About International Flight Tickets

8/3/2019 About International Flight Tickets

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About International Flight Tickets

By Kent Ninomiya

International flight tickets allow you to travel by airplane from one country

to another. These can be adjoining countries, such as the United States and

Mexico, or countries on opposite sides of the planet such as the United

States and India. International flight tickets have different rules than

domestic flight tickets. Passengers are required to have different documents,

there are different security precautions, and luggage regulations are

different.

1. Documentso In order to use an International flight ticket, you must have a valid passport.

There was a time when American citizens didn't need passports for

international flights to Mexico, Canada and some Caribbean countries. No

more. If you do not have a valid passport, airlines will not allow you to board

an international flight. Some countries require that your passport be valid

for 6 months past your departure date from their country. If this is the case,

renew your passport before leaving home or the airlines will refuse to fly

you. Some countries also require visas for American citizens. Check with the

embassy of the country you are traveling to for details. Some countries allow

you to obtain a visa upon arrival; others insist you get a visa in your home

country. As your plane prepares to land, flight attendants may distribute

Customs and Immigration forms. They are to declare items you have with


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you, and your citizenship and reasons for entering the country. These must

be filled out and given to Customs and Immigration officials upon entering a

country.

Tickets

o The price of international flight tickets depends on many factors. The mostinfluential factors are distance, season and competition. Costs can be

reduced by flying through hubs. A direct flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo

can be much more expensive than one that connects through Hong Kong.

You can save money and get a free stopover. Check the less famous

international airlines by comparing fares through international travel

websites such as cheapflights.com, orbitz.com or fareline.com. (See

Resources below.)

Experience

o Because international flight tickets cost more, they usually offer more perksthan domestic flights. The food is complimentary and tends to be better.

Alcohol is also free on some international flights, though the flight

attendants will limit your consumption. In-flight entertainment is also free

and usually consists of movies, television programs and music. Because

many international flights are longer than domestic flights, there tends to be

more food and entertainment. On very long international flights, passengers

are given gift bags containing a toothbrush, toothpaste, socks, a blindfold

and other small toiletry items. Extras such as hot towels, candy and toys for

children are also features of some international flights.


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Baggage

o International flight tickets come with very specific rules for baggage. Most

airlines that fly international routes let passengers check two suitcases for

free. These must weigh less than 50 lbs. each each and measure less than

62 linear inches. This is the height plus length plus width. Overweight bags

are subject to an additional fee. International passengers are also allowed to

bring one carry-on bag weighing less than 40 lbs. and measuring less than

45 linear inches. Be sure to weigh and measure your bags before heading to

the airport.

Security

o Holders of international flight tickets must adhere to stringent securitymeasures when they fly. They are not allowed to carry sharp objects with

them in the passenger cabin. They are also forbidden from carrying large

amounts of liquids. A few small bottles of toiletries are permitted in carry-on

luggage. However, they are required to fit in 3-fluid-oz. containers inside a

1-qt., clear plastic zipped bag measuring 7 inches by 8 inches. Airlines make

exceptions for breast milk, baby formula, diabetic glucose solution and

prescription drugs


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Parts of an Airline Ticket

Airline tickets are relatively standard, no matter which carrier or whether

you are on a national or international flight. They may be printed in advance

or by the ticket agent in the airport. The airline ticket printed by the ticket

agent contains your ticket and a stub that the gate agent will collect as you

board.

1. Pre-Printed Boarding Pass -- Essential Informationo A printed boarding pass is one piece of paper that you have printed in

advance. A large black and white scanner block contains your flight

information. The flight attendants will scan this block before allowing you

access to the plane. Your name will be printed prominently at the top of the

pass, usually last name first. The date of your flight, your flight number,

departing city, destination city, time of departure and time of arrival will be

printed and labeled.

Pre-Printed Boarding Pass -- Variable Information

o The gate where your flight will depart is printed on the boarding pass. Verifythis information is correct when you arrive at the airport. Your seat number

and seating class are also printed on the boarding pass. You may be asked

to switch seats or you may qualify for an upgrade when you arrive.

Airline Ticket

o An airline ticket printed from a ticket agent has the airline's logo on the topleft corner. Your last name and then your first name are printed on the top

left. Below your name is printed the city of departure followed by the


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destination city. On the right side of the ticket you will find the date and the

flight number. You will also find your seat number and a group code, letting

you know in what order you will be allowed to board the plane.

Ticket Stub

o The top of the ticket stub will have the name of the airline followed by yourname. The departing city and destination city will be listed again. Below you

can find the flight number and the date of departure. Following this

information is the gate number, the boarding time and your seat number.


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How To Read an Airline Ticket

Airline tickets have a language all their own. They are covered in codes

meant to convey information to airline personnel. Most of it is gibberish to

everyone else. While the things printed on airline tickets are confusing, they

are not secret. If you know what to look for, it is easy to read an airline

ticket.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1

Look for the long green box across the top half of the airline ticket. In the left

side of the box is the departure airport with the destination airport

underneath. Immediately to the right of the airports is the airline code and

flight number. Every airline has its own two letter code. For example,

American Airlines is AA and United Airlines is UA.

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Find the letter that is printed just to the right of the flight number. This is

the fare class. Few people outside the airline industry know what they

mean. A, F, P and R stand for first class. C, D, I, J and Z represent business

class. B, H, M, N and Y indicate full or standard fare economy class. Special


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fares or discount fares have code such as G, I, K, L, O, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W

and X. The different letters within each fare class indicate a different price

paid for the ticket.

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Locate the date and time of the flight just to the right of the fare code. The

date will appear with the day first and the month second. The time will be

military time. This is a 24-hour clock. For example, PM times are listed as

1300, 1800 and 2000 instead of 1:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

4

Move to the lower left corner of the airline ticket to see what you paid. The

number at the top is what you paid the airline to fly. The numbers listed

below it are various taxes on the fare. The number at the bottom of the list

is the total. It is what you actually paid to get your ticket.

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Discover the airline ticket number in the bottom middle of the ticket. It is a

long string of numbers between two thick vertical lines. The 10-digit number

in the middle is the actual airline ticket number. The other numbers contain

other information, such as which leg of the trip the ticket represents.