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'How to Guides'
Only six or seven years ago, the travel buyer who booked over the internet was seen as breaking the rules. Today, many companies encourage staff to find the best deals, even if this means researching and booking on-line and with the travel management company or travel agent.
There is no doubt that the best deals are available to Internet users and those without access are at a distinct disadvantage. Many travel agents will book their clients on-line but it is normal to charge a consultancy fee. At the same time, the astute travel agent endeavours to provide ancillary services such as car hire, insurance, visa procurement and ground transportation options.
It is a frequent occurrence that a keen internet user will book flights, hotels and other services, and then at some stage realise that a change of plan or cancellation is necessary. The process of altering internet bookings is not always easy and customers often land up asking the travel agent or travel management company (TMC) to untangle the mess. Understandably, the customer should expect to pay for these time-consuming services.
Customer service by those selling travel services on-line is often minimal and travel bookers who need immediate responses are sometimes frustrated when dialogue with a supplier is only available by email.
A couple of travel journalists were booked into the Waldorf Astoria in New York and had paid in advance for their accommodation, through one of the best known web sites. On arrival, the receptionist had no knowledge of the reservation. After much discussion and flashing of business cards, rooms suddenly became available. On their return to London, the travellers discovered an email relating to an overbooking problem and a request to stay at an alternative property. This may have been fine if the email had not been sent three days after the proposed check in date!
Booking in advance is one of the main tricks necessary when trying to obtain the best on-line deals. If there are no cancellation penalties, especially for hotels and car hire, it is wise to book as early as possible. If another, more attractive, rate becomes available it may make sense to completely cancel the initial booking and start again.
With some low-cost carriers offering ‘free’ flights, it may often be less expensive to forfeit the cost of a flight and rebook from scratch, using the cheaper options, than to pay the £30 or more changing fee for a return trip.
The practice of not making all bookings through one channel causes a big problem for those companies who need to keep records of spend and travel statistics. The efficient TMC provides valuable data on how a company’s travel budget is being spent and advises on how the travel arranger can be more frugal. With so many people making bookings on low-cost airlines and on discounted hotels websites, it is virtually impossible to keep track of the overall travel spend.
Those who book on the internet should make a practice of using their time wisely when on-line. Time wasted with staff using search engines is a serious problem for many companies. It is wise to use one or two travel specific search sites such as http://www.travelsupermarket.com/ and keep to them. This particular system checks through thousands of flight, car hire, insurance and hotel options and presents the results in price order. Linking to the supplier is very fast and users are able to compare prices which all include taxes and most extra charges.
Beware of sponsors or partnership suppliers whose displays normally appear at the top of the first page of options. Always scroll down to see what is hidden. It is also a good idea to widen the choice by requesting options for days either side of the preferred date.
Hotels rarely display a telephone number on the reservation company web sites, but hold this information back until a reservation has been made. The traveller may well need these details and so the booker should use their favourite search engine to find the property’s own site, collect such information and, at the same time, check for any special deals that undercut the web site. Check which currency prices are quoted in and find out if prices are net. In many areas, such as the United States and Asia, the additional taxes and charges may make the choice prohibitive.
Occasionally, additional government sales and luxury taxes are applied to a hotel room’s rack rate rather than the price actually paid. It is wise to make sure that the total price is recorded, especially when payment is to be made at the time of check out.
Most business travel arrangers prefer to reserve hotel rooms and provide a credit card number as a guarantee. This permits the traveller to pay for their stay when checking out. Do print off all confirmations and hand them to the traveller so that they may argue if the prices do not tally. The on-line reservation company, http://www.booking.com/, ensures that all reservations are payment on departure and it is possible to cancel without penalty up to 72 hours prior to arrival.
Always check the rules relating to cancellations and changes as well as any special arrangements necessary for late arrivals. During busy periods, hoteliers have been known to sell a room to a ‘walk-in’ guest at an inflated rate if the on-line booker has not reconfirmed that they will be arriving late. With flights and hotel rooms being sold off on-line at relatively cheap prices, the number of no-shows has recently shot up and hotel owners cannot afford to turn business away.
On the whole, booking accommodation on-line is pretty secure but the information available is always subject to error. At the time of writing, lastminute.com was offering a room in a three-star hotel in Las Vegas for £8,684 a night. There will always be such errors with any web site but it is far more difficult to dispute such a discrepancy with a web site than with a TMC or travel agent.
When two or more people are travelling together, it is wise to make one booking for the whole party and then print off separate copies of the confirmations for each person. This helps to ensure that all in the team take advantage of the lowest fares and room rates. If any of the travellers are prone to changing their mind at the last minute or cancelling, then separate bookings make more sense.
Many corporations are strongly aware of the amount of money wasted by frequent travellers who change and cancel bookings. They have subsequently introduced policies which aim to monitor staff more effectively, especially as so many alterations are made for personal reasons rather than as dictated by their work.
In recent month a couple of low-cost airlines, including Ryanair, have introduced charges for hold baggage. Usually the fee for paying in advance, on-line, is cheaper than paying at the time of check in.
Ryanair also offers on-line check in and passengers who do so have the advantage of being first to board the flight. easyJet has the same facility but the carrier believes that as on-line bookers normally arrive at the airport later, they should be marshalled towards the rear of the boarding queue. An additional facility now offered by easyJet is for passengers scheduled to depart from Gatwick before 08.30 to check in their baggage and receive a boarding card from 20.00 onwards on the previous evening. This service has been in operation with British Airways at Gatwick for some time.
BA has one of the most user-friendly on-line booking systems and passengers may check in, on their pc, up to 24 hours before departure. They may choose their seat on board and, on arrival at the airport, use the fast ‘baggage drop-off’ facility rather than queue with the rest of the passengers. Checking out BA’s web site and that of other national carriers will reveal fares that are very competitive and often somewhat cheaper than the traditional low-cost carriers.
Travel arrangers and their TMCs should compare the fares more carefully as many people are returning to the conventional carriers and are prepared to pay a small premium on their ticket for seat selection, free baggage and complimentary drinks on board.
Interestingly, Austrian Airlines offers return fares between London and Vienna for as little as £100 and passengers may check in on line and choose their seats. The airline also provides the option to have traditional paper tickets sent, within hours of booking, at no extra charge.
Getting to and from the airport may also be arranged on-line, with http://www.thetrainline.com/ offering a comprehensive service to those who wish to book in advance. The enormous number of fare ranges and their associated restrictions do make booking reduced fares somewhat hazardous and the web site is not the easiest to navigate. Once booked, tickets may be collected at certain rail stations using the credit card with which payment has been made or a booking reference.
Every efficient travel arranger should sign up for updates provided by travel suppliers. Not only do these give the latest information on fares and room rates, but they also warn travellers of possible strike action, road delays and other interruptions that may cause problems.
