Airfare 101 - Revision history

Editor: /* Other basic tips */

2021-07-01T21:25:11Z

‎Other basic tips

Editor: /* Be flexible with your dates and airports (if you can) */

2021-05-03T20:18:15Z

‎Be flexible with your dates and airports (if you can)

Editor at 05:36, 13 February 2021

2021-02-13T05:36:21Z

Editor: /* Other basic tips */

2021-02-13T05:23:33Z

‎Other basic tips

Editor: /* Other basic tips */

2021-02-13T00:47:40Z

‎Other basic tips

Editor: /* Consider "Basic Economy" fares */

2021-02-13T00:46:25Z

‎Consider "Basic Economy" fares

Editor at 19:31, 12 February 2021

2021-02-12T19:31:36Z

Editor: /* Shop on the right website */

2021-02-11T23:39:36Z

‎Shop on the right website

Editor at 23:37, 11 February 2021

2021-02-11T23:37:22Z

Editor: /* Shop on the right website */

2021-01-21T02:16:32Z

‎Shop on the right website

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 <li>'''Earn miles on every flight (in as few accounts as possible)'''. It only takes a minute or two to add your frequent flyer information to your reservation. Don't forgo the opportunity to get free miles—there is always a way to get some value from them. And because you can earn miles for your flights with your choice of many different frequent flyer programs, you can concentrate your mileage earning in just a few frequent flyer accounts, rather than spreading them out across many different programs. {{Link|Consolidate Miles}}.</li>
-<li>'''Get free travel insurance and bonus reward points by booking your trip with the right credit card'''. If you are using the Chase combo, the Sapphire Reserve is a good option. More advanced travelers, who are comfortable using their credit card points for frequent flyer tickets, may want to use the  Amex Platinum or Citi Prestige to earn some additional reward points. {{Link|Travel Spending}}.</li>
+<li>'''Get free travel insurance and bonus reward points by booking your trip with the right credit card'''. If you are using the Chase combo, the Sapphire Reserve is a good option. More advanced travelers, who are comfortable using their credit card points for frequent flyer tickets, may want to use the Amex Platinum to earn some additional reward points. {{Link|Travel Spending}}.</li>
 <li>'''If you are buying tickets for more than one person at a time, you may need to make multiple reservations'''. If there are not enough of a cheaper ticket “class” available for all the passengers on a single reservation, the airline will charge the higher price for every passenger. You’ll save money by splitting your reservation up, so that you can book at least some of your tickets at the lower rate.</li>

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 {{Image|GoogleFlightsPriceGraph2.png}}
-If you are using Google Flights, you can easily view the lowest prices for different days by simply looking at the calendar boxes. But the lowest price on any given day is often on a flight that you would never take. To see the actual "acceptable" flight options for each date, you’ll need to view each individual day, but Google Flights is blazingly fast, so you can check a bunch of dates in very little time.
+If you are using Google Flights, you can easily view the lowest prices for different days by simply looking at the calendar boxes. But the lowest price for each day that is displayed is often on a flight that you would never take. To see the actual "acceptable" flight options, you’ll need to view each individual day, one at a time, but Google Flights is blazingly fast, so you can check a bunch of dates in very little time.
-If you are using Momondo, you can’t really trust the date chart that is displayed at the top of the page. If you want to see the real options for each date, you'll need to take the time to search each day individually.
+If you are using Kayak / Momondo, you can’t really trust the date chart that is displayed at the top of the page. If you want to see the real options for each date, you'll need to take the time to  search each day.
 <li>'''Generally, flights to leisure destinations are more expensive if you travel on the weekends, especially at holiday times'''. Many other travelers are optimizing their travel around school and work holidays, so they want to fly out on a Friday or Saturday and fly back on a Saturday or Sunday. If you can shift your dates to fly in and out on a weekday, you’ll generally find significantly better fares. Sometimes, returning two days after the end of a holiday break can cut the price of your tickets in half. </li>
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 A few hours of driving (or a quick train ride) can often save significant amounts of money on your trip. If using a less well-located airport allows you to take a nonstop flight, instead of making a connection, the total length of your trip might not even be any longer. If you are taking advantage of a more distant airport, you might be better of using a one-way car rental reservation, rather than going to the airport with a car service, taxi, or friend.
-Google provides convenient access to a tool that allows you to add nearby airports. You can also add up to five airports into the search boxes.
+Google allows you to add up to six airports into the search boxes.
 </ul>

