Why on earth would anyone think online airfare search engine are cheaper than an agent?

We constantly hear that agents are a dying breed due to the internet.

On the contrary, we are getting busier, as most clients haven't got a simple itinerary (we don't sell SYD/MEL tickets for example)

Most of our consultants, work hard & earn good money & get a few perks.

Many people stupidly believe, if an airfare is found at an online search engine, it must be cheapest.

The reality is, almost 100% of the time, fares on different search engine sites are within a few dollars of each other.

We often get the emails that says something like …

we know you probably can't beat it, but we have found online, A to B return for $x.

We mostly only sell USA/Canada & mostly Xmas school holidays & we can always do better, if well in advance.

At last minute, which can mean different things, but we think of it, as inside 2 months before departure, there's very little left that's cheap.

Sometime, our clients have to cancel & with most of our tickets, we can do a name change for a fee paid to airline, so can onsell clients tickets who can't travel.

This is generally the only way we can offer cheap fares to USA/Canada within 2 months of departure for Xmas school holidays, the busiest period of the year, meaning from mid Oct.

That said, in the rare situation, where we haven't sold all of our allocation of seats(which we've paid for), 2 months out, then we may have some cheap seats.

closed Comments

  • +20

    I have a theory, this guy is trying to sacrifice himself to make sure that nobody starts a neg war with anyone else. He's basically sucking in all the negs for the sake of the community.

    • +11

      So he is not the hero we deserve but the one we need?

      • +20

        So we'll neg him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A travel agent.

        • +5

          Hans Zimmer bwaaaahs play out to credits

        • @umamandy: At least it's not Batman and Robin.

    • I believe the game here is Fallacy Bingo. The goal is to post as many fallacies as possible. I challenge you to find a post that doesn't contain either the fallacy of composition, shifting the burden of proof, an ad hominem, etc.

      • +4

        I think we'd have a problem of everyone saying bingo after like 5 posts. Though I gave up reading half way through because all these fallcies are making me cringe. Also I do not have time to refute everything.

        To some extent, I feel sorry for the agent, now s/he've pretty much lost most of the potential customers from OzBargain and s/he's pretty much working at weekend, by the responses that are being posted now. Weekends should be reserved for peace of mind (or last minute panick).

        The biggest problem that this person is facing would be, now, nobody's going to listen to him, even if he tells the truth. He really shouldn't have made shown condescending attitudes toward people; It's hard to argue against someone's experience, let alone convince otherwise.

  • +1

    Mixed feelings on this. I booked my US trip last year via an agent who was very helpful and also turned out to be much cheaper than what I could find, except for a hotel which I booked separately.

    I recently booked a trip to Brazil online and honestly I should've just done it through the airline website, I ended up paying 100 bucks extra (had to book twice) because of Jetstar's "guaranteed something whatever" I didn't read or care about. I also checked with an agent and it was about the same, except 30 bucks cheaper per person than webjet.

    TLDR; Book through the airline website or go see an agent, online booking "fees" are dumb.

  • Well don't you just have a bee in your bonnet, precious?

  • +2

    I am not sure if this is a troll or a serious post…

  • +13

    OP, you're not you when you're hungry, have a Snickers.

  • +1

    I find this thread hilarious even though it's clear advertising. If you're so busy booking tickets year round for these handful of dates, I'm not sure how you have so much time to monitor and post on this thread 24/7. That, along with making duplicate accounts for other threads.

    You really are trying to sell ice to an eskimo here. Not only that, but you are are horrible salesman, you haven't even piqued anyone's interest at all. All you've done is argued your existence.

    I would love to see this clown go on Sharktank and explain his business model, what a joke. Who wants to bet that website domain no longer exists 3 months from now.

    This chump's sales pitch is basically this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hrxde-Uslo

  • +1
    1. Travel agent may charge an agent fee
    2. From my experience, online quotes are always cheaper
    3. You can easily modify your trip if you book directly with the carrier. For example: You can modify your Etihad flight bookings by calling Etihad customer care any time if you book on their website. However,it's more difficult to reach the travel agent after hours.
      • +12

        Wow… still going. Thanks for souring what's left of my already poor perception of travel agents. It's like watching a pre-industrial textile worker trash-talking looms, or a maid complaining about roombas.

        • -4

          not souring agents at all, but a few of you don't get it.

          Travel agents have better deals, which is why they still exist.

