8 mistakes everyone makes when booking flights
From not reading the fine print to ignoring baggage, these mistakes cost you money.
Not checking what baggage is included
The most expensive mistake and also the most common. That 19 € flight can end up at 90 once you add a cabin bag, a checked bag and seat selection. Low-cost airlines play on exactly this: the headline price is just the seat, and sometimes not even that. Before you compare anything, decide what luggage you are taking and always compare the FINAL price, not the hook. You will be surprised how often a traditional airline with a bag included works out cheaper than the low-cost one with extras. Compare flights on the total.
Booking without comparing
Booking on the website of the first airline that comes to mind is leaving money on the table. Prices vary enormously between carriers for the same day and the same route, and combinations of two different airlines — which official sites will never show you, because it is not in their interest — are often considerably cheaper than the direct ticket. A comparison engine sees eight hundred-odd airlines at once; you do not. Spending five minutes comparing before you book is, literally, the best hourly rate you will earn on the entire trip.
Ignoring alternative airports
Flying into Girona instead of Barcelona, Beauvais instead of Paris, or Hahn instead of Frankfurt can save you a hundred euros. But do the full sum before celebrating: if the transfer to the centre costs 25 € and an hour and a half each way, and the flight lands in the small hours when the buses have stopped, the saving evaporates between the taxi and an extra hotel night. The practical rule: it is worth it if you save more than 50 € per person and the airport is under an hour from the centre on public transport that actually runs at that time.
Skipping insurance on long flights
A long flight is a lot of things that can go wrong: a missed connection, a bag that never shows up, food poisoning ten thousand kilometres from home. Outside the EU, the medical bill lands entirely on you, and we are not talking small numbers. And beware a very common confusion: travel insurance is NOT the same as the compensation the airline owes you if your flight is delayed. They are different things and perfectly compatible. Compare travel insurance before you book, not after: many cancellation covers only apply if you take the policy out close to the ticket purchase date.
Forgetting about visas
Turning up at check-in and discovering you needed a visa is a classic that ruins entire trips, and it happens more than you think. Many countries require a visa in advance, an electronic authorisation, or a passport valid for six months counted from your return date, not your departure date. If you are travelling to Europe, get it clear early: we explain it step by step in the Schengen visa guide. Check it the same day you book, not the week before you fly: some procedures take weeks and there is no way to speed them up.
Paying with a card that charges fees
If the flight is priced in another currency, your bank can take 2-3 % on the conversion plus a fixed fee per transaction. On an 800 € ticket that is twenty to thirty euros handed over for nothing in return. Use a card with no foreign exchange fees. And if the site offers to charge you in euros instead of the local currency, say no: that dynamic conversion always has a worse rate than your own bank's. It is the same advice that applies to paying at your destination, and over a long trip it adds up to far more than it seems.
Not checking names and dates
The name on the ticket must match the passport exactly: full name, no nicknames or short forms, and both surnames if that is how they appear. Changing a single letter afterwards can cost 50 to 150 €, and some airlines simply do not allow it and force you to buy another ticket. Check the year too — accidentally booking for the following year happens far more than people admit — and, on red-eye flights, the exact date: a flight departing at 00:30 on the 5th means you need to be at the airport on the night of the 4th.
Waiting too long (or not long enough)
There is no magic day to buy, however often people repeat it, but there is a reasonable window: six to eight weeks ahead for European flights, and two to four months for long haul. Buying nine months out is rarely cheaper, and waiting until the final week is almost always brutal. Set a price alert and let the system watch for you instead of checking the site every day. And if the flight ends up delayed or cancelled, do not write it off: you may be entitled to up to 600 € in compensation. See who claims for you, and at what fee.
