IN THIS SECTION YOU WILL FIND COMPREHENSIVE ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 

1. Are there consumer organisations, which can be contacted in regard to various travel complaints?

In the United States you can contact the Aviation Consumer Protection Division at the US Department of Transportation at http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/

On an international level, contacting the International Airline Passenger Association at http://www.iapa.com/ is advisable.

2. Are there rules and regulations for persons with reduced mobility?

Yes, there are such regulations. Depending on the specifics of the flight, there are various services both on ground and in flight. For instance, wheelchair assistance, calls for priority boarding and individual instructions on safety procedures can be offered in addition to an array of other special services.

You should talk to either your travel agent or the airline for more detailed information on this issue.

3. Baggage allowance

You should note that number of bags and their weight might vary depanding on the airline, routing and the class of service you have paid for.

3.1. How many bags can I check in on transatlantic flights free of charge?

Generally 1 piece up to 23kg (50 lbs) is allowed by most airlines to be transported free of charge.

3.2. How many pieces of luggage can I carry on board?

As per IATA regulations,Cabin baggage should have maximum length of 22 in (56 cm), width of 18 in (45 cm) and depth of 10 in (25 cm) and weight up to 8 kg. It may vary from one to two pieces per passenger.

Luggage requirements are listed at the very bottom of your electronic ticket we send you.

3.3. What are the rules for carrying liguids, gels and aerosils on board?

Generally speaking, a maximum of 100 ml in a closed plastic container of liquids, gels and aerosols is the permitted quantity to be carried on board.

Mediacations, baby food and dietary supplements are exeptions to this rule, but you should consult your local airport for more specific details.

3.4. What should I do in case of missing luggage?

The first thing you should do, is to report your missing luggage at the Baggage Cliams Department at the arrival airport. You will be asked to provide a description, as detailed as possible, of the missing luggage piece/pieces, and the information provided by you will be entered into a Global system, called WorldTracer. As soon as a match is found, it will be delivered to your doorstep. Most airlines are able to return your luggage within 24 to 48 hours.

In order to avoid luggage loss however you should always double check if your bags are properly tagged, i.e. if all the airports you transfer to are displayed on them. In addition, you should always attach a label with your address, phone number and email address to every piece of luggage you check-in or carry on board.

4. Travelling with pets

The airlines' policies for pet transportation vary significantly, but, before calling us to order a ticket for yourself on a flight on which the transportation of pets is allowed, you should have the following information about your pet available:

a/ What is the size and the weight of my pet(s)? This information will determine to a greater extent where your pet will be travelling- in the cabin with you or in the baggage hold.

b/Do I need to have a connection through a certain city and if so, where (in what city) is it? Some airports unfortunately wouldn't allow pets to be transited through them.

c/Cabin baggage should have maximum length of 22 in (56 cm), width of 18 in (45 cm) and depth of 10 in (25 cm). These dimensions include wheels, handles, side pockets, etc. Baggage allowed onboard may vary from one to two pieces per passenger. Check with your airline as to what is allowed.

d/Do you have a suitable container for your pet? All airlines which allow pets on the board of their airplanes would require that the pet will be accomodated in a suitable container, regardless if it is carried on board or in the baggage hold.

In addition, most airlines will require a health certificate for your pet(s).

For more information about pet transporting policies, please visit the IATA Travel Center at https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/tcsneakpreview/country.php

We will also be of assistance in regard to this matter considering your particular flight itinerary.

5. What is the minumum age for anaccompanied minors?

Children must be at least 5 years of age, to be granted a permit to be accompanied by a stewardess.

Children at the age of 12 may generally travel unaccompanied. However there are certain airlines, which would allow a child to fly alone only if he/she has reached the age of 14,16 or 18, depending on the particular airline.

The service is available only on a few flights, and we will be able to assist with this as well as with the arrangement of the unaccompanied minor service or an escort service if one is needed.

6. Ticket changes and cancellations policies

If there is even a slight possiblity that you will need to change your travel dates or cancel your flight altogether, you should tell us that such a possibility exists so that we can choose a suitable ticket for you, which allows modifications in regard to your specific case.

Fees for changes/cancellations might vary depending on your fare rules about that, but generally the penalties are about $250-$300 per ticket+ any applicable upgrades.

In case of a non refundable ticket in most of the cases you could use the amount paid minus the penalty toward the purchase of a new ticket with the same airline with a departure within 1 year from the date of the original travel.

