Frustrated by online booking

11 years ago

I spent almost two hours this morning trying to book airline tickets through Virgin America. It was sooo frustrating. Much of the fault was mine but not all. I didn't have my friends info (address, birthdate) so was on the phone with her and trying to book at the same time. Timed out several times and when I finally thought I was finished with booking the first leg of the trip and finished booking the second leg realized I hadn't gotten a confirmation for the first leg! Somehow it hadn't gone through and I had to redo it and in that short span of time the price had gone up. All in all we got great prices so Im happy but still a little aggravated. We are going in April from Maryland to San Fran to pick up a tour with Caravan tours. We will end in Los Angeles and fly home from there. Whew-Im tired. Satine

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Comments (7)

sjerin
11 years ago
Oh dear. Are you sure that first attempt didn't go through? Sometimes a confirmation email doesn't come for days, or at all. Give them a call and make sure you're not paying twice for the first leg. Generally, if I have to sign in again while making reservations, I clear history and cache in FF so their computer doesn't up my price. They (all airlines,) have tricky programs now that have the price fluctuate often, depending on this and that. I'm sorry you had a tough time, Satine. We are used to making reservations now but I still feel stressed out every time we do it! I hope you and your friend will have a wonderful trip with lots of fun memories.
chisue
11 years ago
I can commiserate. I don't know how many total hours I've spent online, on the phone, waiting on hold on the phone, etc. trying to book next year's outbound flight from Chicago to Maui on AA.

I always pay the extra fee to book over the phone. It's only about two percent of the fare. I want a representative to confirm the cost to buy coach, confirm availability of an upgrade-able seat, confirm the specific seat assignment, send me the email spelling it all out.

Rates were changing as *I* was looking, and also when the representative was booking our seats. I get to go through it all over again in April, booking our March return.

Have a great trip!
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satine_gw
Original Author
11 years ago
I have booked some things on line before and Im sure I will again but paying that little bit extra for an agent might just be worth it. Im sure the first booking didn't go through but as I said we got a good price so Im ok. Has anyone traveled with Caravan? I wish I was a bit more adventurous and traveled more but I don't want to go alone and my "travel" friend has been everyplace at least once so some places are out. I on the other hand would love to travel the US and see all of the states. Have a good day. Satine
azzalea
11 years ago
So what was the attraction of booking online--if you don't mind my asking?

DD and I booked our trip to Arizona through a travel agent. We'd researched online first, knew the flights/prices, etc. Booking with an agent, I got to sit there, comfortably for 20 minutes while she did the work, and printed out all my paperwork. That's all it took. Her price was comparable (within $8) of the online price, and the charge for her services was only $25. But guess what? When the bill came through on my charge card? The price was $30 LESS per person--so we actually came out way, way ahead (that price was way less than I've seen anywhere on line).

So what benefit do you get from online booking that I'm missing?
LuAnn_in_PA
11 years ago
We also use travel agent!
No sense ME wading through online sites for the best price....
satine_gw
Original Author
11 years ago
Amen! I have no idea why we did this online. I guess because my travel partner always feels like she pays more by booking by phone because she doesn't use a computer. I know now that using an agent is well worth the fee and I will certainly do it that way from now on. I guess as long as you do some investigating into prices etc you'll have a good idea if the agent is in the ballpark. Thanks for listening to me vent and also for the good advise. Satine
chessey24
11 years ago
Travel agents often don't charge you - they're get a commission but not out of your pocket.