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Consolidators
If you want to save money flying, especially to
international destinations, you may want to check out consolidator or so called
“bucket shops” in airline business.
Consolidators work like a whole seller. They purchase plane tickets in bulk and
sell it at a lower price than the published fares by airlines. You may find tiny
ads in the travel section of Sunday papers or small ads posted in a storefront
of small markets in different ethnic shops. The main reason airlines allow
consolidating is to fill up the empty seats and at the same time protect the
regular fare prices. For this reason, airlines do not encourage consolidators to
publicize their consolidated fares. Consolidated fares can be quite beneficial
if you are booking at the last minute to international destinations. For
domestic flights, online travel agents or airline websites are more helpful to
find low fare tickets.
If you are thinking about buying from consolidators, be sure to check if the
consolidator you’ll be purchasing the ticket is reliable and a member of a
reputable organization industry. Such organizations are Society of Travel Agents
or the International Airlines Travel Agent Network. Better Business Bureau would
be worth to keep in mind too. Make sure that your consolidators are in good
status before you purchase any tickets. If you are purchasing through a
consolidator, use credit card to make any payments so that in the event you do
not receive your ticket(s), you can file a claim through your credit card
service. If you want to fly more safe and want to fly on a major airline, be
very specific and ask for such when making your reservation. If specific airline
is not mentioned, the consolidators may sell you a ticket on a cheaper charter
flights or even on a flights that has had a poor safety files. Most consolidated
tickets will not give you frequent flier miles. You should also be aware that
consolidated tickets have harsh cancellation penalties. before you buy
consolidator tickets, make sure to check out what your penalty would be if you
cancel.
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