A. The first day of the ITINERARY is always the day you depart from the USA. You arrive in Auckland, New Zealand the day the TOUR actually begins. This can be confusing, but the departure date is always the first day of the itinerary or "Fly to Auckland" or "Fly from USA."
B. Because of frequent AIRLINE DELAYS, we STRONGLY suggest you consider arriving one to two days early into country to give yourself time to adjust to the time change and guard against possible airline delays. We will help you book extra hotel nights at our hotel. In order not to miss any of the tour, you must arrive before noon on the arrival date.
C. ON BOOKING AIRLINES:
Question: When you book airline tickets, do you “free hand” them or have a travel agent get your tickets?
Answer: Both.
1. Being an educated consumer is fundamental, so let’s start there. No matter how much experience you have in booking tickets, if you’re not doing it daily, you can be left behind in the computer dust with the way the airline industry changes.
Here are the steps I take.
a. Write down your preferred destination dates, times, and airline preferences, but do it in pencil.
b. Go to a website that sells, universally, air travel. I personally use Kayak.com. As a travel services platform, it seems to have about any airline selling tickets. In the past many such platforms excluded the cut rate airlines, but while that is changing, it is still best to go directly to the cut rate airline websites.
c. Why go there? It is a step that will educate you quickly on the myriad of choices to get you to and from your target destination(s). Very quickly you’ll be given a dozen options separated by Fastest, Cheapest or Best. Again... you are getting educated on the possibilities. It doesn’t take up too much time either.
d. Be careful on the lower prices because those are often ridiculous routes that give you a 20-minute connect time on airport(s) enroute to or from your home airport. YES -- airlines use poor connecting times as a way to offer cheaper flights. But being stranded or being exhausted running from one end of the airport to a new gate a mile or more away is no way to travel. And be careful of flights that leave your time zone and end up in another continent a day before you leave.
e. Be sure to write down the flights that start to make sense, recording the total duration of the flights involved getting you to your destinations. Again, mind the “connection time,” eschewing any flight internationally with a connect time of less than 2 hours. When having to clear customs and recheck your luggage, a 3-hour connect time is more relaxing.
2. Armed with all that great information, you ought to contact a travel agent to do the rest of the work. We use Madina at Skylux Travel. 888.985.4801 After I’ve done my homework, I give her the date I must arrive (and on international cruises or tours, arrive a day early – don’t trust the airlines to get you there on time WITH your luggage). I also give her the return date and my choice of cabins. She will do her homework on the extensive Skylux computer booking systems and will either call back or send you a proposal. In that you’ve done your homework, you’ll have a pretty good idea if her quote is viable.
3. Count on her quote being a bit higher than your Kayak quote. That is by design. Skylux and other agents are weary of clients who are bumped by airlines, or who have emergencies that need changes to their airline tickets. Yes, you can get travel insurance to help you with such things, but Skylux has created a system that gives you a price that includes their built-in travel insurance. She will tell you all about their insurances AFTER she has hit you with the bit higher price, and tell you that she has included various trip insurance features but is getting those features INCLUDED in the price.
Seems a bit convoluted to me, but I think there is method to the madness. Their final price might be 10% or more higher, but by the time you add in the travel insurance, it all is about right. The key is what is included in the insurance package. Let me quote from their information:
“Thank you for choosing to protect your trip! Please see below details of your Travel Care Services and a few important reminders… The total for your Travel Care Service is USD $_(price listed)_____ and will be charged to the same payment method you provided for your ticket booking. (SO…THEY ARE TELLING UPFRONT THAT THEY ARE NOT IMMEDIATELY THE CHEAPEST FARE.)
….Skylux Travel agency fees and airline penalty fees are waived for all passengers looking to change their travel dates for any reason… In addition, Skylux Travel agency fees* are waived for all passengers making all other updates or changes to the reservation…
To change or cancel your reservation, please ensure that you do so before your scheduled departure…
Delay / Cancellation / Missed Connection: In the event your flight is canceled or delayed by more than one hour, or if you miss your connecting flight as a result of a previous delay or cancellation, and your airline is not able to accommodate you on another flight, please call Travel Care Services to get rebooked on a new flight. Skylux Travel will cover up to $1,000 of the cost of your new flight.
Price Drop Protection: Skylux Travel will search your exact itinerary (travel dates, airports, passengers, & flights) for 24 hours after you book your ticket(s) to look for price changes. If the price drops, we will reissue your ticket with the lower price and provide you a voucher for the difference.
