Expert Flyer Aircraft Change Alerts
When we book a flight, sometimes we do not care what aircraft we arrive in. However, sometimes we book a specific flight path with the aircraft in mind. Whether you are hoping to fly an aspirational product or simply hoping to sit in a better seat, there definitely are some aircrafts that are better than others. Within each airlines fleet, there is a variety of aircrafts and products. Some of these aircrafts are equipped with products that are without a doubt nicer and more competitive. Therefore, if you have an equipment swap, it can be quite frustrating to be bumped out of a good product into an inferior one. Using Expert Flyer aircraft change alerts can be useful for these issues.
What Is Expert Flyer Exactly?
Expert Flyer is a powerful website that offers tons of information about flights, award availability, and much more. While Expert Flyer has many uses, the one we will be talking about is utilizing its aircraft change alert feature. That's right, through Expert Flyer, you can receive notifications of equipment swaps that affect your travel plans. So in this post, we'll walk you through how to use Expert Flyer‘s aircraft change alert feature.
RELATED: Booking Awards Like a Pro: Leveling Up With Expert Flyer Award Alerts
What Are Equipment Swaps?
An equipment swap happens when an airline changes the aircraft that will be operating a flight route. This can happen all of the time for various operational reasons. An airline may shift its equipment to meet changing passenger demand, to rebalance its fleet, or due to changes in its maintenance schedules. Regardless, it can be helpful to know when your equipment is swapped on an upcoming flight. Qatar is notorious for changing its equipment. This often means bumping award travelers who aspired to fly in QSuites into an inferior product. Aside from the obvious benefit of knowing about this change and being able to potentially pivot, it can also be helpful in identifying if your ideal seat selection has now changed.
The aircraft change alert feature on Expert Flyer‘s website is only available for premium subscribers. If you plan to sign up for Expert Flyer's premium subscription, you can click on the Expert Flyer name anywhere in this article to use our affiliate link. Thanks in advance for the support if you choose to use it.
How To Set an Aircraft Change Alert: Step By Step Process
Here are the step by step instructions to set an aircraft change alert using Expert Flyer:
Step 1: Navigate to Alerts from the Home Screen & click Create New Aircraft Alert
After logging in, navigate to Alerts on the home page ribbon, select Aircraft Change Alert on the left-hand side of the screen from the main menu.
Step 2: Input Flight Information to Track
Now is the time to input your flight information to be tracked and alerted of any changes. You should input the departing and arriving airport, date, and airline and flight number.
Step 3: Await Alerts
Hopefully you never get an alert. However, if you are impacted by an aircraft change then you will receive an email from expert flyer notifying you of the change.
Step 4: Pivoting with an Aircraft Change Alert
If you are the unfortunate recipient of an aircraft change alert there is not always something that you can do. Most airlines do not guarantee the product that you will fly in as part of their contract of carriage. Instead, they agree to get you there in any aircraft in their fleet. Therefore, just because you have been bumped from your QSuites flight does not mean you are entitled to switch to another flight for free. What you can do is look and see if another award flight is available to you that would work better, and pivot that way.
Expert Flyer Aircraft Change Alerts: ToP Thoughts
Expert Flyer is an incredible tool if you know how to use it effectively. If you are hoping to fly an aspirational product, keep your fingers crossed you are not impacted by an equipment swap. By setting an aircraft change alert using Expert Flyer you can be informed as soon as one happens. If an equipment swap does happen you can try to pivot and change your travel plans. Have you ever been affected by an equipment swap? Let us know over in the ToP Facebook group!
