In today’s day and age, many people rely on travel integration platforms to book flights and rooms but it’s worth mentioning that you stand to gain a lot simply by working directly with a single airline:
- Land the Lowest Price: By avoiding the money-grubbing middlemen that consolidate flights and hotels online, you are essentially removing a significant commission fee that’s woven into every aspect of your booking. It’s the difference between shopping at a mall and going directly to the manufacturer; you’ll always save money by going directly to the source.
- Gain Leverage: When an inevitable delay, cancellation, overbooking, or discrepancy occurs, you’ll be able to work directly with your airline to resolve the issue as opposed to being referred to an impersonal third party. This will allow you to avoid the proverbial runaround and rectify the situation with a single phone call or email.
- Personalised Bookings: When working with a travel aggregator or online travel agency, you are essentially corresponding with an information handling service, not the actual airline or hotel in question. As such, you’ll be placed on a generic queue and you’ll have littletono personalisation with regards to your booking. Working directly with a reputable airline such as BMI Sweden, for instance, will allow you to circumvent these drawbacks and land the perfect seat or room assignment along the way.
As you can see by now, it’s in your best interests to establish a long-term relationship with a single airline to handle all of your travel plans but it’s important to understand exactly what to look out for during your research. In this regard, feel free to use the checklist shown below as a reference guide to help you pick the best carrier.
Step One: Seek Out a Resourceful, Widespread Airline
First things first; you’ll want to ensure that your carrier of choice is versatile and adaptable:
- At least 18 in-house aircraft
- A minimum of 30 notable destinations within the firm’s network
- Established service networks in at least 10 European countries
- Available ad hoc charter service
Step Two: Ensure a Multifaceted Booking Platform
The most reputable airlines pride themselves on being able to serve as a one-stop shop for all of your travel needs, which is why you’ll want to make sure that your carrier can provide an inclusive booking process:
- Online check-in portal
- Comprehensive booking management provisions
- Extensive hotel reservation system
- Ability to rent a car or reserve train tickets directly on the website
- Timely flight status updates
Step Three: Look for Value-Added Bonuses
Last but not least, you’ll have to separate the contenders from the pretenders by evaluating the standardised inclusions and add-ons, paying close attention to the salient aspects shown below:
- Complimentary drinks and snacks on all flights
- Bags fly free
- Group bookings
- Fast-track travel options
- Robust network of airport lounges to account for layovers
