Flight Booking Advice for First-Time Flyers

Are You About To Book Your First Flight?

As someone who first flew so long ago that I can’t even remember the trip (it was the 1980s on a flight somewhere with my mom), I can’t imagine never having flown before. So, it’s tough for me to imagine what the first time flying would feel like.

However, with my many miles of flying experience, I think I can pass on a few tips if you’re soon to embark on your first airborne journey. I certainly didn’t know everything about flying when I started taking regular flights, and I’ve learned a lot along the way, especially after flying dozens of times out of Los Angeles International Airport.

I flew a few times as a child on various trips with my parents, but I started flying frequently in the late nineties when I started flying back and forth from college to home during each break from school. I used to fly on Northwest Airlines, which doesn’t exist anymore because it was bought by Delta.

Over the decades, I’ve flown on probably a dozen different airlines, but I’ve experienced a lot of commonality between many of the carriers. Sure, some airlines have offered a better experience than others, but sometimes getting the less expensive ticket on a less-than-stellar airline is worth the money.

(note: some of the links here are to websites with which I am an affiliate, and your purchases help fund my website!)

All Airlines Are the Same To A Certain Degree

In my mind, there are three main types of airlines you might encounter if you’re an American. Major carriers like American Airlines, Delta, and United offer flights all across the planet. These major carriers are joined by international carriers of the same type, such as China Airlines, Air France, and British Airways. Then, there are the major discount carriers like JetBlue and Southwest Airlines. And then there are the cheapies like Frontier Airlines and Spirit.

Any and all of these airlines can offer an excellent flying experience or a terrible experience. Sometimes, a lot can go wrong, with only some of the problems being the fault of the airline, so it’s important to realize that not everything that can go wrong is always the fault of the airline or is something you’ll only experience on a low-cost carrier.

Flight delays, bumpy turbulence, crappy food, lost luggage, and uncomfortable chairs are normal on almost all carriers, especially when you score a seat on an older plane, or you’re stuffed into a sub-economy middle seat for several hours. The main thing to remember is that it’s almost always worth it to save a significant amount of money on your air travel.

However, it’s not worth it to save $20 or $50 if you’re going from your preferred airline to one where you’ve had some subpar experiences. If you like a particular airline and you always have a good experience with them, it’s virtually always worth it to pay a little more to guarantee yourself that nice experience, as well as to rack up those valuable frequent flier miles.

You Have To Expect That Everything Will Go Wrong

It honestly doesn’t matter if you’re slated to fly in the middle seat on a cross-country flight on Spirit Airlines or you’ve scored an aisle seat in Premium Economy on Delta. You should know what can go wrong with your itinerary and plan accordingly whenever air travel is involved.

Flight delays are super common almost everywhere on every continent and in every country. You almost have to arrange your itinerary to accommodate delays, so your whole vacation isn’t thrown into chaos if your flight is three hours late. ANd it doesn’t matter if you’re in regular economy, premium economy, or lay-flat first class either. Everyone gets delayed.

For example, if you’re flying to Europe from the West Coast of the United States, but you’re headed to Washington D.C. first for layover at the airport, take a look at the length of the layover. Is it a scant 45 minutes between flights? Be careful if you’re flying when the weather is often bad (like the winter). A delay of just 30 minutes from the West Coast can cause you to miss your Chicago connection to Europe.

Obviously, one of the primary hassles of flying is experiencing delays, but did you know that some airlines will even purposefully overbook their flights? That means that you could be out of a seat through no fault of your own if you leave checking in at the last minute. You’ve booked your ticket, but it turns out someone else has your seat, too!

You Might Need to Bring Extra Money On the Flight

You might have to pay for food on the flight, so always come prepared with snacks or with a credit card for payment. Don’t assume your ticket comes with a free meal. The ticket should have some information on it about food, but it’s just always a good idea to bring some snacks with you, no matter what class of ticket you book.

Further, what if your flight is delayed while you’re in a different country? If you’re taking a puddle jumper from one city to another and then catching a major carrier back home, you could be looking at a few extra days in the country and some rebooking fees to get on that redeye flight back home.

Additionally, it’s important to look at your luggage and make sure you’re not exceeding the weight limit on your return trip – or even on the outbound trip, for that matter. If you’re over by a few pounds, you could be looking at an extra fee to get your bag on the plane. If you don’t have this money with you, it could make getting around quite tough when you have to leave your stuff behind.

You can always bring a luggage scale with you (it’s a little device that has a handle that you can hang your bag from to get the weight), but it’s also helpful to have a few extra dollars or a credit card with you, just in case things get a little crazy at the souvenir shop and you end up going over the weight limit with your bag on the way home.

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