Pros and Cons of Flying Budget Airlines

You usually get good rates. As previously stated, most budget airlines have cheap flights, but offer very few perks to travelers. This is an easy way to save money. If your goal is to cheaply get from point a to point b, you should have no problem flying on a budget airline. As for how much money you save, it depends on the airline in question, your travel dates, and your destination. On average, most travelers save at least $100 a trip by flying budget instead of well-known.

You have a number of airlines to choose from. For the most part, budget airlines were a well-kept secret in the United States. Most air travelers were familiar with the big carriers, such as American Airlines and Delta. It wasn’t until airfare skyrocketed that passengers started examining their options more. Most were pleased to see that not only did budget airlines exist, but there were quite a few to choose from. In the United States, just a few of your options include Southwest, Spirit, Virgin American, JetBlue, and Horizon Air. With a number of budget airlines to choose from, you have a good chance of saving money.

The Cons of Flying Budget Airlines

There are little to no perks. When most of us think of perks, we think of in-flight movies, drinks, and snacks. On occasion, some budget airlines forego these extras, but there is more. Some budget airlines allow you to make your reservations, but you don’t choose your seat until you arrive at the airport or board the airplane. For most travelers this is okay, but it may be risky if you are traveling as a family. Since budget airlines focus on cheap travel, many completely forego first class. If you want to have your perks, it may be best to avoid flying budget airlines.

You don’t always get the best deals. For example, JetBlue was mentioned above as a good airline. If you search for a flight between Syracuse, New York and Orlando, Florida, a big $114 pops up on your screen (at the time of this article). You think great, as Northwest Airlines quoted you $156 for that same flight. That is until you see the $114 isn’t for a roundtrip flight, even though you selected roundtrip from the options. You must scroll down the page and select your return flight, which also has a price tag of $114. This “budget,” airline is now $72 more expensive.

Some budget airlines load you down with fees. Southwest Airlines is well-known for being a good budget airline. Their website and commercials say “what you see is what you get.” This means the price you see is actually the price you pay. Not all airlines are like this. Many have hidden fees and taxes, which you may not see until you are ready to pay for the flight. Always read the fine print of a budget airline. After doing so, you may see that their deals aren’t so good after all.

You have a limited number of airports to choose from. As previously stated, there are many budget airlines in the United States. Unfortunately, they service a limited number of airports. The reason why budget airlines are able to offer discounted flights is because they wisely choose their destinations. They know where travelers want to go and when. Unfortunately, if you want to travel to Kansas, it will be hard to find a budget airline that services state airports. On the other hand, if you want to travel to Florida, your options are virtually unlimited.

As you can see, flying budget airlines does have its pros and cons. If you opt to give these airlines a try, price compare to ensure you really are getting the best deal, make your travel plans in advance, and arrive at the airport early.

A Guide to Avoiding Jet Lag

It will generally take three days and up to one week to recover from jet lag. Jet lag will cause you to tire easily, have lack of concentration and insomnia which is caused from your sleep-wake cycle being thrown off course because you traveled over three time zones or more.

No one is immune from jet lag. Flight personnel have problems with jet lag even though they are used to international travel. A jet lag diet is an attempt to control and reset your “clock” so the side effects of extended travel or lessened.

Traveling east from California to New York and on to the UK is harder on your inner time clock because the days and hours are reduced as you fly; you will feel like you should be up and about when in reality people in your destination are already asleep. If at all possible try to plan your trip so you arrive at their bedtime and stay awake throughout your trip on the plane, that way when you arrive you can sleep and will be resetting your clock to adjust to the new time zone. The jet lag diet uses your body’s biological cues which consist of meal times, sunset and sunrise, and your daily cycles of rest and activity.

Some tips to reduce jet lag are;
•Don’t drink alcohol on your flight; Drink water instead.
•Follow the jet lag diet. A feast and fast timed eating plan using protein, carbs and caffeine at set times of the day and or night.
•Take Melatonin a naturally produced hormone in your body which induces sleep.
•Homeopathic remedies are also available to help reduce the effects of jet lag.

