Make Your Flights to Punta Cana a Reality

You might be planning a trip to Punta Cana but don’t know which places to visit here. Do not worry as we are here to help you to plan your next Trip to Punta Cana. It’s in the easternmost tip of the Dominican Republic. It’s popular for its beaches and clear waters. One can find airlines such as United, American, Delta, Copa, Air Canada, Avianca, and Latam from the US which offer many cheap international flights to Punta Cana. Some of the places to keep in mind before taking a flight to Punta Cana are:

1) Samana – It is one of the best places to visit as it is situated in the northern part of the country which is just 30 minutes away from Punta Cana by taking a plane. This excursion is a combination of horseback riding, truck safari, and an island tour. You can visit the also known as Bacardi Island for its open bar amidst the palm trees.

2) Cap Cana –  You can go on a cruise for a full day sailing along the coast of Cap Cana. Here you can also explore clear waters and coral reefs. You can also enjoy the natural pool and can visit the Juanillo beach to enjoy your private bar all along. Here in this beach, you can jump on to safari drive to see the ever-changing terrain and view dry and humid forest and the beautiful beach alongside. Afterward, you drive up to cave Hoyo Azul to enjoy the clear blue natural pool formed at the base of the giant cliff.

Juanillo beach

3) Truck Safari – A perfect way to explore Punta Cana and visit local schools, churches, and the locals who can teach you some locally made dishes and you also get to see products like cocoa, tobacco, coffee and a special alcoholic beverage named as “mamajuana” which the locals love to consider at night.

4) Zipline Canopy Adventure – Its adrenaline packed adventure and is not something you get to do every day. You have to slide 15 platforms and 8 cable lines at treetops height crossing the beautiful open valleys. You have to take some experienced guide when you try the 2500 feet long cable which is more adventurous than the earlier one.

5) Fun Cave exploration – You will drive to Rancho Capote and mount a horse to the entrance of the cave which is located at Haitises National Park. You can explore ancient pirates hideouts, mangroves forest, Cave paintings and sometimes you will find underground water inside this cave tour which lasts for more than an hour.

6) Isla Saona– Saona is a small Island of the Dominican Republic with beautiful beaches and perfect weather all around the year. Once you reach the island you can play volleyball, swim at the beach or can treat yourself with authentic Dominican lunch.

Isla Saona

Punta Cana is blessed with longest white sand coastlines which cover almost 30 miles which is a perfect getaway one cherishes to have at least once in their lifetime. It’s a perfect hideout which is made for travelers of all ages who seeks relaxation and fun in their busy schedule. Its time to catch cheap international flights from US to Punta Cana!

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The Best Way to Find Cheap Flights to Santiago

Santiago is the capital and largest city of Chile which is situated in South America. It is called a city of extremes as it’s surrounded by the world’s longest mountain range, largest ocean, driest desert, and the southern part is covered with some grassy plains. It’s the perfect mix of both historic and ultra-modern attractions and is famous for its museums, artworks, and exhibitions all around the world. Some of the main attractions of Santiago are Cerro San Cristobal, Museo Chileno De Arte Precolombino, Mercado Central, Centro Gabriela Mistral, La Chascona, Valle Nevado and Cajon Del Maipo and many other popular tourist spots. This city is famous for its vineyards and poet Pablo Neruda whose home-turned-museum is one of the busiest tourists spots. One of his famous quotes says like “You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep spring from coming.”

Following are some ways by which you can find cheap domestic and International flights to Santiago.

1.) Comparison sites – The passengers should check different comparison sites which help them to know how they can get Cheap Flights to Santiago. All these sites show various results so we suggest checking at least the best 5 websites before booking your tickets. These different aggregators show you various results. If you are a frequent traveler then subscribe to their email to get the best offers and other co-stuffs that can help to save a lot of money.

2.) Join Travel Groups on Social Media – Joining some of the popular travel groups in Facebook and other social handles give you a chance to interact with different fellow passengers who already traveled or are currently living in your travel destination. Here in these groups, people exchange their experience with different airlines and you get many insights on how to get cheap flights to Santiago. Like all the pages of travel bloggers who suggest you many of the popular tourist spots. You might also end up getting a discount code from these popular travel bloggers.

3.) Choose flights with care- You can choose to have either direct or connected flights to Santiago in Chile. US airlines such as Copa, American, United, Air Canada, Alaska, and Aeromexico are some of the popular airlines which provide direct and connected flights on this route.  

Agencies offer to book cheap flights to Santiago on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday but you have to confirm this every time before you plan your trip to Santiago as airlines change flight prices constantly depending upon the booking of passengers.

