Consolidators: Can You Get A Fare Deal?

The tipping point for whether it makes sense to purchase a consolidator ticket can be the amount of money saved, the traveler's time frame (those who are going for extended stays overseas may need an unrestricted fare) and the supply-demand situation on the route they're traveling.

The Competition

It's no longer true that you're guaranteed a cheaper fare through a consolidator. Airfare wars, discount airlines and consumers who are turning more and more to the Internet to buy their tickets are nipping away at the once-secure industry.

Legacy airlines and regional carriers are offering more Web-only discount fares, which are often cheaper than consolidator fares. Cathay Pacific, for example, publishes a "deal of the month" to places such as Bangkok and Hong Kong that is almost always cheaper than the consolidator rate. International discount airlines that sell cheap transatlantic flights -- such as Eurofly to Bologna, Italy; Ryan Air to Ireland; and Israir to Tel Aviv, Israel -- are starting to pop up. And discount airlines that operate overseas -- such as EasyJet and Air Berlin in Europe, and Gol Air in Brazil -- are allowing enterprising consumers to book the cheapest fare to any city within a country or even a continent and then hop on a discount flight to their destination.

"It's a tougher market, with a lesser role for generic consolidators," said Hugo Burge, president of Cheapflights.com, a Web site that displays both published fares and consolidator fares. "You have to specialize more."

But perhaps the biggest challenge -- and some believe the biggest opportunity -- facing the future of consolidator fares is the Internet. More than 30 percent of airline tickets in the United States are sold via the Web, and surveys show that that number will only increase. Fewer travelers are calling their travel agent to buy a plane ticket.

Fernando S. Virgolino, past president of the USACA and vice president and general manager of major consolidator Skylink, noted that consumers are looking to "bypass the middleman," adding that they increasingly want to buy their tickets directly online. "Within six months, you might see Skylink offer a consumer product."

Internet Connection

Meanwhile, consolidators have started making inroads into the online world. Some, such as O'Connor's Fairways Travel ( http://www.oconnors.com/ ), which specializes in Ireland, and American Travel Abroad ( http://www.amta.com/ ), which focuses on Eastern Europe, allow consumers to book directly through their Web sites and also work with well-known Web sites, such as Cheapflights.com. But the largest consolidators still don't deal directly with the public, have limited Internet presence and work with many travel agents who don't sell the tickets online.

With so few of the major players offering a retail Internet site, there is a bit of a Wild West atmosphere on the Web, with new sites purporting to be consolidators popping up each day. Google the term "air consolidator" and you'll come up with several thousand hits. A few sites that sell consolidator fares to the public, such as 1800FlyEurope.com, Airgorilla.com, Airlineconsolidator.com and Flights.com, are building online reputations, but they lack the deep pockets of major airlines and online booking giants. Some of the sites are quirky and difficult to maneuver. Most initially quote prices that don't include taxes, which can add $200 or more to the total price.

It's common to go through the entire booking procedure only to be told that the price is no longer available or that you have to call to book. Also, because many airlines prohibit consolidators from naming them, quotes often say only "major U.S. carrier." Burge noted that an astute consumer will be able to figure out the airline by noting the flight times, but time-consuming research is necessary to figure that out. Bottom line: There is no online site that does an excellent job of selling consolidator fares across the globe.

For now, working on the telephone through a local travel agent whom you locate through word-of-mouth or through a professional organization such as the American Society of Travel Agents ( http://www.travelsense.org/ ) remains the best way of getting a consolidator fare.

"The media has been taken in by the myth that once you log on to the Internet, you have entered some magical realm where you're guaranteed the best price," author Monaghan said. "You may get the best price, you may not."