[Carey]

Did most people book flights on line or go into a travel agent? Can you find out on line about refunds, change of dates etc or is that when it's better to deal with an agent? I assume travel agents's prices are higher than on-line? ( Never used a travel agent myself)

[dusk]

you can also deal with the airlines direct - most have reservation desks in the UK you can call as well as online communication forms on their websites.

[Kerry and David]

Hi,

We booked our flights with Air New Zealand online directly with them as there was there was a significant difference in price. We have received excellent service when dealing with them on the phone and they have all the fare information restrictions etc on the website.

Kerry

[Belmont Babes]

I booked ours with a company in Surrey. PM if you would like details as I am aware I shouldn't do any type of advertising. I had a price with ebookers but this company matched it. In my opinion there is nothing like talking to a human being when parting with a large amount of £. We could also discuss date changes etc.

[andrewandjane]

we got ours through a travel agent after looking at the airlines sites direct.
strangely it was cheaper through the travel agent than direct with the airlines website or call centre so i guess it pays to look into both and try a few agents

[Familyofmonkeys]

We used Singapore airlines and booked direct with the airline as it was far cheaper than going through an agent for us. We were going to book on-line but you were not allowed to book infants (i.e. under 2 years old) on-line. So we rang up and when they gave us a price, we asked for a discount and got it. then we got them to send us an e-mail confimation of the extra luggage allowance they had agreed. Good job we did as no problem for 4 of us, but the guy at the check-in desk was trying to say our baby wasn't entitled to the weight we had packed for him. Long story short...we just gave him our e-mail confirmation. after that, he didn't even bother to weigh the resk of our luggage...just said it looked about right!!

[holland]

booked online with e bookers

[Pip]

I would say it pays to shop around. sometimes travel agents get the same priced ticket which is available to the public by booking directly online, and then mark it up so they make some money. other times airlines offers special deals to travel agents, so they can offer cheaper prices than those available online, even with the mark up.

I normally look at the price directly with the airline, with travel websites, ebookers, travelmood etc and may also check the price with an agent and see who has the best deal.

booking with an agent will allow you a few extras, requesting a certain type of meal, choosing your seat etc as they have booking systems that can put in requests to the airlines on your behalf, however unless they are matching the online price that extra 'service' may not be worth the extra price - especially if you want standard meals, not too fussed about seats etc...

n.b - you can also book over the phone with the airline - I've done that before! If you are planning stopovers (as opposed to transit) etc - its normally easier to deal with a person, as some of the websites are not that flexible with their booking options...

[Red Devil]

We also booked through Singapore Airlines via the internet... it's a ticketless system and you're given all the required paperwork via email, complete with e-ticket number. With using this, you can check-in online between 48 hours & 2 hours before your flight departure and print-off your boarding pass at the same time.

We also liked the way in which you can specifiy your exact seating position and meal request :nice1

... all done at a competitive price :cheers

[Familyofmonkeys]

n.b - you can also book over the phone with the airline - I've done that before! If you are planning stopovers (as opposed to transit) etc - its normally easier to deal with a person, as some of the websites are not that flexible with their booking options...

We also needed to speak direct to airline as (apart from having infant) we needed 2 veggie meals, 2 veggie kids meals (and singapore give you the choice of western, asian or indian ovo-lacto veggie meals), as well as 4 bulk head seats, near to toilets & all sitting together as kids so young. They managed to get it all correct :)

[Pebbles]

We have booked thru an agent. Like others have said, it is nice to speak to an actual person - although that actual person can (and did) also make actual mistakes in the booking. So check everything thoroughly, like you would if you would make the booking yourself online.
Added bonus in booking with a travel agent: we don't need to pay the full amount until a couple of weeks before travel. They do add some admin costs but I guess a travel agent needs to make a living as well :roll