Cesar M asked:


If I can fly a Cessna 172 in one flight school why need an additional check out at a different flight school to fly the same type of airplane? Everytime I wanna fly somewhere different I need a check out. It’s too costly and time consuming. Doesn’t it make sense to just have a common or universal check out to satisfy all flight schools?

Create a video blog

nobodyneedsneoprene asked:


I checked online and my flight tomorrow is cancelled. I tried calling United Airlines Number and all I get is the same automated information saying my flight is cancelled. how do I get a hold of a person, or somehow change my flight. Or get a refund.

I REALLY want to get home (LAX-PIT).

Thanks people. You’ve all been a great help!

Caffeinated Content for WordPress

Steven Liew asked:


As a smart traveller, you should always be looking for ways to travel cheap and getting cheap airfares is the first thing you need to plan.

Savings on cheap airfares means you can save your money for something more luxurious you can enjoy on the trip - like a hotel suite or a first class flight or simply a free second trip.

And if you travel by air, you would already know that airfares cost typically forms the dominant chunk of your travel bill be it leisure or holiday.

And so, it goes without saying that saving something like 30%-50% on those airfares on average, every time, will go a long way to put extra money into your travel itinerary - that otherwise would have gone into the hands of airlines and their shareholders.

But it can get really confusing out there when people talk about cheap airfares.

Everybody is advertising cheap airfares nowadays and what you thought you might have gotten a great deal may turn out to be second or even fifth best after you found out how cheap airfares in the industry really works.

Airlines, travel agents, tour operators, travel advisors, everybody wants a chunk of your travel money and unless you know how the airfare system works, you will simply not getting the best deals in town.

And it does matter where, why, how and when you are flying because your airfare savings depend on all of the above.

And it also matters what you prefer:

- cheapest airfares without any comfort,

- cheap airfares but with comfort and style, or

- cheapest but you are actually not getting those cheapest airfares.

The best is obviously the middle choice. The first one is not exactly one that a typical traveller would choose for obvious reasons and the last one is just a throw-down and plain deceiving.

Flying on cheap airfares with comfort and style is what most of us would go for.

Well, to get the cheapest airfares but yet fly in comfort and style, you just have to understand how the airline and air ticketing industry work.

While the whole industry airfare intricacies are obviously not comprehensible by just an explanation in this one article alone (the travel industry is one of the biggest sectors in the world), travellers can still get cheap airfares and good air ticket savings by getting a basic understanding of the industry first and how all the players fit in.

One of the most important distinctions is that a deregulated market airfare system like in the US is far different from the international airfare market. The rule of thumb is that it’s certainly harder to exploit cheap airfares in a deregulated market.

This does not mean you cannot get cheap airfares in these markets, note this carefully, it just means compared to the average other Joe traveller in the market, you do not really get that significant a major advantage.

That said, there are loopholes of course, and cheap airfare tactics and strategies to exploit.

Note that there are more opportunities to get cheap airfares comparatively on international travel and it is a shame that common travellers do not exploit even these avenues.

Most sites will be advertising their cheap airfares gimmick but after understanding how the industry works, you are likely to wise up to these low airfare tactics.

Essentially, there are two major types of fares that is published and unpublished fares and this determines whether you get the cheap airfares that you want.

Published airfares are those which are available on the computerised reservation systems used by airlines and travel agents and which list down most of all the published airfares approved and filed with the respective countries’ governments.

For international airfares, these are regulated by the one sole dominant body called the International Air Transportation Association (IATA). These airfares got to be registered and approved by IATA and the respective governments who have aviation agreements between them.

IATA is the monitoring body of these agreements.

As a condition of membership in IATA, airlines agree to sell their air tickets only at IATA-approved prices. IATA regulations strictly forbid the direct discounting of air tickets directly to passengers.

In case you are pondering, more than 90% of the airlines companies worldwide are members of IATA.

The good news however is that airlines do discount their airfare prices unofficially off their published prices to travel agents/sellers who buy in bulk and get the large discount from the airlines. Right, that is where you can really get cheap airfares.

These discounts are passed on to consumers in the form of cheaper airfares. Note that strictly under IATA rules, airlines are not actually allowed to do any discounting of their approved published air ticket prices.

But it happens nonetheless as not all airlines seats are sellable at 100% their published prices.

These cheap airfares agents/sellers are known in the industry as consolidators/bucket shop/discounters (the terms are typically used interchangeably although there are subtle differences between them). Basically, you need to find these sellers for a truly cheap airfare deal.

The rule of thumb is that you should always seek out cheap unpublished fares from a consolidator especially on international routes. The next time you buy air tickets, ask your travel agents to seek out the cheapest consolidator airfares first and then compared them to the published airfares directly from the airlines.

Or buy online yourself from these airfare consolidators. Most of them don not sell to the general public (only to registered travel agents) but increasingly, many do.

Some of the good ones include www.onetravel.com, www.flights.com, www.priceline.com, etc., which are some of the largest ones in the US. You can save as much as 40%-60% of the typical published airfares and be amazed.



