Things to Remember While Booking Connecting Flights

The Aviation industry is growing day by day. New Planes and Airline companies are launched every 2-3 years. This has given rise to cut-throat competition between different Airlines. This resulted in development of many small and big Airports. These Airports are used to promote Tourism and Business Travel. Now, these Airports are also used for Connecting Passengers. Many of the Airports today have developed themselves into Connecting Hubs. These Hubs allow passengers to change flights and make stopovers. They are great when you are on a long journey. People take Connecting flights when their destination is too far for a Non-Stop Flight, or when prices are low. Some popular connecting Hubs include Dubai, Singapore, Frankfurt and London Heathrow. Many times travellers make mistakes while making connections, and end up missing their flights. In this Blog, we will tell you important things to remember before booking connecting flights. Let’s start…..

1.   Avoid connections: There are some situations where you can avoid stopovers. If a direct flight is available to your destination, better avoid stopovers. It increases the duration of journey. Also, you are forced to get down and board again with your luggage.

2.      Avoid too many stopovers:  Sometimes travellers are seduced by cheap fares. In many cases, they are offered these fares for making multiple stopovers. Having more than 1 stopover not only increases your travel time, but also increases chances of Bags getting lost in transit. For example, If you are travelling from Bangkok to New York via Frankfurt, it is fine. But if you are going via Dubai and Milan, it is not advisable. So, have only one stopover.

3.   Choose Airline: While Booking Connecting Flights, check the track record of the carrier. If many people are making connections with that carrier, then it’s good. Carriers like Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Lufthansa, British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Qantas are best for stopover flights.

4.    Avoid LCCs: Low Cost Carriers are great for short routes, but not for long distance travel. Though every person has their own preferences, but when you are on a long journey, we won’t advise LCCs. In fact, many Budget Airlines don’t offer connecting flights.

5.     Sufficient Time Gap: Make sure that you have at least 2 hours at your stopover Airport. This gives you ample time to board your next flight. Many times your inbound flight gets delayed and you miss your connection. Two hours cushion gives you time to cope with delays. Some Airports are so big that you need 2 hours for getting down, transfer to gate and re-board. Dubai International is one of them.

These were a few important things one must remember before booking a Connecting Flight. If you have more to add, comment down below…..

Enjoy your Journey!

For Notifications on our new Blogs, join our Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/360travellers