Can Any Travel Agents Get Cheaper Flights Than I Can Do On An Airline'S Own Website?

[KunMatt]

Maybe I've just been going to the wrong shops but do travel agents in Bangkok have an agreement with any airlines and can offer cheaper fares than I can do myself online?

In the UK most travel agents can offer special promotions and prices for flights that you cannot find yourself, and they have a special network system or agent's phone number for booking with the airline.

In Thailand I've only ever seen the agent go to the public website, see the regular online price and add on their commision. What is the point of that?

I need to book a couple of flights to the UK, so does anyone know if it's worth going to any travel agent in Bangkok, or just book it myself online like usual?

Any good prices around at the moment??

TIA.

[trainman34014]

In my experience it always costs more through an agent and it is better to book direct with the airlines on the web. I always want the protection that is gained by using credit cards and agents always want to charge fees for their use. As it happens I wouldn't trust agents in LOS to book flights for me when there have been so many bad stories about these things on TV.

[CharlieH]

Agree with trainman, book yourself its usually cheaper and much safer in Thailand. As for good prices to Uk I generally use Qatar and book wiht them directly in their Office in Bkk if you dont mind a short stop over. If you want direct shop around, i have heard recently that Thai airways have some good deals for London which is unusual becuase they are generally the dearest.Other sites to check out would be Eva Air,(direct flight) or Ethiad, Gulf Air and Emirates all stop over in Middle east.

Good luck

[el jefe]

I can't help you in Bangkok, nor can I help you getting to the UK. But I have found 2 travel agents in Chiang Mai that can occasionally find a better fare than what is available online.

It all depends on the airline and the destination and it doesn't seem to happen often.

The downside is that you do have to pay cash to avoid a 3% credit card fee but I trust the agents I use.

[jackr]

Have also found cheaper flights through an agent in Chiang Mai, although the only reason I went with an agent that time was to pay cash. Booking online and paying by CC is the way to go today. The ease of it all beats any meagre saving you might make going through an agent, unless you don't have a CC of course.

[theoldgit]

I wanted to book flights to Singapore, having researched it online it seemed that Cathay Pacific were offering the best price. Before booking direct I went into TVair in The Emporium asking what they could offer, they offered a Thai flight at almost double the price, I asked about the Cathay price and after checking her computer she advised that Cathay were even more than Thai. I went to the internet cafe near her shop and was able to book the Cathay flight at the lower price, maybe she couldn't be bothered or maybe didn't have access to the lower fare, I really don't know, but if I were in her business I would try and match or beat the price in the hope that as a satisfied customer I might return and book something more profitable next time.

[shaunoro]

Thai airways prices have gone up due to "high season".

I usually fly with Thai, but a single BKK to London they wanted 40,000 THB.

So i got one with Etihad at 19,300.

Both economy prices.

I use Thai overlander on SUK. between asoke and soi 23.

They shop around and get deals.

[craigt3365]

I can't help you in Bangkok, nor can I help you getting to the UK. But I have found 2 travel agents in Chiang Mai that can occasionally find a better fare than what is available online.

It all depends on the airline and the destination and it doesn't seem to happen often.

The downside is that you do have to pay cash to avoid a 3% credit card fee but I trust the agents I use.

I have to agree with this. Occasionally, an agent will have a better deal. I've found this to be true especially when coming TO Thailand. In the US, they have newspapers dedicated to the Thai community. In these papers there are some agents that have been able to beat prices I find on the internet. They specialize in flights from the US TO Thailand. But I've not found any agent here who can beat what I find on the internet. Then again, I am really good at searching the internet for good fares and since I am retired with nothing to do, I spend a fair amount of time doing this.

Here are a few websites that may help. Probably more oriented towards the US market, but it may help:

http://www.upgradetravelbetter.com/2009/04/07/disaggregating-fare-aggregators-2009-which-airfare-comparison-sites-are-the-best/

http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/click-it-and-ticket-booking-a-flight-the-frugal-way/?em

I also use sites like Bing.com where they search for fares and send you emails when they find a good rate. There are several sites out there that do this...

