Why the Wrong Flight Can Ruin Your Trip

When you're booking a vacation, it's really easy to look at the flight options and immediately compare two things: the schedule and the price. But, two flights going to the exact same place can give you VERY different travel days. A flight that looks perfectly fine when you're booking it can mean a stressful connection, unexpected fare restrictions, or an absolutely miserable start to your vacation.

There are certain flights I look at and immediately think, “Nope. I would not put a client on that.”

Here are a few of the things I'm looking at:

A Tight Connection Can Leave You Scrambling

Just because an airline will sell you a connection doesn't necessarily mean it's a connection I'd be comfortable booking.

For domestic flights, my general rule is to leave at least 90 minutes between flights, although I prefer closer to two hours when possible. For international flights, I generally want at least three hours.

Could you make a shorter connection? Absolutely. But, one delay on that first flight can quickly turn a tight connection into a sprint through an unfamiliar airport. You may also need time to change terminals or go through immigration and customs, depending on the itinerary.

I learned firsthand how quickly that extra connection time can disappear on my way home from Saint Lucia. I connected through Miami and had a three-hour layover, which sounds like plenty of time. We had to collect our bags after arriving internationally, recheck them, go back through security, and then make our way to our next gate.

Well, our luggage took more than 90 minutes just to come out at baggage claim.

By the time we collected our bags, rechecked them, went through security, and got to our gate, we barely made the flight. With a three-hour layover. That's exactly why I'm not a fan of cutting connection times too close. A lot of what happens between those two flights is completely outside of your control.

Booking Through the Wrong Site Can Make Problems Harder to Fix

Sometimes you'll search for a flight and find what looks like a better deal through an online travel agency (OTA) or another third-party website. Before you book it, make sure you understand who you're actually purchasing the ticket from and who you'll need to contact if your plans are disrupted. When a flight gets canceled, significantly delayed, or changed, having a third party involved can make the process of getting help more complicated.

Saving some money on the ticket might feel worth it when everything goes according to plan. The question is whether those savings are still worth it when your flight gets canceled and you're trying to figure out who can actually help you.

The Cheapest Fare Can Come With Restrictions You Weren't Expecting

The cheapest flight on the screen isn't always an apples-to-apples comparison with the other options. Basic Economy fares, for example, can come with additional restrictions or fewer inclusions than other economy fares. Depending on the airline, that can affect things like seat selection, baggage, or your ability to make changes.

Before you choose a fare based on price alone, look at what you're actually buying.

Once you understand the restrictions and account for anything you'll need to pay for separately, that cheaper fare may not be as good of a deal as it first appeared.

A Bad Flight Schedule Can Start Your Vacation Exhausted

Sometimes the cheapest option is cheap for a reason. That 6:00 AM departure might save you some money, but what does the morning actually look like? If you need to be at the airport a couple of hours before your flight and the airport is an hour away, you could be waking up at 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning.

Technically, you got the cheaper flight. You also started your travel day exhausted.

The same goes for inconvenient arrival times, long connections, or routes that turn what could have been a relatively easy travel day into an unnecessarily long one.

I'm not saying you should always book the most expensive or most convenient flight. Sometimes the cheaper option makes perfect sense! But, I wouldn't choose a flight based on the number next to the dollar sign alone. The connection, fare restrictions, booking site, and what the schedule is actually going to ask of you on travel day all matter.

Sometimes spending a little more on the right flight is money very well spent.