Meals are the main factor if you want to avoid or lessen jet lag because what you eat tells your body to wake up or sleep. A few days before your departure you will plan the amount and the type of food you eat. Basically you are resetting your body to the new time zone you will be flying to. Before you take any medications talk to your doctor if you have a chronic health condition.

How to Overcome Fear of Flying and Enjoy Your Flight

If you feel your stomach getting in knots just thinking about flying, then you obviously have developed some kind of fear of flying. You are not alone; there are numerous people today who suffer from this psychological and mental problem, however if you want to visit the great monuments of this world, you should probably learn how to overcome fear of flying.

It is important to persuade yourself that it doesn’t have to be this way. You can go to the airport, have a coffee, watch the planes take off and anticipate for your time to fly. You can do all that without popping Xanax pills or without ranting all week about the forthcoming flight. How you can you do so? Here are some easy tips for you:

- Dismiss the notions that all negative things are going to happen to you; the wings are not going to fall off and the engines will not break loose.

- Keep in mind that things can happen; in fact, they can happen everywhere and anywhere. There is nothing perfect around us and certainly nothing related to machines. However, statistically and realistically flying is the safest way of transport.

- If you want to overcome the fear, you need to make a small trip; make your first flight a short one, so as to become more confident. A short trip will prevent you from freaking out – in any case, no one who wants to race makes his first race a marathon.

- Spend some time thinking about the destination; think that everything will go well and that you will reach your destination fast and safely.

- During the flight do something entertaining; watch a movie, listen to the music, read a book. Try to keep yourself occupied so as to prevent negative feelings and thoughts.

Tips to a More Comfortable Flying Experience

Why anyone enjoys flying is beyond me. The thought of going through security, waiting for what seems like forever to get on a plane, and then not going anywhere once you get on a plane, are all very valid reasons to not like flying.

However if you like to travel or have to travel for work then flying is a necessity. In other words you have no choice but to fly, and since I like the spending time with my family in warmer locations in the winter time, I have to fly.

So I have put together five tips that I would like to share with you that I try to implement to make my flying experience a bit more relaxing and hopefully more comfortable.

Book a Flight the Day Before
A couple of years ago my wife and I booked a cruise with some friends that was leaving out of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The cruise was to set sail on Sunday so we thought it would be a good idea to leave the day before and enjoy San Juan before we embarked on our journey. Luckily we did. Our area was hit with a major snowstorm on Sunday which would make leaving and arriving on time to board the ship nearly impossible. That is why from now on I always leave a day earlier than planned. I would hate to start off any vacation trip or business meeting trip where I could not be where I am supposed to.

Fly first thing in the morning
This might be a matter of preference but I like to take the first available flight out for the day. My thought process is if we are held up on the runway and not going anywhere it’s more than likely due to the plane that I am on (which could be good or bad I guess). But more importantly I do it to avoid the early morning to mid morning rush.

Look to a Smaller Airport
Even though larger airports offer a wide variety of amenities, do not be afraid to fly in and out of smaller airports. They are less crowded and a lot of times you can get some good prices for your flight. If my drive time from a smaller airport exceeds an hour and a half then it isn’t worth it to me, so I keep that in mind as well when I am booking.

Take nonstop
I can’t think of anything more nauseating then having to get off a plane and catch a connecting flight. This can present so many problems if you have a delay anywhere and who needs the extra stress. Also studies have shown that airports chances of losing your luggage increase with flights that have stops. Choose a non stop flight whenever possible.

Avoid Rush Hour Traffic
I touched on this before in the section about flying first thing in the morning, but nothing is more stressful than rush hour. Whether it is stuck in traffic on the way to the airport or standing in line to get yourself and your bags checked in, avoid the crowds. If possible fly first thing in the morning when traffic is a bit lower. But if that is not possible then mid morning around 10:00am in a lot of airports it slows down as well as mid afternoon before the work rush hour begins.

As you can see none of these adjustments are life altering decisions but adhering to these changes could mean the difference between a happy flight and a miserable one.