Understand the Difference Between Airlines’ Products

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Some airlines are called “legacy” airlines and they offer frequent daily flights to and from major hubs and to destinations around the globe. The four legacy airlines in the U.S. are American, Delta, Southwest and United.  Smaller airlines may be considered low-cost carriers or ultra-low-cost carriers (such as Allegiant, Spirit, Frontier and Jet Blue). They may offer flights to and from a shorter list of destinations (often leisure destinations), and their flight schedules can range from a few flights per day to just a few flights per week.

Be a savvy traveler! If you must arrive at your destination on a certain day, by a certain time, you may want to consider planning your flight arrival for the day before you need to be there. Air travel can always be delayed or cancelled due to a myriad of reasons, such as weather or mechanical issues. The airlines will honor your ticket and get you rebooked as soon as possible. However, you may have to wait quite a bit longer for that rebooked seat if you are flying on an airline that only travels to your destination two days per week. 

The bottom line?  Plan for flexibility in air travel. For instance, If you have a cruise booked, don’t rely on an airline to deliver you to the city port just hours before your cruise time. Plan your trip to arrive the day before! Then, if something happens, you still have time to go to Plan B. 

All this said – the good news is that airlines operate on-time most of the time.

Find out more!

Tina Kinsey
Asheville Regional Airport
Dir. of Marketing, PR & Air Service Development