Why I book Direct and you should too!
Aug 31, 2019, 12:51 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Traveling the World
Posts: 6,072
Why I book Direct and you should too!
I am sick and tired of reading these stories of a lot of people here on FT and other forums book their tickets using a third party website. What I have gotten in the habit of doing is using SkyScanner, ITA Matrix, Google Flights and Hopper. Once I narrowed down all of my options I take note of it on a Word Doc and go to the airlines' website directly.
If there are codeshares involved I check both the operating airline and codeshare airline to see the difference in price. I will go with the operating carrier unless there is a fare difference that is worth it to do so.
The other reason I like to book direct is to avoid Basic Economy for instance I booked a LEVEL flight from SFO-BCN as part of a cruise and if I booked it with Orbitz or JustFly they may not give me the option to upgrade to the Optimal Fare which includes checked luggage, meal and seat assignments.
It would have been $190 but by going to Iberia its $280 so its worth the extra $$$ . This is one way as were on a Cruise back to Tampa!
In the event of an IRROPS I would be given priority over those booked with third parties as my ticket is owned by the airline and not some Travel Agency in India. If I need to change my ticket I can do so in one call.
Some of these third party travel agencies makes you believe that you are saving money when in reality you are not. I book every component of my trip separate so as to not have to suffer the restrictions such as paying for WIFI.
Expedia and other third party websites lead you to believe they are savng you money. While it may be so for consolidator tickets for general tickets its not much of a savings.
Please just book directly with the vendor! There are times when the airline will send for you to bid for an upgrade to a better seat. Do you thik they would much rather offer it to those who booked directly with them?
I have had issues with JustFly when Norwegian Air changed my Father's schedule and Norwegian told me to call Just Fly. Never again will I deal with shoddy business practices. I want to be able to modify my ticket whenever I please without having to go to a third party.
What are your experiences booking third party vs direct?
If there are codeshares involved I check both the operating airline and codeshare airline to see the difference in price. I will go with the operating carrier unless there is a fare difference that is worth it to do so.
The other reason I like to book direct is to avoid Basic Economy for instance I booked a LEVEL flight from SFO-BCN as part of a cruise and if I booked it with Orbitz or JustFly they may not give me the option to upgrade to the Optimal Fare which includes checked luggage, meal and seat assignments.
It would have been $190 but by going to Iberia its $280 so its worth the extra $$$ . This is one way as were on a Cruise back to Tampa!
In the event of an IRROPS I would be given priority over those booked with third parties as my ticket is owned by the airline and not some Travel Agency in India. If I need to change my ticket I can do so in one call.
Some of these third party travel agencies makes you believe that you are saving money when in reality you are not. I book every component of my trip separate so as to not have to suffer the restrictions such as paying for WIFI.
Expedia and other third party websites lead you to believe they are savng you money. While it may be so for consolidator tickets for general tickets its not much of a savings.
Please just book directly with the vendor! There are times when the airline will send for you to bid for an upgrade to a better seat. Do you thik they would much rather offer it to those who booked directly with them?
I have had issues with JustFly when Norwegian Air changed my Father's schedule and Norwegian told me to call Just Fly. Never again will I deal with shoddy business practices. I want to be able to modify my ticket whenever I please without having to go to a third party.
What are your experiences booking third party vs direct?
