How to Find the Best Online Travel Deals
by Jessica
Howell
Spanning
continents and crossing borders is no longer reserved
for daydreaming. With a couple clicks of your mouse,
you can have your next international rendezvous planned
in the span of your lunch break.
Websites
like Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz play host to the
consumer's imagination and are quickly gaining in popularity
- but do these sites really deliver the best deal? You'll
find that each site claims one-stop shopping, lowest
prices and satisfaction. So which is really your best
bet, if any?
A
recent study by Consumer Reports WebWatch entitled "Do
Travel Search Engines Deliver?" reports on 11 of
the most popular travel search engines (TSEs) including
the fore mentioned as well as newcomers like Kayak and
SideStep.
Even
though these sites tout the lowest fares and best deals,
the report concludes that none of the TSEs offer fares
and rates from all available sources like individual
airlines, hotels and other suppliers, who often are
able to quote the lowest prices. WebWatch also found
that most sites do not encourage direct communication
with consumers, creating what was dubbed a "customer
service vacuum" which could lead to situations
difficult for the consumer to resolve otherwise. Such
is the case with many digital, or voice-recorded online/consumer
relationships; an issue, which is fair to say, reaches
far beyond travel planning.
Questions
also remain about potential bias on display screens
- when consumers have a difficult time differentiating
between what fares/rates are TSE based and which are
paid advertising. And if you're using a Mac, you may
not even be able to use these sites accurately, as many
have built-in limitations.
Whether
you are an online "looker" or an online "booker,"
if you browse these sites there are a few things you
should keep in mind.
Always compare. It's sure to be time consuming, but
there is no better way to guarantee getting the best
rate than to check out all the offers available. If
a TSE offers low rates on two airlines, go ahead and
check the airline's own individual websites to see if
you can find the better deal. They are often able to
advertise the lowest rates, especially on last-minute
flights.
-
If you're using a blind TSE, where airline and hotel
names aren't disclosed until after purchase, be sure
to check the site's list of travel partners beforehand.
Most of the time you're left unable to change arrangements
after booking.
- Make sure that you are taking advantage of any discounts
you may be eligible for, including student, senior or
organization (like AAA) options. Many TSEs offer such
discounted rates although you'll have to search the
site to find.
- Pay close attention to which rates have actually been
found by the TSE search and which are simply paid advertising
or placement on the site. By selecting an advertisement
rather than an actual TSE rate, you may find yourself
dealing with different policies and restrictions.
- Always check that your price at "checkout"
is the same as the price quoted during your search.
Since many TSEs are searching in real time, the price
can fluctuate quickly and change drastically from the
time it is presented in a search and the time you've
made the decision to book it at checkout.
The TSEs selected for WebWatch's study included AOL
Pinpoint Travel, Booking Buddy, Cheap Flights, ITA Software,
Kayak, Mobissimo, Price Grabber, QIXO, SideStep, Travelzoo
and Yahoo Farechase.
To
review the complete study, click here.
(Source: Consumer
Report WebWatch)
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