Air Travel FAQ

Frequently asked questions about air travel with JOURNEYS Interntional

• Do JOURNEYS trip costs include air?
• Can JOURNEYS arrange air travel for my trip?
• Can JOURNEYS book flights paid for with frequent flyer miles?
• Do I have to have JOURNEYS take care of my airline tickets?
• Is it cheaper to get my tickets through JOURNEYS or on my own?
• Why should I book air through JOURNEYS?
• What air reservation problems should I expect?
• How can I book my air most efficiently?
• Once I book, how soon must I pay for my air ticket?
• Can JOURNEYS provide discounts on Business and First Class Fares?
• What insurance should I consider for my air ticket?
• Apart from cost and value, how does JOURNEYS choose air carriers for my trip?

Do JOURNEYS trip costs include air?

The costs listed on our itineraries are land only and do not include the cost of international airfare. Occasionally, our itineraries include air travel within the country in which you are traveling. Destination country air travel is most often listed as a separate cost, however.

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Can JOURNEYS arrange air travel for my trip?

Yes. We have a lot of experience arranging air travel for our clients. We accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express.

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Can JOURNEYS book flights paid for with frequent flyer miles?

Unfortunately, we cannot help you book frequent flyer tickets or upgrades using mileage. We would be happy to provide you with a suggestion of routing and flight numbers that will best fit your trip, but you must book frequent flyer tickets directly with the airline.

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Do I have to have JOURNEYS take care of my airline tickets?

No. You are free to get your airline tickets directly from the airline, with frequent flyer miles, through your own agent, or by using an online ticket website. Be sure to have us double check the flights you have arranged to make sure they coordinate with our land arrangements.

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Is it cheaper to get my tickets through JOURNEYS or on my own?

Usually we have access to better fares than you can get on your own. We use consolidators who sell us bulk fares at less than the published fare and usually at better rates than can be found through other sources. These consolidator tickets are often non-refundable and non-reroutable. Most are not upgradeable with miles. Please let us know if you'd prefer refundable tickets. If you find a better fare than we can offer you, take it. Most web booking sites are not cost effective for international tickets.

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Why should I book air through JOURNEYS?

One benefit of making your air reservations with us is that we are able to help you if for some reason you must change those airline tickets, or if the airline makes changes that requires shifting your air or land itinerary. We are notified immediately of such changes if we have made your air arrangements. We are better able to coordinate transfers and transit accommodation if we book the air. Finally, we know which airlines are the most reliable, have best on-time records and lose the least baggage. Many clients find phone contact with JOURNEYS is faster and more friendly than that provided by the airlines.

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What air reservation problems should I expect?

If you are planning on traveling during the December holidays, plan well in advance. By summer, the lowest fares are often no longer available on the most popular travel dates. Closer to December, some flights may be completely sold out. Don't let this completely discourage you if you have not planned in advance. We have been known to work some minor airfare miracles in the past. During high season, you may run into a similar difficulty and the lowest fares may no longer be available.
Keep in mind that flights in many parts of the world do not always run daily. Complicated itineraries which involve multiple countries must occasionallybe shifted to accommodate air schedules between countries.

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How can I book my air most efficiently?

When you call to ask us to make air arrangements, provide your exact travel dates and stopover preferences. If you have some date and time flexibility or constraints, let us know what they are. Indicate any special preferences for meals, seating or frequent flyer program credit. Have your mileage program identification number handy. Book your air as soon as you can in advance of the trip. These days most airlines increase the cost of economy section tickets as the departure date approaches. We can make reservations as early as 48 weeks in advance of departure date, though sometimes we do not have our consolidatorfares confirmed this far in advance.

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Once I book, how soon must I pay formy air ticket?

This varies with the ticket and airline, but often payment must be made within1 day-2 weeks to confirm the fare and the reservation.

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Can JOURNEYS provide discounts on Businessand First Class Fares?

Yes, often. Call for the specifics of the flights of interest to you.

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What insurance should I consider formy air ticket?

If your ticket is non-refundable, you will want to obtain trip cancellation insurance to cover land and air costs. Otherwise, insure the ticket for the amount of cancellation penalty. We recommend trip insurance which can be purchased through Travelex Insurance. This insuranceincludes baggage insurance to include losses not covered by the airlines as well as trip interruptionwhich may entail repurchasing tickets or obtaining overnight accommodation.

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Apart from cost and value, how doesJOURNEYS choose air carriers for my trip?

Our biggest concerns are safety, reliable performance and passenger convenience. Often the cheapest tickets to foreign destinations are marketed to people who cannot afford the well-known airlines which invest heavily in staff training, passenger service, reservation equipment, security procedures, backup aircraft and airport facilities. We want to avoid delays, lost baggage and flight experiences which leave you frustrated, fatigued or unhappy. You are free to travel on any carrier of your choice to join a trip, but we limit our ticketing services to airlines we have flown ourselves and feel comfortable recommending to ourclients.

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