Added Value Of Booking Via Agent Vs Online

[MichaelSong]

I always book my flights directly via the company site . Nevertheless I read many topics about bookings via agents. So my question is: what could be the added value of an agent? Dont they just fill in the online registration form same as anyone could and ask a fee for that service ?

[WilliaminBKK]

I'm very biased, I've been an airline guy for some 20 years and have been passionate about moving business to the direct channel for the airline sector, so much depends on the class of service you are booking-economy vs business/first, air only vs packages etc, for air only I would say.......

The benfits of using an agent, IMHO online agents are simply repackagers of GDS (Global distribution system) fares that are available to ALL travel agents, commission is gone so they are paid for each segment booked via the GDS and service fees. I think brand loyalty keeps them afloat and recently they began offering some consolidator net rates to keep up with airline best offer fares. One major problem with the online players is they are using cached data and often the rate you see isn't there when you are ready to click buy-the downside can be dealing with an online agent for changes, refunds etc.

Now a brick and mortar agency will book via the GDS and service charge you but they will have less restrictive ticketing time limits and will be able to waitlist for the best dates & fare class needed in order to obtain a good deal, much easier for them to do seat assignment for legacy carriers, and are able to handle flight changes & cancellations & refunds much better than an online agent, also some silly airlines give nets to consolidators that are cash only and the agent will be able to use their credit card processor in order for you to make payment.

Lastly, for low cost carriers you are correct they are simply using the agent portal, the inventory and fare is exactly the same as the consumer site. For legacy carriers they are booking via the GDS, now the value they add really isn't in the consumer world it is in the corporate travel world where they have tools that apply corporate policy.

For myself, family & friends we all book economy directly with the airline and business class on Vayama.

[tw25rw]

Flexibility.. If I want to book a flight that isn't a simple return and has more than one class involved, it's much easier doing it through an agent.

[craigt3365]

This is a good thread to read, especially the article link in the first post.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/542124-travel-agent-vs-search-sites

[bangkokburning]

In the past ten years I have used both for flights to/from states. As we moved more into years 2000+ I found online prices to be better. This year we found an agent with a better price, but we were waitlisted for a few weeks. We could have bought immediately online or with her at a higher price.

For me, agents add nothing. I think this is true for most. Hence the popularity of online sites. In the US I was always dumbfounded at the lack of booking experience aas well as general travel knowledge by most agents. One thing sure - stay away from KSR and always use the carriers own site as a price startig point.

[4evermaat]

I'm very biased, I've been an airline guy for some 20 years and have been passionate about moving business to the direct channel for the airline sector, so much depends on the class of service you are booking-economy vs business/first, air only vs packages etc, for air only I would say.......

The benfits of using an agent, IMHO online agents are simply repackagers of GDS (Global distribution system) fares that are available to ALL travel agents, commission is gone so they are paid for each segment booked via the GDS and service fees. I think brand loyalty keeps them afloat and recently they began offering some consolidator net rates to keep up with airline best offer fares. One major problem with the online players is they are using cached data and often the rate you see isn't there when you are ready to click buy-the downside can be dealing with an online agent for changes, refunds etc.

Now a brick and mortar agency will book via the GDS and service charge you but they will have less restrictive ticketing time limits and will be able to waitlist for the best dates & fare class needed in order to obtain a good deal, much easier for them to do seat assignment for legacy carriers, and are able to handle flight changes & cancellations & refunds much better than an online agent, also some silly airlines give nets to consolidators that are cash only and the agent will be able to use their credit card processor in order for you to make payment.

Lastly, for low cost carriers you are correct they are simply using the agent portal, the inventory and fare is exactly the same as the consumer site. For legacy carriers they are booking via the GDS, now the value they add really isn't in the consumer world it is in the corporate travel world where they have tools that apply corporate policy.

For myself, family & friends we all book economy directly with the airline and business class on Vayama.

edit: UsChinaTrip.com

I used uschinatrip.com and i got a great deal coming to thailand from usa on short notice. And the person was clearly able to access inventory that was not readily available to consumers. I'm not a super traveler, and it is difficult to get deals to all destinations, but if a travel agent has the ability to get deals/legs that a consumer cannot and is willing to offer a fair price (i.e. I do not have to worry about dynamic pricing) and I can possibly get the added benefit of changes made with no charge or fair charge, then I am willing to pay an agent for that.

I don't have a problem with "middle man" as long as they are adding value of some sort. The problem of inefficiency comes in when you see double/triple/etc brokering and the only value that's being added is a higher price. This is also a big reason why many of the travel search engines were forced by the individual travel consolidators to not consolodate the prices onto one page. This caused too much efficiency, where the consumer could easily either: a) go directly to the airline and compare the lowest price, or just book the cheapest fare. All the searches now open up in their own separate window. Of course a private individual could design their own method to search the consolidators and parse the data into an easy to read page sorted by price or other criteria, but that's another thread.

Edited April 3, 2012 by 4evermaat

[lomatopo]

Some agents still act as Consolidators, for specific markets and carriers, so they have access to inventory that is otherwise not visible to a consumer by any other means. One can still save ~ 35% using a Consolidator, again for specific city-pairs, markets and carriers.

Some agent have access to any/all GDSes which allow them to view inventory across a number of carriers, markets and channels. Now consumers can pay for this same type of access, like with services like ExpertFlyer, but it is not cost effective for any but a few high-mileage consumers.

Good agents save you the time by understanding your needs (mileage accrual, cheap fare, cheap business class, routings, seat preference/availability, carriers, et al.), doing the leg-work and presenting you with viable options. They can also hold a reservation (booking) before ticketing, which may not be possible for a consumer, and they may have access to more favorable change criteria.

Depending on your needs an agent may be useful, or may be superfluous.

IMO, the most important thing you can do as a consumer, after clearly setting your goals with regards to travel details, is to identify a value a specific set of flights represents to you. If you can beat this value, by any means: agent or your own time, then be prepared to purchase. Identifying your travel needs as far in advance as possible (where possible of course), affords you the opportunity to better gauge value. And if you can learn more about the city-pairs: the carriers who service them, the nuances of schedules, seasons (peak, shoulder, high, low, etc.; not related to the tourist season in the destination by the way), day of week travel (Mon-Thu usually cheaper than Fri-Sun) you can more accurately assign value. Also, if you can predict oil prices this will give you a leg up.