12 Facts About Flights You Need to Know Before Buying a Ticket
12 Facts About Flights You Need to Know
Airlines are a big business, which means big money and, consequently, a pursuit of profit and a decline in service quality. Under-fuel the plane? Cheat on ticket prices? Lose luggage? Just trivial matters, as Carlson would say, it's all part of life!
1. Disinfect Everything
Once you board the plane and fasten your seatbelt, first take out your disinfecting wipes or gel: most likely, the aircraft hasn't undergone sanitation after the previous flight. So, if food has been sitting on your tray table unpackaged — it's best not to eat it.
2. The Ticket Price Includes a Fee for Price Comparison
If you buy airline tickets through websites that allow you to compare prices from different airlines — chances are, you're not getting the best deals. For every use of a price comparison site by a customer, airlines have to pay a fee — and they include this in the ticket price. It's better to buy tickets directly from the carrier.
3. Contact the Airline if Your Flight is Canceled
If your flight is canceled for any reason — it's best to approach the airline representatives or call them to find out if you can get on the next flight. There's a chance that the situation will be resolved faster than if you just wait for the airline to respond. Some airlines prefer to wait until you approach a representative and ask how to resolve the situation, even if there are seats available on the next flight.
4. When to Choose Seats?
If you've chosen seats on the plane in advance but would like to change them — try to do this about 4 days before departure. At this time, the airline may upgrade the service class for passengers who requested an upgrade and move them to business class, so good seats will become available during this period. Choose seats in advance if you don't want to sit next to an emergency exit, although tickets there may cost you a bit less.
5. You Can Get Money Back for a Non-Refundable Ticket
Always clarify what type of airline ticket you are purchasing — refundable or non-refundable. Usually, if the airline cancels your flight, they will find you a seat on another flight, but if you have a non-refundable ticket, you may be able to get a refund for the canceled flight. However, you need to contact the airline for this — that's why most passengers don't know about it!
6. A Ticket Does Not Guarantee a Seat on the Plane
Yes, you read that right! Just because you booked a ticket does not mean that you are guaranteed a reserved seat: sometimes airlines sell more tickets than there are seats on the plane, anticipating that some passengers will miss their flight. However, in such cases, most airlines are obligated to offer you significant compensation, so they try to avoid this.
7. Buy One Ticket at a Time
If you are traveling in a group — you might think that it's best to buy tickets with one credit card in a single payment. However, it may be more sensible to look for tickets one at a time — if you are searching for four tickets but only three are available at the lowest price, you will be offered to buy all four tickets at a higher price, rather than three cheap ones and one expensive one. This is how airlines make money!
8. Report Lost Luggage Immediately
If you discover that your luggage is lost, report it as quickly as possible. Even if you are not sure that all your luggage has arrived, make sure you know whom to contact in case of loss. There is a deadline for searching for lost luggage: if you miss this time — you will most likely never see your beloved items again. It's possible that airline employees even keep some of the most valuable items for themselves… But that's speculation; what is true is that searches for lost luggage will not be conducted if you delay in reporting it.
9. Pay Attention to Announcements from Flight Attendants
The announcement to fasten seat belts and remain in your seats is likely related to normal turbulence. However, special attention should be paid to requests to stow tray tables and announcements that the cabin lights will be dimmed during the flight: dimming the lights may be related to allowing passengers' eyes to adjust to darkness before an emergency exit, and the request to stow tray tables may be an attempt to prevent congestion during an emergency exit.
10. There is Usually Little Fuel on the Plane
There is often very little fuel on the plane. This saves airlines significant amounts of money but also means that in the event of bad weather or lack of landing clearance, the chances of an emergency landing increase. Fully fueling the plane makes the aircraft heavier and the flight more expensive. However, telling passengers that the plane is landing because the tanks are almost empty is simply cruel to them, so usually, the pilot announces something like "we are forced to make an emergency landing for technical maintenance of the aircraft."
11. Pilots Are Not Allowed to Eat Together
Some airlines ensure that pilots flying on the same flight do not eat together — there should be at least an hour between their meals, or they need to eat in different restaurants. This way, if one pilot gets food poisoning, the other can still fly the plane.
12. Never Accept the First Voucher
If you are offered a flight voucher from the airline as compensation, for example, for a delayed flight instead of a cash amount — never accept the first offer: its value will increase over time. Wait until the last moment: as the flight delay continues, you will be able to receive a larger compensation amount.