5.) Change the dates- Some of the popular websites offer you this facility to check the dates and playing with them allows you to find Cheap Flights to Santiago. If travel dates do not matter to you then we should suggest you check the calendar of these websites where you find daily cheaper rates on flight tickets. Be flexible as it’s worth it and try to travel off-season too if it’s possible.

6.) Try Different destinations – As in this case if you plan a trip to Santiago from the US then try to find flights from booking websites which covers another nearby airport. This technique will help you to get down at some other airport which is nearby the main airport you were earlier visiting and both these airports are at a driving distance. So in this way you can get much cheaper airline tickets to Santiago.

7.) Sign Up for Loyalty Programs – If you are a frequent flier then sign up to loyalty program on travel websites which will grant you free coupons for duty-free purchases, free tickets and great discounts in several hotels. Practically all these flight booking websites offer these programs to attract their loyal customers. So you should make good use of these programs.

8.) Read the fine prints – Before booking tickets we suggest you read all the terms and conditions you find on their website. Some airlines and travel sites add some payment fees so it’s a great idea to be more cautious and attentive before booking a ticket.

9.) Eliminate Extra cost – Pack wisely and weigh your baggage before going to the airport so that you are not going to slap with any other unexpected fees. Carry some food inside your carry on bags to eliminate the costly in-flight meals.

Do you have any tricks on saving money while traveling to Santiago then do let us know in the comments and subscribe to our newsletter for more such interesting updates about these cheap airfares. Also, share our article to spread this knowledge to other travelers who are planning a trip to Santiago.

Overbooking of Flights- A Discussion on Pros and Cons

It is a declared policy of almost all airlines of United States that these will overbook flights. Many a times hue and cry has been raised over this policy of the airline which causes a lot of inconvenience to many. However, the airlines have been able to defend this policy of flight booking by fighting tooth and nail. At times, it is not just a question of overbooking but the extent to which this is to be done. The more is the overbooking, the more passengers will required to be shifted to the next flight. Basically, this policy results in a clash of two divergent viewpoints. One view is that of the passengers and the other is that of the airline. Let us examine both in order to make out whether this is a necessary evil or not.

Passenger’s perspective

Once a flight is overbooked, the airline is assured of a definite revenue from the flight. However, it is the passengers which result in a lot of commotion at the airport. In almost all such flights which are overbooked, there is a last minute sorting to ask some passengers to come on the next flight and make way for some more needy passengers to fly in the flight.

The airlines do have elaborate and well declared procedures to follow in this process. Airlines assign seats on first come first serve basis. Also, there is a well-established procedure for priority boarding of certain passengers.

The first step is to ask passengers to vacate the seats voluntarily. In lieu of this, the airline offers handsome credit or flight vouchers. Some other lucrative benefits could include a stay in a hotel free of cost or even a cash sum. This is to compel those passengers to vacate who can take the next flight without affecting their travel plans.

If sufficient number of passengers are still not vacating the seats, the airline is well within its rights to request certain individuals to alight from the plane. Passengers do not take this with kindness and treat it as akin to an infringement on their rights.

The perspective of passengers is that this practice shall be stopped by the airlines and there shall be a law forbidding airlines from doing it.

Passengers also point to the fact that they have paid for a particular seat for a specific airline just because they want to travel that way. If airline makes arrangements with another airline, this is not a done deal. There is always a doubt in the minds of passengers whether they will get to fly in the airline with which they have booked the flight or not.

Airline Perspective

The airline perspective is that when it comes to operation of scheduled flights from a country as big as USA where there are many diverse weather conditions, it is not good to deny them the right to earn sufficient revenues. Further, there is an added element of competition in the US aviation circle. By overbooking of flights, the airline is just seeking to ensure that it does not have to fly with vacant seats.

And, there is nothing wrong when the more needy people are getting to fly ahead of those who can wait for the next available flight. In addition, they get vouchers, free hotel stays and meals and other perks which actually results in cheap air fares for next flight.

To sum it all up, the passenger perspective seems to hold more solid ground than that of the airline. The courts have also ruled in favor of passengers and the airline have had to pay hefty compensations for this. Due to this loss, some of the airlines have even started considering having a software for overbooked flight situation.

Weather Factors Affecting US Domestic Flights

Weather plays an important role in letting airline operate flights on schedule and with total safety. Those in the aviation operations know the importance of monitoring the weather minute by minute in order to guide the airline operations. Thanks to modern age of satellite technology where weather prediction is possible and it is now possible to issue advanced advisories, flight operations can now be modified with ease. This is true not just for the United States which faces many adverse weather conditions in different parts of the country and at different times of the year but also for all other countries.

