• When buying a travel ticket (airline, cruise, etc) for another person, or for yourself; be absolutely certain that you enter that person's identification and address details correctly and precisely as they are shown on passports or other forms of official identification. If recent updates reflect differences between forms of identification or between identification and travel documents, carry a complete paper trail with you that displays the history of all or update all travel documents and identification to reflect current legal status before you travel.
• It is wise to have required passport, visa, and transit documents in hand before buying travel products of any kind for the trip you want to take.
• Above all else; communicate carefully with your airline, agent, or broker. Read the terms and conditions of an online or offline booking. Understand the fine print. Ask questions. Communicate carefully with tourism, embassy, customs, and consulate officials. Be clear about "IF" to avoid "MIFF".
• The prime rule of travel shopping online or offline is to check at least three resources before booking. No single source will ever have the best product at the best price all of the time.

• The second rule is acknowledging the volatile nature of travel pricing and availability. Airfares and rates will vary with numerous factors, fluctuate often, and expire rapidly. Travel products are finite. Airlines cannot manufacture one more seat, hotels cannot build one more room, and rental companies cannot make one more car to meet your need. When you see an available product or service at a price you are content to pay, it seems wise to secure it before someone else does.
• The third rule is acknowledging the complex nature of travel products and services. Travel products and services are offered in commercial and regulatory environments which require contracts, terms, rules, procedures, and restrictions. A little time devoted toward becoming familiar with product and service specifications is time well spent. You will better understand what you are buying and be better prepared for any of those "what if" situations that might arise.
• The fourth rule is patience. At any moment more than 700 scheduled air carriers worldwide are offering such an array of flights and code shares and class assignments and specials that many millions of different airfares are available on a given date. Add to that the privately held airfares that are negotiated or prepaid by nearly 4000 companies worldwide. Each company operates their own database of itineraries and airfares. The aggregate total of privately held airfares dwarfs the numbers published by airlines. Public and private airfare totals are overwhelming. Hundreds of databases hold all that inventory and no single access point online or offline will ever be feasable. What you pay for your seat is a product of the care and strategy and time you spend upon shopping.

• The fifth rule is timing. Since allotments to consolidators might be as few as four seats on a given date for a given flight and since discounted ticket prices are always limited in number, the early shopper will find them and the later shopper will not know that the lower prices ever existed. Consolidators will often sell out their inventory during the first few weeks of a new contract. Discounted seats will often be sold off during the first hours or days after being posted. Shopping in the wee hours of the morning will often put you first in line for that days discounts and shopping during the first few days of a newly active consolidator contract period will often enable you to buy airline tickets at prices other shoppers will never see. For example, people who shop in January for flights that depart during the first six to nine months of each year will often pay low prices that later shoppers will never see.
• Two tickets might be better than one: When shopping long haul flights, the Internet opens the possibility of buying flights in segments, from one world region to the next, to take advantage of currency values, special airfares, air passes, trade agreements, open jaw trips, and other advantages of itinerary or terms of ticketing or favored airline. The total cost of two or more region to region flight segments could be significantly lower even when other value criteria are higher. One example of this is flying from North America to Africa. Booking one ticket between North America and Europe, then matching it up with a second ticket between Europe and Africa will almost always reduce the price by 300 to 400 USD and yield more flights to choose from so a better itinerary might result. Many similar advantages are thusly available between other world regions as well.

• The downside - of the previous suggestion is that the airlines have no obligation to you whatsoever of you miss a connection between the two tickets. At very least, you will have to pay a significant change fee to get a seat on another flight. If you select itineraries that allow at least four hours between these inter-ticket connections, you will greatly reduce the chance for flight delays to create a problem (and add cost) for you.
• Published airfares (the ones listed by each airline within their own global distribution system) are the highest price tickets of all. Discounts are offered for booking well in advance of your flight and for booking online. Frequent flier and other awards programs reward loyal fliers for buying directly from the airline. Negotiated, contracted, and consolidated airfares range anywhere from one-half to three-fourths of the cost of published airfares. Special promotions for weekend travel and airfare sales or reverse auctions designed to fill up empty seats sometimes offer the very lowest cost of all tickets.
• Flight and other travel product consolidators hold their own inventory which is not published in the usual central reservation systems and at major travel sites like those at Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, and many others across the globe. Consolidators often manage their own database of airfares and rates or hire a private database manager and have, historically, marketed their products to travel agencies, governments, and large businesses. Worldwide, there are now three dozen or so consolidators who have provided the general public access to their products by developing their own booking engines or by subscribing to a major central reservation system into which they enter their rates and airfares. Both types of booking engines are making their way onto web sites worldwide but only through unique contractual arrangements because their focus remains upon the agencies and governments and businesses which have always sustained them.

