Buying a Flight Online.

[NoshowJones]

If I go to an airlines head office in Bangkok personally to buy a return flight from Bangkok to the UK, will I get the flight at the same price online?

 

If not, what is the best online company to use?

[JamJar]

??

 

Airline's website?

 

or Momondo or Skyscanner for online travel agent searches.

 

For a more general search; https://matrix.itasoftware.com

[trd]

Online from an agent will be cheaper.

[trd]

If I go to an airlines head office in Bangkok personally to buy a return flight from Bangkok to the UK, will I get the flight at the same price online?
 
If not, what is the best online company to use?

The best online company is the one that quotes the cheapest price in the list that comes up if you look at Skyscanner. It's a simple as that.

[KhunBENQ]

12 minutes ago, trd said:

The best online company is the one that quotes the cheapest price in the list that comes up if you look at Skyscanner. It's a simple as that.

 

But don't forget to carefully check the schedule, nr. of stops, stopover times.

Unexperienced people easily fall into the trap of a 30 hour travel time to Europe.

If the airline price is just a fraction higher than the cheapest agent/broker: prefer to book at the airline site. Better chance if something goes wrong. So many shady companies out there with zero service, unreachable hotlines, dead mailboxes. Do a search about the agent/broker (reputation).

 

Which is your preferred airport/city to fly to?

 

[JamJar]

10 minutes ago, trd said:

 

 

The best online company is the one that quotes the cheapest price in the list that comes up if you look at Skyscanner. It's a simple as that.

 

 

Nonsense.

Simple as that to a simpleton.

Then when you try to get any redress in the event of a problem, you find that have to pay a large amount of money just to talk to them.

Read last month of someone complaining that mytrip.com(based in Greece) wanted to charge them £83 per person on a six person booking to rebook them when one of the airlines involved went into administration, even though the lead airline themselves claimed responsibility for the cancellation and were re-routing everyone at no cost, they couldn't take control of the booking at it was in the hands of the travel agent.

 

In the end, happily for the consumer, the airline(ANA in this case) agreed to take over the booking from mytrip.com and re-route the passengers.

 

So no...go with a reputable agent, preferably U.K, pay a surcharge with a dodgy agent that waivers their exorbitant fees or book direct with the airline.

 

[CGW]

3 hours ago, possum1931 said:

If I go to an airlines head office in Bangkok personally to buy a return flight from Bangkok to the UK, will I get the flight at the same price online?

Mostly! it is slightly cheaper online at their website, a lot depends on the person doing the booking for you, some will go out of their way to get a discount for you, most wont bother.

I travel a lot and price is secondary to convenience as I am travelling for business, I have found it easier to use a agent as often have to change tickets, easier to let them deal with it than me.

I have used the same agent for about the past ten years here in Thailand, if you want their contact send me a PM.

[KarlS]

Avoid agents. Check prices with Skyscanner and then book directly, online, with the airline. Doing this may cost a little more but there are hidden reasons behind 'cheap' deals which many have discovered to their cost.

Edited March 13, 2019 by KarlS

[kkerry]

Not sure if they're still a forum sponsor but I've used saveflights.com, a Bangkok travel agent for over ten years. Their fares are generally very competitive and they reply to queries better than most other Thai companies I've dealt with. If your bank charges you extra for overseas credit card transactions you also have the option to transfer payment direct to their account in Thai baht. Some of the airline website prices can be more than double what a local agent charges. Only real way to find out if a local airline office does a good price is to go there in person but don't be surprised if it's more than you can find elsewhere.

[BritManToo]

22 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

 

But don't forget to carefully check the schedule, nr. of stops, stopover times.

Unexperienced people easily fall into the trap of a 30 hour travel time to Europe.

If the airline price is just a fraction higher than the cheapest agent/broker: prefer to book at the airline site. Better chance if something goes wrong. So many shady companies out there with zero service, unreachable hotlines, dead mailboxes. Do a search about the agent/broker (reputation).

 

Which is your preferred airport/city to fly to?

 

Air Asia website and phone app hasn't been working all week. Good luck with your booking.

[trd]

 
But don't forget to carefully check the schedule, nr. of stops, stopover times.
Unexperienced people easily fall into the trap of a 30 hour travel time to Europe.
If the airline price is just a fraction higher than the cheapest agent/broker: prefer to book at the airline site. Better chance if something goes wrong. So many shady companies out there with zero service, unreachable hotlines, dead mailboxes. Do a search about the agent/broker (reputation).
 
Which is your preferred airport/city to fly to?
 

well it's much easier to check all of that from looking at the schedule on Skyscanner than it is talking to someone in an office.

[KhunBENQ]

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Air Asia website and phone app hasn't been working all week. Good luck with your booking.

Good that the topic starter wants to fly to the UK.

 

AirAsia website not working?

Used it a couple of times during the last days and a minute ago.

 

Edited March 13, 2019 by KhunBENQ

[KarlS]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

Air Asia website and phone app hasn't been working all week. Good luck with your booking.

Strange I used the AA website to book a flight yesterday. 

[KhunBENQ]

2 minutes ago, KarlS said:

Strange I used the AA website to book a flight yesterday. 

