Booking Online

The chances are, if you are a person who wants to find great deals on cheap flights - or anything else for that matter, you start searching on the Internet. There are lots of cheap flights sites available to book your flight from, and most of them are reputable, and really helpful in the unlikely event that something goes wrong on your trip. One thing that you should always do when you make a booking is to check the details of the flight and that you have spelt all the names right.

In the past, travel agents would make the booking on your behalf, taking care to do everything for you, but now, when you book online, you become your own travel agent, so consequently you must be very careful.

In the event that something does go awry with your booking, make sure you have kept print outs of every stage of your booking.

Where not to get a cheap flight!

Many people seem to think that the only place where you can get a cheap flight these days is with one of the so-called no-frills airlines like EasyJet, RyanAir, and BMI Baby. Well they're wrong. While the fares with these airlines seem like a good deal, they aren't always what they seem:

The price advertised is one way only
They airlines do not always fly into a convenient airport: For example, a few years ago, RyanAir offered flights to Copenhagen which actually arrived in Malmo - it's not even in the same country!!!
You get nothing on board except your seat.
You don't get much space.

While I have nothing against competition in the airline industry, everytime I have flown with one of these airlines, I have been appalled at the way they treat passengers as an inconvenience.

These days, I stick to booking cheap flights with proper airlines like Emirates - they have the decency to treat you like a person, and they get you to the place you want to go!

Shopping around

If you are looking for cheap flights on the internet, then the best place to start is on Google, or one of the other major search engines such as MSN. By entering a phrase such as "cheap flights to Milan" or where ever you want to go, the search engine will return a list of companies who are selling just that.

The cheapest company is not necessarily the company at the top of the list, but as I said in a previous post, although most travel companies sell similar airfares, there can still be a difference of a few pounds.

One thing that most people don't realise is that airlines actually charge more for paper tickets, and most now issue a so called e-ticket, which means you cut down on the amount of documentation you have to carry around with you.

Cheap Flights

There are many ways you can get a cheap flight. Whether you want to search the internet yourself, go through one of the many comparison sites, or even spend your time ringing around traditional high street travel agents, there are as many ways to book your airline ticket as there are airlines.

The advent of the internet means that pretty much anyone who wants to can set up as a travel agent in minutes with an affiliate scheme linking them to a major name. Consequently, there has been a profusion of places that all sell the same thing at the same price.

Big name travel companies offer the best deals, because they have the best negotiating power with the airlines, and even through there are many different companies that sell travel, it is easy enough to find one you can trust. If you see a website with a URL like "cheap-discount-airfares-from-manchester-to-amsterdam.me.uk",the chances are, it has solely been created to place well in the Search results, and you cannopt be sure of the service that you'll get from them.
Stick to big name companies for your British Airways booking, that way you are less likely to get ripped off!