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Our newsletter introductions are beginning to sound a bit like a broken record. Fares up. Fuel prices up. Airlines folding. Yada yada yada. Feeling tired of it all? Us too. 

So we're kind of hoping this one's a little different. A breath of fresh air. A palate cleanser, if you will. Very little doom, very little drama (if you don't count us not-so-subtly calling out Delta for removing the Biscoff cookies from its short-haul flights). Just a couple of things we think you'll actually enjoy reading.

First up: plane food. Specifically, the snacks and meals Going flight experts and members swear by at 30,000 feet. It won't solve the fare environment, but it might make the flight a little sweeter.

Then: the answers everyone's craving. Our flight experts tackled questions submitted by members, the kind of stuff worth knowing before you book. Let's dig in.

Our favorite plane snacks

"On some British Airways flights, I've gotten a warm scone, clotted cream, and a mini container of Bonne Maman strawberry jam as the last snack before we descend into London. The perfect, quintessential treat to kick off the trip." - Brooke, Content Marketing Manager

"The little side cup of feta and olives that Turkish Airlines gives with most meals is the best." - Willis, Senior Manager, Member Performance 

"On a United flight to Tokyo, they had gluten-free blueberry muffins. As a GF traveler, you usually get nothing bread-related, let alone a muffin. Best thing." - Ren, Contributing Writer, who wrote Going's guides to traveling with allergies in Japan and worldwide

"The British-made Beckleberry ice cream that American Airlines gave on the way back from Paris. I've tried searching for it in London to no avail." - Lanie, Marketing Specialist, Points and Miles

We also asked our Instagram audience, and they had feelings: Dark chocolate quinoa bites on United were the fan favorite, followed by plantain chips on JetBlue, stroopwafel on KLM/United, and Oreos on Southwest. 

Follow us on Instagram to make your voice heard on other silly, goofy polls, like your favorite airline snacks. (We also share memes if you're into that.)

"I canceled a trip and got a credit from United that expires one year from purchase date, but I likely won't be able to travel before it expires. What's the best way to get an extension?" 

- Going member Miren A

It may seem rudimentary, but if you haven't tried already, simply call and ask for an extension. Be honest, and explain your situation. If they say no, hang up and call again. Sometimes, one customer service rep may not be able to grant your wish, but another one might. 

Another hack we've heard works: Book a flight with the initial voucher, and shortly after, cancel it to receive a new voucher. That new voucher should have a fresh expiration date based on your most-recent cancellation.

"I'm ok traveling with only a carry-on and personal item. Is it better to book Basic Economy and purchase seats à la carte, or go for Main Economy, which includes seats? Also, if this is for an international flight, and there's a layover with an airline switch, would the seats be included for all legs of the itinerary?"

- Going member Rosa L.

If you have a strong desire to choose seats, especially on routes with a stop, you're going to save by upgrading to the Main Economy ticket right out of the gate. Add in the extra benefits-earlier boarding, more refund or flight change options if your plans change, and better guarantee of overhead bin space so you won't need to gate check the carry-on-and it becomes a no-brainer. More and more, Main Economy is pulling ahead of Basic Economy on overall value, especially during peak seasons and on popular routes. 

If you go the Basic Economy route and buy seats à la carte, those seats will need to be purchased on a per-airline basis. Say you're flying American on the US leg and British Airways on the transatlantic leg, your base fare will be Basic Economy across the entire itinerary, but you'd need to purchase seats with both American and British.

"One-way tickets from Europe to the US are more than a roundtrip ticket. I've booked a great deal with miles from the US to Europe, and my husband booked a great fare in cash on the same flight. Now, we can't find a reasonable one-way return flight, and we don't have enough miles for both of our returns. Any suggestions?"

- Going member Joan L.

Ah, yes. This is a (frustratingly) common practice by airlines, especially for international travel. We won't get into the details of why they do it, but the TL;DR is that they're pricing to profit off business travelers (whose companies' are footing the bill) and people who will pay a premium for flexibility. 

Unfortunately for you, that doesn't leave a ton of options. Depending how many miles you do have left, it's worth noting that points-and-miles deals peak 10-11 months before departure, then again 0-1 month out. You might not think you have enough miles to foot the bill now, but miles could go further the closer you get to your travel dates. (Depending how lucky you're feeling, you could wait to get flights until days before you're ready to return home. Going's founder, Scott, has had luck with this approach returning with his family from Japan.) 

Along these lines, you could use what points you have left to cut down on fare costs. You don't have to pay in all cash, or all miles. You could pay in miles first, then supplement with cash. 

Something else to check: Certain international airlines (usually low-cost carriers, like Norse Atlantic and TAP Air Portugal) price one-ways advantageously, or at roughly half the cost of a roundtrip. With some flexibility, you could use either of those airlines to help you get back stateside, then grab a domestic flight the rest of the way home if needed.

Finally, depending on how much cheaper the roundtrip is versus a one-way return, you could look into the practice of skiplagging. We're not necessarily promoting this, as there are consequences that could hurt your status with the airline, but it is an option. 

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