New Fee: Hold Your Reservation for Up to a Week

Contributing Editor Carl Unger believes that every trip is worth taking. He loves an extended trip to Europe as much as he enjoys exploring the towns and landscape near home. Basically, you'll find him wherever there is good food, fresh air, and plenty of stories to bring home.

Carl has been writing for SmarterTravel since 2005. His travel writing has also appeared on USA Today and the About.com Boston travel guide.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "It's not revolutionary, but a small Moleskine notebook is my one travel must-have. It's great for noting things you want to remember and it takes up hardly any space in your bag."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Japan. I'd love to take a month off and visit the cities, temples, and countryside. I'm fascinated by the country's juxtaposition of ancient traditions and modern ambitions."

Travel Motto: “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” –Terry Pratchett

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Window."

See recent posts by Carl Unger

Want to receive stories like this every day? Subscribe to our free Deal Alert newsletter!

Continental announced a new perk today, called FareLock, which allows passengers to hold reservations beyond the customary 24 hours that airlines currently offer. With FareLock, customers can hold bookings for 72 hours or seven days without completing the purchase.

The perk’s cost (you didn’t think it was free, did you?) starts at $5 for a 72-hour hold and $9 for a seven-day hold. Continental says the actual price “will vary based on a number of factors such as the itinerary, number of days to departure and the length of the hold.” Presumably customers will pay more for flights departing sooner and for higher demand itineraries.

I priced a few options from Boston, and found prices ranging from $9 to $15 for the 72-hour window, and $19 to $29 for the seven-day window. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t get any base price options, and I imagine you’d have to dig around to find one. What did surprise me is that the shortest flight, Boston to Newark in early January, came with the most expensive FareLock costs.

FareLock is a nonrefundable purchase, and the standard 24-hour hold still applies, meaning customers are technically purchasing an additional 48 hours or six days. FareLock is not offered on all itineraries, but eligible flights are marked.

FareLock is likely targeted at business travelers, but could make sense for anyone flying last-minute or on an emergency basis. It’s relatively cheap insurance on a flight that you may or may not need to book, and gives customers a few days to see if competing airlines can match Continental’s fare.

But for customers who don’t desperately need that flexibility, FareLock is a waste of money. Why pay an extra $15 for something you know you want, just so you can think about it for a few days? And travelers who don’t end up booking with Continental will effectively be purchasing nothing but empty air. So unless you’re a business traveler whose company can absorb the cost, or you may have to book a ticket but aren’t sure—I’m thinking of a sick relative or similar wait-and-see situation—save your cash for the myriad other fees you’ll actually need to pay.

Readers, what do you think about Continental’s new perk/fee?

We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.