How do you book your travel?

[browski]

I have ticketed AFFers on routings such as OSL BA LHR BA SIN CX HKG CX PER QF MEL and return via the same route earning a whopping 880 QF SC's for $4k AUD (that's the same as the price in NOK, but converted straight to AUD as per xe.com rates), on a single fare and thus single ticket. Please do tell me how you can achieve that on an airline website.

I've also ticketed routings such as BNE QF SYD BA SIN VN SGN JL TYO JL BKK and back via a similar route on a single fare and thus single ticket. Again, please tell me how you can do that on an airline website.

Another example would be people who buy the AY J EU specials ex-BKK for often $2-2.5k AUD return. I can ticket those and then bolt on a SYD-BKK-SYD return in the same PNR so that the passenger is through-checked the entire way. Given the connection time in BKK isn't great between QF and AY, would you rather be sitting landside at check in waiting for AY or QF (depending which direction) to open, or would you rather be sitting in the lovely CX lounge?

So could you please tell me how I priced and booked people on this ex-AKL fare then?

ex-AKL and ex-SYD QF/AA J fares to SFO/LAX/NYC

Whilst I haven't ticketed anyone on this fare, I can tell you it is available to me, and I can even bolt on a SYD-DPS on QF ticket stock to connect to it and you would get through-checked without the need to collect your bag at DPS. Please tell me how you would do that using an airline website.

I've also ticketed a number of ex-CMB discount fares for AFFers too. Now, Sri Lanka is a country that applies an extra sales tax for sales made outside Sri Lanka, but other than that extra sales tax, you would be paying what someone in Sri Lanka would pay.

I can ticket alliance circle/round the world/regional passes originating in whatever region I like, and you would pay the same price that you would've paid originating in whatever country you choose too. Could you please explain to me how that is full Y, given the oneworld fares for example book into A, D and L and certainly not Y.

Another example... I recently completed a 280k award trip, where as a TA I was able to bolt on regional/domestic tickets in the same PNR as my 280k award and thus ensuring that I could be through-checked by virtually every carrier (both within and out of alliance) in my itinerary (a total of 9 carriers - QF, BA, SA, QR, IB, LA, AB, CX, WS).

Please tell me how you can do that with an airline directly, both over the phone or via their website.

When I need to make something simple into something not simple, I'll look you up.

 

[junbugging]

When I need to make something simple into something not simple, I'll look you up.

Just bizarre.

Travel can be so much more fun with a little imagination and the ability to implement it.

 

[RooFlyer]

.......So they will pay more through the TA than directly on the airline's website.

When I need to make something simple into something not simple, I'll look you up.

This is approaching the point of trolling IMHO - and I have never used that word on AFF before. Sure, put your point browski, but back it up with evidence and don't mindlessly and repeatedly contradict what others - experienced TAs or experienced users of TAs - say about their own experience without some supporting evidence to demonstrate what they (and I) am saying is not correct.

 

[TomVexille]

I'm glad we here have access to good TA's who have access to stuff in the GDS that is definitely not available on the airlines website and can pay in AUD avoiding FX. Plus they can work some magic too

 

[OATEK]

Yeah, but we are talking about all the airlines not on the GDS. There are more than just LCCs not on the GDS. Once again, why would anyone opt to have their options limited. Less options, higher the price. If there are 18 options to fly from BKK-LON, as a consumer, would you prefer to know about all 16 options or just the 12 on the GDS.

My guess is that some/most of those other airlines are on my "Don't Fly List", so nothing lost. For us, international travel is limited to J, and a discrete set of airlines. I am sure there are many who are chasing the lowest fare, but also many are chasing the lowest fares amongst the airlines we are happiest to fly with. Generally I have had no trouble doing that while booking direct, but if others can achieve much the same or lower prices through their TA, I don't see the issue.

 

[jxv]

I have had a few good TAs, but after using them a few times they decide to move overseas, choose another career, leave to have children... Last week I found out that my latest one decided to retire early! Is it me who drives them to these decisions? I envy all of you who have had a TA relationship for many years. Now I do most bookings myself.

 

[Moindardt]

I have used bad TA's, I have used supposedly top corporate TA's who really weren't and I have tried the supposed Creme da la creme before I gave up and tried myself. I ended up flying all 6 of us business class and staying at 5 star places for half the price of what the TA's were doing Premium Economy and 3-4 star. Admittedly, it was having to be flexible and actually makes choices, many of which the TA's didn't even give me an option of. However, it meant things like collecting the bags and sitting in the airport at Columbo for 9 hours because the flights were on different PNR's.

