How To Purchase Airline Tickets For Someone Else?
Buying Airline Tickets for a Present
Purchasing airline tickets can be a kind gesture where one may decide to buy a friend a ticket to visit a place they have always wanted, or even take care of the fare of other family members who want to visit you. It is important to have some planning and know some rules for buying plane tickets for other people to make them able to fly wherever they want. Below is a comprehensive guide in case you are considering getting an airline ticket as one of your gifts for another person.
Check Airline Gift Policies Also, when planning to fly, do a background check on the airline company you wish to use and check their policies on ticket sales. All those websites permit people to buy tickets for others, but there are certain standards regarding name changes, flight credits, and so on. It is always good to establish the position of an airline concerning gifting tickets to ensure that if the traveler wants to make some adjustments, there will not be a problem. This can determine which airline one is required to buy from if flexibility is required.
To get information that will be most useful to you personally, you need to provide some details about yourself. Before proceeding with the ticket purchase, always provide the necessary information about the traveler that companies like airlines or online booking sites will ask for. This includes their full name and legal age, gender, residential and mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address. For the functions that require this data to be filled in, such as an application for an airline or a booking site, you might have to create a traveler profile for them. They want to match your government ID so ensure all the details are correct when you are booking an airline ticket.
Choose Ideal Flight Times Ideally, before buying a flight, you may wish your gift to be a complete surprise; however, discussing the preferred flying time with the intended traveler is a wise move. Ask them about the possible departure/arrival timings and connections, which will be good for the trip, as well as their timetable. This decreases your likelihood of choosing a flight that does not suit their requirements and subsequently having to swap it"—a process that can be costly. Inform them of your desire to take them out for the trip but you need their timing to make all the necessary arrangements.
Review Blackout Dates Every flight has its own set of rules, which includes what is referred to as blackout dates, which often restrict a person from booking for a flight. Customers should ensure they check the airline's fare rules so that they can determine blackout dates that the airline observes, such as during the holiday season. This means that gifted tickets should be valid for use at the proposed time and date. Through blackout date policies, you also get to know when it is advisable to travel and therefore book flights so that you avoid the busy season, which is usually costly.
Check Luggage Policies If the person awarded the tickets will not be traveling with you, inquire whether they will be required to carry their luggage via a check-on to the flight. The majority of domestic carriers in the US have checked baggage policies that cost between 25 and 35 dollars for a single checked bag per flight or per journey. It is good to know whether the ticket price includes carrying baggage in the hold or if they will have to charge you extra cash for this service. This helps in enabling them to pack appropriately for the trip. If possible, one can also opt to include baggage fees within the gift package in case the recipient has some excess luggage.
Utilize Travel Credits If you or the traveler have existing unutilized flight credits on the airline for the tickets you want to purchase, use these first. Credential: Most airline credits are associated with frequent flyer accounts. Check if the traveler has any free credit that he or she can use to pay for the flight. This is an opportunity to pay for their tickets using your credits, thus cutting down on out-of-pocket expenses. Only, do not forget about the expiration period of the travel credits or vouchers in case you are using them.
Comparison Shop Online Prices As previously mentioned, it is often cheaper to book a flight directly with an airline rather than through an OTA such as Orbitz Travelocity or Priceline. Check this for several other travel sites as well as on the airline's website. In addition to the basic fare, consider also baggage fees, seat selection fees, and other incidental charges to get the true total cost. Sometimes it is possible to inform an airline about the fares that you have seen on a third-party site and ask them to match such prices before purchasing.
Purchase Tickets Early Discounts are usually on holidays and other busy periods that carriers think people will flock to to book flights. Another method of getting early information on these promotions is through subscribing to the newsletter service of your preferred airline and travel deal websites. Buying tickets two or more months before the event is recommended to enjoy cheaper tickets. They say that you could even consider buying very early, like six months to a year before traveling, to get the best offer. However, ensure that you take cognizance of the flight change and cancellation policies if you are purchasing this far in advance.
Protect Investment with Insurance Airline tickets cannot be canceled and refunded after the initial 24 hours unless you are willing to lose the money spent; therefore, individual travel insurance can cover this fare in the event of cancellation. As an upgrade option for the ticket, airlines often provide basic travel insurance that refunds the ticket in situations when the trip has to be canceled due to some circumstances such as illness, injury, or death in the family. Or, review the various trip insurance policies that are offered by third-party insurance companies for broader coverage of disturbances affecting trips.
Send Confirmation and Details Once the purchase is done, the traveler should be emailed to confirm all that has been arranged for the trip. It is useful to share photocopies of the airline confirmation document with the record locator as well as flight details such as gates and times of travel, etc, as it gets them ready for travel day issues such as parking at the terminal, transportation to the terminal, food on the flights, etc. In addition to that, one could also share ideas on what to do at the destination.
Now, that is a breakdown of the procedures that, when followed, would make the process of gifting airline tickets to a loved one much easier. Given a little thought and attention towards the traveling requirements or airline's terms, it is possible to make the process of buying plane tickets for other people quite considerate. This is a message that the traveler will be able to take on another adventure because of the travel gift that you have offered.