Airline Tickets
Tickets for flights these days do not offer consumers many choices. Few consumers travel first class the higher price of which may not only be beyond the budget of the average consumer, but they may reason, rightly so, that the difference between the price of an economy and first class ticket is spending money they could otherwise use while they are on vacation.
However, economy tickets have several conditions that apply. In the hospital industry of which airlines are a part, the product that is sold is a perishable one. A restaurant table that remains unoccupied, a hotel room that is not used and an airline seat that flies empty are considered lost revenue that cannot be recovered. Thus holding a seat for a passenger who does not pay for it is not a practice in the industry.
To get that seat, one has to not only pay for it, but also do so in time. Reserved tickets (seats) have a deadline by which payment for them must be made. If not, reservations will be automatically cancelled and there will be no seat for the consumer unless other similar seats are available, either gratis or at an extra cost, when the consumer is ready to pay.
Once timely payment is made, regardless of the type of economy ticket purchased, consumers must still be mindful of other conditions for use of the ticket. Departure date and time, and return date and time are very important. If consumers miss these dates or times, they may not be able to use their ticket anymore. If they can still use the ticket for the same flight, they may have to be on stand-by. To travel on a later flight they may have to:
- Pay a penalty
- Upgrade their ticket
- Purchase another ticket
The above depends on the provisions of the ticket and policy of the airline. For instance, there may be a later flight with plenty of available seats, but the type of ticket may not allow for either penalty or upgrade.
If, on the other hand, there is another similar flight, with available seats, that consumer may be accommodated on that flight provided s/he pays a penalty.
It is therefore important that consumers:
- know the details of airline tickets
- be on time for their flight
By asking questions about the above issues consumers will more informed and will be able to make the best choice among carriers and tickets. In any event, consumers can demand more from carriers. After all, it is your money that airlines are after. You do not have to part with it without making certain demands.
Remember, the power is yours!
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