Sometimes looking at all that flight information can get confusing. So before you hit the purchase button, take a few minutes to review exactly what you’re buying, lest you get stuck with flights you don’t want.

A frequent mistake made by travelers is not realizing the difference between a non-stop flight and a direct flight, and that can make the difference between a relatively hassle-free trip, and one that’s far longer than you anticipated.

A non-stop flight is exactly what it says it is – you get on a plane at one airport and you get off at your destination airport. But the term direct flight can be confusing because it sounds as if you’re going directly from one point to your destination — you are, but you’re going to be making one or more stops in between without changing planes. To add to the confusion, direct flights have the same flight number from point of origin to destination.

And of course there’s the connecting flight – you get on one plane at one airport, get off at another airport, change planes and often terminals, get on another plane, and then land at your final destination, maybe.

Photo: Wikipedia