Air Fees Explained 10 Ways

In the world of travel planning it can be confusing as to how we earn our living. Like what is commissionable and what is not. Because air is non-commissionable, we charge a fee when taking on the responsibility of researching, booking and maintaining your air schedule. What goes into all this, and how do we remove the burden and stress from you?  Here are 10 ways. 

1. First we research viable schedules eliminating connections that may be legal but not safe and habitually problematic airports at varying times of the year.
2. If you are flexible, we compare several flight date options for the best value. 
3. We compare a connection to a non-stop. Is the savings worth the loss of time and additional opportunity for something to go wrong?
4. Once booked we select your seats and/or explain to you the airline’s options and timing for seats.
5. We add your cell phone #, mileage number, Passport number, Expiration Date and other info to your booking with the airline.
6. We check your schedule for changes every six weeks until departure.
7. Sometimes it’s just a time change or flight # change. But other times changes can be drastic. The flight may have been discontinued or the equipment changed; the connection may no longer work or you will arrive too late. In each circumstance, we go to work as your advocate with the airline to renegotiate your schedule. We request the best flight option with the airline or request a refund where we then start over finding a schedule that works.
8. During travel we monitor your flights checking for substantial delays. We may need to advise your meet and greet transfer that you’ll be late or guide you in time of need on working with the airline desk on location.
9. If traveling internationally, many times we have access to Bulk/Contracted rates offered through tour operators. And if you are traveling Business Class or First Class we generally can save you a lot of $$$$ over published rates offered by the airline.
10. And through it all we keep you informed and up to speed on what’s going on.

Now you can see that airfare is not just a “once and done” to us. It is very complex, tedious and time-consuming. We want to be certain that your trip has the best possible start and finish!

So the next time we ask, pause before you say, “I’ll book it myself” and consider what all you’ll be taking on to yourself and giving up.