When I search for a ticket for long haul flights, I am usually hungry to find a good deal. This is becoming harder and harder these days as the trolls behind airlines up the price as I debate whether to purchase. There isn’t time to hesitate or think things through when someone wants to make a profit off of you.
On my upcoming trip to Europe, I realized I was far too focused on the price of my long haul flight. I neglected key elements for booking a flight, one that can determine a good 10 hours or a bad 10 hours up in the air.
Learning to fly, with make-shift wings
A Good Seat Can Mean The World
When booking long haul flights, your seat is everything. When I booked my ticket, I took the last seat on the plane, the only one available. On long flights I prefer to be by the window. I believe that it allows more privacy and a nice make-shift pillow to lean against.
The problem with airlines is that they tend to pick a seat for you if you don’t choose yours at booking. As you book your ticket, have Seat Guru open to see the advantages and disadvantages of where you are about to select to sit. There have been far too many times that I have forgotten to check the seat of where I have selected. I then have found a strange metal box taking up all of my legroom or a seat with a great shot of the smelly lavatories. If you are spending hours upon hours on an airplane to cross oceans and continents, your seat should be as comfortable as it can be.
Check The Type of Plane and Airline
Before pressing purchase, research just what sort of plane you are flying. While most airlines have updated their planes for long haul flights to include personal entertainment screens, you would hate to book a flight that hasn’t been updated in ages and features that one giant screen that no one can see.
Make sure you aren't flying something like this
Using search engine sites to book the best airfare can sometimes put you on five different airlines in one journey. The longest flights should always be the best and most comfortable. A quick search of the airline and type of plane will tell you exactly what you will be getting on board.
Consider The Time of Day for Leaving and Arriving
Last month, I came back to Denver at 4PM. I then sat in traffic for two and half hours to get home. When you arrive home or to a new destination, it is important to consider just what time of day you will find yourself. Rush hour morning and evening traffic can make that long haul journey that much more tiring.
If you are leaving in the morning hours from virtually anywhere, that wake up call will be even earlier with traffic to the airport. I try to book flights that are not at heavily trafficked hours to make the day seem shorter and less stressful. If I am worried that I will miss my flight due to traffic on the way to the airport, then I didn’t examine my travel itinerary the way I should have at booking.
Weigh The Advantages and Disadvantages of The Airports of Connection
For most long haul flights of a reasonable price, you are generally going to have to stop somewhere. Sometimes these stops can be for hours, leaving you in a strange airport to wander and roam. If you have a choice of connections, where you will make your stops for long haul flights, be sure to pick the airport you can appreciate for a few hours.
For example, on my way to Ireland, I had to spend four hours in Chicago O’Hare. While I’m sure there are better gates, my section of the airport lacked places to charge phones or to get a decent meal. Most of us want to have quiet places to charge our laptops, phones and iPads before making the long journey overseas. A good meal is also important before boarding a flight for 10 hours if airplane food isn’t your favorite. If you have to spend time in an airport as part of your long haul, do your research about the airport and the terminal you will most likely be in for several hours.
Besides finding cheap airfare, what other things do you watch out for when booking long haul flights?
Great points! Another important element I look for on long hauls is connection time. On international connections this is especially important and having sufficient time to get from gate to gate comfortably is important for me. Conversely, having to spend too much time in an airport is never fun either.
These are all great tips. And I gotta agree with John’s sentiments about connecting times. I’ve heard too many horror stories about people not making their connecting flight because they didn’t have enough time.
These are all excellent tips for finding the right flight for YOU. Great work Suzy!
As I was figuring out my flight back home from Asia, I was tempted to go with the cheapest option…but then remembered how every time I have an awful layover, I swear that my time/effort is worth something too, and I won’t book the cheapest flight with awful layovers again! This time I still have an awful layover–8 hours overnight at LAX–but at least it will be after a 16-hour direct flight on Thai Airways, about $300 more expensive than a cheap Asian airline with an additional stopover in China–will definitely be worth it!
Great advice! Stuff like this is second nature to seasoned travelers, but I always find myself reminding friends that maybe taking the 3-stop, 4am flight to save $50 isn’t the best value.