        • +1

          @travelwiz: I'm currently half way through a trip around Japan that I booked with my partner, and without the help of an agent. One portion (ski accommodation in Nagano) required the use of a third party travel agent to confirm booking (to get the best price I could find online). After much stuffing around, I finally got word back from the agent that the accomodation would be nearly twice as much as originally quoted. Each day she said she'd call me back, and she didn't - I had to make the call every time. After about a week and a half of stuffing around, I gave up and booked elsewhere and told her that I'd done as much. She promised to email me within the next three days to let me know what was up with their original quote. That was over two weeks ago. Travel agents are pretty useless.

  • +6

    Travel agents are a dying breed.
    I recently booked a round the world ticket over a 4+ month period. I went to numerous travel agents and got the best quote of $4200 per person. Did the research myself and eventually booked everything myself. Ended up paying approx $3100 per person. Equivalent airlines(Qantas, Etihad etc), less 3-4 hour stop overs and less backtracking.

    A big difference in all of it was that a lot of the overseas carriers don't charge an additional credit card fee. All the local travel agents did. Most of the travel agents I dealt with didn't even care about why I was booking the trip. If they asked I would have told them it was for my honeymoon and we would have had a very different conversation. However, the typical approach was: WOW! that sounds like a great trip. Have you thought about what you want to do here, there etc? I knew in their heads, their minds were programmed around what they could sell me. Flights, accommodation, tours & travel insurance. I'll stick to online.

  • hmm…this is what I think in terms of buying holiday/ air plane tickets.

    Business is business. Airlines want their business, Agents want theirs and I want really damn good business which I called Bargains, personally I don't care where it comes from. So, if the Airlines came up with some good deals I will buy from them the same I would with you. I'm not disputing Agents ability and flexibility in finding good deals or services compared to Airlines deals in any way but it's all about who will give the best deals.

  • +1

    Every single time I go into a flightcenter or an SDA I get a quote for everything. Yet every time I get home I immediately pop the details in a search engine and get a $400 cheaper quote.

    The only time I have saved money with an agent I got $30 off a room for one night. That's it. Every other option they have provided me has been more expensive.

    All I usually do these days is get all my details together and get flightcenter to book it for me. I can't trust them on their own.

  • +1

    Btw if you're into powder, Japan is a better bargain than the states for skiing. I am sure any reputable travel agent would advise you that.

    • Actually, there was this place in Japan, that the book, Snow Country is based on that snows a lot. I've been there as a part of ski trip and that place was amazing.

      Out of 5 days I've been there, it snowed for 4 days I think. It snowed a lot, I have to say. We went night skiing and I actually couldn't see anything on the way back because the snow was covering my glasses that fast.

      It's one of the few places that I wanna go back just for sightseeing as well.

  • +3

    So Op thinks having middle men makes the product cheaper. Damn, get me someof those pills ur on.

    I wonder if Op wants to start a travel agent aggregator business to make it even cheaper to source the cheapest agents.

    Once that occurs, I'll aggregate the agregators.

  • +2

    Hi OP,

    If your travel agency doesn't survive you should consider a career as an ozbargain publicist. Great thinly veiled advertising, lots of discussion.

  • +1

    Hi Admin, please close this thread, it's ventured from a business promotion to a ranting set of trolls with nothing constructive than the little kids akin to saying "my mom is better than yours" type attacks.

  • +1

    This is pure advertising and not a thread of discussion over pros and cons over online and retail travel agents. Rather OP went on a rant in defending his business!!

  • +2

    @travelwiz Wow, just wow! I hardly ever comment on Ozbargain but had to sign in just for this one.

    You have probably single-handedly done more damage for your industry than any numbskull travel agent before you.

    Congratulations, I now think even less of travel agents than real estate agent, my previous bar-setters for poor customer service. Please do everyone in the travel industry a favour and stop posting here. Thank you.

  • +1

    Wow, now that is a coool website !! ,
    making your own webpage is such a novel business model—- just about 10-12yrs behind the times & it looks it
    can you imagine trying to get a refund for some reason… or having a minor bingle in a car park with this tosser

  • +12

    Someone should add this to the Ozbargain wiki / collective Ozbargain folklore. Many years from now we will still be talking about the antics of broden and travelwiz… lol.

  • +2

    I had no idea people had such strong opinions about travel agents. I have heard of them. When Dad talks about the old days, he sometimes mentions them and something he calls a "Video Shop".

    As far as this guy;s attitude is concerned, if he punched his customers in the face he'd still be friendlier than Jetstar.

  • +1

    Feel free to drop him a line with your feedback!

    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kisstravelinternationalcom/73…

    Mod: Removed personal info.

  • +1
    • +3

      To some extent, I genuinely feel sorry for them.

