Flex Tickets for International Flights?

asrey1975 on 09/03/2018 - 16:40
Last edited 09/03/2018 - 16:41

Hi all. I'm thinking of booking flights to Africa in August.

I need the tickets to be flexible as there may be changes to when I can travel eg: when exam timetables are posted and I need to move the flight departure date back.

The reason for this is simple, want to book cheap flights now and not have to pay last minute prices when I actually know my travel availability.

Is there such a thing as flex tickets for international flights?

I've seen STA have some program where you pay a few extra $$$ and they say you can reschedule without additional cost - just wondering
a) has anyone used this STA product before? does it work? any conditions?
b) any other airline ticket agents/airlines who offer flexible dates/changes once booked? like above? Anyone else have experience booking "flex" tickets for international travel?

Thanks

Travel Airfare Date Change Flexible

Comments

  • dufflover on 09/03/2018 - 16:59
    +1

    Airlines already offer flex international tickets. Ofcourse you pay a boatload for the reasons you've already mentioned.

    Also if domestic is anything to go by (at least with bloody Qantas) is that not all "flex" tickets are equal in that say closer to the date you want to change, your flex ticket may get you around any change fees and so on, "but oh the time you want actually has a fare difference of XYZ dollars so you have to pay anyway". Not sure about the STA product but I'd be reading up the T&Cs for something like that. In the end if the airline wants more, you pay more, unless you happen to be paying the most expensive sub-class of flex to begin with.

  • Kiwibigspender on 09/03/2018 - 17:49

    simple solution, find out when exams are on. Tell them you have to know.

    We ask about school holidays more than 12 months in advance.

    Most tickets, even cheap tickets allow changes for a fee. Just never try to change at last minute or you'll probably pay heaps, not for the change fee, but the increase in fare on top of change fee. Last minute tickets are almost always very expensive, as that's what many business types buy & where airlines make their money, so they can sell loss leaders. Airlines sell a lot of seats below cost. The full price/wlak up fares subsidise the loss leaders.

    Sta don't offer anything that most other agencies can offer.

    • jjjaar on 10/03/2018 - 09:36

      If it is uni exams, they will already know the 3 week period they'll be on, but not the exact dates of their specific exams until about a month before. I assumed they wanted to know the exact dates to ensure the longest trip possible (i.e. fly out the day after their last exam).

      Unfortunately, the uni won't know the exact dates until the month before, and sometimes even then they change it. I would book the first date after the exam period and stick to that.

  • star-ggg on 09/03/2018 - 20:26

    Be careful of "no additional fees claim". 99% of the time it means you don't pay a fee to change but still pay the fare difference. The other 1% you pay bucketload up front.

    • bobbified on 10/03/2018 - 02:29

      99% of the time it means you don't pay a fee to change but still pay the fare difference

      It's actually 100% of the time, if there's a fare difference.
      There's never a time they'll allow a change to a more expensive ticket without paying the difference.

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