I notice that booking directly with airlines is often slightly more expensive then an online agent. I seem to still book directly with airline because I feel more secure booking with a familiar company.
Just curious what other people do.
Do You Book Directly with Airlines?
Iegolas on 27/09/2017 - 20:40
Comments
I normally do, only because if something goes wrong you can deal direct with airline, and conditions vary depending on website, some foreign sites don’t have Australian consumer laws.
I bought a multi leg ticket recently on Expedia and they charged my card twice over two days, overdrawing my credit card.
Ended up a lot of back and forth trying to get money back.
Booking direct sometimes makes it easier to book add ons like seat selection meals etc, however systems have improved recently to let agent bookings access carriers online systems.
I normally book direct only because I always fly budget carriers when they have sales. I've seen it cheaper through resellers recently though I haven't booked any as yet.
I used to read a lot of horror stories years ago so was discouraged. I wouldn't book a last minute flight through a reseller and if the difference is small I'd at least prefer a company with an ABN/ACN.
I always book airlines even if they're more expensive for security, most of the third party sites won't actually help you kind of insurance in itself
I always book directly with airlines. It's usually the cheapest anyway, but that might be because they're budget carriers.
I book directly with the airline unless the difference is substantial, which is seldom, because if things go pear shaped, one more party in the chain is a pain.
If price is the similar I will book with the airline. If the OTA is cheaper I will book with them but only the reputable ones like Expedia.
Depends.
Work travel goes via Corporate Traveller.
Personal is about 70% Expedia, 30% with airline.
Expedia is purely convenience of their website and app.
yep
Half and half
I almost always book personal travel direct with the airline/hotel.
If something goes wrong, dealing with a travel agent is often more difficult. If you have booked through a TA you will almost always have to deal with the TA. If you contact the airline directly they will refer you back to the TA.
I have a recent disaster story for you.
My 24 year old son is currently in the U.S. with two friends. They are all sharing a room and traveled to the U.S. together but my son booked his domestic U.S. flights direct with Southwest while his friends booked theirs on American Airlines through Flight Centre (FC).
They were in Orlando a couple of weeks ago during the hurricane. The friends wanted to change their flights. The had to call FC, in AUSTRALIA. When they called they were told that the agent who did their bookings was on holiday!The friends are not well travelled and used the hotel room phone to make the calls to the travel agent. On check-out they got a bill for hundreds of dollars.
I use Kayak to find the lowest fare; sometimes it's directly through the airline, others via an 3rd party site.