In the planning stage, it seems that going on a deserved vacation can cause nothing but stress; you know where you want travel, you decide how to get there, but you are not sure what airline you should fly with. Airline companies are plentiful and like most competitive businesses their services vary - your decision could be a difficult one if you do not know what you want.

Picking an airline to fly with could be one of the most important decisions you can make. Flying is no more risky than any other form of transportation, however knowing that you are going to be thousands of feet above the ground with no safety net can make for some pretty nervous times. Many things should be considered when searching for the best airline to take you on your trip. Some of these factors include:

Safety Ratings: all airline companies have a safety rating, undergoing necessary audits of their aircraft and safety policies. It goes without saying that it pays to steer clear of any airline with a less than stellar air safety history.

Cost: with all the other expenses of a vacation to evaluate, being able to source the most cost effective solution to reaching your destination and coming home safely makes researching airline companies and their subsequent airfares an all-important task.

Comfort: Depending on the length of your travel, it may be important or not so important to determine the level of comfort offered by each airline company. Being able to stretch out your legs, for example, could be the deciding factor for a long distance plane trip.

Services: Once again, depending on the length of your trip, services provided by an airline will vary widely. For a long distance trip it may be important to you that food be served regularly on board the airline carrier and that the price be all-inclusive.

Baggage: Of course when you go on vacation it is nice to be able to take full advantage of baggage allowances, bringing home gifts for loved ones. As with most things, allowances vary with each airline and it could save you lots of money to check the fine print.

Once your decision has been made there is very little room for change of mind - so choose prudently the best airline available to you and enjoy your trip!

The author has flown for over 30 years.In that time she has discovered a few very simple things that will boost your enjoyment factor while flying. Joanne Ronnin is enthusiastic about airlines and is the originator of Focus Airline http://www.focusairline.com/