Frequently Asked Questions:
What are your hours of operation?
First in the Sky is open seven days a week:
Monday through Friday: 9:00AM until 11:00PM EST
Saturday and Sunday: 10:00AM until 9:00PM EST
You are however encouraged to call us at any time that is convenient for you, 24 hours a day. If afterhours, please simply leave a message with your desired travel itinerary, phone number and email address, so that our first available agent can look into flights for you.
How can First in the Sky offer airfares that are lower than the airlines retail price?
While most airlines will normally not admit it; the lowest fare the general public is asked to pay, is not always necessarily indicative of the “lowest possible airfare”.
Airline tickets consolidators for example, purchase a large number of tickets and as such, they receive a heavily discounted bulk rate fare on each ticket. Since they purchase for these tickets for less than retail, they are also willing to sell airline tickets at less than retail.
Our agents have exclusive access to special fares like the ones mentioned above, as well as unsold inventory fares that are not published or offered to the general public.
How is First in the Sky able to find discount airfares even when the airlines state the flight is sold out?
To ensure profitability from each and every flight, airlines pre-sell large quantities of both business and first class tickets to airfare consolidators at bulk rate fares.
Once the tickets are purchased by the consolidator, the airline consider these seats as “sold” even though they are available from airfare consolidators for resale.
On top of this, airlines also reserve several seats on each flight for crew members. While not advertised to the general public, these unsold seats are often re-released for sale to agencies like ours who able to fill the seats quickly.
Do you quote discount airfare prices over the phone or email?
Yes we do, on both counts.
When either speaking with or emailing one of our agents about your desired flight dates, they will get back to you after completing an exhaustive search for the cheapest available airfare.
Normal wait time for a discount airfare call-back from initial contact is between 15-30 minutes.
Will I save at least 50-70% on every available business or first class discounted flight I book?
No.
Our First in the Sky agents will go to extreme lengths to find you the greatest possible discount available for your flight. Depending on what is available, if anything, you may see discounts ranging anywhere from 10-70% off the retail airfare price.
Major airlines and airfare consolidators set their airfare pricing based on their projected ability to completely sell out.
When flights have excess availability and there is a fear that seats will go unsold, our discounted airfare price will offer maximum savings.
The bottom line is that we will search far and wide for the biggest discount available and offer you a list of airlines for you to choose the discounted flight that suits you and your budget best.
What is the best way to receive the cheapest business class or first class flight?
The more flexible you are with your travel dates and flight times, the greater chance you have to save even more money.
Discounted seats are based on the airline’s profitability for a specific flight. When our agents are able to fill a seat that might otherwise go unsold, we can then barter from a higher position to generate the maximum allowable discount for your ticket.
Are you able to attain airfare discounts on all major airlines?
For most cases, the answer is yes.
We do an exhaustive search of all available discount airfare options, such as consolidator fares and unsold seat sales. If there are savings available on any airline’s flight, even those hidden from the general public, we are more than likely to find them for you.
What if the airline I want to fly with is not the cheapest airfare available?
When customizing your airfare quote, we will provide you with a list of available flight options within your travel itinerary, so that you can choose the airline that best suits both you and your budget.
What are your cancellation and refund policies in regards to discount airfares?
Because we purchase discounted fares from both airlines and airfare consolidators; most of our business-class and first-class tickets are non-refundable, and also may be subject to itinerary changes fees.
Before completing the purchase your flight, our agents will advise you of the terms and conditions of your desired ticket, as well as airline policies and procedures regarding changes to your itinerary.
What forms of payments do you accept for discount airfares?
We accept all major credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard and American Express with a valid Canadian or United States billing address and verifiable forms of photo ID, such as passports and driver’s licenses.
We also accept debit cards issued in the United States, bank wire transfers and money orders.
Can I use someone else’s credit card to pay for my tickets?
Yes.
Third-party credit card transactions however, are subject to thorough verification. The credit card holder will be personally contacted by one of our agents to ensure the passenger has their explicit consent to use their credit card for this purchase.
Furthermore, we may require the credit card holder to fax a copy of both their credit card and photo identification in order to validate the transaction.
Can I reserve a discount airfare flight now and pay for it later?
No, sorry you may not.
Discount airfare availability relies on a first-come, first-serve system and flight tickets must be paid in full at the time of reservation in order to guarantee seating.
How are these discount-airfare tickets issued?
In most cases, all airline tickets are issued electronically and in cases where paper tickets are required, we will send them to you via FedEx or UPS.
We do however encourage electronic tickets over paper tickets when available; for their ease of use, as well as to save you from additional airline surcharges and excess delivery fees.
What is an e-ticket and what do I do with it?
An e-ticket is an “electronic ticket” that is permanently stored in the airline’s reservation system, removing the need for the older-style, printed airlines tickets.
The e-ticket is sent to the email of your choice that you provide during purchase and it will contain the round-trip details of your flights, as well as the confirmation number for your reservation.
If the name on your passport or government issued ID (domestic flights only) does not EXACTLY MATCH that on your e-ticket, please contact us immediately so that we can remedy the situation.
When leaving to the airport, please ensure to bring a copy of your e-ticket as well as your matching ID, as you will use both to check-in for your flight and to receive your boarding pass.
What is the maximum amount of time allowable to book a discount airfare flight in advance?
Most major airlines allow ticket purchases with a return date of up to 333 days in advance.
Can I make advanced seat assignments when purchasing discount airfare tickets?
In most cases, Yes.
As long as your chosen flight is not under airport control or is not too far in advance to arrange seating assignments, our agents can assist you in choosing the available seat which you desire most.
Are discounted airfare tickets upgradeable from Business to First Class?
Most discount airfare tickets have certain restrictions and our agents will advise you of them before purchase. If you desire an option on your ticket to be upgradable from business to first class, then we will let you know the lowest fares for which this option is available to you.
What are the restrictions for taking an infant with me on discount airfare flight?
Most airlines consider any child under the age 2 to be an infant and have a 10% airfare surcharge (plus applicable taxes) atop the regular cost your adult discounted airfare ticket.
This does not mean that you will receive second seat for your child, but only that will be allowed to share your seat with your child. If empty seats are available during flight, most airlines will allow you to place your child in them. But if no extra seats are available or the airline disallows it, you must share your seat with your child for the entire flight.
On several domestic routes, infants are included free of charge on your ticket, but you are always required to include the fact on your reservation that your infant will be traveling with you.