Things
to know about getting discount airline tickets
Consolidator travel – what is it?
One of the best, if not the best, way to get discount
airline tickets is by purchasing consolidator tickets
via your travel agent. These are most likely the
cheapest airfares available whether you plan your
trip a month ahead or if you are seeking a last minute
airfare.
A consolidator airfare come from major airlines
and is usually for international travel.
There is no
real difference between a standard airline ticket
and a consolidator ticket in terms of the feel
of your flight, only consolidator tickets
are most likely
the cheapest and the best discount tickets you
can avail yourself of.
Some people think they can get the cheapest airfares
if they wait for last minute airfares, when “airlines
sell off blocks of unsold seats cheaply to consolidators,
who sell them for whatever they can get". This
is not true. Airlines and agencies don't really work
that way. It is sometimes possible to get discount
airline tickets on very short notice, but you rarely
get a cheaper ticket than if you had planned ahead,
and it may be impossible to get a discount price,
or even to find any available space at all, at the
last minute.
If a plane leaves the gate with any empty seats,
it translates into lost revenue for the airline.
A consolidator must take care of the expense
of the marketing costs of the "cheap seats", that
is why airlines can afford to sell tickets to the
consolidators at such discounted prices.
Using a consolidator travel ticket, you can save
between 10 and 70% or more off the airlines'
published retail airfares. During airfare sales,
you may
be able to get discount airline tickets with
a published
fare, but that is not the normal case, particularly
in spring and summer season.
Consolidator tickets usually do not impose all
the restrictions that airlines have on advanced
purchase
airfares. For example, you can fly into one city
and depart from another. Saturday night stays
are not always required, and your trip can last
for
more than 30 days.
There are a few differences between standard
and consolidator airline tickets which you should
know
about:
1. You will not find the price printed on the
ticket, as most airlines don't want you to
know how cheap
they are willing to sell their tickets!
2. If there are any changes in your travel
plans and wish to change flights or if have
your ticket
endorsed and transferred to use on another
airline, you may not be able to. Most airlines
will not
accept consolidator travel tickets issued on
other airlines,
although if the airline cancels your flight,
they are bound by law to accommodate you to
another flight.
3. Sometimes you won't get frequent flier miles
when flying with consolidator travel tickets
-- policies
vary.
4. When you purchase your consolidator airline
ticket, there is usually no advance purchase
requirement, whereas practically all retail
airfares will require
a 7, 14 or 21 day advance purchase.
5. You cannot purchase a consolidator ticket
direct from an airline, you can only purchase
it via a
travel agency that sells consolidator air tickets.
6. Many consolidator travel tickets can be
cancelled after purchase but before the travel
date. It
may have a stiff penalty though. That's still
better
than the airline's retail airfares, once purchased,
you cannot cancel theirs.
7. Consolidator travel tickets have an entirely
different set of restrictions. There are usually
no advance
purchase requirements, may be refundable with
penalty, usually a different penalty amount
for changes
are a few of the differences.
Most people consider the differences between
a consolidator travel ticket and a retail ticket
a small trade-off
for the savings they enjoy with the consolidator
travel ticket!
Make sure to find out the rules before you
buy your ticket. Consolidator travel tickets
(unlike
many
other discount airline tickets) may be refundable
with a penalty, be sure to ask.
