares both in economy and business class. If your flight is  full when you are travveling your neighbour may have paid more or less than you depending on when they bought their ticket. Lower fares are normally sold first and the most expensive last. If an airline does not fill up their flight, their profit margin goes down. The fuller the flights, the more the profits for the airline. So, where does this leave you as a passenger? Why should you pay more or less than your counterpart and yet the service you receive on board are the same.

There is always a catch in any good deals they say, same applies to air tickets. The cheaper your ticket is, the more restrictive it is as well. You may not be able to make changes in your ticket or if you do, the change fee are going to be high. A refund may not be possible on such a ticket or the amount refunded is very low. When buying your ticket, always inquire to find out the fare rules that gorven your ticket. This will allow you to make un informed decision.

What To Consider When buying That Air Ticket

The first thing that comes to mind when you plan to pack your bags and travel the world is a plane ticket. Whether you are fying within Kenya, out of or into Kenya, air travelling is the most convenient mode of transport as it is quick and saves you a lot of time and the fatigue that comes with land or water travel. I guess you would love to go for the best deals in the market, I always do. So, what do you take into consideration when buying your ait ticket? I would love to take you through some steps that I find useful when I set out to buy my ticket to ensure i get the best deals out there.

Fare
This is the first thing to condider before you buy your air ticket. You have to ensure that the fare is affordable to enable you save enough to enjoy the rest of your trip. Research online and from various carries plying the route for the best offers in the market. Your travel agent can also advise you on the offers available in the market. Chances are you are likely to find affordadble offers to save that 50 dollar or more for an extra luxary or entertainment at your destination.

Routing
Depending on the nature of your travel, you will have to take into consideration your routing before you buy that air ticket. If you are going for a business trip, you will find direct flights more convenient though they are expensive as compared to connecting flights. You would want to be on time and refreshed before you meet your business assosciates, besides direct flights have less disruption risks as compared to connecting flights. On the other hand if you are on a tour spree you will not mind a connecting flight, it is not only cheaper but it will allow you to expolre more airports and countries if you have enough transit time and your travel documents allow it. Unless you are in a hurry to get to your destination more especially where you have to meet up with a group for your tour, I would recomend connecting flights. They are always the best for the adventurous traveller. Besides, if your flight gets disrupted for long hours during transit, you get to be put up in a good hotel at the airline's cost and you may get a chance to explore more of that country.

Luxary Verses Convenience
Some of us love travelling in luxary others for convenience, get there, do you business and get back home. Whichiever is your style, this will determine your class of travel as well as the carrier you choose. A low cost airline will not offer you the luxary of comfort and meals, but it will get you to your destination at a cheaper fare. However, you will need to consider your luggage expenses as luggage is paid separately from your ticket as well as meals and other extra services. For a more luxarious travel, you may have to part more cash for your comfort. The good thing is that your luggage allowance will be more, meals included and you have a chance to choose your special meals as well as prebook for your seat well in advance. More previleges will of course be added if you are a frequent traveller registred with the carrirer's loyalty program.

The Carrier
More and more Airlines have entered the Air Transport industry nowaday as compare to the past, and more airlines are venturing into deastinations which were never served before or had an airline monopoly. Good news for us travellers, we have many options to choose from unless our destination has only one airline in operatin in which case we have no alternative. Before buying your airticket, do your research on the services offered by each airline, their schedule intergrity and airsatey records in relation to the their airfare before getting hold of that ticket. You want to get the best deal for your money and have a memorable and delightdul experience during your trip as well.

Conditions of carriage
Most of us have this weakness when we buy good and services, we only remember the fine prints when something goes wrong. It is  higly recomendable to read that fine print about the conditios of carriage. It will guide you in regard to how much liability the airline will take in case of delays, cancellations and baggage irregurarities.Most airlines, if not all have this online for ease access, take your time and go through it. Having a clear picture of the conditions of carrige of a carrier will enable you to make an informed choice, besides  you will know your rights in case of any disruptions or irregurarities during your  trip.

Cheap is not always cheap
Cheap air tickets are only cheap if your trip goes as planned, however they attract the most expensive penalities if you have to change your date of travel. Always make a point of checking with the airline or your travel agent how flexible your ticket will be in case you decide to make some changes. The terms and conditions are also available in soft copy in case you are booking online, check on it before you click that "I agree to the terms and condition" button. This will safegurd you from a lot of inconveniences if you decide to make some changes to your travel plans later besides,you may incur extra money was not bugdeted for. On the extream side you may end up losing all your money as some tickets can not be changed nor refunded, if they are refundable you end up losing the larger percentage of your cash.