Now you have an educated choice to make. Having them complete the processes can be a big help to the nerves.
B. Because of frequent AIRLINE DELAYS, we STRONGLY suggest you consider arriving one to two days early into country to give yourself time to adjust to the time change and guard against possible airline delays. We will help you book extra hotel nights at our hotel. In order not to miss any of the tour, you must arrive before noon on the arrival date.
C. ON BOOKING AIRLINES:
Question: When you book airline tickets, do you “free hand” them or have a travel agent get your tickets?
Answer: Both.
1. Being an educated consumer is fundamental, so let’s start there. No matter how much experience you have in booking tickets, if you’re not doing it daily, you can be left behind in the computer dust with the way the airline industry changes.
Here are the steps I take.
a. Write down your preferred destination dates, times, and airline preferences, but do it in pencil.
b. Go to a website that sells, universally, air travel. I personally use Kayak.com. As a travel services platform, it seems to have about any airline selling tickets. In the past many such platforms excluded the cut rate airlines, but while that is changing, it is still best to go directly to the cut rate airline websites.
c. Why go there? It is a step that will educate you quickly on the myriad of choices to get you to and from your target destination(s). Very quickly you’ll be given a dozen options separated by Fastest, Cheapest or Best. Again... you are getting educated on the possibilities. It doesn’t take up too much time either.
d. Be careful on the lower prices because those are often ridiculous routes that give you a 20-minute connect time on airport(s) enroute to or from your home airport. YES -- airlines use poor connecting times as a way to offer cheaper flights. But being stranded or being exhausted running from one end of the airport to a new gate a mile or more away is no way to travel. And be careful of flights that leave your time zone and end up in another continent a day before you leave.
e. Be sure to write down the flights that start to make sense, recording the total duration of the flights involved getting you to your destinations. Again, mind the “connection time,” eschewing any flight internationally with a connect time of less than 2 hours. When having to clear customs and recheck your luggage, a 3-hour connect time is more relaxing.
2. Armed with all that great information, you ought to contact a travel agent to do the rest of the work. We use Madina at Skylux Travel. 888.985.4801 After I’ve done my homework, I give her the date I must arrive (and on international cruises or tours, arrive a day early – don’t trust the airlines to get you there on time WITH your luggage). I also give her the return date and my choice of cabins. She will do her homework on the extensive Skylux computer booking systems and will either call back or send you a proposal. In that you’ve done your homework, you’ll have a pretty good idea if her quote is viable.
3. Count on her quote being a bit higher than your Kayak quote. That is by design. Skylux and other agents are weary of clients who are bumped by airlines, or who have emergencies that need changes to their airline tickets. Yes, you can get travel insurance to help you with such things, but Skylux has created a system that gives you a price that includes their built-in travel insurance. She will tell you all about their insurances AFTER she has hit you with the bit higher price, and tell you that she has included various trip insurance features but is getting those features INCLUDED in the price.
Seems a bit convoluted to me, but I think there is method to the madness. Their final price might be 10% or more higher, but by the time you add in the travel insurance, it all is about right. The key is what is included in the insurance package. Let me quote from their information:
“Thank you for choosing to protect your trip! Please see below details of your Travel Care Services and a few important reminders… The total for your Travel Care Service is USD $_(price listed)_____ and will be charged to the same payment method you provided for your ticket booking. (SO…THEY ARE TELLING UPFRONT THAT THEY ARE NOT IMMEDIATELY THE CHEAPEST FARE.)
….Skylux Travel agency fees and airline penalty fees are waived for all passengers looking to change their travel dates for any reason… In addition, Skylux Travel agency fees* are waived for all passengers making all other updates or changes to the reservation…
To change or cancel your reservation, please ensure that you do so before your scheduled departure…
Delay / Cancellation / Missed Connection: In the event your flight is canceled or delayed by more than one hour, or if you miss your connecting flight as a result of a previous delay or cancellation, and your airline is not able to accommodate you on another flight, please call Travel Care Services to get rebooked on a new flight. Skylux Travel will cover up to $1,000 of the cost of your new flight.
Price Drop Protection: Skylux Travel will search your exact itinerary (travel dates, airports, passengers, & flights) for 24 hours after you book your ticket(s) to look for price changes. If the price drops, we will reissue your ticket with the lower price and provide you a voucher for the difference.
Now you have an educated choice to make. Having them complete the processes can be a big help to the nerves.