Our experienced resident travel expert xxxx says:

Its always a good idea to get into the habit of keeping up-to-date with current world issues and always try and stay in touch with family and friends – perhaps provide them with your current travel plans or agenda. Its also good practice to know where the countrie embassy is.

With the Internet so accessible now, on your phone, internet cafes, libraries, etc, it is so much easier to stay in touch with your family and keeping up to date on world events.
When you are unsure about the safety of travelling to a country you can contact or visit their website of the department of foreign affairs, they will supply up-to-date information about the risks you might face overseas.

If you are female traveller on a solo journey

1. Make sure you dress appropriately

2. Make sure you hook up with a male or another female traveller. It’s always safe to travel in numbers

3. Wearing a ring on your wedding finger

4. Change your behaviour for the situation

If you are considering travelling for the first time with your baby then consider the following:

Book well in advance, explain that you’re travelling with an infant and ask if the airline offers anything to help.

Larger plane fleets like British Airways tend to be better equipped, so opt for a larger air-craft when possible.

Look for flights that cause least disruption to baby’s routine: consider night flights which are great for long haul journeys. If you are considering a long haul soon but not sure which airline to use you can always begin with Virgin Airlines.

Don’t be shy to ask for seats with extra legroom on the plane, they are normally situated at the front. Seats at the rear of the plane tend to be noisy with the aircraft engines so avoid getting seats there.

Baby seats are highly recommended for any flight, remember that many airlines offer half price tickets for children under two. For long haul flights this can save you a lot of money.

Car seats are very handy for landing and take-off, however lap belts are available and supplied by the airline. For the first timers adventuring out of the UK by flight make sure you are well rested and leave plenty of time to check-in. It can be very stressful and there is a lot to think about. Babies pick up on anxiety easily so be cool and calm!

And finally, sounds obvious, but ensure your baby is changed before you board, trust me, you will appreciate it, the changing facilities are far worse on the plane than the airport!

Lastly, airport car parking. The official airport car parking provider is BAA Airport Parking.

Something that not many travellers think about but here are some of my tips:
It’s not as expensive as you may think.

Meet and greet. Somone will meet you at the terminal and then your car will be taken to your car park. Then on return your car will be taken back to the terminal, saving you all the bother of sitting on a packed bus with all your luggage.

Search for a Off Site car park with your airport. Its a great way to save lots of money!

All car parks are secure. Check this: Park Mark Safer Parking Scheme.
Well, thanks for taking the time to check Cheap Flight Tracker’s latest tips and hints for your journey.

Sometimes its worth considering even not going throught the trouble of driving to the airport depending on distance and whether its practical? There are some very cheap deals on coaches especially from National Express and if you like to have a few drinks on the flight home then a coach could be the answer!

We are always updating this site because there is always lots to discuss.

If you would like to submit a relavent article then feel free.

Many thanks
xxxx

Below are some recent reviews from travellers using the below airlines recently.

BMI Baby

Firstly, it took nearly an hour and a half to check in and we only just made it on to the flight. The check-in queue was ridiculously long and only two desks open. The flight was on time, and that’s the best I can say about it. The plane was dirty, seats narrow and uncomfortable and the crew look dishevelled and fed up. Because of bmibaby’s hold luggage charging policy, most of the passengers had massive hand luggage with them and there simply wasn’t enough room in the aircraft for it. As a consequence, a dozen or so cases had to be put in the hold which didn’t please those of us who had paid £20 per case to put ours in the hold. The gate staff are supposed to check all hand luggage for size and weight by putting it into a measuring basket, but as long as passengers could ram some of the bag into the basket, then it was allowed through. Yes you get what you pay for, but I’ve flown with other budget airlines who offer a far better product and a more comfortable journey. By the time you have paid for your luggage, your seat and all the other extras, bmibaby work out no cheaper than a standard schedule airline.

KLM UK

Amsterdam to Cardiff in Wales in economy class. The planes themselves though small were ultra-clean and full-service is available on this sector which is a nice change from other carriers. Both complementary wine and beer were available. The only negative comment I would make about an otherwise excellent service is that on returning to Amsterdam from Cardiff on the 05.55 HRS KL 1058 early morning service, the breakfast service consisted of a cheese sandwich and coffee, which might be more suitable to lunch-time! Croissants, yoghurt and coffee might be more appropriate. Perhaps KLM UK could address this aspect of an otherwise excellent service with very professional and caring FA’s.