If I have to do a layover, I look for a flight that stops in a city I haven’t visited before and that gives me a few hours to explore. And in terms of arrival, I like to land when there is still daylight – I don’t like the idea of maneuvering my way around a new city at night.
So true! Really enjoyed reading this. Price is still a huge determinant for me, because we try to squeeze in so many tickets that it really adds up, but I’ve come to realize that other things count too. Yes, I’ll still take an inconvenient layover or bad flight times if it saves me more than a few hundreds of dollars. But, there are other things I look at that are worth maybe even a hundred dollars or so:
(1) Miles. Whenever I can, I book with my frequent flyer program. Those miles add up fast and I’ve gotten many free flights and nice perks like lounge access out of loyalty to one program.
(2) I prefer red-eyes for the transatlantic flights to Europe. That way, there’s a greater chance I’ll be able to sleep a little and arrive ready to get through the day without falling asleep.
(3) Ideally, layovers are about 1.5 hours – enough time to get to the next gate or even make up for a little delay, but not so long that you start spending lots of money on food & drink in the airport because you’re trying to stay busy. If that doesn’t work, I shoot for a really long layover that might even allow me to see something in a new city.
I like all the replies I’e seen, and of course the article too :).
You know that $300 savings to stop in China? Should have taken it, that’s more miles; yes I know its another annoying layover but IMO I’d rather spend LESS time in a tube with sticks on each side and spinners hanging off the sticks.(airplane, yes).
I agree the $50 savings isn’t worth it for a longer flight/layover, whatever. But that also depends on whether you’ll get more or less miles.
One thing I look for when booking is how long my total trip takes, longer trips usually mean longer layovers or routings that have longer flight times. Longer trips don’t always translate to cheaper airfare (although that seems to be the case on select airlines/routes).
I booked my first European flight from my local hometown that will put me into Denver with an almost 2 hour layover and then to Philadelphia for a less than 2 hour layover again. I am not a fan of red-eyes, but I am also not a fan of arriving at night trying to navigate a new city either.
If all your choices were night time arrivals because of your origin departure time makes it impossible to get an earlier flight at your origin or connecting airport would you rather do a stopover? (this will increase your costs too).
Oh, yes! The window seat is critical (over the wing, if you please) and taking the red eye so I can sleep overnight (I hate flying). Great tips!
Some very good advice. I especially agree with researching the type of plane you will be flying.
Great advice. The having enough time to catch connecting flights is really important in Europe these days, because if your connecting flight is on one of the low-cost airlines you won’t get a refund or anything, and it may turn out expensive!
Love that picture of the old plane from the Wright Brothers Museum in Kitty Hawk, no? That place absolutely knocked me out, barely a 100 years ago and how far we have come since then!
You’ve all mentioned great points. In addition to layover time, I also look at how much of a hassle a particular airport is. Even with ample time, it’s still possible to miss a connection if an airport’s passport control is inefficient, if I have to go through multiple security checkpoints or if the distance between terminals is too far.
Sometimes, the extra $300 expense is worth it if the airport you would otherwise be stuck with has a bad reputation.
At O’Hare, which is the better terminal to be stuck in for a long layover to Europe, international or domestic? I’ll definitely need electrical outlets and restaurants traveling with two young kids. This extremely long layover couldn’t be avoided.
Suzy, you’re website is my favorite to follow.
Great point about checking your connection terminal! I once had a stopover at St. Petersburg, Russia’s Pulkovo International Terminal. Since I was flying from Moscow, I had to take a THIRTY DOLLAR EIGHT MINUTE cab ride (I swear to god) to the international terminal from domestic..which was “closed”…so I sat hungry in the dark for three hours. No power strips, no light bulbs, therefore no episodes of Entourage. AY!
Great tips. Another issue I often have to face is that I picked a flight leaving around 5 or 6 am, meaning I’d have to be at the airport two hours before that.
Sometimes there won’t be any buses going that early so I’d end up having to take a taxi, which could likely be the price difference between a more expensive flight leaving later on in the day…