A beginners guide to booking flights

Booking flights can be a daunting task, there are so many different airlines, so many different places to look and it can be a little overwhelming. I use this specific process when booking flights:

1. Write down the places you want to go and the dates you want to go.

2. Use Skyscanner and type in your flight choices, Skyscanner will give you a list of all the airlines which fly to your desired location, they also have a good calendar view which lets you know which dates are the most expensive and which are the cheapest

3. You can also check Expedia as sometimes it creates different results

4. Identify the airline which gives you the best price, (be warned sometimes Expedia and Skyscanner add flights together which you want to try and avoid booking, so identify the flights with the outgoing and incoming flight from the same airline)

5. Go on the specific airline’s website and search for the same flights, it’s safer to book with the airline direct than a third part company and they are usually around the same price

6. Join the airline’s miles or rewards programme

7. The cheapest days to book flights are Tuesdays or Wednesdays so try where possible to book on these days

8. Clear your computer’s cookies before booking your flights as some companies up the price if they identify that you keep searching for the same thing

9. Book your flights

Some extra tips for you to consider:

• If you are travelling to South America take a look at the baggage information for the airline as some companies give you two free bags and others only give you one.
• Try and avoid America as a stopover destination between countries as you have to collect baggage and go through security.
• Every time you fly through America remember you have to collect your bags and clear customs so allow time for that, I usually leave 2 1/2 to 3 hours between connections at an American airport.
• Check for nearby airports as they may be cheaper to fly into than a bigger airport
• Avoid connecting flights at Heathrow as it’s such a big airport with terminals spread out over a large area
• Remember an airline has to put you on another flight if you miss your connection because of a previous delay but not if you are just hanging around, clearing security/ immigration or collecting baggage
• If you get delayed by 3 hours or more you are entitled to compensation if you reside in an EU country

Booking flights shouldn’t be a daunting task, it becomes straightforward if you follow these steps and read the tips.