Expedia/Zuji drop fees on travel bookings

[Mal]

Interesting moves with both Expedia.com.au and zuji.com.au dropping (some) of their booking fees.

Is it just a stunt? Expedia are trialling it for a limited time only for flights.
No booking fee on Flights - Book your fee-free flight on Expedia.com.au until October, 18th 2009

And Zuji's write-up is here. It appears to be more permanent and for all types of bookings:
No Booking Fees - ZUJI Australia: Your Online Travel Guru

IIRC, both websites used to not have fees on most flight bookings around 3 years ago, but introduced them when the commissions from airlines started dropping.

 

[AlphaVictor]

Webjet, with their $40+ fees must be s****ing themselves lol.

 

[Jeffrey O'Neill]

not sure how sustainable it will be. the airlines will love it. they can justify cutting their commissions more if the online sites can make it work.

from what i've read expedia makes more of it's money from the ancillaries you book - transfers, tours and stuff like that.

let the battle royale begin! where's tina in chain mail when you need her

 

[AlphaVictor]

In News just to hand. Travel Today 4/9/09

Webjet vows to keep booking fees

Webjet has vowed to retain its flight booking fees despite moves by Expedia and Zuji Australia to axe their fees from today (Travel Today, breaking news).

Managing director David Clarke said the online retailer may actually increase its fees over time rather than lower them. He denied it put Webjet at a competitive disadvantage and claimed the “added-value” of the site
and service more than justified the charge. “Surveys we have carried
out show our customers believe the fee adds value and they receive
service and product they can’t get anywhere else,” Clarke said.

The comments emerged after Webjet’s competitors almost simultaneously announced they would axe the fees with immediate effect, although Expedia’s is initially for a six-week trial period. The online giant’s Asia
Pacific managing director Arthur Hoffman admitted the fees were “an impediment”.

“I liken the fees to a drug,” he said. “You put them on and it’s hard
to get them off. We have never liked the fees but they have crept up.”
He said experience in the US and Canada where fees were scrapped earlier this year showed the loss of revenue was offset by an increase in bookings and generated loyalty. He anticipated a similar response in Australia.

But in a curious move, Expedia has withdrawn fees only for an initial six week period. It will only axe the fees completely if it receives one million visits before October 18.

Zuji Australia general manager Peter Smith said the company had become less reliant on booking fees. “They are outdated, and there are additional revenue sources available to us,” he said, pointing to growth in advertising revenue. Smith admitted the number of consumers booking direct with
airlines was a factor in the decision. Wotif declined to comment. Bestflights was unavailable for comment as Travel Today went to press.

---------------------------

The Wonder of Webjet!!

 

[stryker]

In News just to hand. Travel Today 4/9/09

Webjet vows to keep booking fees

The Wonder of Webjet!!

Needless to say I've never used Webjet (and never will), but I have used Expedia (.com.au and .com) and Zuji (.com.sg and .com.au).

Good luck to them!

 

[straitman]

Needless to say I've never used Webjet (and never will), but I have used Expedia (.com.au and .com) and Zuji (.com.sg and .com.au).

Good luck to them!

I find them useful to look at availability but I also have never booked with them and cannot see how or why I ever would.

 

[pauly7]

I find them useful to look at availability but I also have never booked with them and cannot see how or why I ever would.

Same but have been caught out a couple of times, especially with Webjet, sometimes it doesn't pick up the cheapest QF fares.... so I always double check qantas.com before booking.

 

[cmon0005]

I don't understand why people use these sites rather than using the airlines direct site.
Generally from what I have noticed the fares are the same on webjet/zuji etc. as the airline site directly so why would you pay a booking fee for privelege of saving nothing?

 

[Mal]

I don't understand why people use these sites rather than using the airlines direct site.

I agree, but sometimes there are advantages - such as some of the 'package' deals available when you add on hotels, there are sometimes discount vouchers floating around, occasionally you save money due to lack of credit card surcharge on that site vs the airline's site.

