A new report from Which? He says independent travelers will often get the best rates by going directly to hotels and airlines rather than booking through an online agent.
The research, which largely reflects advice from Telegraph Travel over many years, shows that not only is it often cheaper to book direct, but it also lets you know where the responsibility lies if something goes wrong or you need to make changes. to a reservation.
But Which? We have discovered that price comparison and booking sites are a useful tool for finding cheap tickets or affordable hotels. However, this was especially the case with airline tickets; Booking directly from the supplier has often remained the best option.
The research revealed large differences between the results offered by comparison sites for flight tickets. Opodo found the cheapest flights in 11 of 30 test queries. Google Flights was the second best performer six times, while Kayak and Cheapflights came in first five times. Overall, Expedia was the worst performer; In no case did it find the cheapest flight ticket or airline, but on 16 out of 30 trips it proved to be the most expensive. Which? He says this is probably because it doesn’t offer flights from some budget airlines, including Ryanair and Wizz Air.
Which? It also compared the cost of hotel stays on nine different websites to check whether it was cheaper to secure the stay through a booking site or directly with the hotel. It found that direct booking offered the cheapest price in 15 of 30 test inquiries. This compares with the best performers among booking/price comparison sites Kayak and Trivago, which found the lowest or common lowest price on 12 out of 30 occasions. Skyscanner’s hotel comparison function also performed well, finding the lowest price 11 times. In 14 out of 30 cases, agoda offered the most expensive price, while 13 times Expedia and Booking.com showed the most expensive prices.
However, it’s worth remembering that just as flight comparison sites are useful for giving an overall picture of flights and fares to a particular destination, specialist hotel sites are a vital tool in narrowing down the location, cost and availability of accommodation. Once you’ve found the best option, Naomi Leach, deputy editor of Which? Travel recommended calling a hotel directly. “This usually guarantees you the best price, or at least they’ll give you a free gift like a bottle of wine or a room upgrade,” she said.
In addition to testing fares and hotel prices, Which? it also researched its members’ experiences of using both comparison sites and booking sites. This has produced some counterintuitive results, where some companies that perform poorly when it comes to finding cheap tickets perform well when it comes to customer service, and vice versa. Among flight booking sites, Expedia had the highest total customer score at 70 percent. Respondents gave the site three stars for its value for money, ease of finding flexible fares, transparency of fees and site functionality.
By contrast, Opodo was the lowest-ranked flight booking site in the survey, with a customer score of just 28 percent and a one-star rating for customer service; Difficulties reaching customer service representatives were a frequent complaint. One respondent said the site offered “zero customer service”.
Among hotel booking sites, Booking.com performed best with a customer score of 73 percent. Google Flights ranked first on price comparison sites with a score of 64 percent. Respondents gave the site four stars for functionality; this was the highest score among comparison sites rated in the survey.
Telegraph Travel’s top booking tips
Packages provide greater protection
Booking flights and accommodation independently has its appeal, but it also has its risks. Packages that include both give you even more legal and financial protection through the Atol plan (caa.co.uk/atol-protection). Some online agencies, including Expedia, offer this protection when you book both flights and hotels at the same time.
Be careful when clicking
When using price comparison sites for flights, be very careful about clicking to book with a recommended agency. You’re better off using these to check your options and then going directly to the airline’s site. Also note that comparison sites will not normally show you fares that include checked bags.
Get expert advice for long-haul flights
Which? It didn’t detail flying results between long- and short-haul routes (it said it tested a mix of both). But while short-distance fares are easy to compare, it’s worth remembering that long-distance itineraries can be much more complicated. For example, there are so many different options and opportunities for destinations like Japan or Australia that they are not suitable for search engine algorithms.
I would always call a few specialist agencies like Trailfinders, Flight Center or DialAflight to talk through your options before booking. Additionally, if you book through such agencies you can probably also be assured that your booking is Atol protected (see above); Be sure to check this point specifically before committing.