Flight Itinerary:
A flight itinerary is a flight timetable that shows the list of flights that you have booked for trip to the Schengen area.
The flight itinerary would show your name and the flight number, airport codes, the date, the time, and the duration of each flight. You must show the flight itinerary for your round-trip journey and not an open or one-way journey.
Flight Ticket:
As opposed to the flight itinerary, you get a flight ticket when you actually pay for the airline ticket. That means, you have a reserved seat on the airplane that would take you to your destination and bring you back.
Some airline tickets are completely refundable. However, most tickets nowadays are either non-refundable or have heavy change penalties. Most tickets are not refundable at all.
Airline and travel insurance companies do not consider the visa denial or delay as valid reasons for refunding your money.
What Exactly Is Required?
Most Schengen consulates ask you to submit only the flight itinerary and not the actual flight ticket. They are very well aware of the non-refundable nature of the flight tickets. However, some consulates may ask you to show the proof of the actual air ticket when your visa is issued. In some cases, some consulates may ask you to submit the actual flight ticket, but that is not the normal procedure.
Flight Itinerary is help to show that the applicant has a concrete plan for their trip, and this can help demonstrate that the applicant is not simply trying to enter the country without a specific purpose.
Finally, having a flight itinerary can also help show that the applicant has the financial means to support themselves during their stay in the country. This is important because it helps prove that the applicant does not intend to immigrate or engage in work while in the country illegally.
You can buy a Flight Itinerary or Flight Reservation directly from the airline company or through online travel agents, also known as online search travel engines. These travel agents enjoy a lot of information about different airline companies and the online markets in general. Thus, they can offer you great and cheap deals by charging you 10% of the fixed ticket price. This way, you will cut the risk of buying a real Airline ticket before knowing if you will obtain your Schengen Visa.
In its place, you can also use the visa consultation services of a travel agent or find one online, like Schengen Visa Itinerary. The guys from Schengen Visa Itinerary can handle most of your visa requirements, such as Flight Itineraries and Hotel Reservations and Travel Insurance.