SINGAPORE AIRLINES

Seems a bit more cramped in Economy class compared to Malaysia Airlines. Check-in in FRA was horrible – 1 counter each open for First, Business, Internet Check-in and Economy. The first three counters had no queue. The last counter (Economy) had 30 people waiting and 1 staff checking-in (this was at 55 mins before departure). Station manager, nor the staff at the first three counters bothered to assist in helping check in. The lady usher staff also kept telling passengers to stay in queue. When it was finally my turn I was told to “hurry” as boarding had begun.

BRITISH AIRWAYS

BA wouldn’t let me pay-select my seats under their new policy on my long-established booking because the original credit card I used had changed, and they said the system couldn’t accept it. I explained that, for my own medical reasons I needed to be sure of my wife seated beside me to assist me. They promised to make a note of this on my booking and guaranteed it would be no problem. At on-line check-in time, I found we were seated in separate rows. At bag drop and the gate, all I got was ‘the flight is full, we can’t move anyone to accommodate you as everyone else paid to select their seats’. During the flight the woman next to me told me that her seat had been allocated to her. She had neither paid for it or requested it. So why couldn’t the computer have put her in the seat now occupied by my wife? It made no sense. The purser told me that splitting bookings and ignoring requests is usually done by Ground Operations, ‘because they are the most bloody-minded people in BA’. Maybe so. But what about my next long haul flight, to Miami, again, booked with my old credit card before the new policy came in? BA still won’t accept my new card and say that they’ve marked my request on the booking, but after the LA let-down, I don’t feel very confident.

AIR NEW ZEALAND

Two trips to Rarotonga recently. First one had a 3hr delay at Auckland. Second trip a 20min delay at Whangarei followed by a 6 hour delay at Auckland. On the return the Whangarei flight was cancelled due to technical difficulties, euphamism for ‘not enough people on flight so bus them’ or ‘someone elses plane has broke so bus Whangarei as its cheaper". So out of 6 flights there were 3 delays, and one cancellation.

QATAR AIRLINES

LHR-DOH-BKK return. Check in at Heathrow was reasonably painless and lounge was fine. Service from FAs exceptional, they use your name to address you and I found they were attentive without being overbearing. Food excellent on both legs, and there were proper lie- flat seats on the DOH-BKK route (overnight section on my route). IFE excellent (although mildly annoying to get half way through a film, then not have the same film available on the second leg!) and the food was superb. Also the pyjamas were a nice touch, and the wash-bags provided were of good quality. Premium Lounge in Doha is fantastic (just make sure you get off the bus at the second stop!), massive, great selection of food and drink and they will come and find you personally (if it’s not too busy) when it’s time to check in for your onward flight. Would definitely travel Qatar again.

EASY JET

Luton Sharm El Sheikh and back. Going out fine the usual no frills, get what you pay for. On the return a different story. A lot of the food beverage etc gone so little choice to eat and drink. The trip is over 5 hours, and yet it only boards food and beverage in the UK. Obviously on a 5 hour 40 minute trip people want more than one coffee, snack etc. I see no reason why they could not arrange more supplies in Sharm. The galleys on the A319 are not really equipped for what is really a long haul flight. Come on easyjet, if your going to do almost six hour flights, sort out the catering. I understand on the ex LGW flights they have aircraft with entertainment on board, would have been nice.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC

SYD-LHR return. Food acceptable – better than expected, although it always seemed to take an eternity to get tray taken away after dining, all the while FA’s make numerous passes through the cabin offering tea and coffee refills. Seat not the most comfortable, but width and legroom OK. V-Port entertainment system a plus, selection quite good. Tried using the games, but they froze the console every time (which the crew then needed to reset) so I quickly gave up on them. Also, when seat in front reclines, monitor becomes hard to see (almost impossible, actually), even if I also reclined my seat. Cabin crew generally great. Aircraft (A340-600) clean and well presented although toilets could do with more frequent ‘freshening up’ during the flight as they got a bit unpleasant at times. Check in at both ends relatively painless. Virgin’s website and online check-in not the best, though.

If you would like to leave a review and you don’t mind it being published then please email the CFT editorial team.

Flight reviews – Provided by http://www.airlinequality.com

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Happy New Year from the editorial team.