Oh, and as already noted - they are an excellent comparison tool.

 

[oz_mark]

I don't understand why people use these sites rather than using the airlines direct site.

For one thing, you get more options. For example, try to book a Qantas fare to Kuala Lumpur on the Qantas site, and you'll find it can't be done. It can be done on the Zuji site. From PER, you will get amongst other things QF to SIN then JL to KUL.

Now you could book this on separate tickets, but then you would lose the advantages of having a single ticket.

 

[Cynicor]

I booked on Webjetonce- they managed to come up a couple of dollars cheaper than the other sites and it was a Cathay fare so the airline's website was useless...

 

[Dave Noble]

I don't understand why people use these sites rather than using the airlines direct site.
Generally from what I have noticed the fares are the same on webjet/zuji etc. as the airline site directly so why would you pay a booking fee for privelege of saving nothing?

Depending on the agent and the market, agents sometimes have access to consolidator fares which may be cheaper than airline published fare.

Can be worth a look to see

Dave

 

[stuartfaz]

Interesting moves with both Expedia.com.au and zuji.com.au dropping (some) of their booking fees.

Is it just a stunt? Expedia are trialling it for a limited time only for flights.
No booking fee on Flights - Book your fee-free flight on Expedia.com.au until October, 18th 2009

Not sure if this was always part of the deal, but Expedia are advertising that if they get 1 million hits to the site over the 6 week period, the deal will become permanent.

Already at 173,300ish.

 

[Mal]

Expedia are advertising that if they get 1 million hits to the site over the 6 week period, the deal will become permanent.

I'd be surprised if they *don't* meet that target. Methinks it's just part of the ad campaign around dropping the fee. According to Hitwise data from June, Expedia Australia was the 14th most visited travel site in Australia. (BTW Webjet was 7th, and Zuji 33rd). That must translate into some huge web traffic/month.

 

[colin5353]

I used webjet once before but didnt find it much good. They advertised cheap flights, but the search tool didnt return any.

I have used travelvelocity to book adl-hnl as a package, the qf website wouldnt even allow me to search for packages for hnl.

I've also used expedia to book hotels, transfers and tours, without any issues to overly expensive additional charges. but then I expect their fees are in the prices shown.

 

[Marcove]

use webjet a lot. only site I've found that's got all the domestic airlines and internationals to find cheapest fares. quick and easy, fee pays for itself. they send me all the sale offers all the time.

you get nothing for nothing folks.

 

[AlphaVictor]

use webjet a lot. only site I've found that's got all the domestic airlines and internationals to find cheapest fares. quick and easy, fee pays for itself. they send me all the sale offers all the time.

you get nothing for nothing folks.

I'm gonna frame this - the first positive Webjet quote I've seen in nigh on 5 - 6 years. Congrats on your first post and welcome

Apart from my cynicism, you do have a point - no matter how much we dislike or poke fun at Webjet - there are still people out there that use them - God knows why - but all power to them and kudos to Webjet to attracting them. Whether they stay mid to long term is doubtful - the more experienced you become from booking online, the more alternates you will find.

 

[Mal]

no matter how much we dislike or poke fun at Webjet - there are still people out there that use them

People also book domestic flights on the Flight Centre website too ($16.95 booking fee - although there is a $50 rebate from Paypal that may apply at the moment if 2000 havn't been redeemed), LastMinute ($15.95 fee) and a myriad of other sites that charge similar types of booking fees.

 

[pauly7]

use webjet a lot. only site I've found that's got all the domestic airlines and internationals to find cheapest fares. quick and easy, fee pays for itself. they send me all the sale offers all the time.

you get nothing for nothing folks.

And I'm going to frame the first post from Webjet on this forum!!

 

[laffer]

I have started using jetabroad (especially with their 10% paypal offer). So an airfare with ba to london is being quoted as 1760 everywhere but with 10% if I use paypal there rate is unbeatable. Dont know anyone who can match it.