Should I book air through a TA?

[5Stringer]

I've learned through these boards that it is definitely cheaper not to book my air travel through the cruise line, but what are the advantages and price differences between booking air online myself or going through my travel agent?

[hdawson]

Too easy to do yourself online. Lots of resources to shop, including the airlines. You choose the flights, schedules and prices.

[pms4104]

Since domestic airlines generally no longer pay commision to T/A's, many if not all agents now charge a service fee to make up for their loss of that revenue. Depending on the agency, it could be as low as $10/ticket and, I suppose, as high as $25 or $30/ticket. Regardless of whether you purchase thru a T/A or independently, the same restrictions and change fees for your particular fare class will apply.

[5Stringer]

Thanks for your answers. I have one more question-

Does it pay to stay with the same carrier both ways? I found what appears to be the cheapest rate using two different carriers.

[pms4104]

If you are buying as two one-ways on two different carriers, keep in mind that you'll have two change fees, should you make any adjustments to your plans. For coming December, we bought two one-ways, AA down and UA back, because there was a significant savings in doing so.

[FlyerTalker]

I use travel agents for their expertise. When I can't handle something, or if they are in a position to give me a better product or better service, I send my business their way.

 

Are you looking for your TA to provide a special service regarding your air arrangements? Are they skilled in air travel (which is different than being knowledgable about cruises, or land arrangements)? Are you ready to pay the associated fees for their services? If any answer is no, I would suggest handling it yourself, unless you think you are REALLY hopeless. Enough travel sites exist that are super simple to use - not like the early days of EaasySabre.

[Globaliser]

Enough travel sites exist that are super simple to use - not like the early days of EaasySabre.

OT, but I really miss easySabre. Although it was the first, no other website has ever matched its power, flexibility and usefulness. Sometimes it seems that every succeeding generation of travel website has dumbed down even further. If there was one booking site that I would have been happy to subscribe to for real money to keep alive, it would have been easySabre. RIP.

[hajekfam]

Our TA has told us that we can book the airfare cheaper than she can do it for us. I usually check for airfare on Expedia or Travelocity for flights and airlines and then check the airlines' websites - it is usually even less than the travel booking websites.

[Linda VH]

I use www.sidestep.com because they show all the less expensive travel sites. You don't book with them - they send you to the site. We went through them to get our tickets to Venice and bought from cheaptickets.com I did check the Virgin Atlantic website to compare and they couldn't match what I paid for business class. Alas there was no FF ticket in any of the airlines that we could access as we are travelling at a very popular time. :cool:

[alolewis]

OT, but I really miss easySabre. Although it was the first, no other website has ever matched its power, flexibility and usefulness. Sometimes it seems that every succeeding generation of travel website has dumbed down even further. If there was one booking site that I would have been happy to subscribe to for real money to keep alive, it would have been easySabre. RIP.

 

I thought I was the only one who thought that way (and show our age). I liked how EasySabre showed you the fare classes available on each flight so you could see why that flight was so expensive and which flight may be cheaper. The only problem was that it could not show you flights with FF seats available, something most airline websites do now.

[FlyerTalker]

I used to access ES with the old GEnie system - pre public Internet - on a 2400 bps dialup modem. Though EaasySabre is gone, there are a couple of other tools that are available, including ExpertFlyer, SeatCounter, and KVS Availability. Some paid services, some free. A number of airline award buckets can be searched using those tools, along with the usual revenue fare buckets. Fare rules and routings can also be obtained.

 

More details either through Google, or the Mileage Run forum at FT.

[Globaliser]

Though EaasySabre is gone, there are a couple of other tools that are available, including ExpertFlyer, SeatCounter, and KVS Availability. Some paid services, some free. A number of airline award buckets can be searched using those tools, along with the usual revenue fare buckets. Fare rules and routings can also be obtained.

But there is a big difference: These are only research tools, and what they show as possible is sometimes difficult or time-consuming to achieve in practice.

 

However, you could actually book for real with easySabre, and very easily. easySabre would, for example, have allowed me to specify that I want to fly in N class outbound and T class return - economy and World Traveller Plus respectively on BA. It's a valid combination. But the difference is that easySabre would always have priced, sold and ticketed this correctly; today, only the BA website will do this, and even then you are reliant on the site's logic actually showing you the "upgrade your class of travel in one direction" feature which sometimes shows up and sometimes doesn't.

 

In short, easySabre allowed you to replicate what a competent travel agent does on a GDS, and to do it for yourself. Every current website seems to delight in treating you like an idiot, and in preventing you from doing anything other than the most simple possible transaction. easySabre would not be for everyone, but there are many people today who would still get a lot out of it.

[Skiddie68]

Has anyone used Vayama and are they reliable ... found an itinerary that is HALF the price of the airlines. Need to know ASAP

[pinksuit]

I've learned through these boards that it is definitely cheaper not to book my air travel through the cruise line, but what are the advantages and price differences between booking air online myself or going through my travel agent?

 

It all depends. 1. If flying domestic, you possibly could do better in arranging flight times to suit your scheduling an possibly less expensive. 2. Pretty much the same with international as well. 3. The benefit in booking through the Cruiseline is that they assume full responsbility to make sure to get on the ship in case of any cancellations, delays and etc., you will be covered. 4. When booking on your own...then you are responsible. So it really depends upon your comfort in reaching your destination(s) as desired. Also, you can pay a small fee($ 50 for domestic - $75 International) through the Cruiseline to get the flights that may be more desireable. They in other words, will work with you.

Hope this was helpful. PinkSuit

[FlyerTalker]

3. The benefit in booking through the Cruiseline is that they assume full responsbility to make sure to get on the ship in case of any cancellations' date=' delays and etc., you will be covered. [/color']

Simply not true. That is the impression that they will try to convey, but it is not the case. Please do a search for cruise air and problems in this forum and you will see that is not reality.