Dj1986 From Luxembourg, joined Apr 2006, 141 posts, RR: 0 Posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 1489 times:
I was just wondering why the Star Alliance has no Internet page where you could buy tickets/segments of all the airlines and combine them in a single ticket. I know that a combination would in the most cases end in Y, C and F fares but it would be the same in a travel agency. I'm not sure but I wasn't finding a page like that with OneWorld or SkyTeam either.
BHMNONREV From Australia, joined Aug 2003, 1283 posts, RR: 4 Reply 1, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 1476 times:
I have often wondered this myself, because I would love to buy a *A RTW ticket over the internet and pick and choose my own flights, versus having to use a travel agent which at times can be very painstaking...
NZ8800 From New Zealand, joined May 2006, 425 posts, RR: 2 Reply 2, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 1426 times:
Too difficult to do - particularly as the taxes change from country to country; surcharges change from airline to airline - it's a lot more than the base legs and base fares.
For example, Sydney's Kingsford Smith International Airport has a A$4.30 noise tax, which other Australian airports either do not charge or charge different prices for, some countries include departure tax in the ticketing (eg. Australia), others do not, and have different taxes at each airport (eg. New Zealand) and the website would have to be able to advise on all of these things; AND be 100% accurate and always updated.
And not enough demand - most people would prefer to use a travel agent to get everything done, particularly for the more complicated itineraries.
If it's a simple point to point job, it can be done as in some LCCs, and a lot of people do not mind doing a simple o/d return itinerary; but as the Star Alliance fly to 842 airports in 152 countries - that's a massive booking system that would be required! And now with two Chinese airlines coming on board, it will be an even larger system.
SkyTeam and OneWorld, although smaller, have similar problems.
If demand eventually arises - i.e. a lot of people want to dispense with travel agents and take it all upon themselves to organise it - and have no-one but themselves to blame if things go wrong and not being able to claim compensation for it... then maybe it will happen.
Meanwhile, I'm not a travel agent, but there is a reason they're around, and why there are special courses in how to navigate booking systems.
Apart from other things, all those countries have different entry requirements and formalities, which people need advising on - and all that information would also have to be put into the system. Again, a lot of LCCs can do this because they fly to a limited selection of countries OR the vast majority of their passengers (eg in + between Western European countries) have visa-free entry; but for the magnitude of 842 airports with different tax structures, and 152 countries entry formalities - that's enough on its own really to say - by all means use the round world calculator to make a list of the dates and routes you want, but leave the rest to the travel agent, who should also advise on visa regulations.
MDZWTA ~ Mobile Disaster Zone When Travelling Abroad
Dj1986 From Luxembourg, joined Apr 2006, 141 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 3 days 21 hours ago) and read 1348 times:
Quoting BHMNONREV (Reply 1): Meanwhile, I'm not a travel agent, but there is a reason they're around, and why there are special courses in how to navigate booking systems
Don't get me wrong I don't want to take the work from a travel agent. If have not bought one ticket in the internet only via my travel agent but I just like to get informed before I let them do the work. But wouldn't it be possible to combine some "major carriers booking" in the Alliances since their reservation system is somekind of mixed together already anyway?
Nzstevenc From United Kingdom, joined Sep 2005, 82 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 1301 times:
Quoting BHMNONREV (Reply 1): I have often wondered this myself, because I would love to buy a *A RTW ticket over the internet and pick and choose my own flights, versus having to use a travel agent which at times can be very painstaking...
I've done a *A RTW ticket over the phone direct with AC and had an e-ticket issued for the whole itinerary... If you've sorted our your own itinerary with the Mileage Calculator from *A.com then it's as easy as reading it to them over the phone, and they'll phone you back once they've calculated the fare.
They require you to book the tickets with the airline that you'll fly the first leg with - in my case LHR-YYZ meant AC.
AirNZ From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 5, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 1274 times:
Quoting Nzstevenc (Reply 4): I've done a *A RTW ticket over the phone direct with AC and had an e-ticket issued for the whole itinerary... If you've sorted our your own itinerary with the Mileage Calculator from *A.com then it's as easy as reading it to them over the phone, and they'll phone you back once they've calculated the fare.
They require you to book the tickets with the airline that you'll fly the first leg with - in my case LHR-YYZ meant AC.
Believe it or not, but the technology is not yet fully there for airlines, with a few exceptions, to issue e-tickets for sectors operated by other carriers. With regards to ticketing procedures themselves, a ticket must be plated by the first international carrier (even if the actual first carrier is domestic).
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