The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
For the lowest price, it pays to book direct
Comparison websites can be useful tools, but they are not always the best – or most reliable – choice, says Nick Trend
A new report by Which? says that independent travellers will generally get the best prices by going directly to hotels and airlines rather than booking through an online agent.
The research, which largely reflects the advice that Telegraph Travel has been giving for many years, shows that it is not only usually cheaper to book direct, but ensures that you know where the responsibility lies if something goes wrong or if you need to make changes to a booking.
However, Which? did find that price comparison and booking sites were a useful tool for locating a cheap fare or a good value hotel. Nevertheless, and this was especially the case with airfares, booking direct with the supplier very often remained the best option.
The research revealed big differences between the results thrown up by airfare comparison sites. Opodo found the cheapest airfares on 11 out of 30 test enquiries. Google Flights was the next best performer with six, while Kayak and Cheapflights won out on five occasions. Overall, Expedia was the poorest performer, failing to find the cheapest airfare or airline on any occasion, but proving most expensive 16 out of 30 times. Which? says this is probably because it does not offer flights from some budget airlines, including Ryanair and Wizz Air.
Which? also compared the cost of hotel stays across nine different websites, checking whether it was cheaper to secure a stay through a booking site or directly with the hotel. It found that direct booking offered the cheapest price in 15 out of 30 test inquiries. This compares with the best performers among the booking/price comparison sites, Kayak and Trivago, which found the lowest or joint-lowest price on 12 out of 30 occasions. Skyscanner’s hotel comparison function also performed well, finding the lowest price 11 times. Agoda returned the most expensive price on 14 out of 30 occasions, while Expedia and Booking.com were most expensive 13 times.
It’s worth remembering however, that, just as flight comparison sites are useful to give an overall picture of fares to a particular destination, specialist hotel sites are a vital tool in narrowing down the location, cost and availability of accommodation. Once you have found the best option, Naomi Leach, deputy editor of Which? Travel, advised calling a hotel directly. “It will often secure you the best price, or at the very least they’ll throw in a freebie like a bottle of wine or room upgrade,” she said.
KEY BOOKING TIPS z Booking flights and accommodation independently has its attractions, but it also has risks. Packages that include both give you far more legal and financial protection through the Atol scheme (caa.co.uk/atol-protection). Some online agents, including Expedia, offer this protection when you book a flight and hotel at the same time. z When using price comparison sites for flights, be very wary of clicking through to book with a suggested agent. You are better off using them to check your options and then going straight to the airline’s site. Remember too that comparison sites won’t normally show you fares which include checked bags. z Which? did not break down its flight results between long- and short-haul routes (it said it tested a mix of both). But while short-haul fares are easily compared, it is worth remembering that long-haul itineraries can be much more complicated. There are so many options and deals to destinations such as Japan or Australia that they are ill-suited to search-engine algorithms. I would always phone a couple of specialist agents such as Trailfinders, Flight Centre or DialAflight to talk through your options before booking. You will also probably be able to ensure that your booking is Atol protected (see above) if you book through such agents – be sure to check this before you commit.