With the hugely successful entry of Orbitz.com into the billion dollar online travel market, is there a change going on? Or is it just an expansion of new tools for consumers?
Which ones do you like and why? What is the meaning of life?
I will go first: I really like Orbitz because it is easy to use and see your choices on one matrix of prices, airlines and stops. I have also used Travelocity and Expedia as well as SWA's site, and Sidestep.
I don't like the opaque fare sites, it seems kind of scary, but I also want to pick my times etc. (Hotwire, Priceline)
this is actually interesting for me to see the perspective of others. i have NEVER bought my tickets from anywhere BUT online, having gotten to the point where i could buy tickets for myself around the time expedia started up.
until recently, i exclusively used expedia. i had tried travelocity when i heard of it, to see the difference and HATED it. never used it once. when orbitz launched, i figured i would give it a chance too, and actually really liked it. different features, ect, than expedia.
i absolutly refuse to do bidding, ect, mainly because my job & personally life are ridgidly scheduled, and *i* like to pick my time/airline/ect, rather than just the price.
I like surfing the sites, and I will continue to hit my favorites: Expedia, Travelocity, DL, NW, and CO. Orbitz adds a nice dimension, being able to get a comprehensive matrix of flight and price choices. However, I visit the sites for fun as much as for price, and so I will continue to use a bunch of them.
I am very cautious about my air travel.Because I am in Atl Delta rules.I always book on line (extra 1,000 miles add up). I,however, use other sources for hotels all the time.
Did you see the latest news on Orbitz? Hotwire's gonna be the opaque booking engine for Orbitz and Orbitz the non-opaque for Hot. I like more choice, which is definitely what this kind of agreement will provide. Also, Orbitz adds a new service to its site that frankly it was lacking. If you want to travel whenever, you can. If you need a definite date, you can. With both, you're going to have some great fares.
"opaque" is just the new buzzword for open ended dates. It is good for flexible travellers b/c it allows them to look for flights that are super cheap but leave at inconvenient or unusual days/times.
Opaque fares are those offered by Priceline, Hotwire and Expedia's Flight Price Matcher and Bargain Fares products. From my understanding opaque means you can choose the dates of travel, along with departure and destination airports, and also with Priceline and Hotwire whether you are prepared to fly non-jet or not. If your bid is successful with Priceline or you are prepared to pay the price Hotwire offers, your seats are booked, but you do not know the airline or times of travel until your credit card has been deducted (hence the term "opaque"). You also have to agree to make at least one connection, so you can't bid and be guaranteed a non-stop flight. You can though, for domestic flights, state whether you are prepared to take red-eye flights or not.
so basically 'opaque' is the terminology they use to say bid on a flight, select the times and the type of aircraft but you can't see (that's where the opaque comes in) what carrier you are going to be travelling on...is that correct? I think the pairing of Orbitz and Hotwire is smart...it will be nice to have the options presented by both sites.
I just don't have the guts to buy an opque fare. I don't know if its the economy or what but the bids that priceline recommends as having a reasonable probability of getting you the product are as high or higher than what others are offering in the open.
Programs: CO Platinum, Hilton Gold, National Executive
Posts: 699
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by VicOsaki: I just don't have the guts to buy an opque fare. I don't know if its the economy or what but the bids that priceline recommends as having a reasonable probability of getting you the product are as high or higher than what others are offering in the open.</font>
That's because Priceline's guidelines for bidding are total BS.
This reply only for UK based travellers (or those starting a journey from the UK.)
easyValue.com will be launching a flights comparison website that will search all the various sites (airlines, on line travel companies eg expedia, travelocity etc) and will show you the results. Not only that they will show you how to back to back and other "rule busters".
