• What's elliott?
• About elliott
• Contact us

t o p i c s

• Business
• Commentary
• Destinations
• Help
• Leisure
• Technology
• Vault

s u b s c r i b e

• Elliott's E-Mail, a free weekly newsletter, is your insider resource for moneysaving ideas.




• Read back issues. Like what you see? Now you can become an underwriter.

a l s o

• Referring sites
• Public relations
• Visit Tripso
• Home


s e a r c h

• Find a story.



Copyright Elliott Publishing. All rights reserved. For more information, call (305) 453-4781 or send e-mail to us.

Online Travel, Version 2
US News & World Report · April 18, 2004

Finding an affordable plane ticket or hotel room used to be a no-brainer for Beth Bowers, a software trainer in Cassopolis, Mich. She would click on an all-purpose travel Web site like Expedia or Orbitz and routinely find the lowest rates. But lately she's noticed that the bargains aren't as abundant. "I can find the same prices - and sometimes better ones - when I go directly to the airline or hotel Web sites," she says.

In other words, the rules of online booking have changed. A lot. Last year, about 35 million Americans booked travel reservations on the Internet, according to the consulting firm PhoCusWright. The one-stop sites previously served them well. But hotels and airlines are now looking to reclaim their chunk of the profits discount travel sites like Priceline and Orbitz have been earning. As a result, airline and hotel sites now often get you the best bargains while Expedia, Orbitz, and similar sites have become a better option for package deals.

Hidden perks. For example, nearly every hotel chain now offers a lowest-rate guarantee for guests who book online through their site directly. Other perks such as loyalty points and a flexible cancellation policy also are reserved for those who book with the hotel. Starting in May, the chain of hotels that includes the Ramada and Howard Johnson inns will even offer a free night if you find one of their rooms for less on another site. United Airlines similarly gives customers bonus frequent-flier miles for booking at the airline's site.

Meanwhile, online agencies are improving their services to keep users coming back. Indeed, the big three - Travelocity, Expedia, and Orbitz - offer new technologies that mimic a real travel agent. For example, Expedia's new airfare comparison calendar answers the question "Will I get a better rate if I leave a day earlier?" by giving users a glance at price rates for the month. Even Priceline and Hotwire - sites that focused so exclusively on deep discounts they didn't reveal the specifics until after the purchase - are becoming customer friendly. Both now offer more specific details upfront on some of their travel packages.

Bottom line: Mix it up. No matter where your loyalties lie, in this year of fast online changes, it always pays to shop around.

Christopher Elliott is a travel commentator based in Key Largo, Fla. All e-mailed questions may be edited, condensed or republished at the site's discretion.