Why ‘CHEAP’ that FLIGHT is probably too good to be true

Searching for a bargain flight online? Beware the booking websites that have endless hidden extras, hike the price at the last minute and leave you high and dry if things go wrong...

FOR many, comparison websites and online travel agents are the go-to place to find cheap flights. The sites claim to compare the prices of hundreds of airlines based on your destination and dates in order to offer you the best deals.

More holidaymakers are putting their trust in websites such as Skyscanner, TravelSupermarket, Momondo and Kayak, to find bargain fares.

You can book with airlines directly, but many are now offering flights from a whole host of ‘middle-men’ at lower prices. These firms, which are often based abroad, take your money then secure the seats with the airline — if they are still available.

But experts warn that booking sites often fail to make it clear whom you are booking with — and where to complain when things go wrong.

Prices can also go up before and after you have paid, and you may lose vital protections you get from booking direct.

Today Money Mail reveals the tricks used by flight comparison sites that could stop you getting the best deal. YOU MUST BOOK IN 10 MINUTES MANY websites use pressure tactics to hurry customers into handing over their card details. Some claim that flights are in limited supply and you will miss out if you do not book there and then.

When Money Mail looked at flights from London to Malaga in May, one site, Opodo, flashed up warnings in red that read ‘last flight’ and ‘only five tickets left’.

Another, called eDreams, claimed there were ‘just nine seats left’ on a flight from Manchester to New York in May.

Booking sites have a certain number of tickets at a set price they can sell on.

So while that website may only have a few fares left, there may be more seats available at other prices or if you booked direct with the airline.

Opodo and eDreams say that the ticket availability warnings are accurate for the fare selected — but does not represent the full plane availability. This means that while you may not get that advertised fare, you should still be able to get a seat on the flight even if you wait.

After selecting a flight from the results page, some websites then also try to rush customers into completing their booking. eDreams, for example, warns customers that they have just ten minutes to fill in their details.

If they wait any longer the screen will refresh which means prices could change.

Momondo says its flights must be paid for within 20 minutes and shows a countdown clock after which prices may reset.

TravelSupermarket tells its customers they are unlikely to find a better deal by waiting. When searching for flights from London to Malaga in May, a white box appeared on our screen which read: ‘Our advice: Buy now. Prices are unlikely to decrease within seven days’. Kayak, which manages TravelSupermarket, says its advice is based on past and current prices, but admits it is not guaranteed that prices won’t fall.

Last year watchdog the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) warned hotel booking websites against similar pressure selling.

Momondo, also run by Kayak, says it does not consider the countdown clock pressure selling with flight searches, as the deals are very short lived. THE TOP DEALS CAN COST MORE MANY holidaymakers believe the flight that appears at the top of the results list is the cheapest. But some airlines pay sites a commission to be promoted as the best option even if there are better deals available.

TravelSupermarket, for example, does not automatically list deals in order of price. For example, when we searched for London to Malaga flights, the top result was a sponsored deal from Jet2 costing £160. Underneath was an option costing just £82 with rival site Kayak and a £150 deal with BA.

Yet the lowest price available was just £78, also with Kayak. If you want to view the results in order of price you need to click a drop-down box then select ‘cheapest’.

Opodo puts its ‘best’ and ‘genius deals’ first. You need to click the ‘cheapest’ options at the top of the results page to sort by price.

It says it provides a recommendation based on many factors including travel time, stopovers and luggage allowance. Kayak also presents its ‘ best flights’ first. The top result for flights from Birmingham to Dubai in May was £349 from Emirates. The second deal on the list cost £334 with two different airlines.

Kayak says it decides what flights to recommend based on duration, price, number of stops and airline, and adds that firms do not pay for this spot. The Emirates flight was considered ‘best’ because it was several hours quicker but only 5 pc more expensive than other flights, a spokesman said. HIDDEN FEES FOR TAKING A BAG IT CAN be frustrating to find that cheap fares often only include a seat on a plane.

So if you need to check in a bag or want to guarantee that your family sits together, the total cost can jump significantly. This can make it very difficult to compare like-forlike deals. Even more confusingly, fees and charges can vary dramatically depending on which firm you use to book your flights. For example, if you search using Skyscanner for flights from Manchester to New York in May the cheapest option is £325 with Netflights on Virgin. With Travel Trolley you will pay £326.

However, if you want to add a bag Netflights will charge £88, whereas Travel Trolley adds £70.

It means that overall it works out £17 cheaper to book with Travel Trolley at £396 compared to £413 with Netflights. These differing costs apply to the same airline. Netflights says the costs are pulled directly from the airline and driven by a number of variable factors over which it has no control. Comparison site Kayak is one of the few that allows you to filter results depending on extras.

