November 10, 2003 19:29 | Bits

Online travel booking

I don't understand. I must be missing something. All the advertising, all the hype, all the talk... How convenient and money saving, etc...

For example, online, I cannot find a flight to Tokyo for under $4000CND. $4000CND!! Who in their right mind would pay this?! A phone call to my travel agent gets me a quote of under $1000, taxes and insurance included.

I just did a search for a flight to San Francisco. Granted, I plugged in tomorrow's date for departure. Nothing under $2500. That's some mighty fine crack they are smoking! I bet I could show up at the airport tomorrow morning and pay 1/3 of that. Especially since it seems there are pleeenty of flights every morning on numerous airlines to San Francisco.

I hereby stand by what Nicholas Negroponte said years ago: online travel booking be damned; your travel agent will ALWAYS sort you out better.

Comments
Tue, Nov 11, 2003, @ 10:57
1- lightspeedchick

That's weird. First quote I get from expedia is 1109 CAD. Departure and return on a Monday, of course.


Tue, Nov 11, 2003, @ 15:47
2- Karl Dubost

idem with expedia

and with travelprice, it should not be expensive as well
http://www.travelprice.ca/
vol regulier 2572 CAD

j'ai pas regardÈ les vols charterisÈs

Sur Anyway je trouve 1600 euros
http://www.anyway.com/


Tue, Nov 11, 2003, @ 15:53
3- Boris Anthony

Even $1109 is ridiculous.

And nevermind "Monday to Monday" and "weekday flights" and all that crap. You know damn well all that stuff is bullshit pricefixing and gouging.

The point is, travel agents have way more data at their disposal, as well as knowing all the tricks and loopholes and recessed corners of opportunity.

Sort of like my tax accountant. ;)


Tue, Nov 11, 2003, @ 16:53
4- Karl Dubost

nope it's called professionalism and to know his/her work. Same with web sites, if you don't know how to create a Web site which respects Web standards you hire someone :)))

In a sense it's good to see that humans are useful. In Canada, I don't know what are they using, but I know that in France they are using Amadeus, and a price you have today will not be avalaible tomorrow and the opposite is true.

You have forgotten one parameter monitoring and real time.


Tue, Nov 11, 2003, @ 21:34
5- Karl Dubost

oh Yes I have forgotten ;)

1000 is very very cheap.


Tue, Nov 11, 2003, @ 22:05
6- Martine

I'm glad you're talking about this, Boris, because as much as I do everything on the Web, I never book my flights because the prices are insane! I never, ever get good prices, no matter which site I go to and no matter how far in advance I try to book something. Maybe it's a karma thing... but I'll keep on calling my travel agent!


Tue, Nov 11, 2003, @ 22:06
7- Martine

I'm glad you're talking about this, Boris, because as much as I do everything on the Web, I never book my flights online because the prices are insane! I never, ever get good prices, no matter which site I go to and no matter how far in advance I try to book something. Maybe it's a karma thing... but I'll keep on calling my travel agent!


Wed, Nov 12, 2003, @ 12:27
8- lightspeedchick

I meant 1109 for Tokyo, which isn't bad as a first price.

However, I totally agree that flight pricing is a complete joke. Yesterday we were looking for tickets to Brussels for next week.
Air Can flight, operated by British Air: 2800$.
British Air flight, operated by AC: 2100$. Same flight no, departure dates and times. SAME FLIGHT!!!

Martine: in defense of online booking, I found some tickets to Dublin for 671$ tax included (Air Can), and Costa Rica 700$ tx.inc. Even found some to New Zealand for 1800$ this summer!