[lomatopo]

In these papers there are some agents that have been able to beat prices I find on the internet. They specialize in flights from the US TO Thailand.

These are called Consolidators. I have used two (in Boston and Dallas) exclusively for ~ 8 years. (Unless I have to use a travel voucher, in which case I book with the airline, but use their telephone/voice reco system which always yields better prices than their website. In my case, for a specific airline (I only fly UA for USA-BKK-USA as I get free upgrades to business class.) my Consolidators save me ~ 25% over the exact same fare bucket (Q/V/W) for the exact same dates vs. the airline's website.

By far the best search engine is the Matrix at ITAsoftware.

Generally speaking you need to become familiar with the airlines and routes for the city-pairs you intend to fly, this includes code-shares (flights operated by one airline but marketed by another). Then you can monitor those airlines' websites for special sales. Airlines manage inventory is real-time, and adjust fare buckets (Economy = Y/B/M/H/Q/V/Q/S/K/L/T) in real-time so on-line inquiries can yield varying results even in the space of a minute.

There are many, many tips and tricks (travel mon-thu, min 21 day adv purch, meet min./max stay requirements...), but unless you are buying a lot of tickets it may not be worthwhile to learn them all.

This is the least expensive R/T BKK-LHR-BKK I could find for sample dates...

Bangkok, Thailand to London, United Kingdom: 6010 miles 17 hrs 5 min

Air India Flight AI 333 on an Airbus A321 (jet) in coach class

(breakfast)

Departs Bangkok, Thailand (BKK) Tue, Dec 7 8:55a 4 hrs 45 min

Arrives Delhi, India (DEL) 12:10p

1 adult in booking code V, covered by fare (A1) below

Layover in Delhi 2 hrs 40 min

Air India Flight AI 111 on a Boeing 777 (jet) in coach class

(meal)

Departs Delhi, India (DEL) Tue, Dec 7 2:50p 9 hrs 40 min

Arrives London, United Kingdom (LHR) 7:00p

1 adult in booking code V, covered by fare (A1) below

London, United Kingdom to Bangkok, Thailand: 6010 miles 14 hrs 50 min

Air India Flight AI 116 on a Boeing 777 (jet) in coach class

(meal)

Departs London, United Kingdom (LHR) Mon, Jan 10 9:30p 8 hrs 15 min

Arrives Delhi, India (DEL) Tue, Jan 11 11:15a

1 adult in booking code V, covered by fare (A2) below

Layover in Delhi 2 hrs 45 min

Air India Flight AI 332 on an Airbus A321 (jet) in coach class

(breakfast)

Departs Delhi, India (DEL) Tue, Jan 11 2:00p 3 hrs 50 min

Arrives Bangkok, Thailand (BKK) 7:20p

1 adult in booking code V, covered by fare (A2) below

Note: The flight from London (LHR) to Delhi (DEL) is overnight.

Booking details

If you want to buy this ticket, contact the airline (Air India: 1-800-223-7776) or a travel agent. If you use a travel agent to buy this ticket:

If your travel agent is online and has an e-mail address, e-mail this itinerary to them

If your travel agent is not online, print out this page and fax/give it to them

It is very important to use exactly the same booking codes and fare codes that we've used on this page in order to match the price we've found.

Fare (A1): AI BKKLON VE3MBKK fare (rules) , psgr type ADT THB 7633

Fare (A2): AI LONBKK VE3MBKK fare (rules) , psgr type ADT THB 7632

Tax: Thailand Passenger Service Charge THB 700

Tax: AI YQ surcharge THB 7200

Tax: United Kingdom Air Passengers Duty £75.00

Tax: United Kingdom Passenger Service Charge £22.97

Total for 1 adult passenger: THB 27870

(as of Sunday, November 7, 2010 10:04pm)

Fare Rules for this fare:

Air India AI BKKLON VE3MBKK fare rules and restrictions

General notes:

ECONOMY RESTRICTED FARES V

Between AREA 3 and AREA 2 APPLIES FOR ROUND TRIP FARES

Flight restrictions:

IF THE FARE COMPONENT INCLUDES TRAVEL BETWEEN BKK AND BOM

THEN THAT TRAVEL MUST BE ON

ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING

ANY AI FLIGHT OPERATED BY AI.