Caffeinated Content for WordPress

labockja asked:


In the route of flight section of a flight plan, what is typically the final point the pilot requests and are there a specific reasons for choosing certain points? Does the pilot file to an initial approach fix of the instrument procedure he hopes to use?
In the route of flight section of a flight plan, what is typically the final point the pilot requests and are there a specific reasons for choosing certain points? Does the pilot file to an initial approach fix of the instrument procedure he hopes to use? Also, this also applies to the first point listed in the “route of flight” block of the flight plan. Assuming there is no DP, would I choose the closest fix in my direction of flight as my first waypoint? Also, assuming I have no GPS (no “direct” capabilities), can an intersection be my first waypoint if I would like radar vectors immediately after takeoff to that intersection? I know these are a lot of questions, but I’d rather just make it one subject.

Caffeinated Content

Sonja asked:


I am thinking of becoming a flight attendant. I think I have a lot of the qualities looked for in one, for example I’ve flown hundreds of times and speak four languages fluently. What other types of attributes are looked for in a flight attendant?

If you are a flight attendant, how has it been? Is it really stressful, or are there more pros than cons? Does the company you work for have regulations about what you have to look like, how tall you have to be, etc?

flight

Steven Liew asked:


Looking for those cheap and rock-bottom international consolidator airfares?

Well, in the diverse world of air travel ticketing, there is no one way to guarantee that you will get the cheapest fares out there but your odds to get discount airfares are certainly many times better if you seek the consolidators tickets rather than the airlines official published airfares.

Remember that discounted consolidator tickets are very much just like a normal published airline fare ticket with the major difference being just that the price is not typically printed on the consolidator tickets.

Airlines basically do not admit they sell discounted tickets to consolidators, which are against the rules anyway and hence explains the no-pricing printout above.

Apart from the cheaper airfares, consolidator tickets have other advantages, usually requiring no advance purchase and no Saturday-night stay (typically for the US market).

In addition, you can normally still get cheap consolidator tickets at short notice unlike the inflated last-minute published air fares that could cost you a fortune.

Even then, you have to make sure you get those reliable consolidators that will offer the best airfare prices, and remember that not all consolidators sell to the general public.

Still, if you want to pay at least 40%-60% cheaper airfares than the guy sitting next to you on the plane, here are 7 sure-fire tips to be able to do just that.

1. Get a reliable travel agent who deals with a range of consolidators if you do not want the hassle of looking and doing the arrangements with the consolidators them.

A trustworthy travel agent is worth his weight in gold to you especially an experienced and knowledgeable one, much more than the small commission they charged nowadays for getting you a really cheap consolidator airfare.

Note that not all licensed travel agent do business with a whole range of wholesale consolidators, so try the specialised ones in the field to ensure you get all the cheap fare options on the table.

For more country-type trips or special itineraries, consider to look for the so-called “ethnic agency” consolidators that deals with only one country or region, since many have contracts with carriers based in the home country, such as Air India or EgyptAir.

2. Check airfares quoted by the travel agent with online discounters or consolidators, especially since these are the ones that you can check as they deal with the general retail public.

Obviously, you have to check the credentials of these companies as there could be many fly by night consolidators which may not have a strong financial background. Some of the strongest online consolidators include names like Onetravel.com, Flights.com, Faremax.com, Airlineconsolidator.com and Airgorilla.com.

3. For reliability, make sure the agents or consolidators are registered with national or international travel authorities such as the American Society of Travel Agents (http://www.travelsense.org) or accreditation with the International Air Transport Association (http://www.iata.org) or the Airline Reporting Corp http://www.arccorp.com).

Note that some unreliable consolidators have known to go bust big time at one point in the past, hence do not go for the cheapest consolidators without checking.

4. You can then check the best consolidators airfares against those specialised online sites that offer cheap airfares on their own. Most of these sites basically aggregate deals from the consolidators themselves like Hotwire.com and Priceline.com but some are the consolidator companies themselves that have evolved to serve the general public.

5. Check out also the aggregators. These are companies that typically scout for low airfares and then direct you to where to buy them. Some of these aggregators include Cheapflights.com and Kayak.com.

6. Try to be flexible and explore all the options. For example, some wholesale consolidators are also retail tour operators, and their tour package will thus tend be cheaper as they book in bulk for the tickets, hotel rooms and car rentals.

7. Finally, check the consolidators cheapest pricing against that of the airlines themselves. Most of the time, you will find that the consolidators offer you the cheapest airfares available.

However, on some occasions, the airline published airfares could actually be cheaper especially where there are intense price wars in a particular market or there are new promotions to attract demand for a new route or market.

These could cause the airlines to break their pact with the consolidators and charge even lower fares than the latter.

Consolidator airfares are now part and parcel of the airline ticketing industry and like it or not, consolidators are probably the best option you need to explore to get cheaper airfares.



