Travel Agent or Online

I plan to take a 4-day long weekend flight from Taiwan to Bangkok this spring.
I got a good low price to fly on Eva Air, but that’s through an online travel agent.
Should I buy an airfare from a local travel agent, or go online?
Which one of the two is cheaper?

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I always buy direct from airline and deal direct if problems. I am an extremely frequent traveler so comfortable for me.

Check with agent on how, how much, availability to contact them, etc. if you run into a problem before or in the middle of a trip.

Probably better service from chains instead of independent agents.

Agents can be cheaper if package deals with rooms, etc. Agents are also beneficial if group travel like with a large family as they can manage the admin portion easier.

i share tango42’s opinion.

you can save a few bucks booking via online travel agencies but if something were to happen with your flight, you’re basically on your own.
the airline will refer you to your travel agency. you can avoid all the stress talking to mike in bengalaru trying to get him to rearrange your itinerary by just booking directly at the airline.

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What ratanplan said.

Guy

What Guy said.

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Why would you use a travel agent these days?
As a brainlet student I booked a round trip to China with STA and they put me on bloody Etihad or something and bent over for almost 2k

just to be clear. expedia, ebookers, bookmekaputtwhatever, if you book through any travel search engine and are not careful, you basically book through “travel agency”. and when something happens you will be connected to mike in bengalaru.

i have nothing against local travel agencies that provides you with the full package. ( but if they book you on a 5am flight and that gets cancelled, they better be up and running).

what airline and hotel they provide you with to is for you to check.

I might as well book directly online because I saw a cheaper price there than on the online travel agent.

You’ll also be better protected in case things go off course with delays, cancellations, etc.

Good luck!

Guy

I haven’t used a Travel Agent, either On-Line or one with a shopfront for over 20 years. Once the Airlines got into running their own Reservations on-line that was it for me. Likewise Hotels, either the Hotel itself online, or I do use one Agent - Booking.com - but after comparing rates, sometimes the Hotel is cheaper direct.

And a Note about Booking.com - yes they cop some flack, but they helped me out once when a Hotel tried to jack up the price from what I had booked when I arrived. I walked out the door. The Booking was one where you had to cancel a few days before to avoid a fee, but when I wrote to Booking.com when settled in another Hotel, they agreed and said they would tell the Hotel to pull their head in - and they did. Also, it seems with all the cancellations of late due to Covid-19, Booking.com has told all Hotels that non refundable bookings must be refunded - good on them.

EDIT - One thing to be careful about when booking Airline tickets - make sure that the name in your passport and the name in the booking match EXACTLY - I left the second christian name off a Malaysian Airlines booking once and checkin was denied. Had to buy a new ticket on the spot (at a higher fare of course) and they refunded the original.

rule of thumb: the bigger the company, the less likely they are willing to give you a refund. now with this coronavirus, most hotels or airlines are willing to give you a refund or at least rebook you. but those booking portals are stubborn a@f*ck. they are not willing to lift a finger because they know once this is over, the same people who got screwed will still book again on their portals.

Yes, very important to read the T&C to understand what you get and what you don’t. LCC’s in particular - good to have a ‘Plan B’ for when you rock up to checkin and get told “Cancelled, come back tomorrow”. They wont be putting you up in a Hotel in most cases.