Saturday, 22 August 2009
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Travel Agent vs. Buying a Ticket Online: Which is better?
Hey guys! I am a missionary living in Seoul, South Korea...I want to buy a ticket to go home to Texas...
Travel agents turn out to be more expensive than buying tickets online...however, it's more structured & you can for sure have a ticket! I ran into some problems by trying to buy my tickets online at Orbitz.com (I had to change my old address to my new one before I could use the card, then I found out my card didn't have enough money to buy my ticket so I had to reload, which is my problem not theirs...BUT THEN THEY CHARGED ME $10 EVERY TIME I TRIED TO PROCESS THE TICKET)!
So here are the pros & cons:
- Travel agent:
-- Pros:
1.) more structured
2.) for sure gotta ticket
3.) you don't have to do the work
-- Cons:
1.) more expensive
2.) sometimes I heard they cheat you or they try to pressure you into more expensive things/extra "goodies"
3.) not many flights maybe to choose from; the travel agent usually picks one for you right?
- Online:
-- Pros:
1.) less expensive
2.) immediate ticket
3.) you can pick your seats on the flight
4.) many flights to choose from
-- Cons:
1.) what I said about Orbitz in the above paragraph may happen (see above paragraph); overcharge/charging if the money doesn't go through
2.) the internet may go out or the page may not come up & you can't print the confirmation page (though you could do it from email)
3.) not sure if some places will accept the e-ticket (maybe)....no refunds usuallyWhat do you think? Which is better -- online, or a travel agent (to buy a plane ticket)?
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About the Author
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- From: MDrabing83@xanga
- About Me: I'm a 28 year old female from Baytown, Texas near Houston. I'm a missionary & a teacher. I love Jesus!! if you wanna know about Him, just ask. He's my Life, my Everything.
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Comments (13)
We get more discount from a travel agent than buying it online. Maybe like $100 or $175 cheaper.
When I went to Hawaii recently I researched tickets online first, as that's what I generally do for a ticket. But then when I was working on lodging, I found www.5starhawaiiresorts.com because their prices were awesome, and while working with the guy there, I found out he could get me tickets for even better than I was finding. He ended up getting tickets about $100 less than I could, plus they were from my close airport, instead of me having to drive to Chicago. Also, he was able to arrange my island hopper flight since he knew that area, something which I would not have had any idea how to do. I think the main thing is to get someone you can trust.
@blogomania@xanga - @soniiuh@xanga - thanks guys!
With regards to the online site charging repeat processing fees after site fails to process ticket....call the customer service number and give them your trip itinerary number. Tell them what has happen, if they can see a pattern of failures on their site they may feel the need to credit back the failed attempts to the travelers credit card they used.
We've only used a travel agent for one ticket, have used online travel sites and etickets since then.
Disclosure: I'm a professional travel consultant. I'm going to state that for an airline ticket within the country or between neighboring ones (like the US and Canada, for example), it's no big deal to book your ticket online. Just make sure you have the correct dates and the correct start and end airports in - triple check them often. It's a very common error. Also, why use an online agency like Orbitz when you can use the airline website directly? Booking directly with the airline gives you more security with your ticket, especially if something goes wrong.
Flying internationally, though - I would recommend using a professional. Yes, they -may- charge you a service fee of some kind for the tickets, but they work very hard to find flights that meet your needs. They have access to consolidator tickets, which are often cheaper than published fares you could find online. Like any industry, there are bad eggs who might try to get you to buy something you don't want, but overall the majority of travel professionals are honest people who want to make sure you don't spend more money than you absolutely need to. One benefit of professional agents over booking websites (either OLA's or the airline site) is they can see many, many flight options - they have access to the same airline computer system the airline employees do and are able to see what flights are full, or getting there, and can figure out ways to save you money. You get less options through an airline booking site, actually, which I've never really understood. The travel counselor does not just "pick one" for you - you are given options and you make the choice.
One last word for the use of a professional travel consultant - they are in your corner if something goes wrong with your ticket or your flight. Ever try to call an airline and get stuck on hold for a long time, or not be able to understand what the employee is even saying? One call to the travel consultant, you'll get through without a hold, and they'll handle the situation for you so you can focus on what's going on where you are.
In the end, the choice is yours. Best of luck getting home!
I didn't know that ppl still used travel agents.
@bravestar@xanga - thank you for all of your information! :)
I just purchased my ticket online at Orbitz.com! It was only $870 to go roundtrip to Houston, Texas, with one stop in Japan!
I like both actually, but I'd prefer a person answering to my questions.
If I was to travel internationl, I would go to a travel agent. It's more easier and it's more secure for me. I purchase flight tickets online only if I travel within North America.
My advise, get informed online. Get as much information as you possibly can online and if you are still not comfortable buying online, at least you know exactly what you want, what is available, how much it cost and the time frame you want to go so that you are in control and not the travel agent.
No one to explain the destinations and tour packages asking about cancellation of tickets and refunds becomes a big headache.
All this was taken care by Travel Agents.
Daniel
It’s funny how we can develop a list of assumptions about almost every group. I’ve found that there are people of all kinds in all links of london . There are people who do great things and believe in altruism and those who devote their lives to being miserable