Even if you book directly, most major airlines, including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, charge extra to check in bags on flights — even long-haul. FARES CAN RISE AFTER YOU BOOK THE fare advertised by online booking and comparison sites is rarely guaranteed. So when you come to pay, you may find the cost suddenly soars.

For example, when consumer group Which? searched for a return flight from London to San Francisco in May it found a deal for £399 with Gotogate on Momondo.

But after clicking through to its

website the price rose to £476. Momondo says it receives prices rom third-party providers, which an change depending on availabilty. But it says it will investigate. Rory Boland, of Which? Travel, ays this example is not unique as he regularly sees firms advertising heap prices that are not available. He says: ‘It is a complete waste of ustomers’ time. ‘ Flight comparison sites are upposed to make it easier, not harder to get a good deal.’ Some firms could try to charge ou more after you have paid. For xample, if you book with Gotoate or Mytrip, their websites say: Prices for the flight, as well as seat vailability, are directly inserted by he applicable airline. For airline rice changes outside our control ccurring after submission of the ooking request, but before the contract with the airline has become binding, the contract will not enter into force and your payment will be refunded in full. We may contact you and offer you the option to accept the changed price during ordinary opening hours.’

It means that even after you pay and are sent a confirmation email, your fare is not guaranteed until you get a second email with your ticket details and seat number.

CUSTOMER SERVICE COSTS MORE

IT uSed to be the case that when you searched for flights on comparison sites such as Skyscanner and TravelSupermarket, you were offered a list of options you could book direct with airlines. Now you are typically presented with dozens of deals with new and unknown firms that are often based outside of the uK.

Martyn James, from complaints site Resolver, says many flight and holiday comparison sites are part of the same group. For example Gotogate and Mytrip, which appear on all major comparison sites, are both owned by etraveli Group.

Both firms are often seen to be offering the cheapest prices. Comparison sites edreams and Opodo are part of edreams OdIGeO. Momondo and TravelSupermarket are run by Kayak. But with sites selling the same seats at different prices at different times it is impossible for customers to get the best deal, adds Mr James.

One of the largest sites, expedia, belongs to the expedia Group, which includes holiday search sites such as eBookers, CheapTickets, Travelocity and Hotwire, as well as hotel comparison sites Trivago and Hotels.com, and car rental firms.

Mr James says the risk is that brands under the same umbrella group could push their own services across a number of websites with no transparency.

A quick online search reveals a plethora of complaints about lesser-known websites.

On review site Trustpilot, Gotogate gets a one star rating. Customers report how refunds fail to appear and flights are changed or cancelled without explanation.

expedia also has a one star rating. Customers say it is difficult to get their money back and described responses to complaints as slow. expedia says it takes customer feedback seriously.

Some companies were even found to be charging for customer service or ‘support packages’.

Gotogate, for example, offers a choice of basic, premium or platinum levels of support. The premium package costs £19.80 and entitles customers to a ‘quick response time’ to queries.

The platinum deal costs £39.80 and means you will be able to get ‘a quick refund’ if you need one.

Wedoflights was rated two stars with numerous complaints about a £25 ‘after sales service’ which you must pay if you need to speak to a member of staff.

The company claims the bad reviews are misleading and made by ‘unreasonable’ customers who make mistakes during the booking process and cannot accept that they must abide by the airline’s terms and conditions.

NO RIGHT TO A REFUND

IF YOu use your credit card to book flights over £100 you are covered by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act and can get your money back if things go wrong.

But this only works if you buy direct from the seller — the airline in this case. There must be a direct link between you, your credit card provider and the firm providing goods or services. So if you book tickets through a third party you may lose this extra protection.

It may also work out cheaper to book direct with the airline rather than through a comparison site.

For example, the cheapest return tickets from Birmingham to Faro, Portugal, found on Opodo cost £99.85 from Ryanair.

When we checked the same flights on Ryanair’s website we found them for £94.37.

Booking direct means you also know who to complain to when things go wrong.

Mr James says it gets confusing when multiple firms are involved. Many of the ‘middle-men’ are not based in the uK and can be difficult to contact.

Travel expert Frank Brehany says these firms may appear to be travel agents, but are not. He says: ‘They are merely facilitators and have little or no responsibility to you.’

Complaints should be directed to whoever took the money. Or, if you have a complaint about the initial pricing shown on the comparison site, you should raise a complaint with that firm.

The Civil Aviation Authority says it has already taken action against a number of businesses for breaches of the Consumer Protection from unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

This includes in relation to misleading practices and hidden charges.

A spokesman says: ‘ We are determined that consumers should be able to make informed choices based on access to clear and concise information provided by airlines, tour operators and travel agents.’