Caffeinated Content for WordPress

Sharon Albright asked:


Want to escape for an exotic holiday without worrying about the airfare rates? Where airfares could have been a hindrance to your enjoying a wonderful holiday, presently it will not be. With too many travel companies upcoming these days, getting a cheap airfare is never a problem. Airfare is a fare that is charged by the airline from the travelers.

Airfare tickets are offered by the airlines companies who offer you to buy tickets at a fraction of a cost. But you should remember that cheap airfares are usually seasonal and available at particular time of the year. The price of the airfares will depend on the destination you want to visit and the type of airlines you want to access. Although airfares may vary from place to place, yet you are offered with better prices if you can book your seats in advance.

Ways to get cheap airfare

There are two main ways through which you will get discounted airfares. The first way is to stay in touch with the airlines. This will offer you to know when the airfares are available at a discount or other new schemes offered by the airlines companies.

The other way is to explore “bucket shops”. This means contacting airline wholesalers and consolidators who offer great online discounts. They purchase the tickets in large quantities from the companies and then pass them on to the consumers at discounted prices. But you should make sure whether the ticket for your route is available or not. The more in advance you book your ticket, the more discounts you will get.

Types of airfare

When you are reserving your airfare, you should remember some key factors. Make a quick market survey so that you can select your airfare from available sources. You should also try to choose the company that offers the lowest airfare rate.

There are different types of airfares that are as follows:

- Apex fares - also known as advance purchase fares that are much lower than the normal fares

- Discount fares - these are low priced fares that are offered by the airlines for a very limited amount of time

- Flexible fares - these are also known as unrestricted or full fares. Although the price of these fares are very high, yet you are benefited with receiving refunds and doing alterations on your ticket on the same day of travel

- Joint fares - these offer price allows passengers to access more than one airline to get to various places.

If you are one of those who frequently have to travel to various places, then finding a cheap airfare is very important. The key to getting cheap airfare is shopping around for flight tickets. You simply need to be flexible and enquire the prices of various tickets offered by various companies. You can even visit a plethora of websites and search for online cheap airfares.

You can also visit some travel agents who will definitely offer you with outstanding airfares that are unavailable at online sites.



Caffeinated Content for WordPress

Dan Farrell asked:


The Cheaper Way to Get Away

All people need a break, to reconnect with the spouse, to reward the kids, to restore the soul. But planning a holiday getaway can quickly turn into a stressful venture when the subject of costs comes up. Airfare by itself can kill the reverie. And when people already factor in accommodations, food, and shopping, any budget-conscious mother would just give up and stay home.

Thankfully, there are now more options for quick and fun vacations without having exhorbitant air fares.

Cheap Airfare

So, how does low-cost or cheap air fare work exactly’ Simple: Budget air travel gets you to your destination in the shortest time and at the cheapest possible price.

The main reason these airlines are able to keep airfare prices low is the no-frills precept. First, there’s no ticketing office to sustain. All reservations and purchases are transacted online. Through e-ticketing, tickets can be purchased on the Web, which eliminates the need to employ more people for processing or maintain international offices.

However, people can still avail of cheaper airfares even if they don’t want to take chances with budget air travel.

Here’s how:

1. Purchasing the airline ticket at least 10 days ahead of the scheduled trip will enable the individual to get super low fares.

2. It is best to choose a weekday departure and arrival date when possible. This is because weekend flights get filled up faster than weekdays and airlines many times tender discounts to fill up the weekday flights.

3. It would be better to book as a group of three or more to get even more discounts on fees.

4. People compare notes with and consult their friends and colleagues who have recently traveled.

5. In order to get the cheap airfares, people have to be on the lookout for discounted rates on the Internet. Most of the cheap airfares are available online.

6. It is best to shop around for the cheap airfare first before you jump on the first deal you see. This is because there are airlines that may offer cheap airfares but the quality of service is entirely bad. Most airlines with cheap airfares have low quality of service and lacking the ordinary amenities.

All of these factors boil down to the fact that low-cost airlines may help people to extend their vacation and make it more memorable. They just have to shop around to get those that offer cheap airfare but the quality of service is not taken for granted.

Besides the major airfare portal sites like, Orbitz, Travelocity And Expedia, you should check out airlines that they don’t include, namely Southwest Airlines, JetBlue and other discount airlines. After finding a low cost airfare at the time’s you want, call the airline directly and see if they can do better. Many times, the airlines have empty seats or unannounced specials not online.



Caffeinated Content

Moi asked:


Is there a direct relation between flight departure time and how crowded an airport is? Like, if your flight leaves early in the morning, the airport will be less crowded, right? So does anybody have any statistics on the effect flight departure time has on how crowded an airport is? Thanks!

flight

zogizee asked:


Let’s say I am very familiar with the latest microsoft flight simulator or even X-Plane and happen to be on a flight where the pilots suffer an incident that hinders or impairs their ability to continue flying. Do you think with my knowledge of flight simulators I will be able to handle the plane and bring it to safety, that is, land at a nearby airport?

Caffeinated Content - Members-Only Content for WordPress