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Flight Planner

Introduction to Flight Planning

Flight Planning is a process that ensures a smooth travel experience for clients. As a flight planner, one has to book appropriate flights based on destination, travel dates, budget, and other requirements.

As easy as it might sound, flight planning is a skill-oriented task that involves understanding airlines, flight schedules, systems, and flight planning software. Creating a flight itinerary based on the client's requirements is another crucial aspect of flight planning. To learn more about flight planning, the roles of a flight planner, and how to become one, check out this comprehensive flight planner course with all the essential information.

Introduction to Air Travel

Understanding aviation systems and their functioning requires proper understanding. So, for your information, ensure that you plan the best flight journey for your clients, check the types of airlines, learn how to choose the best one, and more.

Types of Airlines

Legacy: Legacy airlines have a traditional way of providing services, with a prime focus on comfort and customer service. They generally provide luxurious flying experiences and more amenities.
Low-cost: These airlines are generally budget-friendly and provide basic amenities with a focus on reducing customers' travel costs.
Regional: Regional airlines connect to smaller cities and operate for specific markets. Regional aircraft fly only for short durations.

How to Choose Flights?

If your client is looking for a comfortable, customer-service-oriented journey to the destination, legacy airlines are the best choice.

But if your client's priority is a budget-friendly trip, then low-cost airlines are the best choice.

For shorter trips and specific routes, opt for regional flights. They are easy to book, budget-friendly, and provide passengers with a unique experience.

Understanding Flight Schedules

Understanding the flight schedules is a crucial part of aviation flight planner training.

A flight schedule is a timetable with a complete list of scheduled flights. Every airline releases its schedule to provide details about flights operating at specific dates and times.

Types of Flight Schedules:

Published Schedules—These are made available to the public and can be found on airline websites, booking platforms, and travel agent systems.
Operational Schedules—Airlines use operational schedules for internal purposes, and they consist of additional details such as contingency plans, crew details, and more.

Flight planners must stay updated with flight schedules and changes, if any. Direct communication with airlines is the best way to avoid any room for error. At the same time, flight planners must communicate the correct details with clients and provide them with timely information about their flight schedules.

How to Become a Certified Flight Planner?

You're at the right place for all those who wish to become a certified flight planner. This detailed and travel agent-oriented flight planner certification for airline jobs is all you need to gain the required knowledge about flight planning and build a full-fledged career as a flight planner.

This course is designed for amateurs and professionals alike. With just the right amount of knowledge in easy-to-understand vocabulary, it is hands down one of the best flight planning courses for beginners. Take the course and get basic information on flight planning, the skills required to become a flight planner, and how to start a career in flight planning.

Take a quiz, test your knowledge, and collect your free certificates. A professional flight planner certification course like this one increases your job prospects and trains you well.
After collecting your certificates, start applying for internships or more minor roles in agencies to kickstart your journey.
Gain experience, nourish your skills, and start your career as a flight planner.

Understanding Passenger Types

Doing this best online flight planning courses for aviation professionals involves a complete understanding of different types of flying passengers. While booking a flight, it’s important to understand the types of passengers due to changes in flight fare, additional assistance, or other reasons.

Adult: Passengers aged 12 and above are considered adults. There are no discounted rates for adults in general (in case any offer is applicable), but specifying the age might ensure updated information on the required travel documents.
Children: Passengers between 2 and 11 years of age fall under the children category. Discounted prices might be available for children. Baggage allowances might also differ for this category of passengers.
Infants: Passengers who are less than two years old are infants. This category travels for free, requires no additional seat, and has limited baggage allowances. However, parents might have permission to carry a few extra things, like diaper bags, strollers, etc., at no additional cost.
Special Needs Passenger: Special needs passengers are passengers with disabilities or special assistance requirements. Airlines often provide services like wheelchairs, early and priority boarding, luggage assistance, priority seat allocation, and more.

Booking Process Steps

Flight booking is the most crucial aspect of flight planner jobs and training. Below is a stepwise structure to assist you in understanding the flight booking process.

Step 1: Searching for flights

The first step in the booking process is searching for available flights based on the client’s preference. Travel dates, budget, destination, and client’s travel needs determine the search an agent has to do.

Collect all the required information from the client.
Use appropriate flight search tools (discussed ahead in the course).
Analyse or compare available choices.

Step 2: Selecting and Confirming bookings

Another important flight planning fundamental is searching for flights. It’s time to select the best available option and confirm the booking. In this step, the agent has to search for a list of flights for the client, explain the pros and cons of each flight, and finalize the most suitable one.

Provide the customer with the list of flights.
Explain which flights are best for them.
Finalize a flight along with the clients.
Check real-time details such as budget, layover, and more.
Use software and systems to book and confirm the flight.
Use different modes of payment and communicate them to the clients.

Step 3: Enter Passenger Information

The last step is to correctly enter the passenger details into the system, review and reconfirm every detail, and proceed with the bookings.

Collect accurate information from clients.
Enter information into the system.
Review and confirm every detail.
Book and send over the confirmation to the client.

Roles & Responsibilities of a Flight Planner

Flight planning is a crucial job with many tasks. The flight planner course informs people about the roles and responsibilities of flight planners. What skills you must ace to ensure a smooth travel experience for clients?

