Is Booking Over the Web Worth the Trip?A look at how online Travel Websites measure up JIM Jim Miss Watson’s runaway slave; Huck’s traveling companion. [Am. Lit.: Huckleberry Finn] See : Escape SHELTON FLIES BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN LOS ANGELES Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. AND ATLANTA once a month on business. Almost always, Shelton books his flights online. "They [online travel agencies] give more flight options and lower prices," says Shelton, a principal of TBC tbc abbr (= to be confirmed) → por confirmar tbc abbr (= to be confirmed) → noch zu bestätigen tbc abbr Capital in Atlanta and vice president of business development for Knowledge Universe Inc. in Los Angeles. More and more travelers are turning to the World Wide Web to research and/or make travel plans. Online travel agencies promise cheaper hotel rooms, car-rental rates and airfares, more flight options and special discounts. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. PhoCusWright, a Sherman, Connecticut-based research company that tracks Internet use, only 18% of wired travelers purchase airline tickets online. However, the Travel Industry Association of America in Washington, D.C., estimates that online bookings for air, hotel, car and other travel products will increase from $827 million in 1997 to nearly $9 billion by 2002. And according to Michael Shapiro People named Michael Shapiro include:
Home page. , $24.95), by 2000, 50% of travel-related sales will be made online. But how well are online consumers being served? Are some Internet travel agencies better than others? BLACK ENTERPRISE wanted to determine what value, if any, online travel agencies really provide. Here's the scoop. CLICK, BOOK AND FLY The array of online travel-planning options can be dizzying. Besides the airline Websites, there are four big online travel agencies--Preview Travel, Internet Travel Network, Travelocity.com and Microsoft's Expedia Travel--that enable users to book flights. These pull low fares from various airlines, car-rental agencies and hotels. Online providers such as America Online See AOL. , CompuServe and Prodigy An online information service that provides access to the Internet, e-mail and a variety of databases. Launched in 1988, Prodigy was the first consumer-oriented online service in the U.S. also offer travel services. And there are niche sites, such as Biztravel.com, targeted at frequent fliers frequent flier n. One who travels often by air, especially on one airline. fre  quent-fli .
These sites are battling for your business. The airlines want fliers to log on for, rather than phone in, flight bookings. Earlier this year, Delta Airlines announced a surcharge An overcharge or additional cost. A surcharge is an added liability imposed on something that is already due, such as a tax on tax. It also refers to the penalty a court can impose on a fiduciary for breaching a duty. for tickets not purchased through its site, then dropped the extra fee after receiving a slew of consumer complaints. Nevertheless, air carriers are trying other ways to lure lure the skin-covered object which runs on a monorail on a Greyhound racing track and which the dogs are schooled to chase. The lure must be kept 30 to 40 ft ahead of the leading dog so that the field is stretched out. travelers online, including frequent-flier bonuses. Book a flight on TWA's Website, for example, and receive up to 15,000 miles. SURFING surfing, sport of gliding toward the shore on a breaking wave. Surfers originally used long, cumbersome wooden boards but now ride lightweight synthetic boards that allow a greater degree of maneuverability. THE WEB BE assessed how six online travel agencies service users when they book flights. They were each rated for speed, user friendliness, the selection of airline carriers and the quality of extra options. It took nearly four hours just to scan these few. With each, users must register and fill out a profile, which supposedly helps formulate flight options and make other travel product suggestions. If the service allows fliers to input frequent-flier, hotel and car-rental account numbers, registration can be more time-consuming. Then comes the perusal of the flight choices, paying and receiving confirmation. The process can take longer if you're renting a car and booking a hotel room, or planning a trip with multiple legs. Compare this with the few minutes it takes to phone a travel agent, and you may be less inclined to book it yourself. But frequent online bookers such as Jeffrey Chappelle, a legal researcher in Los Angeles, find it's worth the time. "Once you get the hang of it and are registered, the services are faster and easier to use. They put you in control," says Chappelle, who booked at least six leisure round-trips--including flights to San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden , Virginia and New York--via America Online last year. Chappelle finds the e-mail notification of specials--a feature offered by most online travel services and airlines--helpful. He contends, "These are great for last-minute trips." WEEDING weed 1 n. 1. a. A plant considered undesirable, unattractive, or troublesome, especially one growing where it is not wanted, as in a garden. b. Rank growth of such plants. 