Airlines which have hubs or have most of their operations centered in the cities of this region do have delays, cancellations and re-routing of flights, causing hardship to passengers. However, over a period of time, even the passengers have come to grips with this situation and are willing to accept the situation which is not in control of anyone.

Let us examine three of these conditions which impact domestic and international flights operations.

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes- the geography of US and its vast expanse across latitude and longitude influences the occurrence of many a weather conditions. The region in US which is mostly affected by these storms is the Central American region. These are moisture laden, picking up the moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and when these ascend the mountain range, the accompanying rainfall brings flooding and mudslides which cause loss of death and property.

Miami, Tampa and Key West in Florida, Cape Hatteras in North Carolina and New Orleans in Louisiana are some of the major cities which are adversely affected by these storms and hurricanes.

In terms of US States which are mostly affected, it is Florida at top, then comes Texas, North Carolina, Louisiana and then the rest.

2. Blizzards: Blizzards are the strong icy winds which affect the Plains, North Eastern and the Midwest regions of United States. The influence of these winds is felt in almost all parts of the country except for the region around Florida in southeast and California in southwest. These winds virtually bring all activity to a halt, including the flight operations and deposit heavy snow. (read more at https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/midwest-northeast-us-blizzard-frequency/41276689)
3. Wildfires: If you had thought that the western part of the US would be free from these extreme weather conditions, you are wrong since it has its own share of it woes. The most important of these is that of the wildfires. The regions that are affected the most by these wildfires are California, Oregon, Idaho and Washington, with California bearing most of the brunt. (read more at https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/western-wildfires).

The government has a slew of measures in place to inform the locales and others in the country about the developing situations and issues advisories. The airlines are bound to abide by these advisories and are not allowed to operate even their scheduled flights to these regions.

Airlines would be willing to sell tickets for these cheap domestic flights well in advance assuming that nothing is going to happen, and the passengers may also buy these assuming that if the weather conditions are fine on this route they have a chance to fly. So, it is not that the airline will stop selling tickets for these destinations in advance, but these may scale down the level of their operations.

US Domestic Flights-The Market Leaders

Undoubtedly, the US aviation market is one of the largest in the world. With a plethora of airline companies registered and operating from here, there is no dearth of flights from one city to another. Even the remotest corners of the country have air connectivity with the other parts of the country. This is no mean achievement considering the fact that the country is sizeable and there are geo-climatic variations that do have adverse impact on aviation. Therefore, the airlines making a mark in the domestic aviation sector are going to survive and grow. And, this has happened in the US market as well.

Let us have a look at the major airlines having sway over the US air traffic market. As can be seen from the image below, it is the American Airlines which leads the pack with market share of about 18%. You might be thinking that this is crazy as the expectation would be of a higher percentage. In some other countries of the world, the market leader airline holds a share of more than 50%. In US scenario, this works at less than 20%.

The next in line is the Southwest Airline, with its market share of about 17.9%. This is really close to AA. The difference is virtually insignificant. So, it can be said that both AA and Southwest are at top of ladder and together have about one-third of the domestic air traffic of US. Delta and United are the next two important players, holding close to 17% and 15% market share respectively.

All other airline, be it Alaska, jetBlue, Spirit, Frontier, SkyWest and Hawaiian, each has less than 10% share. So, it is beyond any doubt that the big three full-service carriers hold the market and the only LCC which has been able to dent their markets is the Southwest airlines.

It is also worth noting that the market share percentage of the top carriers is very close to each other, and it would not be surprising that the rankings change next year. These figures are also indicative of the fact that there is a very high level of competition among the top airlines, so much so that none is able to have a decisive lead. This means that if any one of these drops its guard even marginally, the others are close on heels to fill the gap and take advantage of.

News of Southwest Entering Hawaii Market Brings Hope of Cheap Tickets

It seems that the best way to grow as an airline in any world market, and this is true for most of the aviation markets, is to first begin as a LCC (or, low cost carrier, as these airlines are popularly called) and then consolidate the position over the years. And, finally, move into the domain of full-service carriers. This sets off the cat among the pigeons, proverbially. Southwest has done precisely that. Pioneering the LCC model in early 1970s in the US domestic market, it has expanded and consolidated based on that model for a long period of time in the US domestic aviation market. And, it has also not hesitated to move on the long-haul turf, hitherto reserved exclusively for the full-service carriers. All this to avoid saturation and provide passengers with luxury of flying with more money saved in their wallets rather than spent on booking flight tickets with full-service carriers.