Understanding Client's Preferences: The primary role of a professional flight planner is to discuss a client's travel needs and preferences in detail. This includes meal requirements, special assistance, seat allocation, and other details.
Collecting Information: Flight planners must collect all the information from clients, such as budget, travel dates, destination, desired airline, and more.
Comparing & Providing Guidance: Based on information and preferences, the best options are opted out. Trip planners for flights have to compare and analyze the shortlisted options and pick the best one.
Securing Flight Reservation: Booking flights is the main role of a flight planner. After deciding which flight to confirm, the flight planner must proceed with securing the reservation.
Understanding How to Use Software: Global Distribution System (GDS) and other online software are used worldwide to search for flights. These systems provide real-time information about availability, budget, timing, etc.
Managing Itineraries: A flight planner has to choose a flight at a time that does not disturb the itineraries. Managing itineraries can be a gruesome task at times.
Handling Changes & Cancellations: As an expert flight planner, you must handle any changes or cancellations on flight bookings, refunds, changes in schedule, new bookings, and more.
Post-Booking Support: After making the reservations, agents must be available to customers. From travel documentation and web check-in to dealing with any changes or cancelations, post-booking support is essential; you must meet passengers' requirements.
Customer Service Excellence: After completing this flight planning course for beginners, another key role you can play is to ensure excellent and effective communication, timely delivery of required tasks, and building good relationships with clients.

Introduction to GDS

Overview

Global Distribution Platforms (GDS) is a powerful technological system of advanced networks that facilitates the booking and distribution of travel-related services. It assists agents in searching for available flights based on various parameters, comparing the available options, and making bookings quickly. Whether you wish to be a multi-stop flight planner or not, GDS will help you along the way.

Basic Navigation & Functionalities

Understanding the navigation of GDS is another crucial piece of information covered in our flight planner certification for airline jobs and those who want to start their own travel business. The GDS functions and navigation process can assist you in learning about it.

Go to the search bar.
Search for flight by entering source location and destination.
Click on search.
Find flights.
Compare the rates, timing, & facilities provided by various airlines.
Select the most suitable one.
Apply offers or coupons, if any.
Proceed with the payment.
Make a confirmed booking.

Hands-on GDS Training

After understanding GDS, getting hands-on experience with the software is vital.

Live Booking Exercises: Beginners can start by experimenting with live booking exercises. They can practice booking flights, modifying details, canceling flights, and more.
Common troubleshooting scenarios: Flight unavailability, payment or transaction issues, booking modification, and booking cancellation are a few common troubleshooting scenarios. During practice sessions, flight planners learn how to deal with these problems.

Flight Fare Structures & Rules

Knowing the flight fare structures and rules is essential for flight planners to provide customers with accurate information and recommendations.

Types of Fares

One-way trip: Booking flights from departure city to destination is a one-way trip. It is suitable for customers who don’t have a set return date in their schedule.
Round trip: Round trips are flight bookings from the departure city to the destination and vice versa. They’re suitable for customers who have a set return date and generally provide great value offers.
Multi-city fares: Multi-city fares involve bookings of up to 3 flights on a single itinerary. This booking suits customers who plan to visit multiple destinations in a single trip. They are generally cost-effective and significant for multi-flight trip planners.

Change & Cancellation Policies

Change policies for flight itineraries vary by airline. In typical scenarios, slight charges are applied for travel dates or time changes.
However, there might be no change fees for some fare types, like business class and flexible bookings.
Flight planners must update themselves about policy changes and inform clients about fees.
Every airline or flight has a refundable or non-refundable policy. Flight planners must state the policy to their clients while booking and making payments.
A penalty amount is deducted for non-refundable tickets. Depending on the condition of refundable tickets, a full or partial refund is initiated.

Flight Baggage Rules & Fees

Airlines have specific baggage policies. Flight planners must ensure that their customers are well aware of these policies. The types of baggage, along with their policies, are:

Carry-on Baggage: Airlines generally allow one carry-on bag with a personal item. However, size and weight restrictions apply depending on the airline.
Checked Baggage: Every airline has a different policy for checked baggage, including the size of the bag, the number of bags allowed, the total weight, and more. Make sure you inform your clients well in advance about the baggage guidelines so that they don’t have to be surprised at the airport.
Excess Baggage Fees: If the weight of the luggage or the number of bags is more than the airline’s guidelines, customers will have to pay extra baggage fees per kg.
Special Baggage: The travel policy for any breakable item, musical instrument, or sports equipment is different. Clients must be informed about this in advance.

Customer Service & Communication

Flight planning is a profession where customer service and effective communication are the keys to success. Good customer service results in customer satisfaction, thus increasing customer retention. Here are a few things to consider while dealing with the clients:

Effective Communication Skills

A flight planner must have excellent and practical communication skills. You must understand the client’s requirements, preferences, and what the client is looking forward to. You should also be equally good at communicating the policies, structure, guidelines, and other relevant information.

Handling Flight Cancellations & Rebooking

This online flight planner course will help you deal with cancelations and rebooking. However, flight planners must be calm and composed, understand the policies well, ensure clients don’t face huge financial losses, and suggest the best alternative.

Appropriate Usage of CRM Software

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is designed to build and maintain relationships with existing and potential customers. It helps organize customer data, streamline the booking process, facilitate communication, and improve the overall client experience.

Using CRM wisely can assist flight planners in streamlining the communication process with customers, eliminating any room for miscommunication.

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