AND

IF THE FARE COMPONENT INCLUDES TRAVEL BETWEEN BKK AND DEL

THEN THAT TRAVEL MUST BE ON

ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING

ANY AI FLIGHT OPERATED BY AI.

AND

IF THE FARE COMPONENT INCLUDES TRAVEL BETWEEN INDIA AND

EUROPE

THEN THAT TRAVEL MUST BE ON

ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING

ANY AI FLIGHT OPERATED BY AI.

NOTE -

UP SELL-INCASE OF SEATS ARE NOT AVAILABLE IN THE

RBD ASSIGNED FOR SALE UPSELL TO THE NEXT HIGHER

RBD ON ECONOMY CLASS.

CONVERT TO LOCAL CURRENCY.NON REFUNDABLE.TICKET

INVOLVING UPSELL MUST BE ISSUED BY AI OFFICE ONLY

-------------------------------------------------

BKK -INDIA V.V. - 20 USD/ OW PER RBD

INDIA - EUROPE V.V. - 50 USD/ OW PER RBD

Advanced reservations and ticketing restrictions:

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED FOR DEPARTURE FROM FARE ORIGIN.

OPEN RETURNS PERMITTED.

Maximum stay restrictions:

TRAVEL FROM LAST STOPOVER MUST COMMENCE NO LATER THAN 3

MONTHS AFTER DEPARTURE FROM FARE ORIGIN.

Stopovers:

UNLIMITED FREE STOPOVERS PERMITTED ON THE PRICING UNIT

IN INDIA IN EACH DIRECTION

IN EUROPE IN EACH DIRECTION.

Transfers:

UNLIMITED TRANSFERS PERMITTED ON THE PRICING UNIT

FARE BREAK AND EMBEDDED SURFACE SECTORS PERMITTED ON THE

FARE COMPONENT.

Combinability restrictions:

ADD-ONS PERMITTED.

END-ON-END

END-ON-END COMBINATIONS PERMITTED WITH DOMESTIC FARES.

VALIDATE ALL FARE COMPONENTS. TRAVEL MUST BE VIA THE

POINT OF COMBINATION.

OPEN JAWS/ROUND TRIPS/CIRCLE TRIPS

FARES MAY BE COMBINED ON A HALF ROUND TRIP BASIS

-TO FORM SINGLE OR DOUBLE OPEN JAWS/ROUND TRIPS/CIRCLE

TRIPS.

PROVIDED -

COMBINATIONS ARE WITH ANY FARE FOR CARRIER AI IN ANY

RULE IN ANY TARIFF.

Travel restrictions:

VALID FOR TRAVEL COMMENCING ON/AFTER 31OCT 10 AND ON/

BEFORE 14DEC 10.

Sales restrictions:

TICKETS MUST BE ISSUED ON/AFTER 25OCT 10 AND ON/BEFORE

31MAR 11.

TICKETS MUST BE ISSUED ON AI OR IC.

EXTENSION OF TICKET VALIDITY IS NOT PERMITTED.

TICKETS MUST BE ISSUED ON AI OR HR AND MAY ONLY BE SOLD IN

ALBANIA/ARUBA/BELIZE/BULGARIA/CHILE/CYPRUS/AMERICAN SAMOA/

BAHAMAS/BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA/BURKINA FASO/COLOMBIA/CZECH

