Online Travel Agency

Online Travel Agency – Safer and Cheaper Booking Experience with Potential Savings!

Do you make air travel frequently? Then you must know that flights can be booked online in two ways – directly with the airline, or through an online travel agency (OTA). It is self-explanatory when flight tickets are purchased directly with the airline. However, most people hesitate when booking air travel through a travel agency. But, there’s no need for concerns as buying through an OTA is reliable and will help you in making potential savings. Let’s guide you through on how booking through an OTA ensures a safer and cheaper booking experience. 

What is the work of online travel agents?

The online travel agents are basically travel companies selling flight tickets, hotel accommodations, car rentals and vacation packages online. They primarily act as a middleman between the airlines and customers. The price of air tickets can often be cheaper when purchasing through the OTAs than booking directly with the airline. Many customers would ask is there online travel agency near me. Of course, there are hundreds of OTAs that can be found online through which you can book flights at cheaper rates.

Online travel agencies work through a “global distribution system” in which airlines tell the distributors (OTAs) about the prices they will be charging for their flights. A small commission is charged by the OTAs when selling the tickets. The OTAs like FondTravels act as aggregators, and provide discounts to the customers. Purchasing airline tickets through OTAs can be advantageous as you may be offered the same price offered by airlines, and sometimes even at a lower price, than buying directly with the airline.  

Are airfares sometimes cheaper when buying with online travel agencies?

Booking your flight tickets with online travel agencies can sometimes be cheaper than buying directly with airlines. The OTAs can often be seen selling airfares for less than they cost. If the airline offers flight tickets at $600 when purchasing directly with it then you can get $500 for the same flight through an OTA. This may be because they want to earn less commission, and hope that the customer may book additional add-ons like a rental car or hotel, or wand to accrue market share hoping for customer loyalty in order to book next trip with them in future. OTAs also benefit the customers by passing on the commission. Airlines provide a commission to the OTA every time a flight is booked through them. Some or all of the commission is passed on to the consumers in turn by the OTA. Specific discounts and flight deals are regularly offered by the FondTravels thus benefiting the customers in a big way. The online travel agencies also provide efficient customer care service helping the customers with cheap flight bookings.

Can I get scammed by online travel agencies?

You shouldn’t be concerned or worry at all when paying money for your flight tickets through an OTA and not getting the ticket at all. The worst you can expect is that the airfare purchased by no longer existed at the time of booking. In such cases, you will be contacted by the OTA within 48 hours or less telling you that the ticket can’t be sold at that price, and you will be provided an option to purchase the ticket at higher price or get your flight reservation voided and money refunded. 

Online travel agencies are proving to be a boon for many travelers, especially those who hesitate to book with the airline directly. You can look forward to making big savings when buying flight tickets through OTAs. Booking with an online travel agency like FondTravels is surely safe, secure and cheaper in many ways.