TOP TEN TIPS
Fliers, beware of your choices!
By:
Daniel Friedman
1. TRAVEL PROCEDURES:
Traveling home for the holidays just
became more complicated—Spirit and Frontier, both no-frills airlines, just
raised their baggage fees. Does the
claim that it’s still cheaper to fly budget airlines still stand, or is legacy
the way to go?
Let’s compare a flight on December
12th, after finals, from Tampa to New York area airports on different carriers.
Budget carriers, which includes, Frontier, Spirit, and JetBlue, and legacy
carriers like Delta, and United.
2. SATISFACTION COMPARISONS:
Please proceed to airline ratings blog post.
Please proceed to airline ratings blog post.
3. NO FRILLS CARRIERS:
Different airlines appeal to
different types of people. For example, people on a budget may stick with airlines
like Spirit and Frontier Airlines. These airlines our what the industry calls
“no frills”, this means everything comes at a premium including:
· Seat selection
· Baggage allowance
· And yes snacks.
4.
LEGACY CARRIERS:
Often offer higher standards of comfort
and reliability, though at a higher price. But recently, carriers like,
American Airlines, are copying the formats of their low budget competition in
order to keep their customers, charging for add-ons as well.
5. HELPFUL HINTS
Here’s some tips to selecting the
cheapest, friendliest, and most comfortable method to travel home for the
holidays. In order for a traveler to decide legacy versus budget, one must
first compare the fares. In fact, some third-party websites, like Expedia or
Kayak, stand apart from their airline counterpart websites in that they often
offer better pricing, and more choices from various travel websites.
6. BOOK
OFF PEAK
According to websites like Expedia
and Kayak, the best days to travel are often Sunday, Monday, or Wednesday,
these are often the days airlines launch sales.
7. DON’T PRE-SELECT A SEAT
Waiting to choose your seat until the
day of the flight or twenty-four hours before; in order to avoid seat selection
fees, also take only carry-ons, a
8.
CARRY ON BAGGAGE
Avoid paying a fee for checked
baggage; although some airlines, like Spirit are now charging for carry-ons as
well.
9. PLEASE DO:
If you can’t avoid the fees of
luggage, at least consider purchasing your own food. Food on board can cost a
bundle, plus the airline food is notoriously mediocre.
10.
FINALLY REMEMBER:
· Book Early, at least six months
before travel for best deal
· Use Travel websites, like Kayak.com,
can assist students in cheap travel
· A budget Airline does not mean it’s
the cheapest airline
· Make travel easier with airline
travel apps
· Arrive to the airport at least two
hours before flight to avoid holiday lines
.
