Part of the long process involved in planning an air travel is making an airline reservation either off or online. Sometimes, we may spontaneously fish out our credit cards at the sight of ads like “cheapest airfare,” “lowest air ticket,” “dirt cheap discounts” and so on. But the question is: how much of the airline’s policies do we know about that we are so eager to go after cheap airfares and other freebies?

Information is knowledge and knowledge is power. The truth is most airlines are only eager to first sell you their so-named cheap airfares and discount air travel packages before giving out details or their terms and conditions on the air ticket sales afterwards. Such terms and conditions are otherwise called “The fine prints.” It will pay intending customers a great deal to know the exact details of the cheap airfares and discount tickets they are about purchasing before employing the services of their credit cards.

Here are general policies about airline tickets, seat reservations, check-in and boarding and airfare refunds for most major airline companies.
* Airline tickets bought either for cheap or discounts are non-transferable; meaning seat reservations are only made for the name on the air ticket.
* Really cheap or discounted airfares are partially or completely non-refundable.
* In the case of e-tickets or air tickets bought online, the airline may reject any mutilated or altered e-ticket.
* E-ticket purchases have to be backed up by a valid identification document to prove the ownership of the purchase of the e-ticket.
* For airline reservations made online and a specific seat chosen, the airline may at its discretion relocate you as a passenger for reasons like safety and security.
* Airlines have the right to cancel any airline reservation made and not honoured by a passenger unless the airline is notified by the passenger in advance. However, the passenger should be prepared to part with some money as “no-show” fees unless for some reasons beyond control.
* Airline reservations may be cancelled by the airline if a passenger arrives later than the time given for either check-in or boarding the plane.

* Airlines may reject passengers with disabilities, pregnant women, nursing mothers or elderly persons if there is no mention of special assistance needed at the time of making an airline reservation; and if the airline does not have the requisite support for this categories of people.
* Since sudden changes occur due to unforeseen reasons, airlines may not be responsible for your failure to keep track of changes made to their flight schedules between the time an airline reservation is made and the date of departure. In most cases, the passenger always assumes full responsibility for this as this is outside the contract agreed upon between you and the airline.
* Airline reservations made and paid for can be refunded, but to the person whose name the ticket bears. If the refund will be made, it will be made once the airline gets sufficient proof of ownership and a receipt showing proof that the passenger has paid.
* Airlines will only refund passengers if the air ticket and receipts have not been used and are still intact, without any form of mutilation.
* Passengers would love this one: If an airline cancels a flight or fails to operate a flight according to the stated schedule, or the airline does not reach a passenger’s transit or final destination; and subsequently causes a missed flight with a confirmed reservation made by the passenger, the airline will award the affected passenger with a full refund.
* For lost tickets, once a passenger can provide the airline with a satisfactory proof of loss, a refund will be given to the passenger but mostly after the air ticket expires.
* Passengers should however bear in mind that the airline will make a refund for any air ticket that has expired.
* Airlines will not issue passengers with any refund where there is no proof that the passenger has the right to remain in the country of destination as shown by the country’s authorities.

Having understood the above guidelines, it is now up to passengers to decide whether to go ahead and grab the cheap, discount air ticket being dangled before their eyes or wait a moment, think twice and look elsewhere. The choice is always the passengers.’