Important information to know before & after booking a flight!
Before booking
If you don’t book direct with the airline be sure to look at reviews on the travel agents website before booking. I recently booked with Omega Flight Store instead of going direct to Singapore Airlines. When I needed to contact the customer services team, I received really poor service. When I looked online post booking I started to see lots of bad reviews!Be sure to check all name spellings, even an extra letter is a name change and can be costly (dependant on airline). The minimum it will set you back is £65 if you catch it soon enough and normally there will be an admin charge. It can be hundreds and much more expensive depending on timings.
Read the terms and conditions in full as I found that booking through an agent, between booking and the agent receiving the payment for the flight, if the flight price changes they can cancel the booking. It can take a few days and if it’s a cheap deal prices can easily change.
When booking internal flights in Australia don’t forget the price you see on skyscanner is not the price you pay at the end if you take more than hand luggage.
Check your passport expiry date as this can cause issues for visas later down the line.
Post travel
If you have travelled long haul. Check if you can claim miles and make sure you do this within the timescales. This is normally 6 months.
UK- based writer who is happiest when combining her two loves: Travel & Gin.
I always try to book directly with an airline (or any company!) to avoid middlemen in case things go wrong. That would be my top tip!
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Yes you think a couple of hundred quid cheaper but can end up paying that if your not careful.
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Very handy tips, especially regarding hand luggage. It is very popular here in Europe to have a separate fee for the check in luggage, so I always need to remember that.
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You kind of just think the price you see is what you get. Don’t be fooled they add on afterwards.
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Good tips! Im so bad for forgetting my miles!!
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I missed it by one day even when my husband keep reminding me 🤦♀️
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Ohmygod.. that sounds like something I’d do
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I’ve never thought about claiming miles after the flight! That’s an amazing tip! Thanks!
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I think only certain airlines let you. Mainly long haul and normally not discount.
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I’ve been caught by the spelling of my name incorrectly so many times! Guess that’s the problem with non-english letters.. (ä).
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I found with Virgin Australia internal flights they allowed hold luggage, it was only the bidget airlines like Jetstar in which I had to book my ectra hold luggage.
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True we booked with jetstar
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I don’t fly often, but I definitely feel like booking directly through the airline is a great tip! And I would love to know more about claiming miles. I’ve always been interested in how people do it
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Hi, how do you get places? Claiming miles can be done mainly on long haul trips, for example Singapore Airlines all details will be on the Airlines website. If the flights are cheap some times they give less miles. You can get gifts or flights depending on how many miles you have claimed.
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Those hidden luggage fees drive me crazy! Always good to check the airline’s rules before going through with the purchase 🙂
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Booking flights is just horrible sometimes! I totally agree to always book directly with an airline if you can. Sometimes though when you have like 5 flights with different airlines, you have to book through an agent and they are, like you mention, nightmares! Their TrustPilot accounts are often littered with 1* reviews – it’s scary!
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