• Allotments to a consolidator on any given flight on any given date can be as few as four seats at the lowest price and maybe seven or nine seats at the next up price. When these seats are sold; that ends it for that consolidator's price on that flight on that date. The airline holds the contractual discretion to add another allotment at either price level. Sometimes it will.
• Shopping directly with an air carrier has several advantages; You may prefer a particular airline, cargo, or charter service for any number of personal and logical reasons. The down side is that your choices will be limited to those flights, routes, and prices offered by this one carrier and its partner airlines or any code-share agreements with other carriers. Within these limitations, things are getting much better. Web only discounts and special airfares along with hotel, car, and vacation discounts are showing up on airline web sites all over the world. Shopping your favorite carrier's web site is a good idea. When price is equally important to you, just make your preferred airline one source among the "check three" shopping rule.

• One routine approach to getting a lower airfare is to select your preferred itinerary, airline, and flight more than three weeks ahead of time. Buy a REFUNDABLE (if allowed) ticket (usually less than the walk up price anyway). Then use airtravelcenter.com to watch for any discounts posted for the same flight (falling within the discount qualifications and restrictions) or a special offer on an acceptable flight. Cancel the REFUNDABLE ticket [get money] and re-book your flight at the lower airfare. You begin with the assurance of already having a ticket for your preferred flight and reserving the ability to cancel your ticket ( without a penalty ) and get a lower price. [if a discount is posted under a non-refundable ticket; you might still be able to get a no penalty changeover if you accept the difference by voucher or coupon]
• Many airlines offer their lowest airfares on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Saturday. These are often lighter travel days ... because business travel is heaviest on: Sunday Night and Monday - Thursday Night and Friday, ... so airlines reduce the airfare to fill seats left empty on light travel days. Advance purchase and a Saturday night stay are typical requirements. One exception to the Saturday night stay is Las Vegas, where a 2-day stay is a common rule. Planning a trip, at least 21 days before departure, leaving on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Saturday and staying over a Saturday night is a PLAN.
• Many airlines have "RED-EYE" flights which depart late in the evening or early in the morning on which they can reduce airfares by as much as 25%. (Be sure to ask.) If shopping online, use the parameters offered by a booking engine to set the flight search for late evening, night, or early morning.

• Did you know that airports can save you money? Flying out of this airport instead of that airport can often save hundreds of dollars per ticket. With thousands of airports all over the world, this tip applies as well to international flights as to domestic and to the inbound airport as well as the outbound. So, in your planning, consider riding or driving a little extra to capture a possible windfall.
• Air Ticket Consolidators and Brokers have played a significant role in the arena of international commerce, working with the airlines, working within, around, and through the many international trade agreements, respecting the high levels of trade regulation and producing an underlayer of discount airfares. Recently, a trend to include domestic flights in their operations has begun to develop. Several airlines are working closely with the consolidators and brokers and that underlayer of cheaper airfares may well become as fully developed for domestic flights as it is now for all of the international flights - worldwide.
• Air Ticket consolidators and brokers contract for, negotiate, or volume purchase airline tickets and offer those negotiated and bulk purchased tickets at discount rates to the general public, businesses, and governments.

• Please keep in mind that consolidated, contracted, and negotiated flight promotions are often more restrictive and carry higher change-cancellation penalties than regularly published flights.
• Most consolidator flights participate in the airlines' frequent flier programs. Specifically, many flights will build awards but only the sponsoring airline or codeshare will exchange the awards for flights.
• Airfares for domestic flights are driven by free market forces. Factors in the pricing of domestic air tickets are the individual and grouped airlines, air ticket consolidators, air travel brokers and bucket shops, and even individual travel agencies and online booking services can play a significant role. Airfares for international flights are driven, primarily, by trade agreements. Even the airlines play a reduced role in the pricing of international air tickets. The "country of purchase" & "local currency" are significant, additional factors in the pricing of international air tickets.