Travel documents verces Transit points
Some countries may not allow you to transit their territory depending on local gorvenment regulations, other may require you to have a transit visa for the same. These regulations may apply even when you are not entereing the country so long as you are within an airport of that country. It will be painful to buy a ticket, only to find out at the airport that you can not go via that route or  you have inadequate travel documents for your transit destination. Most of us have the habit of asking the carrier or our travel agent if we require such documentation. You will get your answers yes, however, I highly recomend that you get in touch with the relevnat immigartion authorities to ensure you have the most current information.

It is my hope that you are now more informed about your travel the next time you choose to buy that air ticket for your trip. As always, do not hesitate to get in touch in case you have a question or a contribution to make. Lets have fun and have a pleasant flight for your next adventure.

Let's Talk About Air Tickets Part 1, Non Refundable Tickets.

I am a fan of social media and I follow a lot of travelers online.I get to learn a lot about travel experiences.These experiences are always full of fun and exciting till one decides to cancel their itinerary and of course they want their money back. If you are an economist like me, I know you choose the cheapest offers in the market, why not, after all every penny counts more so if you have plans of exploring more destination like the ones I have planned for this year, I hear you. The nightmare begins when the airline or the agents informs you that your ticket is non refundable. Wo wo wo , wait, what do you mean my ticket is non refundable, we are talking about my hard earned $1020? I know what you're thinking, this is straight unfair and I agree with you it is unfair, 100% yes from face value. Why should you pay for services you have not consumed anyway? If you travel frequently you have come across such scenarios and I am sure it never made any sense back then, it has not and maybe never will.

As you travel more and more you will realize that you will pay different fares to a destination with the same airline, now it is cheaper and it doubles in the next two hours or so and you wonder why? I want to take you through this journey step by step so that you may have more understanding on air tickets and air fares. Today we are going to talk about non refundable tickets.

What do airline mean when they say your ticket is non refundable?
A non refundable ticket means you will not get your money back if you choose to cancel your itinerary, as simple as that. It is a policy across most if not all airlines, well I have not heard of any that does not sell non- refundable tickets. We can equate it to sales policy in some stores where goods once sold cannot be returned.

What makes a ticket non refundable?
A ticket becomes non refundable due various reasons.

Promotional Tickets
Many tickets on offer if not all are non refundable. That means if you buy and pay for you ticket now, and you decide you are not taking the trip in the next second, you are not getting your money back. Many offers are made by airlines to promote a new destination, attract more customers, or on special occasions like Easter, valentines or Christmas. Promotional tickets in some cases do not make money for the airline unless they are sold in bulk, such tickets are non refundable like goods once sold cannot be returned. It is your choice if you want to consume the goods/service or not. I highly recommend you buy such tickets when you are sure about your trip to avoid any cancellations.   

Discounted tickets
Discounted tickets are sold cheaper than the normal published fares. An airline may decide to select a few seats and sell them at discounted fares. A discounted ticket may be fully non-refundable or partially refundable. When a ticket is partially refundable it means you can get a refund on some taxes. In most cases  a small percentage of your full ticket. On some discounted tickets you can get a refund before you take your flight, however if you have used part of the ticket then the rest may be non refundable.

How do I know if my ticket is non refundable?
Some airline or agents will issue you with a ticket and it is clearly written on the footer that the ticket is non-refundable among other condition that govern your ticket, in some cases you will not. The best way to find out is to ask when you are purchasing your ticket. You will be in a position to make an informed decision before you do the purchase.

Can I reschedule my flight if I have a non refundable ticket?
Some non refundable tickets allow for a reschedule, however it is advisable to note that such tickets attract the highest change of reservation fee and for some you can not change at all. I always make a point of finding out if my ticket has an allowance for rescheduling in case I decide otherwise.

The airline has changed my schedule, will I get a refund on a non refundable ticket?
Most airline if not all will refund your ticket in full if they cancel your flight and you have decided not to take the trip because of the changes. However it is good to note that some taxes like service fee are non refundable if you did not book your ticket online. Do not expect to get all your monies back.