How to Purchase Consolidator Airline Tickets.
Many travelers have heard of Airline Consolidators or wholesalers. Purchasing airline tickets through a consolidator can save a traveler lots of money but how do you do find the right one? This Search Monster Article explains how to purchase consolidator airline tickets.
Steps
1) Do your research. There are guides available that can help you sort out the reputable consolidators from the shady ones. Some of the books that I recommend are Air Travels Bargain Basement by Kelly Monaghan, Discount Airfares by George Hobart or Fly Free Stay Cheap by Vicki Mills.
2) Work with a travel professional. A travel agent is still one of the best places to go to find a reputable consolidator. A travel agent is going to have a list of consolidators that they work with on a consistent basis so they can suggest the good ones to work with and who to stay away from. Although they may add a slight mark-up to the ticket, their assistance is worth its weight in gold if you have a problem.
3) Go online. Although many travel sites advertise that they sell wholesale fares, only a few of them actually do. The best ones that I have found are www.airgorilla.com, www.airlineconsolidator.com and my personal favorite www.travelation.com.
Each of these sites have a large selection of consolidator tickets and they handle all of the customer service (on behalf of the consolidator) so you have an advocate to contact if there is a problem.
Tips
Believe it or not, most travel sites (the big 5 included) do not sell consolidator airline tickets. The reason why they do not sell consolidator tickets is because they do not understand how to do the ticketing or provide the customer service to the customer.
Warnings
Purchasing consolidator tickets are riskier than buying published airline tickets. There are more restrictions and penalties involved with purchasing a consolidator ticket. Most consolidator tickets are non-refundable and non-changeable, so make sure that you are not going to change your travel dates after you purchase your airline ticket otherwise you might get stuck with a large penalty to change your travel dates.
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