• Airline ticket prices fluctuate from hour to hour, day to day, season to season. Airfare is not confirmed until the ticket is issued. Once issued, the ticket is a binding contract between you and the air carrier.
• Online airfare shopping and airline ticket booking engines are sometimes half a step removed from real time processing. While most booking engines are programmed to do all the necessary database polling, you will have moments when you place a ticket order online only to be told that the itinerary could not be confirmed. This usually means that a flight segment within your itinerary is overbooked or that the given price allotment has been sold out. Sometimes this is a human matter because the database has not yet been updated and sometimes it happens because some person somewhere in the world clicked the final purchase button a second or two before you did and bought the last available seat or the last seat allotted at that price. As you might expect, these frustrating moments usually occur when you are trying to book the lowest price found after a diligent shopping session.

• When you feel some comfort with booking your travel arrangements online; you are at a strong advantage. Airlines offer web only discounts at their web site or through subscription email offers sent periodically or specially and through postings on other web sites (like here at the Air Travel Center). The core cause for these discounts is that online bookings are less costly to process and manage - especially e-tickets. A second cause is that through their web site and through subscribed email lists and through postings on other web sites the airlines have a cost efficient and effective way of offering unsold seats at appreciable discounts to a large number of attentive people - like you - wise, wary, and watching. Internet only discounts are a common finding at all air carrier, ticket agent, travel vendor, and travel related web sites for all the same reasons and we can all take the advantage by booking their products and services online.
• Remember the check three rule - no single source holds all available flights nor every available airfare.
• Membership in courier associations is not essential to travel as an air courier. All persons are encouraged to approach courier companies individually to negotiate low cost flights of choice. Membership in an association can extend what you can do for yourself.
• When shopping for four or more passengers, charter flights become an option for reasons of price and of convenience.
• The cheaper the airfare - the more restricted the flight.

These are the Top Ten Travel Blunders:

• 1. Not allowing enough time to clear increased airport security measures.
• 2. Thinking the car or hotel is pre-paid when it is not. Confusion often stems from using a credit card to guarantee a late arrival. The consequence is usually a delay and increased tension as the situation is sorted out.
• 3. Trying to check-in items that airlines don't allow. Like pets, hunting guns, medical devices (needles and knives), samurai swords, etc.
• 4. Not having proper ID at the airport. Most frequent occurrence: forgetting to bring government issued identification; or the name on the identification does not match the name listed on the ticket.

• 5. Getting the date and/or time of the flight wrong.
• 6. Failing to check the payment requirements of rental-car agencies. Cash is king; except when you want to rent a car. You need to use a valid credit card. It can't be "maxed-out" or under another's name. If you are the driver, you can't rent a car with an expired driver's license either.
• 7. Missing or "no-showing" for a flight. The airline will automatically cancel all subsequent flights in the reservation.
• 8. Losing or misplacing an airline ticket. Don't expect that the airline will put you on the flight anyway. A misplaced airline ticket generally results in a substantial outlay of funds and lost ticket application paperwork.
• 9. Packing passports and medication in checked-baggage, rather than keeping them in a carry-on bag. Don't be left in a lurch if your checked luggage does not arrive when you do.
• 10. Fighting with airline, hotel and car rental employees. Displaying anger makes the problem or situation worse

• 1. Find out early: "If you absolutely don't want to miss getting home or to your destination, start planning for the worst early. Check the weather on TV or online. Call the airport and ask how things are going. Call the airline to check your flights. At the first hint of trouble, get to the airport early and get to work."
• 2. Never get in line after things go wrong: "Lines are for amateurs and people who have not read this article. Anything you can get done in person can be done online or by phone. Almost everyone has a cell phone; use it. If not, go to a pay phone. Call the airline or your travel agent, tell the person the problem and ask for options. Frequently, the customer service rep can determine your options, make the necessary changes and get you on your way.

"As veteran travelers, we were calm and nice to the agent, so nice she didn't want us to leave. She was working slowly and deliberately, and I asked if we were taking too much time and adversely affecting the people behind us.