After coughing about what I wanted to do but couldn't on AFF one day, madrooster contacted me and explained he could. Thus started our descent down the rabbit hole. I think the only thing crazier than what I "would" do was what he "could" do. If we couldn't reduce the price of the fares, we tested how much we could abuse them and abuse them we did. As such, it was no longer 3 of us with emerald and the 3 "+1's", all 6 reach emerald in their own right. Funny thing was we did it for less than we previous paid and did so much more.

Earlier this year we had a fare SYD-LAX-MIA-LHR Y on AA came up that we could use our SWU's on, but madrooster couldn't ticket it, so we did it direct with AA. How hard could it be. 6 Executive Platinum's on 2 PNR with SWU attached. In the end, we ended up with 6 PNR, 3 airports we couldn't board at because of broken PNR's (2 managed to get fixed before the flights but no time for Flounges) and about 40 hours on the ExP hotline sorting issues out. Every time they touched it for the upgrades or changes, they broke it. In Syd, we couldn't board our flights to BNE at all. 3 of us ended up on flights 3 hours later and the other 3, 2 hours after that. OMG. This was 6 x ExP dealing directly with AA.

In contrast, we have booked 41 flights between December and April, x6 pax, over 6 tickets on 3 PNR's with madrooster. Everything is streamlined, everything is managed and everything is ridiculously cheap. I came up with an insane plan and yes, we had to pay a little extra for CMB but we just go straight to the lounge and baggage through-checked, but he found other savings by substituting flights that were not even available anywhere else that saved us probably $500 per pax off our combination of insane bargain prices. To top it off, he ended up booking at the Four Seasons at Whistler for half the price we could at any 3.5+ star place even though the top snow ski places couldn't offer us close to the same price for the Hilton. He has already dealt with about 20 flight changes and handled our seats on them all as well as our SWU upgrades. Whilst I am booking most accommodation myself, I happily throw his IATA number in so he might pick up some bonus commission.

I had to book flights to a conference for next year and was trying to do something with those AKL/SYD to NYC flights but nothing would stick. In the end, he booked me BNE-SYD-LAX-CLT-SFO-PHL-NYC for essentially the same price (an extra 5000 miles each way for an extra $200).

All I can say is that on rare occasions using a TA has cost more, it has been worth it, but overall, a good TA will save you a lot of time and money and help you enjoy your trip so much more.

 

[Himeno]

I book everything I can myself.
I only go to a travel agent if the internet won't do what I want.
When I go to an agent, I tell them what I want, having already planned everything out and checked availability in the needed fare classes where possible.

 

[Ralphie]

Domestic is all myself, international I use a travel agent except for when I want inventory or a discount that’s available directly from the hotel that she can’t access. My TA is great at working with me and doesn’t have an issue with me researching other options or giving suggestions.

I’ve found my TA completely invaluable for chasing up issues that have happened mid trip (needing to change flights, car rental issues, insurance claim information) which has meant that I haven’t spent hours on the phone or email because it’s been dealt with by her. I also know that some flight prices she’s been able to access are cheaper than those advertised directly by the airlines, or she’s found a way of bundling that I couldn’t.

She also always throws in a nice surprise treat at a destination.

Plus I just really like her, so I want to keep her in business!

 

[Lawrage]

99% of the time I just do the research and book myself. Am yet to find a TA who can do it cheaper as well.

I did decide to use the Amex travel agent on my most recent trip and had a hotel tell me that the spa/gym area was only complimentary if I had booked directly with the hotel - was far from impressed with that.

 

[cwd]

Just completed a two month holiday - 21 flights in total. Booked the main (AY J Fare) flights through a human travel agent. Worked well because my wife was on the same flights going over, but different dates coming back, so booking online myself would have been tricky being sure enough of availability of I for 2 on the flights we were both on.

Having said that - did have an issue after the first round of flights where the TA had left 1 segment in the PNR 3 times (I hadn't been able to see this in myflights/checkmytrip), which required a call to AY customer service to sort out while at the airport. But 10 minutes later, and rejoining the queue to dirty looks from a very long economy queue, and all was sorted.

Booked a bunch of other flights through faresaver.com.au, where I was able to get the same price as if I'd booked on the BA site in EU/UK, but with an excellent exchange rate, and on my AMEX using the BA AU merchant account. So that was good. Problem is when you want to make a change, and you have to pay the airline change fee as well as the TA change fee. But oh well.

Ended up booking most of the hotels on the QF Hotels website, where the price was the same as booking.com etc, but it gets billed immediately in AU on my AMEX, and they give you a bunch of extra QF points. Chain hotels don't appeal, so no issues with not getting free wifi etc. Always checked, and never paid more doing it this way than direct (but could have perhaps have scored rebates using other aggregator sites). I'm a bit sick of the other sites where they quote you a price in AUD, but that's not the price you'll actually pay if it's an overseas hotel.