      An industry can die out so easily nowadays, but how would've those people have known that? Is it their fault for choosing a dying industry that they couldn't have foreseen decades ago? It's easy to just tell them to get a new job, but it would be hard for them to get a new one after investing so much into their "dying industry". In that regards, I feel genuinely sorry for them and I think there should be something done to protect those people from losing their livelihood without anywhere to fall onto. These people were productive members of society once.

      No sarcasm was intended on this. I seriously think these things are something to look into in the world where everything is constantly changing and evolving, where everyone does their best just to stay in the line.

      • +2

        I think in this situation you change or your die. You become a service which can give people added value like the OP offering one route, one month of the year to rich people.

        The OP's problem is they've made a lot of claims they can't back up because they're not a travel agent but a retailer.

        • +1

          I personally think change or die is foreshadowing something we should focus on. Those people cannot change without sacrificing a lot, even if they are able to change, their family would've suffered heaps from those. Of course, I am talking about those cases where it's almost impossible to stay in the industry because of the collapse, i.e. like typewriters in a way. Being unemployed can have drastical impact on one's view on self value etc etc. The list goes on. Simplifying those negative impacts to "have to change as it is the name of the game" I think is little bit misleading. People cannot choose to die, that's at least looked down upon in many (if not all) cultures.

          Though, I honestly am not implying that on OP, I for one believe that travel agents provide service that is still valuable. At least it's valuable to certain people and I don't think it's going to die anytime soon (though I wouldn't go in the industry now though, it's red ocean as is already from my perspective).

        • +2

          @AznMitch: You hear stories of people changing. Nintendo used to make playing cards. Kenner (the company which mad Star Wars toys before they were bought by Hasbro) made soap.

          It is possible to move into new markets if you have the foresight to do it. But you're right it is hard. The problem is many of these people refuse to change and keep doing the same thing until their industry is gone.

        • @SirFlibbled: I wouldn't say it is simple as that, those companies had, as you said, foreseights, and potentially a lot of investments. I don't deny that many companies changed, i.e. Toyota used to be a loom makers (I think that's what it is called, not sure) etc etc. Though, that was done with extreme amount of subsidies.

          I don't think companies case translates well into people's life. 1. Many people do not get investments on them like companies do, especially after their 20s. 2. It's easy for companies to get new skills per se, i.e. hire people with that skill, but it's really hard for people to get new skills, especially later in life. 3. Even then we see many many companies come and go.

          Also even if someone sees some changes in market, it's likely that they will be reluctant on changing. Why try to change (and risk your current job) when it works? People usually don't move around industries to industries; we don't see many people moving from industry to another at regular interval. Also, it might be impossible to move from one industry to another, i.e. age restriction etc. So I think it's slightly too much for people to just say, they should've changed.

          I will give an example. During 70s or 80s, American shipwright industry have collapsed due to competition from Asia, i.e. South Korea etc etc. Nobody saw that coming, South Korean success is fairly peculiar one. Its steel making industry was basically forced by the government and no one in right mind would've said that it was going to work. So no one would've seen that change coming. So is it American shipwright industry workers' fault that they suddenly lost their job and is left with nothing? Did they simply refuse to change? That's the point I am getting to. The changes are more sudden then we perceive them to be, especially because of Black Swan effect. We've learnt it, suddenly it seems obvious. We make judgments on people on the perception of it being obvious when it isn't that obvious. I think I may have sounded bit rambly, but my point is, I think it is harsh for people to say, they should've just changed, when it is not that simple.

  • -4

    think many people are sick of trying to book online. Flight Centre & other groups are growing.

    • and it isn't because of cheap airfares like what you have stated all throughout this thread without any evidence whatsoever.

      While Flight Centre’s “blended model” includes a website for customers to book flights online and ask questions, it generates only around $500 million in annual sales, and he says he doesn’t see that growing significantly. Instead, his strategy is to expand in higher-margin corporate travel, leisure travel, wholesaling and add-ons such as accommodations. “We are certainly under cost pressures, and we have to become more productive and more efficient, with more expertise in hotels, holiday packages, tours and cruises,” he says

      http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesasia/2015/01/28/flight-cen…

      • -2

        a bit off topic, but what's your point ?

        Flight Centre in their full page ads in weekend newspapers always advertisers the cheapest fares, even if only a mere handful of them & even though they are of course at a time when not many people actually want to go.

        don't think they're going to change their advertising drastically anytime soon.

        The high margin clients are very hard to get to.

        The cheaper end of the market, might not have the dollar margins, but has the numbers.

        It's all about the relationship between a client & an agency.

        Many broke students travel & many will earn big bucks after a few years in employment.

        A bit like the banks, if you're happy with one, why change.

        • +1

          My point is Flight Centre (based on your comment) isn't growing because of cheaper fares compared to online.

