Crossing The Blues

The Europeans are in the same position as the Americans when it comes to the rules on compensation when flights are cancelled or passengers are refused boarding. As from 2004, there have been a unified set of rules to ensure that everyone gets the same treatment no matter which country they are flying in or to – for the record, comparable rules apply to train services and other forms of public transport although the substance of the rules varies, e.g. the detail of rights on trains are not the same as those applying to maritime and river transport. This article only addresses the rights available to citizens of an EU Member State. Even if an American is a passenger on a European flight in Europe, none of these rights apply. The only remedies come under international treaties. However, Americans in Europe do get an indirect benefit.

The first and most obvious consumer right is to receive comprehensive information in a timely manner. If a problem arises hours before boarding is due, airlines should notify passengers by sms, Facebook or some other means to minimize inconvenience and avoid travel to the airport. Once you have arrived and presented yourself for boarding within the time limit, you’re entitled to compensation if the plane is overbooked and you cannot get a seat, even if you have cheap air tickets. The current practice is as follows. The airline first calls for volunteers who are prepared to give up their seats for an agreed amount of compensation. If no one volunteers, you must be offered a full refund or re-routing to your destination at the earliest possible time. For these purposes, a full refund includes the cost of flying you home if the purpose of your journey is now frustrated, e.g. you were flying to attend a friend’s wedding and you will miss it. If you choose a refund or re-routing, compensation must also be paid. This is up to 600 Euro depending on the distance you were due to fly. If your seat is upgraded, you cannot be asked to pay a higher ticket price. If you agree to accept a downgrade, the airline must refund the difference in seat price even if you had cheap air tickets.

Finding cheap air tickets is becoming a rather important task for millions of passengers that don’t want to spends lots of money while travelling, especially at a time when travelling by plane is becoming a rather costly option due to the ongoing economic turmoil that is affecting almost every airline around the world and the high fuel prices. This problem becomes even more pronounced if you’re faced with a long international flight that never comes cheap. Thanks to the Internet, getting cheap air tickets is still possible these days. Numerous sites and online travel services will help you to find the optimal solution for your flight and make your travel less expensive. Still, there is some advice on cheap air tickets that travelers new to this whole thing have to keep in mind in order to avoid unpleasant surprises. Here are some of the aspects to pay attention to when dealing with cheap flights:

Mind the hidden costs

Firstly, there are all sorts of hidden costs that you should pay attention to when buying cheap air tickets. Sure, some companies will state that the price you see on the web is the final price you will pay, and it could really be true. Yet, for example, they can have a lower luggage weight included, which may result in additional fees for overweight that is inevitable if you’re flying over a long distance. Try learning all the small and seemingly insignificant details before buying the ticket in order to avoid any hidden costs or at least be prepared for them.

Expect inconvenient transfers

If you’re looking for cheap air tickets to make your long international flight more affordable, get ready for inconvenient transfers. The cheapest options usually include connections that will make you wait several hours and even half a day at the airport, which is certainly not very comfortable especially if you are unable to leave the airport due to the lack of proper visa. So pay attention to the transfer timing if you don’t want your 9 hour flight to turn into a two-day adventure through several international airports.

The plane makes a difference

Naturally, low cost companies tend to provide economy machines to their customers. Still, when buyng cheap air tickets make sure to learn what type of plane you’ll be flying with exactly in order to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Forget about good seats

Unless you’re booking your flight well in advance, don’t expect to get a good seat with cheap tickets. That’s the price of cheap and you have to understand that. Sure, you can be lucky to get both the good seat and the great price, but that rarely happens to most travelers. So be prepared to have the least comfortable seats when flying cheap.

It may be thousands of miles to travel and the cost of aviation fuel is not exactly cheap, but there are ways to get to European destinations from America without it breaking the bank. These depend on the timing of the flights and your flexibility. Let’s start off with your choice of the time to make the trip. If you pick the high season, you will pay a premium. That’s not a little amount. There can be more than a thousand dollars difference in the price of a ticket depending on the route and the airline. For these purposes, the price period to avoid is June through August. This reflects the weather pattern usually expected in Europe. After what can be freezing temperatures over winter and spring, we warm up through April and May, and get steady heat June through August. If you go in April and May, or postpone the trip into the fall, the most popular tourist destinations are less full of visitors so the hotel rooms cost less and the weather is still inviting.

Of course, if you grew up in a cold climate or you are going for the skiing, the cheapest periods are either side of Christmas from November through March. Why are you going on this trip? If it is just for rest and relaxation, good food and alcohol when in the mood, it does not matter when you go and you can take advantage of the cheap fights off-season. You should explore the prices months in advance using search engines in terms of flexibility. There are some times and days rather than others where fares are cheaper.

Only by making multiple searches can you begin to see the pattern and adjust your travel plans to take advantage of the cheap flights. For some European destinations, it can save money by picking routes where your intended destination is only a refueling stop, e.g. some New York flights to India stop in London. Or break your journey, e.g. a flight to Rome can stop in either Madrid or Brussels. The end-price on your cheap flights is likely to be lower the more you are prepared to accept different options.