2. THROUGH THE WEB While many of the online agencies feature similar products, there are standouts. Business travelers may prefer Biztravel.com (www.biztravel.com) (see "Have Modern Will Travel," Techwatch, April 1999). It offers various perks perk 1 v. perked, perk·ing, perks v.intr. 1. To stick up or jut out: dogs' ears that perk. 2. To carry oneself in a lively and jaunty manner. . Users can input an unlimited number of legs as well as frequent-flier and corporate-discount numbers; it has a miles tracker; it lets users download their selected itinerary into an electronic calendar; and its bizAlerts sends you a page indicating your flight's status (as scheduled, delayed or canceled). It also allows users to indicate whether they're most concerned about flight times, low fares or booking with a particular carrier. In March, Biztravel became the first online agency to offer exclusive prenegotiated hotel and airfare air·fare n. Fare for travel by aircraft. Noun 1. airfare - the fare charged for traveling by airplane fare, transportation - the sum charged for riding in a public conveyance discounts. Members get 5%-30% off the regular rate at 8,000 hotels (including Hilton, Westin, Radisson and Sheraton) in 3,000 cities in 140 countries. At this site, airlines such as Air New Zealand Parameter not given Error... ''Template needs its first parameter as beg[in], mid[dle], or end. Parameter not given Error... and SAS (1) (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, www.sas.com) A software company that specializes in data warehousing and decision support software based on the SAS System. Founded in 1976, SAS is one of the world's largest privately held software companies. See SAS System. offer special discounts to Biztravel members. Of the sites, Travelocity.com (www.travelocity.com), however, works more like a travel agency. That's because it uses Sabre, the same reservation system used by agencies. It's also faster now--Travelocity cut the number of screens needed to book a flight from 13 to three. Because it's easy to use, it's Shelton's favorite. "They keep a profile and give me flight options reflecting past travel patterns. It also keeps credit card info on file and displays seat layouts," he says. The service allows users to order by importance--price, time, nonstop HP's brand name for its fault-tolerant servers, which range in size from four CPUs to 4,000 CPUs. The NonStop line was created by Tandem Computers, which was acquired by Compaq, which later became part of HP. and airline preference--before searching for fares. However, the site doesn't always show hotel cancellation policies until after a user has booked. Internet Travel Network (www.itn.net) also displays airplane airplane, aeroplane, or aircraft, heavier-than-air vehicle, mechanically driven and fitted with fixed wings that support it in flight through the dynamic action of the air. seating arrangements seating arrangements npl → distribución fsg de los asientos seating arrangements seat npl → Sitzordnung f seating arrangements on-screen on·screen or on-screen adj. & adv. 1. As shown on a movie, television, or display screen. 2. Within public view; in public. , but highlights include real-time flight tracking and travel agent tie-ins. This provides users with an actual agent to direct their questions to and a "real-life" location to pick up documents. Unfortunately, ITN stores only four frequent-flier numbers and no car or hotel membership account numbers. Microsoft's Expedia Travel (http://expedia.msn.com) will screen for both nonstop and one-way flights, a site perk perk 1 v. perked, perk·ing, perks v.intr. 1. To stick up or jut out: dogs' ears that perk. 2. To carry oneself in a lively and jaunty manner. A limitation, however, is that round-trips are bundled rather than separated into outgoing and incoming flights. Also, the site's car-rental rates tend to be high. Preview Travel (www.previewtravel.com) stands out for its array of vacation packages, which most others don't feature. Its Farefinder lets you search for the best fare for over 30 flights per departure query. And even after a flight itinerary is selected, it'll attempt to find a lower fare. With American Express' online service (www.americanexpress.com), travelers can change an itinerary through any AmEx office or its 800 number. Also, if you find a lower price on a similar vacation within seven days, AmEx will beat it. But there are no discounts for cardholders, and it cannot store credit card numbers from one screen to another. Prices for vacation tours are fixed, and any changes are extra. COMPUTER GLITCHES One drawback DRAWBACK, com. law. An allowance made by the government to merchants on the reexportation of certain imported goods liable to duties, which, in some cases, consists of the whole; in others, of a part of the duties which had been paid upon the importation. to online services is that they generally search only for fares for the exact time and day you plug in. "In the long run, users are