Scored an excellent fare for one flight on the Iberia Express site. At check-in they claimed we didn't get lounge access (being I2 not IB), which apparently is a thing they do (and probably shouldn't), and I'm still waiting on points/SC from QF from a missing points claim (It was on an I2 code, and my reading of the QFF pages it that it's absolutely eligible).

In hindsight, using a TA for all of the flights probably would have made sense, even if it had cost a little more.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Having followed this thread I thought maybe I should experiment and try a TA. I contacted firstclass.com.au as they seem to be specialists and a couple of friends have used them. I thought of asking Madrooster but didn’t know whether s/he was generally available. Anyway in the middle at the moment and we will see how the experiment goes. It is a pretty easy booking, so perhaps not a fair trial.

 

[TomVexille]

Having followed this thread I thought maybe I should experiment and try a TA. I contacted firstclass.com.au as they seem to be specialists and a couple of friends have used them. I thought of asking Madrooster but didn’t know whether s/he was generally available. Anyway in the middle at the moment and we will see how the experiment goes. It is a pretty easy booking, so perhaps not a fair trial.

I would use someone who understands us, like madrooster or another that quite a few of us use

 

[Buzzard]

I would use someone who understands us, like madrooster or another that quite a few of us use

Is the other AC by any chance?

 

[TomVexille]

Is the other AC by any chance?

That's the one

I'm aware of one or two others as well

 

[Flying mermaid]

I would use someone who understands us, like madrooster or another that quite a few of us use

so I took your advice asked Madrooster for help. I had a problem caused by Qantas not having a codeshare for an Emirates flight from Sydney to Dubai. He sorted out my booking and I have exactly the flights I want for next year - too easy. I had been fighting the Qantas website for months and it really just wasn’t something I could do even though it was superficially a simple booking!

 

[TomVexille]

so I took your advice asked Madrooster for help. I had a problem caused by Qantas not having a codeshare for an Emirates flight from Sydney to Dubai. He sorted out my booking and I have exactly the flights I want for next year - too easy. I had been fighting the Qantas website for months and it really just wasn’t something I could do even though it was superficially a simple booking!

Great result

 

[browski]

Having followed this thread I thought maybe I should experiment and try a TA. I contacted firstclass.com.au as they seem to be specialists and a couple of friends have used them. I thought of asking Madrooster but didn’t know whether s/he was generally available. Anyway in the middle at the moment and we will see how the experiment goes. It is a pretty easy booking, so perhaps not a fair trial.

Hi FM, can I ask what was your experiment? Was it to see if you could get a better price via a TA or was it to learn how to book a QF codeshare? If it was the former, how much did you save?

 

[Flying mermaid]

Hi FM, can I ask what was your experiment? Was it to see if you could get a better price via a TA or was it to learn how to book a QF codeshare? If it was the former, how much did you save?

it really wasn’t to save money (although I am not adverse to saving money if I can).

I had a very specific itinerary that I wanted and it was pretty much point to point, so should have been easy right? CBR-SYD-NBO return. Even easier I wanted to book First, so really that left me with only Emirates, unless I wanted to do something convoluted going through London.

I really wanted the Emirates flight that leaves at 4ish because we wanted to have a decent sleep at the transit hotel before continuing to Nairobi as we are very busy as soon as we arrive. Thought about spending a few days in Dubai but very hot at that time of year and we are already spending too much time away from the fur babies.

Anyway should have been dead simple to put this together at Qantas.com, but Qantas made things hard by having no codeshare for the EK flight I wanted (or even the EK flight without the codeshare). After fiddling around for months hoping it would appear, my options were either to select flights I didn’t want, or give up on Qantas and just book with Emirates (although their website was being difficult with the Canberra connections). I suppose I could have phoned Qantas and asked them, but whats the difference between that and using a TA?

First class guy was very prompt but his first attempt was $600 pp more than I could book (and still didn’t give me the EK flight I wanted).

However Madrooster booked me exactly what I wanted, so Qantas to Syd, EK to NBO and Qantas codeshares back. We will get enough SC for Mr FM to go LTG (I already am), so SC won’t matter next time,

Based on my experience with Madrooster I will definitely use him again. Totally switched on, understood what I was trying to achieve and did it. All done and dusted in a few hours and he even selected the seats for us, as there is a bit of a problem with EK seat selections sticking.

 

[RooFlyer]

As I’ve noted before, using a TA isn’t about saving money - it’s the additional services and accessing things I can’t on-line, that’s the key. If my priority is cost, then I’ll be going Jetstar whY.

That said, I do net save money. As a consultant, when I’m not working for a client I’m not getting paid. Dumping the complicated stuff on the TA allows me to keep working, and billing.