Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies - Any online booking sites allow ACC/west africa, etc?

Trying to book a multi-stop itin involving West Africa, but apparently most of the online sites (orbitz/expedia/travelocity) have blocked flights that depart from Accra. All the old sites I used to use (onetravel, etc) seem to have moved to the travelocity engine :mad::td: so won't work either. Any sites that can do this?

I had no luck either. Ended up going to an agency.

I'd check http://www.airlineroutemaps.com/ to see which carriers serve Accra, and call them directly. Off the top of my head, I remember the two big carriers that service Accra are Lufthansa (via Frankfurt) and EgyptAir (via Cairo). I think I'm going to fly from New York to Casablanca, then over to Accra.

good luck,
Jake

No. Most airlines restrict online booking to/from most West African destinations on their own websites too.

No. Most airlines restrict online booking to/from most West African destinations on their own websites too.

I've noticed this for a while. Any idea why this is? I would hope it's a better excuse than a generic "high potential for fraud" blah, blah, blah.

I've noticed this for a while. Any idea why this is? I would hope it's a better excuse than a generic "high potential for fraud" blah, blah, blah.

It's more than just "potential" for fraud, its downright active fraud at levels you can barely comprehend in the Western world. Chargebacks and rejections can exceed 80% of total attempted transactions. The best rates on merchant accounts for online commerce in the region are in the range of 15-25% in comparison to the 1-2% range more common elsewhere. Internet penetration is poor and there are virtually no local credit card issuers. In most cases, it simply isn't worth the hassle.

It's more than just "potential" for fraud, its downright active fraud at levels you can barely comprehend in the Western world. Chargebacks and rejections can exceed 80% of total attempted transactions. The best rates on merchant accounts for online commerce in the region are in the range of 15-25% in comparison to the 1-2% range more common elsewhere. Internet penetration is poor and there are virtually no local credit card issuers. In most cases, it simply isn't worth the hassle.

Fair enough, but that doesn't explain to me why people who are not actually in West Africa can't book online to those destinations. If my credit card and billing address are acceptable for an online ticket purchase to DUB or SAL (using personal examples), why can't I use that same credit card for an online ticket to OUA (to use another personal example which required me to purchase through a travel agent with a hefty commission).

I understand that credit cards and purchases that originate in West Africa might have a high rate of fraud, but I don't get why a booking site should decide my credit card is only good for certain destinations. :confused:

I understand that credit cards and purchases that originate in West Africa might have a high rate of fraud, but I don't get why a booking site should decide my credit card is only good for certain destinations. :confused:

Perhaps I was not clear enough. The fraud rates are not just for tickets originating in the region, but for any online transactions involving the region. You are just as (if not more) likely to see fraud on a LON-LOS itinerary for example as a LOS-LON one. The vast majority of passengers flying on routes to West Africa are ethnic leisure traffic who habitually shun credit cards for whatever reason. Even where credit cards ARE offered as an option (eg. airport ticket desks), >80% choose to pay cash instead. It is simply a scenario where the benefits simply do not outweight the risks yet.

edreams seems to work alright...