getting very little savings. You actually save more with an agent," says Hal Salfen, director of consumer affairs for the International Airline Passengers Association. "Unlike a travel agent, who will check around, these services offer limited options." Bill McCoy, executive editor of Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel magazine (www.frommers.com), which also offers an online list of travel deals, agrees. "It may be cheaper to fly out on a Thursday instead of a Friday, or during the afternoon rather than morning, or [have] a Saturday stay-over. The online service won't consider that," says McCoy. "A good agent will." Some site promotions can be misleading. A few advertise fares "as low as ...," but when you actually sign on, those fares are typically unavailable. Good Morning America Good Morning America is a weekday morning news show that is broadcast on the ABC television network. The show was adapted from The Morning Exchange, a morning show created by and airing on the ABC affiliate in Cleveland, Ohio, and was launched nationally as host Charles Gibson
Charles "Charlie" Dewolf Gibson recently shared on-air an online ticket snafu he experienced. He had his credit card charged three times the amount he thought he was paying. Such mishaps can even happen to online veterans. When booking a Los Angeles-to-Atlanta round-trip, Shelton mistakenly selected a fare nearly $100 more than the lowest available. "I booked one for $375 instead of $279," recalls Shelton, who does not buy full-fare tickets online. "I'm at the premier level in most frequent-flier programs, so I get great service and I'm prone to change these tickets at the last minute." Last-minute changes aren't typically allowed with online travel agencies. "What you book is what you buy," Salfen points out. ONLINE TRAVEL CHECKLIST As with all major purchases, it's best to comparison shop and research before buying. Also, go through your own travel checklist of questions and concerns before you buy: Is the ticket refundable? Can you make changes without incurring additional fees? Are you clear about the exact fare you're paying? Are credit card numbers secure? If you're uncomfortable with punching in Punching in refers to a recording technique used on early multitrack recordings whereby a portion of the performance was overdubbed onto a previously recorded tape, usually overwriting any sound that had previously been on the track used. credit card information, can you phone it in? Is there a contact number, preferably toll-free, to call in case of a problem? Are you able to reach the online service anytime, or are the hours of operation limited? Is the service associated with a nearby travel agent? Can you use your frequent-flier miles to book or upgrade? Will you get a confirmation e-mailed to you? How will your ticket arrive, by express mail or as an e-ticket (electronic ticket)? Are you happy with the airport, both for the departure and the return? DOWNLOADING DEALS According to the Consumer Reports Travel Letter, the only "way to find the best deal online is to sign up for every e-mail notification list and periodically check the top agencies and the airlines you fly most often. Or visit Websites that aggregate fare and rate information," such as Smarter Living (www.smarterliving.com). As a free service to registrants, Smarter Living collates airline specials departing de·part v. de·part·ed, de·part·ing, de·parts v.intr. 1. To go away; leave. 2. To die. 3. from your desired gateway and e-mails a report to you weekly. You then book through the chosen carrier. If you find a great deal, says McCoy, act fast. "Fares can change quickly," he points out. McCoy says the best time to surf for travel is between midnight and 2 a.m. "That's when airlines update their systems and put back discounted seats that were reserved but canceled." RELATED ARTICLE: How online travel agencies measure up
AmEx Biztravel
www.americanexpress.com www.biztravel.com
Speed 3 4
User 3 4
Friendliness
Selection of 3 5
Airline
Carriers
Quality of 3 5
Extra
Options(*)
Expedia Internet Travel Network
http://expedia.msn.com www.itn.net
Speed 3 3
User 3 3
Friendliness
Selection of 3 3
Airline
Carriers
Quality of 3 2
Extra
Options(*)
Preview Travel Travelocity
www.previewtravel.com www.travelocity.com
Speed 3 5
User 3 5
Friendliness
Selection of 3 4
Airline
Carriers
Quality of 2 4
Extra
Options(*)
(*) Extra options include providing destination information, special tracking services, travel tips, etc. Rating: 1-5, 5 being the best RELATED ARTICLE: Additional Online Travel Tips * Get a recommendation from a friend. * Save time by writing down your travel specifications before you go online. * Limit searches to airlines you're most likely to fly. * Instead of plugging in one day and time, compare several itineraries for the best deal. * Pay close attention to computer prompts. * Before plugging in credit card information, carefully read restrictions. * If possible, e-mail questions to the service and wait for a response before you book. * Keep receipts, records and a printed itinerary. Travel with a copy.3 |
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