22 Factors to Consider Before Booking

1.)    Cost (ticket & ancillary fees)

2.)    Award availability

3.)    Ticketing flexibility (changes and/or cancellations)

4.)    Flight Times (early, late, afternoon, red-eye, etc.)

5.)    Connections (number of, locations, and connection times)

6.)    Quality of Hard Product (seat, onboard amenities, etc.)

a.       To include less thought about ones like: overhead bin size, Wi-Fi, charging sockets, IFE, personal air nozzle, lined up window, number of and proximity to lavatories, tray table size, etc.

7.)    Quality of Soft Product (service to include drinking and dining options)

8.)    Elite status (now or future) / airline or alliance / partner, etc.

9.)    Earning Potential (EQMs/RDMs)

10.) Niche benefits (Companion pass, $99 fare, etc.)

11.) Likelihood of upgrade

12.) Benefits from credit card/membership

13.) Lounge access opportunities

14.) Plane seating configuration (3-3 vs. 2-2 vs. 1-2, etc.)

15.) Available seats (number, location, and grouping and perceived load-factor)

16.) Boarding order (i.e., groups with small children first)

17.) Gamesmanship opportunities

18.) History of being on time or not

19.) Distance of airport to/from your departure/destination

20.) Carbon emissions

21.) Accessibility considerations

22.) AV geek considerations