# Booking Guidance

Step-by-step guidance for booking award flights.

- Repository: https://github.com/borski/travel-hacking-toolkit (839 stars)
- Category: Engineering
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-10-26
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add borski/travel-hacking-toolkit --skill booking-guidance -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add borski/travel-hacking-toolkit --skill booking-guidance -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add borski/travel-hacking-toolkit --skill booking-guidance -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add borski/travel-hacking-toolkit --skill booking-guidance -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add borski/travel-hacking-toolkit`

## Description

Step-by-step guidance for booking award flights. Covers the hold-before-transfer rule, phone numbers for major programs, and partner award booking workflows.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Booking Guidance

Finding the deal is half the battle. Telling the user how to actually book it is the other half. **Every recommendation should include a booking path.**

**Reference data:** `data/alliances.json` has booking details for major programs in `key_booking_relationships`.

## Program Fee Profiles

**Check this before recommending a transfer or locking in a departure city.** Fees vary dramatically by program and origin airport and can add $100-700+ per person on top of the miles cost. Two things to keep in mind reading the table: (1) several programs are surcharge-free on their own metal and most partners but pass heavy surcharges on *specific* partners (notably British Airways metal), the YQ column calls those out; (2) dollar figures are per direction and **scale with cabin**, economy surcharges are materially lower than the business-class figures shown for surcharge-heavy metal. Rows marked ⚠️ are high-surcharge programs that often lose to cash.

The rest: https://github.com/borski/travel-hacking-toolkit/blob/HEAD/plugins/travel-hacking-toolkit/skills/booking-guidance/SKILL.md