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 <center>{{Tile|Companion Certificates}}</center>
-<li>'''Earn miles on every flight (in as few accounts as possible)'''. It only takes a minute or two to add your frequent flyer information to your reservation. Don't forgo the opportunity to get free miles—there is always a way to get some value from them. And because you can earn miles for your flights with your choice of many different frequent flyer programs, you can concentrate your mileage earning in just a few frequent flyer accounts, rather than spreading them out across many different programs. [[Travel Loyalty Programs#Don't turn down free frequent flyer miles|Earn Miles for Every Flight (In as Few Accounts as Possible)]].</li>
+<li>'''Earn miles on every flight (in as few accounts as possible)'''. It only takes a minute or two to add your frequent flyer information to your reservation. Don't forgo the opportunity to get free miles—there is always a way to get some value from them. And because you can earn miles for your flights with your choice of many different frequent flyer programs, you can concentrate your mileage earning in just a few frequent flyer accounts, rather than spreading them out across many different programs. {{Link|Consolidate Miles}}.</li>
 <li>'''Get free travel insurance and bonus reward points by booking your trip with the right credit card'''. If you are using the Chase combo, the Sapphire Reserve is a good option. More advanced travelers, who are comfortable using their credit card points for frequent flyer tickets, may want to use the  Amex Platinum or Citi Prestige to earn some additional reward points. {{Link|Travel Spending}}.</li>

@@ Line 166: / Line 166: @@
 <li>'''Earn miles on every flight (in as few accounts as possible)'''. It only takes a minute or two to add your frequent flyer information to your reservation. Don't forgo the opportunity to get free miles—there is always a way to get some value from them. And because you can earn miles for your flights with your choice of many different frequent flyer programs, you can concentrate your mileage earning in just a few frequent flyer accounts, rather than spreading them out across many different programs. [[Travel Loyalty Programs#Don't turn down free frequent flyer miles|Earn Miles for Every Flight (In as Few Accounts as Possible)]].</li>
-<li>'''Get free travel insurance and bonus reward points by booking your trip with the right credit card'''. As discussed in our [[Chase Unlimited Combo|"Simple Plan"]], the Chase Sapphire Reserve is a good option. More advanced travelers, who are comfortable using their credit card points for frequent flyer tickets, may want to use the  Amex Platinum or Citi Prestige to earn some additional reward points. {{Link|Travel Spending}}.</li>
+<li>'''Get free travel insurance and bonus reward points by booking your trip with the right credit card'''. If you are using the Chase combo, the Sapphire Reserve is a good option. More advanced travelers, who are comfortable using their credit card points for frequent flyer tickets, may want to use the  Amex Platinum or Citi Prestige to earn some additional reward points. {{Link|Travel Spending}}.</li>
 <li>'''If you are buying tickets for more than one person at a time, you may need to make multiple reservations'''. If there are not enough of a cheaper ticket “class” available for all the passengers on a single reservation, the airline will charge the higher price for every passenger. You’ll save money by splitting your reservation up, so that you can book at least some of your tickets at the lower rate.</li>

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 {{/Main|article}}
 {{NextPages}}
-{{Next|advanced air strategies}}
+{{Next|when to book}}
 {{Next|airfare step by step}}
 {{Next|premium cabin}}
 {{Next|fly somewhere}}
-{{Next|long haul}}
+{{Next|separate tickets}}
-{{Next|award ticket strategies}}
+{{Next|award tickets 101}}
 {{/NextPages}}
 {{/Page|article}}

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 <li>'''On domestic trips, you save around $15-40 per leg by buying basic economy tickets''', depending on how far you are flying. You'll save even more on many international trips.</li>
-<li>'''If you don't have status, the main thing you'll be giving up is free ticket changes changes and seat selection'''. The lack of free ticket changes doesn't just help if you need to chancel or otherwise change your trip. It also means you can't take advantage of cheaper fares that become available after you book.</li>
+<li>'''If you don't have status, the main thing you'll be giving up are seat selection and free ticket changes'''. Even if you have most travel insurance, including the free insurance that comes with some credit cards, you'll only receive a refund if someone dies or you are too sick to travel, not for most other reasons you may want to cancel your trip. So, the ability to freely cancel your trip is valuable. </li>
-Even if you have most travel insurance, including the free insurance that comes with some credit cards, you'll only get a refund of your fare if someone dies or you are too sick to travel, not for most other reasons you may want to cancel your trip.
+The lack of free ticket changes doesn't just cost you extra money if you need to cancel or otherwise change your trip. It also means you can't take advantage of cheaper fares that become available after you book.
-<li>'''If you have status, you'll also lose out on seat upgrades'''. While you may not be likely to get a coveted bump to the front of the plane, elites can often move up to an enhanced economy seat with extra legroom.</li>
+<li>'''If you have status, you'll also lose out the ability to upgrade your seat '''. While you may not be likely to get a coveted bump to the front of the plane, elites can often access an enhanced economy seat with extra legroom.</li>
 <li>'''Reduced baggage privileges aren't usually a major factor'''. Most airlines still allow you to brig a free carry-on and will charge the same fee for checked bags on domestic flights. The checked bag benefit on the airline's credit card also still works on basic economy fares. But if you are flying an international route, checking bags, and don't have the free bag benefit, much of the savings from basic economy could be lost to extra baggage fees.</li>

