Booking cheap flights through agents

lelpast

I am looking at long haul flights and I have followed the advice of looking at the various comparison sites. I have found the price I'm happy with but the deal is through an agent such as Opodo - Travel up etc. I've looked at reviews on trip advisor and they don't seem very good.. does anyone know if these agencies are reliable. I notice that Opodo is mentioned as one of the sites to visit in the Cheap Flight section. Does this mean they are ok? Thank you

agrinnall

I have booked wth Opodo in the past and everything was fine, but more recently people do seem to have experienced issues with a lot of the agencies, probably including Opodo. I would now only book direct with the airline, and I would be surprised if you can't get the flights at a similar price in most circumstances.

dj1471

Many of the OTAs listed on comparison sites have terrible reputations, including the two you mention. The only ones I use are Netflights and Travel Trolley.

I would book direct with the airline unless the saving is significant.

leylandsunaddict

Opodo used to be a half decent company, and then they were bought by the shonky eDreams. A wide berth should be given two both. Avoid Cheapoair, Travel Up, Travel Trolley, BudgetAir, Amoma, etc etc etc. Infact a wide berth should be given to most OTAs as they normally don't have live pricing or availability, so the prices you're seeing may not even exist.

Try Trailfinders, online or in store, Netflights and Travelpack, but preferably book direct. There is no such thing as the cheap air fare fairy and it's makes things so much easier when there are schedule changes or you need to amend anything.

mattyprice4004

I have used TravelTrolley twice with no issues

Voyager2002

In short, these agents are not reliable.


Many of us have been lucky and used them without issues, but all sorts of things can and do go wrong. And if there are problems, these agencies have zero customer service.


Other posters have named some agencies that appear to be reputable, and you might also look at some reviews of Expedia.

comeandgo

I would not use any agency, you are just adding another layer of command. I book many long distance flights using large airlines and incountry flights using the low costs airlines of whichever country I'm in. If there is any flight changes or cancellations or any problems the airline gets in touch with you direct and you can rearrange easily. Using a go between adds stress and possibly late messages.

Pollycat

Voyager2002 wrote: »

In short, these agents are not reliable.


Many of us have been lucky and used them without issues, but all sorts of things can and do go wrong. And if there are problems, these agencies have zero customer service.


Other posters have named some agencies that appear to be reputable, and you might also look at some reviews of Expedia.

Does that mean you've decided not to book your flights with KIWI?

photome

What’s the difference in price between opodo and booking direct?

Are you comparing like with like ie same baggage allowance, is the opodo price displayed the price you will pay

Only time I haven’t booked direct with airline is when netflights had a significant saving

Pollycat

photome wrote: »

What’s the difference in price between opodo and booking direct?

Are you comparing like with like ie same baggage allowance, is the opodo price displayed the price you will pay

Only time I haven’t booked direct with airline is when netflights had a significant saving

And as the flights are long-haul, if there's a connecting flight is it all on one ticket?
Depending on the country, it might cause issues with visas if they have to collect their luggage and go through immigration rather than staying in transit.
Not to mention the possibility of missing the 2nd flight if the 1st one arrives late.

Caz3121

the airline website will have the live price, many (most) third parties do not have live pricing so the 'advertised' price may not be the price they can actually purchase a ticket for.