REPUBLIC/ANDORRA/BARBADOS/BOTSWANA/CAMBODIA/COOK ISLANDS/

DOMINICA/ANTIGUA/BARBUDA/BENIN/BRAZIL/CAYMAN ISLANDS/COSTA

RICA/DOMINICAN REPUBLIC/ARGENTINA/BERMUDA/BRITISH VIRGIN

ISLANDS/CHAD/CROATIA/EGYPT

TICKETS MUST BE ISSUED ON AI OR HR AND MAY ONLY BE SOLD IN

EL SALVADOR/FRENCH POLYNESIA/GRENADA/HAITI/ISRAEL/

KIRIBATI/ESTONIA/GABON/GUADELOUPE/HONDURAS/COTE D'IVOIRE/

KYRGYZSTAN/ETHIOPIA/GIBRALTAR/GUAM/HUNGARY/JAMAICA/

REUNION/FAROE ISLANDS/GREECE/GUATEMALA/ICELAND/JORDAN/

LATVIA/FRENCH GUIANA/GREENLAND/GUYANA/IRELAND/KAZAKHSTAN/

LEBANON

TICKETS MUST BE ISSUED ON AI OR HR AND MAY ONLY BE SOLD IN

LESOTHO/MACEDONIA,THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF/

MARTINIQUE/MOLDOVA,REPUBLIC OF/MOZAMBIQUE/NICARAGUA/

LIECHTENSTEIN/MALAWI/MAURITANIA/MONACO/NAMIBIA/NIGER/

LITHUANIA/MALI/MAURITIUS/MONTENEGRO/NETHERLANDS ANTILLES/

PAKISTAN/LUXEMBOURG/MALTA/MEXICO/MONTSERRAT/NEW CALEDONIA/

PALAU/MACAU SAR/MARSHALL ISLANDS/MICRONESIA/CAROLINE

ISLANDS/MOROCCO/NEW ZEALAND/PANAMA

TICKETS MUST BE ISSUED ON AI OR HR AND MAY ONLY BE SOLD IN

PERU/RUSSIA/SERBIA/NORWAY/SAINT VINCENT/GRENADINES/

TUNISIA/POLAND/GUAM/SLOVAKIA/SRI LANKA/SURINAME/TURKEY/

PORTUGAL/SAMOA/SLOVENIA/SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS/SWAZILAND/

TURKS/CAICOS ISLANDS/SAN MARINO/SOUTH AFRICA/SAINT LUCIA/

TOGO/UGANDA/ROMANIA/SENEGAL/SPAIN AND CANARY ISLANDS/ST.

PIERRE/MIQUELON/TRINIDAD/TOBAGO/UKRAINE

TICKETS MUST BE ISSUED ON AI OR HR AND MAY ONLY BE SOLD IN

URUGUAY/YEMEN, REPUBLIC OF/VATICAN CITY/ZAMBIA/ICELAND/

WALLIS/FUTUNA ISLANDS/ZIMBABWE

Penalties:

CHANGES

ANY TIME

CHANGES PERMITTED.

NOTE -

REBOOKING - PERMITTED WITHOUT CHARGE.

-----

NAME CHANGE NOT PERMITTED.

-----

VOID CHARGE - THB 500 PER TICKET.

CANCELLATIONS

CHARGE THB 1500 FOR REFUND.

NOTE -

FULLY UNUTILIZED TICKET CHARGE THB 1500 PAYABLE

TO AI/IC ONLY.

-----

PARTIALLY UTILIZED TICKET DEDUCT OW MARKET FARE

PLUS THB1500 PAYABLE TO AI/IC.

CHARGE THB 1000 FOR NO-SHOW.

NOTE -

THB 1000 IN ADDITION TO REFUND CHARGE MUST BE

INDICATED ON EVERY TICKET.

Endorsements:

THE ORIGINAL AND THE REISSUED TICKET MUST BE ANNOTATED -

VALID ON AI/IC ONLY - AND - NON ENDORSABLE - AND - NON

REROUTABLE - IN THE ENDORSEMENT BOX.

Children's discounts:

ACCOMPANIED CHILD 2-11 - CHARGE 75 PERCENT OF THE FARE.

TICKETING CODE - BASE FARE CODE PLUS CH

OR - INFANT UNDER 2 WITHOUT A SEAT - CHARGE 10 PERCENT OF

THE FARE.

TICKETING CODE - BASE FARE CODE PLUS IN.

NOTE -

UN-ACCOMPANIED MINORS - 100 PERCENT OF ADULT

MARKET FARE.

Tour discounts:

TOUR CONDUCTOR - NO DISCOUNT.

