Online Ticketing Doesn’T Have To Evoke Eeeeeee-Mail Screams From The Buyer

Second of two parts

There’s a lot of talk about using the Web to turn yourself into a “travel agent.” In my view, you don’t become a travel agent by buying plane tickets online any more than you become a bookstore by running up your credit card at Amazon.com, a foreign car dealership by buying accessories though Toyota.com, or a doctor by placing an order with freezingcoldmedicalprobes.com.

Perhaps “virtual travel agent” is a more appropriate term. And there are a lot of you out there. Online bookings raked in $7.8 billion last year.

It’s easy to understand the attraction of Internet travel research and booking. Especially for those who don’t have time during the workday to wait on hold for travel agents, want to avoid browsing during “peak periods” (loosely defined as “when all the 15-years-olds are downloading porn”) and don’t mind booking tickets in their pajamas at 2 a.m.

In Part I last week, I discussed finding bargains on the Web (and off). This week, I wanted to explain how to complete the e-transaction. I wondered if fellow surfers might have some tips, so I asked them in an America Online chat room (actual conversation, screen names have been altered slightly).

Douglansky: Any advice on securing a plane ticket online?

Orbite: hi buc

Prit: just got back from a cruise

Hamj: Have a brand new one just at the foot of the hill

F16Pil: Hey Orbit

Garnet: really Prit?

PenInSa: it is east of the usa in the middle of the Atlantic … all I know, garn

Garnet: lol thanks Pen

Hamj: I have been there Garn, was on a cruise but it is beautiful.

Garnet: ham whats with the dress code?

Hamj: Very casual

Garnet: I heard that they had rules Although this exchange summed up online booking transactions quite succinctly, I do feel compelled to add a few small points:

Once you’ve located the ticket you want, consider buying it directly from the airline’s Web site. They control the inventory. They run the prices. They offer special incentives. These days, you can earn bonus points for just about everything short of contributing unwanted body hair, so it’s at least worth linking to their site for a peek.

Many sites give you an impressive array of choices regarding your flight. With the click of a mouse, you can chose departure times, seat preferences, even special meals. Next, I imagine you’ll be able to request your flight attendant (brunette, doesn’t ram your elbow with the drink cart, collects your dinner tray within 15 minutes of finishing) and pilot (graying hair, good posture, hasn’t crashed yet).

Online booking may seem abstract, but once you punch in your credit card number the transaction becomes very real. So be careful about how far you go (definitely not past third base) when juggling fares, especially if the site already has your credit card details pre-programmed. Or as Dr. Seuss might say, look before you book, but don’t get hooked booking the look.

Also, make sure you have a secure connection. Look for a little padlock on the Status Bar and a URL that starts with “https://” (The “s” is presumably for “secure” - or “sucker” - depending on your view of giving out sensitive information over the Internet.).

If you hesitate to hand over your credit card number without hearing a human voice, you can still take advantage of any online bargains you find. Most e-agencies have phone numbers for this very reason. Even if you don’t use the phone to book your ticket, write down the emergency support phone numbers and take them along on your trip. Internet links won’t help much at the airport in Dublin if a problem arises.

You can get regular tickets issued and mailed to you once your credit card clears, but purchasing them online doesn’t make them e-tickets, per se. An e-ticket simply means it’s “paperless”; it can be booked by phone reservation, with a travel agent or online. You simply have to request an e-ticket.

When you book an e-ticket, don’t forget to record your ticket number. Look for it on the confirmation itinerary and have it handy when you get to the airport. It is, in fact, possible to “lose” an e-ticket. That is, if you show up at the gate without your confirmation number, getting on board might be a hassle, even with ID. This is a frustrating way to start your first online-booked vacation, no matter how much money you were able to save.

Complicated flight bookings are, well, complicated. Say you want to start in Miami, fly to Paris, book your wife on to Rome, and your children to Afghanistan, while you go to Madrid. Then you plan to meet up the following day in Athens for a weekend trip to Tokyo. It’s certainly possible to do all the booking yourself, but you might want to enlist the help of a travel agent. (If you have a flight schedule like this, you might want to consider getting your own jet.)

Online travel sites are providing more and more useful information (from guidebooks to travel writing), but the benefits of sitting face to face with a knowledgeable travel agent can be worth the few extra bucks you might save booking online. An agent can make intelligent recommendations, point you toward inexpensive hotels and you won’t get cut off just because someone else picks up a phone while you’re checking your e-mail.