Booking travel online

Years back there was a certain amount of suspicion of online services, which no longer rings true. It is one of the most popular ways to book travel, often saving time, cutting out the middle man and is easily accessible from your home. There are plenty of deals on offer when booking online too.

Whilst many are comfortable booking and paying for things online, some people are still baffled by the Internet and don’t quite know what they should be looking for.

Flights are among the most popular services to book on the internet, and it’s easy to arrange them as part of a package, or as a flight only deal, on the Internet. Many airlines rely on the fact that internet bookings account for such a high volume of their sales, and also like to encourage people to take up ticketless travel, (where you are given a reference number for your booking by e-mail or online and simply print it off and take it to the check in on arrival). Most of the major airlines have live flight details and you can usually check schedules in advance.

You need to know your rights in the event of misleading websites or companies and ensuring that you get what you pay for. Here is our basic guide to help you through the internet booking process.

The advantages

• It’s quicker and easier to book online with the click of a mouse, unless you have an unreliable or slow Internet connection.

• Most airlines usually offer incentives for cheaper flights if you book online 

•  As with most things relating to holidays, the earlier you book, the more likely you will get a discount, although this has to be balanced with the possibility of cheaper deals if you book at the very last minute. Last minute deals are still available, but they aren’t as widespread as they would have been a few years ago.

• Booking online means that it’s also easy to track prices. The prices can fluctuate daily so you can get a good deal by simply watching the prices on a price comparison website.

The disadvantages - what to look out for

• It can sometimes be hard to find a real bargain when surfing the web, and it can take up your time if you don’t know where to look.

• In some cases, a bargain bucket flight price can be cheap for a reason – there might be long stopovers and flights could be routed through another airport, which may make the journey cheaper but can add hours onto the time it takes to get to your destination.

•  Weigh up whether it’s actually worth doing before going ahead with what seems like an amazingly good deal.

• To get the cheapest prices, you may have to fly late at night/early in the morning and on certain days of the week. For example, weekend flights are likely to be more expensive than, say, flights on Tuesdays.

•  Take into account spending on getting to the airport. Add the cost of getting there and back again, or airport parking, to the fare to work out whether your cheapest option is going to cost you more overall than the next best price.

•  Not all websites include taxes and charges in the costs when you start your booking process so make sure you check before you get to the end or you could be in for a shock!

Know your rights

• If you buy a holiday online from a company that’s based in the UK, you have the same rights as you do when you buy any goods and services from a shop or catalogue. So anything you buy should be: satisfactory quality, as it’s described, and fit for any particular purpose that you have made known to the seller (travel agent).

• If you book holidays, flights or hotels through an online travel agent, you make a contract with the tour operator, and they are responsible in law for making sure that what you've bought is as it should be, and as it has been described. If you buy a holiday that’s sold as a ‘peaceful retreat’ and end up on a holiday park surrounded by children, you could legitimately ask for compensation for misrepresenting the trip on their website.

• Although you pay the travel agent, in law they are considered to be acting on behalf of the tour operator, although they are obliged to make sure that the booking is made correctly (which should be easier online anyway.)

• See the Trade Description Act 1968 for further clarification

Choosing a website

There are so many travel websites that it can be hard to know whether the one you're looking at is reputable. It pays to shop around when you’re booking a holiday, so compare what’s available on different websites, as well as the different prices before you make a decision.

When it comes to flights - look for the following aspects on a travel website:

• A rundown of exactly what is - and isn’t - included in the price
• A layout out all the taxes and charges that apply
• Competitive price quotes
• Discounts for booking online
• Well defined terms and conditions
• Options and prices for flights on other days
• Information on your luggage allowance
• Offers the option for paperless tickets, online check in and free delivery
• A secure booking page to protect your details
• Information on additional fees for card payments
• Frequently asked questions and company information/contact details.

For holidays, hotels and packages - look for an approved logo when booking a holiday online so you can be confident of fair treatment if things go wrong. Choose travel agents and tour operators who belong to a trade association that has a code of practice. Look for ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) or AITO (Association of Independent Tour Operators) for complete peace of mind.

It helps to try to be flexible with your dates, as well as the preferred location and accommodation. You can narrow your choices down later on but start as wide as possible and you won’t rule out excellent deals straight away.

It’s absolutely essential to check the terms and conditions of your booking before you commit yourself to anything online - and keep hard copies of all confirmations and other documentation. It may be wise to make a folder of all your holiday information, transactions, emails or receipts so it is quick to hand.

You should receive a confirmation e-mail or notification after you’ve booked online. Check this very carefully because it’s your proof of contract and should give you the full details of what you just booked. It should give you details of the flight and other journeys, the accommodation you’ll be staying in, and any special requests. If you spot anything wrong, sort it out at this stage, don’t wait until later to query anything you’re not sure of.

Remember that the Internet is a place that can be extraordinarily useful, and you can find some great bargains, but because it’s easy too choose a holiday online, doesn’t mean you don’t have to be careful! Shop around and you can get a fantastic deal...just be flexible and be aware - and if in any doubt, don’t!