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Ask the reservations agent for your flight's on-time
performance code.
Ask the reservations agent to give you the on-time
performance code for any flights that you are
considering. This is a one-digit code in the
reservations computer that shows how often that
flight arrived on time (within 15 minutes) during the
most recent reported month. For example, an “8”
means that flight arrived within 15 minutes of the
scheduled arrival time between 80% and 89.9% of
the time. If you are deciding between two flights
with similar schedules and fares, you may want to
choose the one with the better on-time record. (Only
the largest U.S. airlines are required to maintain
these codes.)
When you make a reservation, be sure the agent
records the information accurately. Before you hang
up or leave the ticket office, review all of the
essential information with the agent—the spelling of
your name, the flight numbers and travel dates, and
the cities you are traveling between. If there is more
than one airport at either city, be sure you check
which one you'll be using. It's also important to
give the airline your home and work telephone
numbers so they can let you know if there is any
change in their schedule.
Your ticket will show the flight number, departure
time, date, and status of your reservation for each
flight of your itinerary. The “status” box is
important. “OK” means you're confirmed. Anything
else means that the reservation is not yet certain
(e.g., waitlisted).
A direct (or through) flight can have one or
more stops. Sometimes flights with only one flight
number can even involve a change of planes. Ask
about your exact routing.
If you are flying to a small city and your flight
number has four digits, you may be booked on a
commuter airline that has an agreement with the
major carrier in whose name the flight is held out. If
you are unsure, ask the reservations agent about the
airline and the aircraft type; these flights are
identified in the computer.
When a reservations agent asks you to buy your
tickets by a specific time or date, this is a deadline.
And if you don't make the deadline, the airline may
cancel your reservations without telling you.
Try to have your tickets in hand before you go to the
airport. This speeds your check-in and helps you
avoid some of the tension you might otherwise feel
if you had to wait in a slow-moving ticketing line
and worry about missing your flight.
If your reservations are booked far enough ahead of
time, the airline may offer to mail your tickets to
you. However, if you don't receive the tickets and
the airline's records show that they mailed them,
you may have to go through cumbersome lost-ticket
procedures (see the end of this chapter). It is safer to
check the telephone directory for a conveniently
located travel agency or airline ticket office and buy
your tickets there.
As soon as you receive your ticket check to make
sure all the information on it is correct, especially
the airports (if any of the cities have more than one)
and the flight dates. Have any necessary corrections
made immediately.
Bring a photo I.D. when you fly, and have your
airline ticket issued using your name as it appears on
that I.D. Many airlines are requesting such
identification at check-in in order to reduce the re-
selling of discount tickets. (Airlines don't permit
tickets to be sold or given to other persons.) On
international flights, make sure your name is the
same on your ticket and your passport. If your name
has recently changed and the name on your ticket
and your I.D. are different, bring documentation of
the change (e.g., a marriage certificate or court
order).
It's a good idea to reconfirm your reservations
before you start your trip; flight schedules
sometimes change. On international trips, most
airlines require that you reconfirm your onward or
return reservations at least 72 hours before each
flight. If you don't, your reservations may be
canceled.
Check your ticket as you board each flight to ensure
that only the correct coupon has been removed by
the airline agent.
Paying for and refunding airline
tickets
If you plan to pay in person and with your own bank
check, take at least two forms of identification with
you like a driver's license, major credit card, or
employee I.D. card. Particularly when you purchase
tickets far from your home town, airlines, travel
agencies and other ticket outlets will want to
confirm your identity.
Count your ticket coupons after checking in for each
flight.
If you paid for your ticket with cash and you have a
refundable fare, you can often get an immediate
refund from the issuing airline or travel agency. If
you paid by personal check, the refund will gen-
erally have to be mailed to you. NOTE: In some
cases tickets purchased overseas in foreign currency
can only be refunded in that same currency and
country, due to foreign government monetary
restrictions. Keep this in mind if you are considering
buying a ticket in a foreign country.
When you pay by credit card, your charge account is
billed whether you use your tickets or not. You
won't receive credit unless the original unused
tickets are returned to the airline. You usually can't
get a cash refund for a credit card purchase.
If you buy your tickets with a credit card and then
change your flights, the ticket agent may want to
credit the amount of the old tickets and issue another
set with a second charge to your account. You may
want to insist that the value of your old tickets be
applied to the new ones, with the difference in price
charged or credited to your account. While this
creates a little extra work for the airlines, it prevents
double-billing to your charge account.
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