Travel Insights - Guide: Flight Booking

Travel Guide: Flight Booking

WHEN the web first burst onto our screens in the mid 1990s, there was much talk of disintermediation ("cutting out the middle man" to you and me). The travel industry, in particular, seemed well-suited for this and travel agents fretted while operators rubbed their hands with glee at the prospect of direct sales.

But of course, experience counts - as does web-savvyness. Airlines are good at flying you from A to B; travel agents are good at negotiating the best prices - or should be. On top of this, people often want and need help in arranging their travel plans. Unfamiliar systems, strange languages, and that ever-present net-problem of "trust" all serve to keep a window open for online travel agents. As a result some companies have become well-established brand names in the Internet travel industry. And they are listed below:

Company
eBookers	Well-designed European site that bought out its parent company, Flightbookers, in 2000. Specialises in discount flights.
Expedia	Comprehensive and well-respected travel site of Microsoft heritage, now controlled by USA Networks.
Lastminute.com	Famous in the UK internet economy, lastminute offers "experiences" and gifts as well as travel for a predominantly European market.
Opodo	Run by Europe's 9 major airlines, Opodo offers more than just flights. This is the new kid on the block.
Travelocity	Sabre-powered online agent with all the frills.
* * * *
Traveloverland.de	German-based operator with very low prices and excellent customer service.
Flug.de	Another German-based discount flight booking site.

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