SolveYourProblem.com Article Series: Airline Travel
Airlines, Planes & Airport Security

Top 8 Airfare & Airline Travel Myths

There are many myths about traveling that have recently become debunked. Knowing the truth about these misleading, and previously believed details can make traveling more economical. Here are eight myths about airline travel.

Some people assume it's always best to spend frequent flier miles before spending actual money. This is not always the case. If you equate each frequent flier mile to $.01, often times you will end up spending more on flights using the miles. Furthermore, frequent flier miles are hard to collect and when travelers decide to use them, they should make sure they are getting the most out of them.

Also, some travelers assume you can always change the name on an airline ticket. While a few airlines will allow the change at a nominal fee, generally no such change can be made. This is a myth that most passengers find out the hard way.

Another misunderstanding amongst airline passengers is that you can make reservations more than a year in advance. While most airlines encourage booking your flight early (for their convenience and inventory tracking) their computer systems will not process a reservation more than a year away. Travelers you can request a specific trip date, but tickets will not be confirmed and usually no price can be estimated.

Another myth that most travelers are misled by is that airlines will accept tickets from another airline if you are traveling between the same airports. Passengers can not assume that all airlines have ticketing agreements with each other. With electronic ticketing becoming more popular this agreements are far less likely.

Another popular myth is travelers assume that they can upgrade their tickets for a nominal fee. Some domestic flights may offer this, but for the most part airlines refrain from these type upgrades, especially on international flights. Some airlines would rather let the seats remain empty than offer them at a lower price.

Some travelers are still under the assumption that a Saturday over night stay will lower the cost of their trip. While this may have been true a decade ago, currently airlines rarely push the Saturday night stay over any longer. Previously this was used to push business fliers, who often fly at the last minute, to choose an overnight stay instead of an outrageous ticket price. This requirement is becoming so infrequent because of the many options travelers have when choosing an airline. The rise of budget airlines means staying overnight rarely saves the flier money.

Another popular myth is that travelers always have a choice of booking a one way ticket instead of a roundtrip. While this may be true domestically it is not always the case when flying internationally. Without proof of a roundtrip ticket many foreign countries will refuse a traveler entry.

The last myth is that airlines can change a ticket booked by a travel agency. Regrettably, this is not always the case. Usually a travel agent owns the rights to your file and in those cases the airlines simply have access to the reservations but can make no changes. Or, you may be booked on more than one airline with specific flight routing that got you the airfare you wanted.

Keep in mind when considering these myths that not all airlines follow the same rules, so it is always best to ask if you're not sure on an airline's specific regulations.

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