Agent discounts:

AGENT - NO DISCOUNT.

Other discounts:

NOTE -

NOT PERMITTED.

Rule application:

AI 6TH FREEDOM CARRIER FARE

APPLICATION

AREA

THESE FARES APPLY

FROM AREA 3 TO AREA 2.

CLASS OF SERVICE

THESE FARES APPLY FOR BUSINESS/ECONOMY CLASS SERVICE.

TYPES OF TRANSPORTATION

THIS RULE GOVERNS ROUND-TRIP FARES.

FARES GOVERNED BY THIS RULE CAN BE USED TO CREATE

ONE-WAY/ROUND-TRIP/OPEN-JAW JOURNEYS.

COMMISSION 5 PERCENT FROM GROSS FARES.

-----

BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE - 10 KGS EXTRA.

TOTAL 30 KGS ON ECONOMY CLASS AND 40 KGS ON

BUSINESS CLASS.

<end of fare rules and restrictions>

[cecil2805]

Agree with trainman, book yourself its usually cheaper and much safer in Thailand. As for good prices to Uk I generally use Qatar and book wiht them directly in their Office in Bkk if you dont mind a short stop over. If you want direct shop around, i have heard recently that Thai airways have some good deals for London which is unusual becuase they are generally the dearest.Other sites to check out would be Eva Air,(direct flight) or Ethiad, Gulf Air and Emirates all stop over in Middle east.

Good luck

[cecil2805]

To el jefe, I live in CM, and would really appreciate it if you would kindly give me the names of the 2 Travel Agents that you have recommended.

I think you in advance for your time.

Cheers!

[robert121]

Yes travel agents tend to have more information regarding flights that you can opt for and on which specific flights you can avail which sort of offers. If you browse for information on internet you will not be able to view everything. So consulting two three travel agents will be a good idea to get the best deal for you.

[el jefe]

To el jefe, I live in CM, and would really appreciate it if you would kindly give me the names of the 2 Travel Agents that you have recommended.

I think you in advance for your time.

Cheers!

Lamai Travel, south of Chiang Mai Gate

STA, just outside Tha Pae Gate.

9 out of 10 times though I can get an equal or better price online myself.

[alyx]

By experience I have never found cheaper that my travel agents

There are actually two in Bangkok: saveflights (Jane is very efficient) and Bangkok Best flights who regularly come up with very good deals

[craigt3365]

By experience I have never found cheaper that my travel agents

There are actually two in Bangkok: saveflights (Jane is very efficient) and Bangkok Best flights who regularly come up with very good deals

I've tried saveflights several times and it didn't work out for me. But I am fairly good at using the internet. I have had good success with Thai specific agents in the US as I mentioned before, but they can not do flights originating here in Thailand. Not sure why, though.

As mentioned before, fares change every second. I've done a search on, say, Delta.com, literally just refreshed the screen and seen the fare drop or rise by 10%. Also, they say certain days of the week work out better than others...weekends seem to be the worst. So I check fares several times a day and try it every day for a few weeks. Not everybody has the time or tenacity to do this though!!

Lots of things effect the price...length of trip, time of year, etc. I've had to adjust my trip by several days to avoid a higher cost. I also try not to travel during summer.

[alyx]

I actually research quite a lot but fares to Europe (around Asia too) are sometimes 5% cheaper than on the airlines' websites (mind you it has to be cash)

[hagaii]

Actually, sometimes you can get a better rate on the internet but.... try and book that rate and you can run into trouble. Also, if you are flying to the U.S. the rates on the internet will be cheap to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and New York, But through a travel agent the same rate applies to going inward to Las Vegas, Houston, Atlanta, and many other destinations without booking a domestic flight. For me that saves over $700 for a round trip. As for the 3% they are not supposed to charge you for credit card usage the alternative is that you are holding worthless pieces of paper telling you that you have a flight to somewhere to be told you don't at the airport. Another point to be taken is some airlines don't let you price from Bkk to your destination direct but make you book one flight to the hub and another out (more expensive). So check both, ask around for recommended travel agencies.