Booking a flight

Read through this list before booking flights.

Price of flights and paying for them

Prices vary depending, for example, on the booking time and ticket type: flights are sold for the same flight at difference prices.
As a rule, flights do not entail the right to cancel. Therefore, check the terms of your flight before you make a purchase. During the COVID era, many airlines have introduced more flexible ticket types.
Carefully make sure that the dates and names are correct. For example, if the name is misspelled, it can often only be corrected for an additional fee – if at all.
If you purchase cancellation insurance, check its terms and conditions. Often it only covers cancellation in cases such as illness.
You should always pay with a credit card, if possible. When paying with a credit card, you may, in problem situations, require a refund from the credit card company under chapter 7, section 39 of the Consumer Protection Act.

Check whether the same airline is flying both the outbound and the return flight. Check the conditions: If, for example, an outbound flight is cancelled, will the return flight also be cancelled in such a situation? The so-called no show condition specifies that tickets must be used in a certain order, i.e., if you do not arrive for an outbound flight, the return flight will be cancelled automatically.
If there is an stopover on the flight, check whether each flight leg has its own contract – this is sometimes the policy with low-cost carriers. This affects, for example, the cancellation of a flight – the other parts are not automatically cancelled, but each leg is a separate agreement.
When booking flights with connections, make sure the time for changing planes is long enough. Airport websites indicate a change time that, according to them, is sufficient for different flights, but we always recommend a slightly longer change time to avoid problems. Large airports can be confusing for a new visitor, and often one needs to travel between terminals by bus. The airline is not obliged to re-route the passenger if the delay is attributable to the passenger. In the case of intercontinental flights, we strongly recommend that you reserve a longer change interval.

If you get an error message in the middle of the order process, get a screenshot of it, or use your phone camera to take a picture. Do not order new flights until you find out if the order went through. Check if the payment was made and if you received a booking confirmation. Contact your flight broker before ordering new flights. Very often, despite an error message, the order has succeeded and the confirmation arrives.

The price of the ticket does not necessarily include luggage allowance. This means that, when booking, it should be checked whether an extra charge is payable for checked luggage. If, for example, you are going to take with you prams or skis, check the airline’s instructions for these or other special luggage and sports equipment. At the time of departure, the ski quota of the cargo hold may already be full, and your skis may not be able to travel with you without prior reservation.
Airlines’ practices of taking pets on board also vary and should be reviewed before purchasing tickets.

In some cases, the operating airline (the air carrier responsible for the flight) is not the same company as the one from which you bought your ticket.
As a rule, in a problem situation, you need to contact the airline that operated the flight.