But, as mentioned earlier, each case is specific and should be discussed with us.

7. Seat assignments

When making your reservation, DDK Travel can make seat assignments for you. So, in case you have any specific preferences you should communicate them with us when we make your reservation(s).

Adults travelling with infants under 2 years of age are usually assigned special seats which allow for the attachment of a crib, but we strongly suggest to call the airline after purchasing the tickets and make sure that you have this special seating reserved. Some airlines would require an additional fee to be paid for the usage of the crib, and some airlines might not offer this service at all.

In the common case when a certain number of cribs is available on board free of charge, if the number of infants on board exceeds the number of cribs available, it is advisable that you show up for check-in at the airport earlier, because in most of the cases the "first come, first serve rule" would be applied.

8. How to maximize the overall value of airfare purchases?

-Weekday travel would most likely reduce your airfares by about $30 per direction/$60 per roundtrip as most of the airlines do charge a weekend surcharge in the stated amounts for travel on Fri, Sat and Sun.

-Non refundable tickets are generally less expensive than refundable ones, therefore being certain about your travel dates reduces the overall price of your airfare.

However in case there is a chance that your travel plans might be changed at some point, you'd better consider either purchasing tickets on Bulgaria Air, which policies include a smaller change/cancellation fee than all other airlines servicing Bulgaria, or purchasing a refundable ticket, where changes and/or cancellations are allowed against a certain penalty amount.

Purchasing suitable travel insurance is also a viable option in such cases. Our travel agents will provide you with a comprehensive advice as to whether travel insurance is an option in your specific case as well as with information about the best suitable insurance policies and their providers.

-We strongly suggest first check with our online booking engine for available flight options as per your request; if you the results obtained do not satisfy fully your requirements you should either email us or call us, so that we can perform manual search as per your specifications to ensure that you can get the best value airfares for your money.

Flight options and their prices might be different online and offline; therefore double-checking with a live agent is strongly recommended!

Also bear in mind that the technology behind the online booking engines suffers certain deficiencies which means that a double-check with an agent may result in a lower fare and more flexible routings and terms and conditions on the fare purchased.

-Purchasing the air tickets for international travel 4-5 months prior to your travel usually would result in lower airfares.

-By susbscribing to our "hot deals"section you will be receiving latest updates on promotions on airfares.

9. Requirements for a maximum allowed stay

Generally, if passengers hold valid Bulgarian/EU and US documents, they can enter Bulgaria on a Bulgarian passport and thus have no resstrictions on the lengh of their stay in Bulgaria.

If however you are entering Bulgaria on an American passport, you should keep in mind that the maximum allowed stay for US citizens is 90 calendar days.

Noncompliance with this law may result in a total cancellation of your ticket or in expensive additional fees for the exchange of your ticket.

Simply put, you will not be allowed to travel unless you change your travel dates in compliance with the above law.

10. Does disinsection of airplanes take place in some countries?

Some countries require insecticide spraying on an aircraft prior to the flight or while you are onboard the aircraft. For more details on which countries have this requirement you are to check with the Department of Transportation’s disinsection website at http://airconsumer.dot.gov/spray.htm.

11. Which hazardous materials are prohibited to be carried in the carry on and/or checked luggage?

Some everyday products such as sprays, lithium batteries etc. are forbidden to be carried on board in the carry-on luggage and/or in the checked luggage.

For more detailed information on this topic you can consult the websites listed here:

http://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/hazmat_safety/

http://phmsa.dot.gov/safetravel

12. Airlines' toll free numbers and website addresses

Aeroflot- 888-340-6400

Air Canada- 888-247-2262

Air Europe- 888-238-7672

Air France- 800-237-2747

Air India- 800-223-7776

American Airlines-800-433-7300

British Midland- 800-788-0555

Bulgaria Air- 1-888-GO-BULGARIA

Condor- 800-524-6975

Continental 800-525-0280

Croatia Airlines 888-462-7628

Czech Airlines 800-223-2365-east coast; 800-628-6107-west, midwest

Delta Airlines 800-221-1212

Finnair 800-950-5000

Iberia 800-772-4642

Icelandair 800-223-5500

KLM 800-374-7747

LOT 800-223-0593

Lufthansa 800-645-3880

Malev 800-223-6884

Northwest 800-225-2525

SAS 800-221-2350

Swiss 877-359-7947

Turkish Airlines 800-874-8875

United Airlines 800-241-6522

US Airways 800-428-4322

Virgin Atlantic 800-862-8621