"She said that we were nice, and she'd rather talk to us for an hour than start dealing with the other people in line. Her offer was to put us up at a hotel and get us out in the morning.

"Both of us had to be home the next morning, (so we) requested a flight to Atlanta, knowing we would miss all flights to Knoxville. We then had her book us a car. When we got to Atlanta, we rented the car, drove home, got a few hours sleep and made our morning appointments. Of course, Delta paid for the car with no hassle."

Jerry and Jan Michaelson of Knoxville may be reached at travel@teammichaelson.com or by fax at 865-675-3056

• Make sure you have a signed, valid passport (and visas, if required). Also, before you go, fill in the emergency information page of your passport!
• Read the Consular Information Sheets (and Public Announcements or Travel Warnings, if applicable) for the countries you plan to visit.
• Familiarize yourself with local laws and customs of the countries to which you are traveling. The laws of your country do not follow you! While in a foreign country, you are subject to its laws.
• Make 2 copies of your passport identification page. This will facilitate replacement if your passport is lost or stolen. Leave one copy at home with friends or relatives. Carry the other with you in a separate place from your passport.
• Leave a copy of your itinerary with family or friends at home so that you can be contacted in case of an emergency.
• Do not leave your luggage unattended in public areas. Do not accept packages from strangers.

• If you plan to stay abroad for more than two weeks, upon arrival you should notify by phone or register in person with your embassy in the country you are visiting. This will facilitate communication in case someone contacts the embassy looking for you.
• To avoid being a target of crime, try not to wear conspicuous clothing and expensive jewelry and do not carry excessive amounts of money or unnecessary credit cards.
• In order to avoid violating local laws, deal only with authorized agents when you exchange money or purchase art or antiques.
• If you get into trouble, contact your nearest embassy.

Your Rights When Things Go Wrong
By Chris McGinnis
Special to CNN

Flight canceled? Get your money back. 
Hotel oversold? Get a free night. 
Rental car unavailable? Get an upgrade.

Here's how:

• Did you know that you can get your money back if an airline cancels your flight, even if you are using a nonrefundable ticket? Many travelers don't realize that the airline is required to refund your money if your flight is canceled -- for any reason. This does not apply if your flight is only delayed -- it must be flat out canceled. Of course, the airlines are rarely forthcoming with this information, but it's true -- and you can and should ask for a full refund even if you have a so-called "nonrefundable" ticket.
• Let's say you're booked on the last flight out at night hoping to attend a wedding or another event the next morning . . . and your flight is canceled . . . and it's just not worth making the trip anymore. Ask the gate agent for your money back.

• "The airline agents will always try to convince you to accept a voucher, to keep your ticket for future use, or to put you on a later flight. But travelers should know that if their flight is canceled, one of their options is to get their money back," says airline expert Terry Trippler of Cheapseats.com.
• He adds that this refundability clause is part of each U.S. airline's contract of carriage -- except one: Continental. Its contract states that a refund can be in the form of a voucher for future travel.

• This situation happens so frequently that the hotel business has coined a phrase for it. In hotel lingo, it's called "getting walked." Like airlines, hotels oversell their inventory expecting a certain percentage of guests to be no-shows.
• But we all know that sometimes everyone shows up. Or not enough guests check out as expected. So if you are unfortunate enough to get walked, here's what you should ask for:

1. A free first night at a nearby hotel of equal or better quality -- and the opportunity to return to the original hotel when a room becomes available.
2. A free long distance call to notify office or family of your hotel change.
3. Free transportation (cab/shuttle) to substitute hotel. Remember that you must ask for these things, otherwise you may not get them.

• Moving along to the car rental counter. What can you do if you get to the airport car rental lot and the car you reserved isn't there? Typically, car rental agencies won't downgrade you to a smaller car if they don't have a car of the size you requested. They should upgrade you to a larger or nicer car at no additional cost.
• For example, if the full-size Ford Taurus you reserved is not available when you arrive, the agent should upgrade you to a larger or more luxurious car, like an SUV or a Cadillac.
• And in the rare case that the rental agency has no cars of any type or size available, they should send you to a competitor and pay any difference in the rate applied.