In continuation of this habit of moving into the long-haul routes, Southwest is all set to enter the Hawaiian market. This pacific island group is an overseas US State. Known for its volcanic eruptions, exotic habitat and many adventure locations, Hawaii is a top destinations for adventure lovers, honeymooners and nature lovers. There is a good tourist rush to the islands of this archipelago from all over the world, and especially from the mainland. With the entry of Southwest, the passengers can expect to have reduced airfares not just from Southwest but also from other airlines. Southwest is likely to disrupt the market and reduction in air ticket prices is bound to follow.

These cheap flights to Hawaii are going to be offered from cities in the state of California in US. The cities from where the airline is expected to start its flights are San Diego, Sacramanto, Oakland and San Jose. Quite naturally, being the so-called LCC, Southwest flights to Hawaii had to take off from the closes mainland locations that also have good air traffic to Hawaii. And, these four locations are best suited for this purpose. On the Hawaiian side, the arrival cities would be Honolulu, Kahului, Lihue, and Kona. There is another city where these flights are being planned but is not confirmed yet. This city is Hilo.

It has been decided in principle about the operation of flights. The only thing not clear is the time schedule from which these will begin to operate. Passengers have to keep flying on the existing airlines till then.

Why Airlines Matter in International Flight Booking From US?

While there are many air ticketing tips to consider while looking for cheapest fares, there is one particular aspect which shall not be ignored for international flights. This aspect is of airlines. This aspect might not be all that relevant for countries from where there are not many airlines, but this is certainly a factor to consider for countries such as United States, from where hundreds of airlines operate on daily basis. The international flight booking from US can be done on airlines registered in United States as well as on airlines registered in other countries. And, there is a big difference, not just in terms of the price but also in the other associated benefits, such as baggage allowances, meals, loyalty rewards programs and cabin experiences.

Now, why do the airlines matter? At first, there could be some international routes on which the both the popular and the not-so-popular airline would be flying. While the latter would also be promising a great experience, on par with the former ones, there could be a huge difference in the prices. Let us take an example. There is a good chance that on a particular destination in Europe, the Scandinavian airlines which generally have less air traffic, are able to offer you unmatched prices. You the decision to leave out the US major airlines and also that of major European airlines in favor of the Scandinavian ones could results in savings of hundreds of dollars on a single flight.

Another benefit is in terms of the free baggage allowances. Let us take an example of the flying to Asia. Most of the airlines from the Asian countries do offer free check in baggage allowance from US. This is generally 2 check in bags of up to 23 kg for free per passenger along with a 7 kg cabin bag. Now, if the the US airlines are charging about USD 50-60 dollars towards baggage, this is a clear difference of the price.

Best Online flight deals can, similarly, be found to be more lucrative for flying out of USA when you leave your predefined choices and are willing to look into other options is a welcoming manner.

Using Frequent Flyer Points for Flight ticket Booking

Many, if not all, airlines offer rewards for passengers who fly on them frequently. They have the scheme of frequent flyer program wherein the passengers know exactly how they will be earning the loyalty points and how they can use these for various benefits and privileges. Precisely how these programs are managed varies from airline to airline. Most of the time, the airline could tie up with a number of other airline or non-airline partners for enabling passengers to earn and redeem points in different ways. There tie-ups are also undertaken to enhance the new customer base for the airline or the partners associated with the program. There is no doubt that flights are one of the most common avenues for earning and redeeming the points. Flight ticket booking can really be totally free if these points are earned and used in a judicious manner.

With respect to flights, there are some ways in which these can be used to reduce the flight expense in a significant way. These are:

1. Award flights
2. Cabin class upgrades
3. Higher baggage allowances

Prospective passengers do look for online flight deals for their route of travel. They would certainly want air tickets at cheap air fares. However, what they forget conveniently the mileage points they have accumulated under the frequent flyer programs of an airline. A common mistake which flyers make is that they do not sign up for the frequent flyer program of the airline. Even if you are not a frequent flyer, it might not cost you anything if you sign-up for the loyalty rewards program of the airline. Joining these programs is free for most of the airlines and benefits start floating the moment you join or make the first purchase. Yet another mistake which people make is that they do not key-in their frequent flyer membership number for a particular airline when they are making a booking on it. Even if the earnings are expected to be low, it always adds to some points in the card which can be used later on.