So we both have a VIP internet

[trd]

Avoid agents. Check prices with Skyscanner and then book directly, online, with the airline. Doing this may cost a little more but there are hidden reasons behind 'cheap' deals which many have discovered to their cost.

As someone who has been doing for years what you are advising against, I would be interested to know what you mean exactly. All of the agents which appear on Skyscanner and Kayak are reputable vetted agents. I've used a few of them and I've never had any problems. They clearly state all of the conditions attached to the ticket you are purchasing.

[KarlS]

1 minute ago, trd said:

7 minutes ago, KarlS said:

Avoid agents. Check prices with Skyscanner and then book directly, online, with the airline. Doing this may cost a little more but there are hidden reasons behind 'cheap' deals which many have discovered to their cost.

As someone who has been doing for years what you are advising against, I would be interested to know what you mean exactly. All of the agents which appear on Skyscanner and Kayak are reputable vetted agents. I've used a few of them and I've never had any problems. They clearly state all of the conditions attached to the ticket you are purchasing.

As always the devil is found in the small print which many cannot be bothered to read. 

[trd]

As always the devil is found in the small print which many cannot be bothered to read. 

And there is also small print on the airline's website. I'm thinking particularly of Ryanair that has come in for a lot of flak recently. You can purchase your ticket directly from the airline and they've been involved in all kinds of confusing, misleading underhand tactics, hidden charges etc.

[BritManToo]

19 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

So we both have a VIP internet

Can't help that, I just get a blank screen

 

Edited March 13, 2019 by BritManToo

[NoshowJones]

44 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

 

But don't forget to carefully check the schedule, nr. of stops, stopover times.

Unexperienced people easily fall into the trap of a 30 hour travel time to Europe.

If the airline price is just a fraction higher than the cheapest agent/broker: prefer to book at the airline site. Better chance if something goes wrong. So many shady companies out there with zero service, unreachable hotlines, dead mailboxes. Do a search about the agent/broker (reputation).

 

Which is your preferred airport/city to fly to?

 

Flying to Glasgow UK with BA. 

[Chivas]

If the OP wants to go to the airlines offices he'll be charged the full IATA fare not the airline website price lol and those fares are eyewatering.

Give you an idea British Airways London Bangkok return in the mid 1990's was £1400 econmy class so 24 years ago

Edited March 13, 2019 by Chivas

[KarlS]

7 minutes ago, trd said:

13 minutes ago, KarlS said:

As always the devil is found in the small print which many cannot be bothered to read. 

And there is also small print on the airline's website. I'm thinking particularly of Ryanair that has come in for a lot of flak recently. You can purchase your ticket directly from the airline and they've been involved in all kinds of confusing, misleading underhand tactics, hidden charges etc.

Nonsense --  I have used Ryanair and their website is clear and easy to use - only malcontents whine about the most successful of the European low-cost operators. 

[KarlS]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Can't help that, I just get a blank screen

 

I have just opened the site on my phone and I am browsing it now. 

[BritManToo]

2 minutes ago, KarlS said:

I have just opened the site on my phone and I am browsing it now. 

Phone websites are a different 'mobile version'.

(I thought everyone knew that?)

 

Edited March 13, 2019 by BritManToo

[KarlS]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

Phone websites are a different 'mobile version'.

(I thought everyone knew that?)

 

Oh dear -- I have the mobile app on my phone - OK?  FYI the companies browser-based website is also working

[trd]

Nonsense --  I have used Ryanair and their website is clear and easy to use - only malcontents whine about the most successful of the European low-cost operators. 

Yes it is now since Ryanair (and others) had to comply with the new legislation regarding hidden charges, particularly the way in which the purchasing process misleads you into thinking you are paying a particular price but then the extras get added on when you get to the end of the process. It's just not correct to disparage travel agents who are linked up to Kayak and Skyscanner. Any wrongdoing on their part would quickly lose them a lot of business if they were dropped from the app.

 

[shy coconut]

19 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Flying to Glasgow UK with BA. 

I fly Emirates to and from Glasgow, they are considerably cheaper than BA and 

most other airlines, barring the multi stop global adventures.

 

I booked direct with the airline online.

 

It may be relevent to state that my flights are Glasgow to BKK rather than

originating in Thailand.

[CharlieH]

1 hour ago, trd said:

Online from an agent will be cheaper.

 

I dont agree, I have always purchased online from the airline direct and found it to be cheaper (with BA anyway), thats my experience.

 

If booking at an agent, I have heard good things about TV Air in Bangkok (no, its nothing to do with ThaiVisa)

[55Jay]

You probably won't get the same price in person as on-line or there may be an additional service charge for booking in person, or on the phone.  Similar to car hire and hotel rooms.  Ask a hotel check in clerk how much for a room, then check their website, then check the consolidator sites.    

 

I admit, as others have mentioned, I don't buy air tickets through search consolidators.  I use them to pulse the market, then buy on-line directly from the airline.  Usually a bit higher cost but to me, it's worth being a direct customer vs. booking through a 3rd party.  You may also find promotions on the airline sites that aren't reflected by the consolidator sites, or vice versa. 

Edited March 13, 2019 by 55Jay

[CharlieH]

off topic/inflammatory remark removed.

[wgdanson]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Air Asia website and phone app hasn't been working all week. Good luck with your booking.

It's working for me, just checked in for tonight's flight to DMK.