6 FAQ on senior citizen flight discounts

“Age is a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it don’t matter.” – Satchel Paige

When making a transaction online, such as when booking an airline ticket, who does not want a discount? Discounts keep us going during our broke phases and help us buy expensive things at subsidized rates. When it comes to flight tickets, there are a bunch of discounts available on the websites of travel agencies and airline companies.

Here is a list of questions that are generally asked when looking for senior citizen flight deals.

Which airlines provide the best discounts?
There are many airlines (almost all) that provide discounts for senior citizens. Here are some of the most popular airlines that offer some amazing discounts and deals on cheap flights for seniors.

• Southwest Airlines – The discounts offered for senior citizens by this airline are for citizens older than 65 years. These discounts are offered on online bookings as well as telephonic bookings and are fully refundable. To avail senior citizen flight deals, the senior must provide an identity proof (like a driver’s license) on arriving at the airport. If there is a case of a web check-in, then a soft copy of the identity proof must be provided.
• United Airlines – United Airlines is similar to Southwest Airlines when it comes to rules and guidelines. They follow the same age criteria for the discount availability and a similar verification process. The senior citizens who are a part of the Silver Wings Plus program by United Airlines get the facility of booking the ticket at fixed-rate for a companion as well.
• British Airways – British Airways have provided a whopping discount of about $400 on flight tickets in the name of senior citizen flight deals. This is with regards to their membership with AARP, and only the members can avail this discount. The criteria and verification process for this airline remains the same as mentioned in the above airlines.

What is the range of discounts?

• The discounts start from a low range of about 10%
• Some discounts also offer an exemption from VAT
• Most airlines give a discount of about 20–30%
• The maximum discount allowed as a part of the senior citizen flight deals is 50%
• A 50% discount is very rarely provided by airlines.

What is the age range for different websites?

• The average and most common age criteria set by most airline companies is 65 yrs
• The least by any airline company is 50 yrs
• The second most used age criteria used by airline companies is the age range of 55–60 yrs.

On which services is the discount not provided?
A senior citizen will not be offered any discount as a part of the senior citizen flight deals on the following services:

• No discount will be provided on the fee for excess baggage
• There will be no discount on the cargo or any cargo-related fees and penalties
• No discount is granted on the taxes (apart from VAT exemption in some cases), penalties, and other fees.

What are the ways of availing this discount?

• A senior citizen can avail a discount through a telephonic booking, online booking, or at-the-counter booking.
• There are only a few airline companies that offer the option of at-the-counter bookings.
• In any case, the senior citizen must provide a valid identity proof to avail discounts on senior citizen flight deals.

When can the discount be denied?

• A senior citizen can be denied from availing the discount if the identity proof provided by them fails to pass the verification process and is considered as a fraud ID. The senior citizen can also face charges from the police in such a case.
• The discount can be taken away if there is a case of misbehavior on the part of the senior citizen. The airline company holds the right to withdraw any discounts provided and even cancel the ticket, if needed.