Consolidator airfare is known to be cheaper than the ticket prices at the airlines. Consolidators are ticket brokers that negotiate good prices with the airlines for buying in bulk. Then they sell the tickets to travelers at discounted prices. It may seem far-fetched, but it sometimes happens that consolidator airfare is 70% lower than the prices published with the airline. Only companies with excellent selling records and good business history can become travel consolidators.
For people who don't have time to search for consolidator airfare themselves, working with a travel professional represents a very good option. Travel agencies have solid business contracts with reputable consolidators. They know who is reliable and who isn't in their business. Travel agencies add a slight mark-up to the ticket, but the price will still be much lower than anywhere else. Another advantage of working with a travel agency is that you have a contact person in case of flight cancellations or delays.
Is consolidator airfare available online too? Yes, it is, but you need to be very careful with the online offers. Lots of travel websites advertise that they sell wholesale air tickets, but they seldom do. What most online travel services provide is a list of consolidator tickets, from various companies. They are intermediary platforms for sales. Even if you buy from an online travel consolidator, you should not make the purchase unless you also have the possibility to contact the company off the Internet.
The flexibility of the travel dates, the type of travel (domestic or international), frequent flier mileage, age group discounts, early ticket reservations or last minute purchases are example of factors that reduce airlines and consolidator airfare in a similar way. The frequency of air trips also matters to receive serious discounts particularly if you fly on the same route and with the same airline. Yet, we should also add seasonality, weather and the market trend to the list of more objective factors influencing the evolution of airfare worldwide.
To sum up, consolidator airfare is incredibly advantageous provided that you work through a reliable travel agent or you run thorough research yourself. Some people prefer to receive regular airfare alerts in order to be able to track the evolution of prices and actually identify the best time to get consolidator airfare. There are lots of variables to take into consideration, hence, sometimes it's a matter of luck whether you have access to discounted plane tickets or not.
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