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 {{DISPLAYTITLE:{{Title|airfare 101}}}}
-{{Page|article|Airfare Strategies}}
+{{Page|article|Save on Booking|Airfare Strategies}}
 {{ImageX|BookAirfare2.jpg|full}}

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 The good news is that with the major US airlines, you may be able to lock in the current fare and rebook if prices drop later.
-<center>{{Tile|211}}</center>
+<center>{{Tile|when to book}}</center>
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-If you simply do a basic flight search on a travel site like Expedia, there is a good chance you will wind up paying too much for your airplane ticket. Finding the best flight options usually takes a bit more effort. But it isn’t that complicated or time consuming.
+If you simply do a basic flight search on a travel site like Expedia, there is a good chance you will wind up paying too much for your airplane ticket.
 After reading this introduction, make sure to view our '''{{Link|airfare step by step}}'''.
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 *[[#Be flexible with your dates and airports (if you can)|Be flexible with your dates (and airports)]]
 *[[#Consider "Basic Economy" fares|Consider "Basic Economy" fares]]
 *[[#Other basic tips|Other basic tips]]
 {{/TOC}}
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 <li>'''Kayak / Momondo is the best option for setting up fare alerts'''. While Google Flights has a price alert feature, Kayak's and Momondo's is better. It lets you set up an alert for a range of days. Perhaps more importantly, it lets you use filter out "basic economy" fares if they won't work for your trip.</li>
 </ul>
 === <span id="Flexible"> Be flexible with your dates and airports (if you can) </span> ===
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 We highly value the ability to change or cancel are tickets and pick seats. Since the major US airlines chose to get rid of change fees, we usually choose to pay a little more for these benefits. For flights without free change fees, we will more frequently try to save some money with a basic economy fare.
 === Other basic tips ===
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 <li>'''Price and schedule aren’t everything, don’t neglect comfort'''. If there are several different good flight options, choose the one that is likely to be more comfortable. Several websites help you find the information to evaluate the comfort of each different flight option. {{Link|Comfort}}.</li>
 </ul>
 {{/Main|article}}

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 [//www.skyscanner.com/ Skyscanner] is very similar to, but not quite as good as, Momondo. However, Skyscanner sometimes uncovers fares that Momondo and Google Flights do not. So, if you want to invest some extra energy, you can search it as well.
-<li>'''You'll need to check Southwest and some other airlines as a separate step'''. [//www.google.com/flights/ Google Flights] is the most convenient tool for investigating lots of different date and routing options. While we strongly recommend it, you need to be careful not to ignore discount airlines. For some airlines, such as Southwest, Google and Momondo will include the flights in their listings, but they won’t directly show the ticket prices. Therefore, they never bubble up to the better flight options at the top of the list or get displayed in the low-price calendar. Therefore, they are easy to miss. And if you want to see the actual prices, you’ll need to click on the flight links, and visit the airline’s own website.</li>
+<li>'''You'll need to check Southwest and some other airlines as a separate step'''. [//www.google.com/flights/ Google Flights] is the most convenient tool for investigating lots of different date and routing options. While we strongly recommend it, you need to be careful not to ignore discount airlines. For some airlines, such as Southwest, Google and Kayak / Momondo will include the flights in their listings, but won’t directly show the ticket prices. Therefore, they never bubble up to the better flight options at the top of the list or get displayed in the low-price calendar. As a result, they are easy to miss. If you want to see the actual prices, you’ll need to click on the flight links to visit the airline’s own website.</li>
 For flights in the US, we find it easier to just check [//www.southwest.com Southwest's website] directly (when they are a possible option), after looking at our other options on Google Flights.