Anti-Oops Checklist for Booking Flights


Photo by waynevffvnqu8g

Photo by waynevffvnqu8g

The more we travel, the more Steve and I stress over booking plane tickets.  We know how easy it is to overlook an important detail and how much misery a little slip-up can inflict.  Strangely enough, checklists for avoiding such problems seem to be hard to find.  Here’s ours.

Anti-Oops Checklist for Booking Flights

Before you start, write down required departure and return dates, ground transportation hours, airport names and anything else you are unsure of, so you can easily check them.

Before you click, check:

–Arrival date for every flight
–Are your departure and arrival times reasonable?  Is your 2 pm really 2 am?
–Do your layovers allow enough time to make your next gate, but not take up residence?
–Are you happy with the number of transfers, and the time and distance they add to your trip?  (Are you flying to Montreal by way of Dallas and  Hawaii?)
–Does the name on the ticket exactly match the name on every traveler’s ID?
–Did you scroll out of your price range?
–Are all flights with one airline?  (If the first leg with one airline is late, both airlines have wiggle room to avoid taking responsibility.)

Hope this helps relieve your booking anxiety.  If we’ve missed anything, please add it below!


About breathtakebyways

Ann Williams’ travel articles have appeared in publications all over the country including The Washington Post, Roads to Adventure, and Jack and Jill. Between researching and writing books, she specializes in creative lectures.