Ticketers
Welcome to the brave new world of air travel. These online ticket brokers have gone a long way toward eliminating travel agents on the most-traveled air routes. Booking online can be frustrating and confusing, and there are times when you’re better off talking to a knowledgeable travel agent, but these electronic bucket shops can provide a good idea of the market rates for air travel fast. And sometimes they can save you a bundle.
Some general rules when using these e-commerce sites:
- Book early or very late; make the reservation at least 21 days in advance to save the most $$$. Conversely, booking a seat in the last 24 hours before the flight also sometimes reaps savings as the airline tries to fill those last few empty seats.
- Don’t put up with long, market-research registration processes; if they want your mother’s maiden name and a social security number to book a plane ticket, go elsewhere
- Be aware that, like real-life travel agents, the online ticketers sometimes advertise great fares, but deliver something more expensive.
- Arbitrage; you can sometimes save a bundle by booking in a weaker currency. For instance, if you need to travel from Darwin to Perth in Australia, don’t make your reservation with a British ticketer — you’ll save more if you book with a local site that quotes prices in Australian dollars rather than British pounds.
| Ticket Agencies and Services |
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