Booking intl flights online

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I feel very comfortable booking domestic flights online, infact I won't do it any other way... but international... woah..

flightcentre.com.au - "enquiry booking"
webjet - overcharge$
harveyworldtravel - overcharge$
travel.com.au - so/so..
qantas.com.au - so/so
onlinetravel.com.au - overcharge$
zuji - terrible choice of connections

does anyone do their intl bookings online? where is the place to do it ??
 
I used to book online using travel.com.au, but last year they changed their system, cheap fares became harder to find and the whole process less transparent (in terms of accessing fare rules etc). I do find that Zuji have good deals though on point to point fares on simple itineraries (eg MEL-SIN return or similar), but if connections are required it can be difficult to get good ones.
 
Depends on where I'm flying and which airline.

For simple trans-tasman use airline website. For some other international trips up to say 8 sectors, use airline website if it is good enough (QF isnt). For rest TA.

Even if booked through TA I may do some research using various sites first (routing, schedule, availability, cost).
 
In my order of preference:

Qantas... Go here first for an idea of what is available. Rarely book O/S trips here unless they are very cheap (rare) or the price difference is minimal (always prefer to use the carriers website if possible).

Zuji ... Can get some good deals, but as you say the connections can be a bit weird.

Harvey World... Great service, reasonable prices. Same booking engine as Webjet but the flights shown and prices can be different.

Havn't used any other sites for international flights. My flights have been pretty basic. Have a preference to not visit a TA as I normally find that involves a lot more mucking around.
 
I've just returned from a week's trip visiting Manila & Singapore and I did the booking online with SIA.

When I booked the ticket back in April I ended up getting as a good a deal as if I'd gone thru a travel agent. SIA's web site is very easy to use and it even allowed me to book a specific seat.

However, when I travel to the US on my frequent trips I do go thru a travel agent and I usually manage to get a good deal. I've not actually tried booking my UA flts directly online. The other bonus is my travel agent is more than happy to arrange with UA my FF upgrades for me with no fuss.
 
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I use bestflights.com.au . Not always perfect, but at least you can access most fare rules. Refuse to use travel.com.au with their new non-transparent and slow system.
 
Surely there is a good market for an online seller actually having a well organised booking site?

Eg, I love webjet/Harvey world for domestic bookings. All options are easily spelt out. Move to Zuji and you might get better prices but no way to look for flexible tickets easily. FC only shows a sample of all fares available on the day, but is fairly flexible.

Even looking at BestFlights, the layout is great, but you need to send in a confirmation, from which (I assume) a staff member does the booking. May not work for a time senstitive/quickly sold out special.

Sometimes I wonder if I should set up my own TA and have online sales in a clear and good manner. It would certainly help me with discounted fares, and would help others out when booking...
 
Mal said:
Surely there is a good market for an online seller actually having a well organised booking site?

Sometimes I wonder if I should set up my own TA and have online sales in a clear and good manner. It would certainly help me with discounted fares, and would help others out when booking...

I totally agree with you mal, and why wouldn't there be a market for it?
I'm sure if you look at how many people book domestic flights online compared to international and look at the reasons behind it they would be because intl ones are not clearly set out.

As an internet entrepreneur this is something I would seriously look into purely because of the lack of options out there for the ever growing consumer base heavily relying on the internet for....everything!

If anyone here jumps into this pond... shoot me an email :)
 
I always check the fares online and then I get a quote from my travel agent, and she seems to always find cheaper fares. For example, on a recent SYD-SIN-SYD trip the business class fare she found was approx $1,000 better.
 
d00t said:
Mal said:
Surely there is a good market for an online seller actually having a well organised booking site?

Sometimes I wonder if I should set up my own TA and have online sales in a clear and good manner. It would certainly help me with discounted fares, and would help others out when booking...

If anyone here jumps into this pond... shoot me an email :)

Me too! I'd be happy to shop on-line for certain tickets, especially if it was an international booking site. That is, for eg. in BNE, CTS (or anywhere) I could book e-tickets online for fares commencing in CMB, BKK, TBU - or wherever the latest bargain place is...
 
New TA

Agree, agree. I have had endless trouble with clueless travel agents this year. Flight Centre quoted me an RTW Business fare and I paid the deposit. They then asked for :x $3,000 more because the young girl had made a mistake! Hello!

I have come to the conclusion that as a very Frequent flyer and internet user I know more than they do, especially re connections.

Kizzi
 
New TA

Hi all, relatively new to this site

I look for all intl flight possibilities on the amex travel site (tried the others but like this one).
It gives you all the price options AS YOU GO. It can be found at http://www134.americanexpress.com/travel/CTNWTServlet?request_type=travelhome

I don't necessarily book on the Amex site; just check my options before dealing with the the travel agent.

Also I found this site on all airline Route Maps to be helpful:http://www.airlineroutemaps.com/

Browski
 
My current routine is to check Travel, Best flights, Zuji, Flight Centre, Harvey and then to call the local Flight Centre. When they email me their 'best price' I then point out the fare that is $200 cheaper online and they will price beat by $20 per adult and $10 per child. I realise that I need to do all the hard yards in terms of finding the best price but that doesn't phase me. I wouldn't go out and buy a new washing machine or dryer without doing some investigative work first!
 
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