How I Book My Flight

I was surprised the other day when my sister asked me how I book my flight on the weekly trips I take as part of my job. Since I travel every week, sometimes visiting two-three cities in a week, booking flights is so simple I did not dream it could be a problem for anybody. So I helped her book a flight for an upcoming vacation trip. I suspect part of her problem was fear of paying too much for a ticket as you often see these airline commercials about people setting in different seats paying different amounts for the same flight. She feels she is a smart shopper and doesn't want to be taken advantage of by the airlines but is unsure how she should proceed.

How I Book My Flight For Business Travel

I explained to her that my trips were business trips and time was more important than cost to my company. So how I book my flight will be different from how she should book her flights since her trips will be for no-pressing personal reasons. Since I did not know from week to week where I would be required to travel I could not take advantage of any of the advance purchase discounts and was not concerned about finding the cheap business class flights .Unfortunately my company will not pay for first class tickets, not even cheap first class airfare so it would do me no good to search for such fares on the various travel sites. Also I had often to be in one location on a Tuesday and in a second location the next day so I had to book my flight based on availability of flights rather than cost savings. The airlines love me because I am not the normal business travel and end up paying high rates for last minute travel.

Most businesses are able to schedule their business travel weeks in advance so they can achieve cost savings similar to those of personal travel. However they need to factor in the cost of staying in the location to which they travel, which I try to do when I book my flight. And of course larger companies have travel departments which are able to negotiate discounts for their travelers with the airlines. While my company has negotiated rates I must buy last minute airline tickets price when I book my flight since my travel is usually last minute travel so I have no control over the travel time. However even I can sometimes save when I book my flight if I am able to make my hotel booking and car rentals with my flight reservations. Even in tough economic times business travel is not as concerned with the cost of air fare if business needs require the travel as consumers when they plan their travel.  However I try to book my flight on cheap business class flights whenever I can.

How I Book My Flight For Personal Travel

When I book my flight for personal travel cost is a major factor. I search various sites to try and find the dirt cheap airline tickets, car rental and hotel booking. I take advantage of advance purchase discounts buying my airline tickets 21 days in advance if possible. I also check the smaller airline web sites as they sometimes offer better prices but are not listed in the major travel sites. And sometimes I search the internet, clicking on the ads on various web sites to see if I can find a better price. So when I book my flight for personal travel I am a very careful shopper. If I was unable to plan a vacation due to work I will check the last minute deals offered by the various airlines as I can often find real bargains for immediate travel.

So how you book your flight depends on the reason you are flying, how long in advance you can plan and how flexible you can be in your scheduling. I have flown so often that these things are almost second nature to me when I book my flight.