Common Mistakes While Booking Tickets

There are some common mistakes we could make when we book our tickets while travelling. Just listing a few, to get you started. Its always easy, to make a mistake and then find people to blame, or maybe even blame ourselves. But that isn't the point, finally its about losing good, hard earned money. There is no need for anyone to make money out of you, especially the airlines, after seeing the rising fares. These are just basics, really useful if you don't travel much or are a first time traveller.


Your name on reservation
Nowadays, wherever you are, whatever you do, you are treated as a security risk. Things aren’t what they used to be. You are looked upon as a terrorist, ( yeah, even if you aren't one, but they don’t know that, and apparently everyone these days looks like one, or so they think!! ) until your handbag or the trunk of your car has been checked. This is funny most of the times, when you go to a hotel or for a movie but isn't so funny when you are at the airport all ready for your meeting / holiday and the airport or airline authorities are not convinced of you being the traveller because your name on the passport and ticket don't match. The end result: apart from the tremendous mental torture you will go through, you will be paying a hefty fee or maybe even buying a whole new ticket.
So, always make sure the name on your ticket and passport match. Someone out there, is waiting …. for the mistake to be made and money too.. 

Booking wrong dates
This is again, an easy and innocent mistake. You may want to travel on a particular date, for example 15th. Fine. Booked it. Done. You reach the airport, all ready. You missed your flight… because you made a tiny mistake. You never specified whether it was 15th early morning that you wanted to fly or it was 15th night. You meant 15th night and you’ve been booked on 15th. Morning.
Don't worry. All you have to do is, again, pay a hefty fee or in case your ticket was non refundable, simply buy a new ticket. This one cannot be refunded, so why cry over spilled milk. BE POSITIVE.

Sounds irritatingly shocking, doesn't it?  But, it can happen. Maybe you should try being careful instead of positive  because the airline doesn't care about what you meant.


Selecting the wrong city
Sometimes, there are multiple cities with the same name. What separates them is the country or state. For example:

1. Charlottesville, USA and Charlottesville, Tobago
2. Charlotte, Michigan State and Charlotte in North Carolina
3. Charleston, Missouri and one in South Carolina, and one in Illinois and one in West Virginia. All 4 in USA itself.

So be specific about where you want to go, because after reaching, well … be ready, to pull your hair out.


Restricted tickets 
These kinds are a boon, BUT, only for those travelers who are a 100 % sure that they will not change their program at all.
A nice bargain is great, but maybe not for everyone. These kind  carry even more exorbitant fees for modifications and very often, changes are not allowed at all.  Totally NON REFUNDABLE. So, just in case you can’t go or would like to change the dates ( which isn’t allowed ) and this is the heavily restricted ticket, you can kiss the trip and money goodbye.


Fares 
Advertising. That's the biggest gimmick used by everyone to sell whatever they are selling. They lure you, entice you, into doing things you didn't want to in the first place but it sounded so good, of course, it isn't your fault.

Never just buy the tickets only because you are getting a good fare or because you are getting something free. Nothing is cheap and nothing is free. Live with it. Don't get taken in by the ads. Check again. If it isn't the fare that's the killer, its the taxes or the service charges. Read the fine print, always.

 

The Action Plan

1. Don’t be penny wise pound foolish. Look for deals, yes, but don’t get taken in by advertisements. Read the fine print.

2. Always be specific about your destination and the date you wish to travel. No one cares about what you mean. Everyone actions on what you say.

3. Always check your passport when you have got it renewed for any spelling mistakes. If there are any, get them rectified immediately. This is one of the reasons for spelling mistakes on reservation.

That’s all. As we said, just a few pointers. Remember, it’s not about who is to blame at the end of the day, because when the money has got to be paid, it's yours, and the airlines are the last people to care about your “mistake”. And they never care about what you meant. Blame games are just a waste of time and yield nothing productive. You are the only one who it matters to. So, make it matter, give it attention. Check every little detail you can, not because you have to, but because you must.