How to Book a Flight on a Commercial Airline
There are as many ways to book a commercial airline flight as there are to travel in general. The Internet, however, provides an essential tool for would-be fliers, offering them ways to compare prices, flight times and airline offerings.
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Instructions
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Instead of dialing an 800 number and navigating through voice recordings, go online, and take your travel plans into your own hands. Several Web sites, including those of the individual airlines, allow you to plan, book and pay for a flight right from your home computer. Helpful sites include Expedia.com, Orbitz.com, Cheaptickets.com, Yahoo.com and Hotwire.com.
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Choose a Web site, such as Expedia.com. Log on, and you will see a "Plan a Trip" section on the homepage. Fill in the airports you will be flying to and from, estimated dates and times and the number of passengers. Click "Search for Flights," and let Expedia go to work for you.
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Choose a departure flight from the ones that appear on the next page. Generally, they are listed with the lowest price flight at the top. Sometimes, the cheaper flights are the longer ones.
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Select a return flight from the next Web page. Expedia will then take you through the confirmation and purchasing of your flight. If you want, you can add hotel and car rental services in your search.
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Check your e-mail. Expedia will send your itinerary and payment confirmation.
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Tips & Warnings
If you want to compare prices and flight times, open several browser windows, and conduct your search simultaneously on each site. It is good to shop around.
You can change your airports, flight times and dates while searching on a Web site by following the instructions provided on the individual page.
Create an account on Expedia.com when you book a flight. This will allow you to log on and access your itinerary at any time. You also might be able to print out a boarding pass to save you time at the airport.
