Surprised? Don't be, for low cost tickets are false economy because suchtickets usually lack flexibility and entail strict restrictions in the formof non-returnability, fixed airline flights, no stopovers, no change ofjourney date, etc. Such tickets are suitable only if you are travellingpoint to point.

But for those travellers who want to make one or more stops on their trip,it is better to get a full fare ticket and reap the benefit of air mileageallowance and airline flexibility. Here, the tricks for saving money on thefare revolve primarily on two factors: the ticketed point mileage (TPM) andthe maximum permitted mileage (MPM).

While the TPM measures the point-to-point air miles actually flown, the MPMrelates to the mileage allowance allocated to each route. For example, theMPM between Delhi and London is 5,606 air miles, but the TPM is 4,169 airmiles. This leaves a passenger with 1,437 spare miles, which can be used onextra stopovers. The point-to-point, round-trip fare is around Rs 20,000with no stopovers allowed, but a full fare round-trip excursion ticket costsRs 53,715 and is valid for three months with an option of choosing yourpreferred airline.

If you pay the extra sum of Rs 33,715 for a full fare ticket, you can stopover or break journey as many times as you like, provided you stop at eachcity only once and the MPM is not exceeded. For example,Hongkong-Bangkok-Mumbai-Rome-Paris-London is perfectly feasible. ButHongkong-Bangkok-Mumbai-Bangkok-Rome-Paris-London is not permitted. In caseyou want to stop at Bangkok twice, this will require a side trip,Bangkok-Mumbai-Bangkok, for which you will have to get a coupon, which willbe charged additionally.

Airlines offer side-trip coupons on their full fare, round-the-world ticketsto enable the passengers to stretch their trip to the limit. These couponsare cost-based. This means that one has to pay for the coupons. For example,the Dutch airline, KLM, offers coupons at $100 each for to and fro trips toany of its 100 listed cities, like Kiev, Istanbul, from Amsterdam. But ifyour tour plan is well-designed, you will not need to do any side trips atall.

"In case of a round the world trip, you must know your geography well," saysDevinder S Bindra, sales officer, Kuwait Airways. "In a round the worldtrip, your tour should be unidirectional, which we call global direction, toreap the true benefits of MPM."

But most travel agents do not tell their clients all this. While booking aticket, travel agents usually count the miles between each stop to ensurethat the route falls within the MPM limit. "The subject does not usuallyarise when people book an airline ticket," says Bindra. "This is because atraveller usually tells the agent his desired route and the agent merelychecks that it falls within the permitted mileage allowance. If they are 10per cent or 20 per cent over, an additional charge of the same proportion ismade."

Most passengers chose the simplest journey, fearing extra stops will costthem more. "But it's not a matter of the agent hiding this from thepassenger. It's a fact that customers do not know about these airlinefacilities," explains Bindra.

Also, there is a big difference in air fare levels, depending on where youstart your journey. "Air fares are based on other parameters as well,"clarifies Bindra. "For example, fares are higher in higher currency valuecountries. So, if a passenger chooses to fly to London from Delhi via Dubai,we will charge him the Dubai-London fare, instead of the Delhi-London fareas the former is higher than the latter." This implies that a passenger paysthe price that applies at his point of departure. For round-the-world tripsand journeys to South America, the cheapest source is Pakistan. "Currently,the cheapest round-the-world fare is offered by KLM in alliance with nineother carriers, including Northwest Airlines, Alitalia and others. For theeconomy class, the round-the-world ticket from the KLM consortium works outto around Rs 1,10,000 and the MPM is 25,000 air miles," Bindra says.

He further adds that some 10-11 airlines of Europe and America, includingLufthansa, United Airlines and others, have also formed an alliance, calledthe Star Alliance, to offer a round-the-world fare at Rs 1,31,000 on thesame maximum mileage of 25,000 miles.

All these combinations and permutations may sound complicated andperplexing. But if you want to save on the hefty amounts you spend on airfare each year, you should know the airline jargon and their implications sothat you can use them to your own advantage. To know more about air farerules, visit http://www.travelterminal.com. Or, simpler, just consult atravel agent who knows the tricks of the trade.