          They are growing because of savvy leadership and diversifying their retail plan. In saying that, their share price has dropped almost 35% in the past year so perhaps that was even short lived..

          My point is directly challenging your statement - "Agents are cheaper than online websites".

          If you are to compare specific routes that are highly specialized for specific client demographics, then you may have a point. But in GENERAL, this is not the case and if you read through the Forbes article, then you will see that even the best known person in the industry agrees.

        • -4

          @ev3nfl0w: so you can generalise, but we can't ?

        • +5

          @travelwiz:
          I'm yet to see you generalise beyond your magic December/January specific airfare. That's not generalising

        • +4

          I am not the one generalising. I was quoting directly from Graham Turner based on the Forbes article.

          If you were also reading my comment properly - I mentioned you do have a point that agents who specialise in specific routes may be more competitive.

          Some of your ideas such as proposing a direct route to Dunedin rather than Queenstown for the ski season shows me you are very knowledgable with the leisure travel industry (especially with the snow) and I have no doubt that there are people who would come for you for your expert knowledge in regards to this field.

          However, the problem I see throughout this entire thread is "I am right and you are wrong" mentality throughout the majority of your replies and comments. Well, there are cases where different opinions can be both correct based on the angle you observe the situation.

          Unforunately, I don't think you have the capability nor the intellect of listening in on other people's opinion hence all the negativity the majority of people have taken against you and it's a real shame that your business will probably never grow above and beyond what you are truely capable of due to this fact.

          Good luck.

  • +2

    Another busy day at the office it would seem ;)

  • worst post/thread ever. head hurts reading

    • That's why you need to look at it from other perspective, which is, methods of trying to win over people's heart and ending up losing all of it. Or, how one can be so selfless in that he/she takes all the negs with him/her so that there is no more neg war within the webpage boundries of OzBargain. It can be a black comedy or a drama piece, depending on how you look at it.

  • +3

    Just got back from a holiday trip to Honolulu.

    Airfare and hotel accommodation were all done on-line because two local travel agent (one was FlightCentre) were AU$500 more expensive than doing it ourselves.

    Once we've done the flight and accommodation independently, we did the rest ourselves: Tours and airport to hotel pickups.

    We decided not to give them the opportunity to "price match" because our nearby FlightCentre has a nasty habit of s_crewing you over and blaming the janitor (for the mistakes).

  • +1

    Congratulations OP, you may not have the best profession in the world, but you sure know how to cause a stir on OzBargain.

  • +20

    How come these magic $1399 flights you mention are actually $1777 on your own website?
    How come there's no way to see your actual prices or routes?

    How come you believe buying flights and reselling them (with name change) is a valid business model, when it is in fact just scalping. You are just raising the prices for everyone. This is the same business model that people on GumTree use. Oh, wait, you ARE ON GUMTREE! http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/sydney-city/bus-train-plane/q…
    The flights are cheaper there, $1699

    Your prices are very expensive compared to the average yearly price but because you bought up all the flights at a specific date, the idea is that you are now the cheaper option.

    The only reason an off-line agent would be cheaper than an on-line search is if the off-line agent was not tech-savvy or business-savvy to advertise their price on-line. Apparently, that's you.

    Edit:
    "BNE OR MEL/LAX nonstop on Qantas, 26Dec-5Jan(not 2-3JAN) back 18JAN to BNE, SYD or MEL from $1399 to $1699. Tell us what you can find, on any online search engine, that's even close to these sale fares." -travelwiz

    The price you advertise on gumtree (your lowest price) is $1699.

    AU$1498 via OneTravel or CheapoAir for BNE->LAX return 26Dec-5Jan and 26Dec-18Jan
    AU$1481 via OneTravel for SYD->LAX return 26Dec-5Jan and 26Dec-18Jan (14 hr average, non-stop both directions)
    http://www.momondo.com.au/flightsearch/?Search=true&TripType…

    You may have bought out all the Qantas tickets, but Virgin is cheaper and available non-stop.

    • +2

      Good stuff xsacha, you deserve a jewel encrusted mouse.

      I want to say (before the OP does I assume) that they are specialists in not only Australia to USA/Canada but also during peak time and only on Qantas. They were very adamant about being Qantas and being careful not to challenge any other airlines.

      There might be another specialist agent somewhere that does Australia to USA/Canada during peak time only and only Virgin. I wouldn't know where to begin to look for them.

  • +4

    I think jv has found his competition for most negged person!

    • +6

      But even jv makes a witty insightful or helpful comment once in a blue moon, this guy just keeps on digging.

  • +3

    A well versed traveller never uses an agent :)

  • As this thread has turned into thinly veiled advertising, commenting is now closed.

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