When you find a super cheap flight, you need to book as soon as possible to avoid losing out on the deal to someone with a quicker mouse finger. Unfortunately, booking a flight to visit your folks in their Poughkeepsie, NY homes isn't as easy as clicking a few buttons. You've got to have a certain amount of information on hand before the airline will accept the booking. To keep you from having to run all over the house dredging it up while someone else steals your flight, here's what to have on hand when you go looking.

Trip Information

Make sure you know your dates. It's not as important if you're flexible, but if you're going for an interview with a graphic design firm in Toronto, you don't want to cut it so close that you're late. Make sure you're booking the right destination (not London, Ontario when you want London, England, for example) and the right dates (be careful of the International Date Line). You'll also want to make sure you give yourself at least an hour to make your connections, more if you have to go through customs.

Personal Information

Obviously you know your own name, address, and telephone number, but if you're booking your boss on a flight to an organic diapers conference you don't want to be calling him up looking for his birth date at the last second. You'll also need the names and ages of everyone who is traveling as well as their nationalities and some form of identification. You'll also need to know how much luggage they'll be bringing as well as if there are any special requirements, such as gate-to-gate service for the elderly or pet travel concessions.

Payment

This is the most important part, because a lot of times airlines will let you fill in more detailed personal information later on. To book a flight online you will need a credit card. The card should have a limit of more than $500 and not be clogged up with charges from when you hired wedding catering in Hamilton. Even the cheapest flights cost more than $200. To book with a credit card, have the cardholder name, expiry date, the card number, and the card verification number (on the back of the card) handy. You can book with someone else's card, such as a company card or your friend's card on their behalf.

Documents

To travel anywhere outside of Canada, you will need a passport. Even if you have one somewhere in your Toronto townhome, you need to dig it out before you book because it might be expired (they expire every five years). If it is, you might not have time to renew it before you fly and you could lose all the money you paid for your seat. Within Canada you can board the plane with a photo ID like a driver's license.