While you’re booking your next travel, you come across the two terms – non-stop flight and direct flights – and although they sound the same, they aren’t.
Non-stop Flights
A non-stop flight is a single flight between two airports with no stops in between. Most travelers prefer non-stop flights because they are the fastest, but the most expensive as well.
Direct Flights
You’d think that a direct flight might be the same as a non-stop flight, but it’s not. A direct flight makes at least one intermediate stop along the way to its final destination, but has only one flight number.
For example, if you choose a direct flight between Los Angeles and Singapore, you’d fly on one plane the whole way to Singapore. But that plane would make a stop at Tokyo, where it will refuel; and drop off and pick up more passengers. Hence making it a direct flight.
But the passengers who’s destination was Tokyo were on a non-stop flight.
Connecting Flight
A connecting flight will take at least two different planes with two different flight numbers to reach your final destination.
In the example above, say, you’re flying from Los Angeles to Bangkok, then there’s a possibility that the same flight will stop in Singapore and you have to change to another plane from Singapore to Bangkok.
Connecting flights are almost always less expensive than non-stop flights, but they are not always the best option for travelers who want the fastest.So make sure to know what type of route you’re flying.