It turns out that checking in for photos can be risky – six key things to note when buying flight tickets

By / MOOK Scenic Spots Home Editorial Team, compiled and reported

Traveling abroad is an exciting thing to do, but if you accidentally overlook some important information and end up with security concerns, it’s not worth the trouble. Buying a flight ticket is a simple task, yet some people still end up booking the wrong flight, filling in the wrong name, having an expired passport, or even falling victim to scams. Below are six things to pay attention to when purchasing flight tickets, so you can be a savvy traveler.

1. Make sure your flight information is filled out correctly
If you fill in incorrect personal information when buying a flight ticket — such as misspelling your name or getting your passport number wrong — you may be denied boarding by airport staff. Different airlines have different policies regarding incorrect information: some allow changes for an additional fee, while others do not allow any changes at all. Therefore, filling in and double-checking your information carefully can help you avoid a lot of trouble.
 
2. Pay attention to your passport’s expiration date
Before purchasing a flight ticket, you must also confirm that your passport is still valid. If you buy the ticket before checking and later find that your passport has expired, you risk being unable to travel abroad. Since renewing a passport takes several working days and your passport number and other information will change, you’ll need to spend time and money making changes if you’ve already bought the ticket.

3. Choose familiar and reputable airlines and flight search websites
When purchasing flight tickets online, it is recommended to choose airlines and flight search engines that you are familiar with or that are well-known and authoritative, to prevent personal information leaks or falling victim to scams.
 
4. Carefully read the purchase details and terms
With the decreasing cost of airfare, many people opt for low-cost airlines. Even so, in reality, airlines still impose many restrictions and additional fees in various aspects, such as phone booking fees, carry-on baggage fees, large/heavy baggage fees, seat selection fees, ticket change fees, cancellation fees, in-flight facilities, and meals.

5. Remember to buy travel insurance
Buying insurance can protect your rights and provide compensation in case of unexpected events, such as flight delays or cancellations. When purchasing insurance, also pay attention to the type of insurance, coverage, claims process, and payout amounts.
 
6. Don’t share your boarding photos
With the development of the internet and social media, many people take boarding photos before traveling abroad and upload them. In fact, this action can seriously leak important personal, airline, and banking information. Malicious individuals can use details on the ticket — such as the airport name, flight number, boarding date, origin, destination, name, flight duration, and barcode — to steal, alter, or cancel your booking, resulting in significant losses. The most critical detail to hide is the barcode, as some websites can extract much more than just travel information from the barcode on a boarding pass, including the passenger’s phone number, frequent flyer number, and future flight reservations.