AWARD FLIGHTS

Award flights is one of the ways in which the airline would like you to use the earned miles or points. This works in two ways. Either the airline will specify some of the flights as award flights, opening these for flight ticket booking by the passengers who want to use their accumulated miles. Alternatively, the airline can allow passengers to use their miles any time while ticket booking in order to travel for free.

CABIN CLASS UPGRADES

The second popular way of using these points is by way of cabin class upgrades. You might have booked the tickets for a lower level cabin class, but you might make use of the frequent flyer points to travel in a higher cabin level without spending any money, or just a little, for it.

HIGHER BAGGAGE ALLOWANCES

These days you can also trade off some of your points for higher baggage allowance in check-in. As the airlines in US have begun to charge for the check in bags you want to carry, you are not likely to find any airline which will allow you to use the mileage points for baggage allowance. However, it is still worthwhile a search as the airline can change its policy any time. Some of the international airlines do offer this benefit.

 

Your Best Bet to Get Cheap International Flight Tickets- BE FLEXIBLE

Commentators after commentators, experts after experts have repeatedly said that the best way to book international flight tickets at good rates is by being extremely flexible with your schedule. While it is a fact that the flexibility can also be operated only within a specific range of time and space, and is not endless, the more you have it, the better are the chances for finding the cheap international flight tickets.

Flexibility with the days

When you search for the best airfare deals, the best strategy is not to be specific with the days of travel. Unless you have a business meet, or there is some specific event that is time-limited, being flexible with your flight date can give you the best air fares.

It is not just the day of the flight but also the day of return with which you shall be flexible in order to avail good ticket prices.

Another associated factor is when you are booking the flight. Experts point out that generally the air ticket prices are lowest 6 weeks before the flight date. Therefore, it is always advisable to book in advance.

Flexibility with the origin and destination airports

One of the best ways to reduce the travel budget is to consider flying to other airport near to the one where you originally wanted to go. Some of the most popular airports also have cheaper alternative airports where flight ticket prices are less. So, if commutation is not a big issue with you and spending a few hours in commutation from the alternative airport to the destination is neither a problem, then you can save hundreds of dollars on ticket prices.

And, this flexibility shall not just be with the destinations airport, but also with the origin airport. You might be living in a metropolis city which has a famous and a more expensive airport than an alternative, low-cost airport close-by. Check out the fights from that airport and there are good chances that you will find these really cheaper than the main airport.

Flexibility with the Airlines

Another factor where flexibility works wonder in getting cheapest flight tickets is that of selection of airlines. While there could be some airlines which you might be fond of flying with, there is no denying the fact that there could be other less popular airlines that might be willing to offer you same route (with some connection, or layover may be) at a far lesser price. Why not fly on the cheaper alternative if that is not so inconvenient afterall?

FAA’s NextGen Project Facing Stumbles Over Noise Pollution

(source: Miami Herald)

As technology penetrates deeper into aviation, especially in the navigation field, the navigation is becoming more precise and accurate. The key shift from ground-radar based navigation to the satellite based navigation systems is leading this changes. The use of satellite-based navigation in civil aviation in United States comes under the purview of an ambitious project called NextGen. The project has been devised to leverage the benefits of satellite-based navigation to further augment the flight paths over 11 key flight corridors.

What are the 11 Flight Corridors where NextGen is being Piloted?

These flight corridors are:

• Northern California
• Southern California
• Las Vegas
• Denver
• North Texas
• Houston
• South/Central Florida
• Atlanta
• Charlotte
• Washington DC
• Cleveland and Detroit

What are the benefits of NextGen?

With higher precision levels of navigation, it is possible to concentrate more flights on the corridor without compromising on the safety aspects. This would mean that not only more airplanes would be able to fly with lesser vertical and horizontal separations from each other, there will be more flight bands one above the other. In simple terms, the density of flights on these corridors will increase.

One benefit is that important corridors can accommodate more direct flight which will reduce the flight times besides allowing passengers to have more flight options. More direct flights would mean that the airline can offer cheap airfares and the passengers can expect to buy flight tickets at lower prices.

Another associated factor is that of reduction in the consumption of fuel. The savings on this count could be $15.5 million annually.  The savings are not just limited to consumption of fuel, but are also on carbon footprint. It is expected to save 46.1 thousand metric ton of carbon footprint as well. To that extent, the project can be hailed as an eco-friendly one.

However, it is on the point of noise pollution that the things do not seem to go right for FAA. Communities living in or near some of these corridors have already knocked the doors of litigation and have got decisions in their favor. While FAA promises a thorough environmental audit before implementing the project on one or more corridors, there is no doubt that noise pollution is not going to make life any easier for the residents of these communities.