Travel agent recommendation for booking ITA Matrix fares
May 16, 2017, 1:31 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 397
Travel agent recommendation for booking ITA Matrix fares
Can anyone recommend a travel agent (either OTA or "real") for booking a reasonably complicated fare (multiple carriers, open jaw, some sectors in J, some in Y) which prices out nicely on ITA Matrix?
Book with Matrix gives links for Flight Network and Priceline, but the former can't price it at all when you click through & the latter is significantly more expensive, despite the same classes being shown on each sector.
Book with Matrix gives links for Flight Network and Priceline, but the former can't price it at all when you click through & the latter is significantly more expensive, despite the same classes being shown on each sector.
May 16, 2017, 2:11 pm
#2
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Bristol
Programs: BA GGL, UA Plat, DL Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,380
Can anyone recommend a travel agent (either OTA or "real") for booking a reasonably complicated fare (multiple carriers, open jaw, some sectors in J, some in Y) which prices out nicely on ITA Matrix?
Book with Matrix gives links for Flight Network and Priceline, but the former can't price it at all when you click through & the latter is significantly more expensive, despite the same classes being shown on each sector.
Book with Matrix gives links for Flight Network and Priceline, but the former can't price it at all when you click through & the latter is significantly more expensive, despite the same classes being shown on each sector.
May 16, 2017, 2:45 pm
#3
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: LHR
Programs: BAEC GGL & CCR / QF LTG
Posts: 829
May 16, 2017, 4:22 pm
#4
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Glasgow / London
Programs: BA GGL
Posts: 3,457
Another shout out for Propeller and also for Jase76's comment about taking all flights in the booking, i.e. don't dump the last sector of an ex-EU as this can have an adverse impact on the TA.
May 17, 2017, 12:11 am
#6
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Ipswich
Posts: 7,543
Just a word of caution. Sometimes the reason that you can't book a fare from Matrix online is that it isn't actually available. As good as it is, it isn't 100% accurate.
But of course, try a good TA before abandoning your hard work!
But of course, try a good TA before abandoning your hard work!
May 17, 2017, 12:19 am
#7
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: BA Bronze, Hilton Gold, IHG Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 454
Another option may be Matrix Powertools. However, depending on the airline / OTA linked to, might not handle multiple class bookings.
May 19, 2017, 4:58 am
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 397
Thanks for the Propeller tip, they've been very helpful and am now all booked (didn't have any luck with Powertools either...)
Initally they couldn't find the fare, but after a second attempt did find it with a US$ point of sale. In fact the price has now come down from the original Matrix quote as the US$ seemed to weaken against the Ł yesterday!
Although this is an ex-EU start point (OSL), it's a ticket genuinely finishing back in the UK on the return leg, so no issues about skipping final flight etc.
Initally they couldn't find the fare, but after a second attempt did find it with a US$ point of sale. In fact the price has now come down from the original Matrix quote as the US$ seemed to weaken against the Ł yesterday!
Although this is an ex-EU start point (OSL), it's a ticket genuinely finishing back in the UK on the return leg, so no issues about skipping final flight etc.
Jan 20, 2018, 3:15 pm
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
Can anyone recommend a travel agent (either OTA or "real") for booking a reasonably complicated fare (multiple carriers, open jaw, some sectors in J, some in Y) which prices out nicely on ITA Matrix?
Book with Matrix gives links for Flight Network and Priceline, but the former can't price it at all when you click through & the latter is significantly more expensive, despite the same classes being shown on each sector.
Book with Matrix gives links for Flight Network and Priceline, but the former can't price it at all when you click through & the latter is significantly more expensive, despite the same classes being shown on each sector.
Feb 21, 2018, 4:02 pm
#11
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Perth WA/ UK
Programs: BA Gold, Priority Club Gold, Accor Silver, Virgin Australia Gold
Posts: 1,748
I find all the positive comments on ITA Matrix quite interesting as I am having difficulty in getting a price seen ex ARN to PER and into OSL on QR metal being realised. ITA Matrix consistently shows this fare sub 2k or just over but X2 TA could not find it and QR say the fare does not exist when I chatted to them on phone and the QR website kicks out the fare after some thought... I class throughout. All other attempts via various sites do not recognise it and worse, pops me into Y for about the same identified price on ITA in Business!! Any current value contacts known that can process fares? Flights are for December and wonder if they could just be phantom fares. Should the sale city be specified? I have used UKP as currency.
Feb 21, 2018, 4:23 pm
#12
Join Date: Jan 2018
Programs: BAEC Gold; HH Diamond; Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 5
I find all the positive comments on ITA Matrix quite interesting as I am having difficulty in getting a price seen ex ARN to PER and into OSL on QR metal being realised. ITA Matrix consistently shows this fare sub 2k or just over but X2 TA could not find it and QR say the fare does not exist when I chatted to them on phone and the QR website kicks out the fare after some thought... I class throughout. All other attempts via various sites do not recognise it and worse, pops me into Y for about the same identified price on ITA in Business!! Any current value contacts known that can process fares? Flights are for December and wonder if they could just be phantom fares. Should the sale city be specified? I have used UKP as currency.
Feb 21, 2018, 4:34 pm
#13
Join Date: Sep 2015
Programs: LH SEN; BA Gold
Posts: 8,402
Apr 4, 2018, 4:04 am
#15
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: South East England
Programs: Status with BA Exec Club; KrisFlyer; Hilton Honors; IHG One; Marriott Bonvoy
Posts: 543
Co-op travel, Gloucester was my last success. Nice mix of illogical routing and rarely used (by Brits) codeshares on BA and AA metal. Couldn’t match ITA pricing on any website — but in person at the desk in an actual shop it worked a treat.
