Air Travel Consolidators: Are They A Better Choice?

Consolidators or wholesalers are companies that buy airline tickets at very low prices in bulk and then sell them off to public at a discount rate than the original price set by the airline. They are the cheaper means to buy airline tickets from, because even after they have deducted their profit on the tickets, they are still cheaper for normal people like us. You must be wondering why airlines sell tickets at low prices. Actually, not all flights are booked seat-to-seat by the passengers. Because of this reason the airlines or air travel agencies have to sell tickets in order to make a full flight. And of course everyone involved in this game makes a profit this way.

You might have heard of brick & mortar travels or B&M Travels as they are commonly called. They are the offline consolidators specializing in providing cheap airfare to their customers whenever the demand for a certain flight grows. Online consolidators are also available and they are becoming increasingly popular these days. They are called online travel consolidators. Many websites that you will encounter while searching for cheap airfare are of these consolidators or air travel agencies. They are there to help you out in finding the cheapest flight, whether its national or international, and they also advise you on choosing the right time for booking these flights.

Consolidators in the field of international air travel are the most helpful and useful source of saving a lot of money on airfare. Of course people are always looking for these consolidators or online cheap travel agencies to benefit from the services they have to offer. However, there are some points you should keep in mind before booking with one of these agencies. First of all, keep your options open. Consolidators all around the world offer different discount rates. Sometimes, you save only 10% and at other times, if you are lucky, you can even save up to 70% on your airfare! But it needs a little research and careful investigation before you can find such a consolidator. Furthermore, it also depends on the time of your flight and some other considerations including the destination location and the popularity of an airline.

Secondly, check the price of the airline ticket offered by your consolidator and see if it is inclusive of tax and other fees. Sometimes these companies list only the ticket cost and exclude taxes until the time of payment. This way they can advertise themselves quite cleverly, but do not fall in their trap. Check with other companies and compare their prices. Some websites let you compare prices only through a few clicks and a little information you provide. If possible, wait for a whole season and then see if the ticket rates have reduced. Then book yourself in advance to enjoy affordable and cheap airfare when the time is ripe.

You can tell the agent about the frequent flier program if you are enrolled into one. The consolidator will see if they find a matched price on one of the flights and will book you on it. If time is not of importance then tell your consolidator how flexible your dates are. They can find a good flight for you at the lowest possible price on a weekday or when there is little rush. This way you can travel safer and cheaper. Last but not the least, always check and double check you name and date of the flight and reservation after you have been handed over the ticket by your consolidator. Like every other business, there are traitors and dishonest persons out there so you need to keep an eye open.

Follow these steps and you will find a good consolidator very soon whether you are planning to fly national or international. Here are some consolidator websites to help you start your search from: Travelocity (travelocity.com), Hotwire (hotwire.com), Expedia (expedia.com), Cheap Travel (cheaptravel.com), and Airfare Choice (airfarechoice.com). However, do not rely on just these sites, as already said, keep your options open and keep looking for better and more reliable websites and consolidators to fly cheaper on your next trip.
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By: George Wood

George Wood is an accomplished author who has published a variety of fascinating articles about airfares & travel on a shoestring budget. Check out his airfare website that the airlines DON'T want you to see. Stop the big airline companies from fleecing you of your hard earned money, and discover cheap travel cheapest airfares to wherever your imagination takes you!

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Koh Samui Airport

On the small tropical island of Koh Samui off the eastern seaboard of Thailand there exists what has got to be the quaintest little airport on the planet.

Why is that? Well, for starters every building on the airport complex is entirely thatched over with palm leaves and not many airports can claim that can they? In the main public areas the exterior walls have wide-open sides for the ocean breezes to waft through keeping it at a nice cool temperature. The smiling staff who work there are ever-helpful and polite and greet every new-comer as though they have just come from outer space which to those on this remote island is exactly how it must feel to them. Its the opposite when you leave because the islanders really hate to see people depart from their island, they figure: having spent ALL that money to get there why would anyone want to leave? And it makes you wonder who really is nuts - the smiling islanders or the grinning farang!

When they gently direct you to Terminal One with pride in their hearts you really have to chuckle because of course its the only terminal they have! There are no gate numbers to rush to, as all passengers arrive and depart courtesy of a clean and modern air-conditioned shuttle bus, which covers the distance from the plane to the main building or vice-versa in about two minutes flat. There is no carousel except the one going around in your head. There are no loudspeakers and no information screens. Just people cheerfully carrying out their tasks with absolutely no hustle or bustle on their minds. Time has almost stopped still.

There is only one single arrow-straight runway to handle both incoming and outgoing planes, which total no more than about twenty flights per day between 6.30 am when the airport opens for business at sunrise and when it closes at sunset exactly twelve hours later.

Playing the ace green card, Bangkok Airways, who built and own the airport (International Airport Code - USM) have attempted a truly unique experiment and one of which they can be proud. The actual buildings, which were finished in 1984, are not only pleasing to the eye but work hand-in-glove with the islands natural environment. It is, in itself, a compelling advert for greenness in all its forms. The vast Bangkok Airport (BKK) may be the newest and flashiest airport in the world but Ive never seen anyone standing around taking hundreds of photos of it like they do of Samui Airport. This airport almost seems to be smiling at you wanting its photo taken. And for sure no other airport replaces its roof with fresh palm leaves every two or three years like they do here. The fact is, once upon a time, little Samui was the worlds largest exporter of coconuts and palm trees are one commodity they still have plenty of. Its what they have used for centuries on the roofs of their villas and bungalows and the ubiquitous salas that abound everywhere so they figure; why stop there? Why indeed?

As the plane starts its gradual descent approach towards the narrow jutting peninsula on the northeast sector of the island you will now get a fantastic birds eye view of Samui and all the other outlying islands. Youll see the surf breaking on the beaches and trace the wakes of small fishing craft as they criss-cross the incredibly green-blue turquoise sea. Then as you get closer you can make out the coral reefs growing beneath the dappling clear water. And if you look harder still you might even see a pod of dolphins jumping and dodging around the fishing craft waiting for the friendly fishermen to throw them a morsel. Phew, what a sight for sore eyes!

Frankly, the whole experience is just too much for the human soul to contemplate and you really cannot wait to land to check that it really wasnt a figment of your imagination. Maybe the airport workers are not that wrong because it certainly feels like youve just come from outer space - as surely nothing on this planet awaits the visitor more pleasingly than this tropical hideaway located in the balmy Sea of Siam. Jet lag? Well, you cant get jet lag in paradise, but I bet you didnt know that either did you?
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Derek Taylor runs Only In Samui, the premier Koh Samui Villas resource and rentals web site.

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