Do you book online when traveling?

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief March 21, 2007 · 1 min read

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There are several reasons why most people don’t book online or buy e-tickets when traveling. A US research unveils “Five reasons consumers don’t book travel online“.

Forrester Research found that in the light of recent survey data those who book travel continue to resist the Web as their main resource for making reservations. The research firm polled about 5,330 North American consumers in the last quarter of 2006 to determine exactly what prevents them from putting their faith in online travel sites. To start, the top-three most common reasons for those who book travel not to stay online to make reservations include concern over credit-card security, Web-site performance issues and limits on the actions they could take online.

I’ve always booked online whenever possible. I even tried doing it for bus lines and ferries but their crappy sites and phone confirmation requirements are a total turn-off. Imagine I tried booking a ride for Super Ferry from Bacolod to Iloilo since my Manila to Iloilo flight via Cebu Pacific is more expensive than flying to Bacolod and take a ferry only to realize their online booking still requires that you call them up for confirmation.

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Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and is considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines.

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34 Comments

fidel f. oliva · 14 years ago

i found it very convenient to book on line when my wife and me were gone on holiday to her hometown at samar. there was no problem at all and will do it again in the future. it’s cheaper and you can avail of the promos.

fidel f. oliva · 15 years ago

I have been booking my flight home to the visayas for so many years and we never encounter any problem at all. I even book some of my friends and relatives same way using my credit card while they are paying me in cash. we only have to present the confirmation no. and the printed eticket when we are checking in. If only for travel back and forth, this is the most convenient way, I can even avail of the promo the airlines are offering. I can get rid of those travel agencies.

Romina · 16 years ago

hey everyone. hope somebody gets to read this.

i think online booking is just the thing if you don’t want to hassle yourself with going to a reservation office just to get a flight. and so i booked online via pal.

i’d like to know if like cebu pacific, you still have to get your ticket at the PAL counter before checking in to your flight. There’s nothing about it on their site or on the confirmation email.

and also, do you have any insurance that covers for you for any untoward incident that may happen while you’re flying?

any response would be much appreciated. thanks.

BrianK · 16 years ago

Hello! I’m newbie in Internet, can you give me some useful links? I know only about Yahoo Yahoo http://yahoo.com Yahoo

Floroskop · 18 years ago

Hello!
I think this try.

travel guru · 19 years ago

I can’t understand why anybody would NOT want to book online. I’d trust those stupid websites over any human working on commission any day!! Credit Card security is nearly fail-safe. And once you get a confirmation number, you’re in the clear. Take a website like http://www.reservediscountrooms.com for instance. You get a list of all the cities where you can book your hotel right on the home page; it gives you the rates the hotel is showing for the dates you want to travel; it lists the hotel amenities; gives you a photo of the room; and it’s all right in front of you at the click of a button. You don’t have to “think up” questions about where you are staying like you might when dealing with a travel agent. When booking online, you go by what you see. With a travel agent, you go by what somebody else “promises” you.

DyPao · 19 years ago

That’s weird, the price isn’t supposed to change WITHIN a transaction. It does normally fluctuate quite a bit and quite often though; here’s a Slate article that explains why ticket prices do that:

http://www.slate.com/id/2154261/

tres · 19 years ago

the irritating experience i’ve had with online booking is the fluctuating prices of ticket. the price is say P1,000.00 when you’re still inquiring but when you are finished encoding details, it tells you price is already P1,350.00!
increased price happened to me three times in four online booking i’ve had, once in cebu pacific, once in tiger airways, once in pal.

Tingting Rimart · 19 years ago

I did it too, booking online with Super Ferry (CDO-CEBU), and turned out that I have to call them for confirmation and you have to make the ACTUAL payment at the nearest online outlet .Really a big turn off.

jhay · 19 years ago

The same thing goes on with hotel bookings. My grandparents almost blew their top off when they spent nearly 3-hours looking for a hotel to stay in last February, only to find out that they need to call in order to confirm and verify their reservations. Sheesh!

Christian · 19 years ago

I tried to book my chick on Cebu Pacific’s site from the US but it was sooooo slow and could not complete the transaction.

DyPao · 19 years ago

@Gay — I think this happens with Cebu Pacific under certain circumstances only (off the top of my head, if you re-booked a ticket) but usually they give you an electronic ticket that you can just print out yourself and bring straight to the check-in counter at the airport. VERY convenient if you book early enough :)

DyPao · 19 years ago

I like the Cebu Pacific online site (hate having to go to ticket offices!!!) — it’s one of the best reasons to have a credit card! haha

I don’t book online for international flights, but I have to say that the Northwest Airlines site (www.nwa.com) is a huge, huge, HUGE lifesaver for the Pacific Ocean-hopper. It allows you to check in for your flights 24 hours in advance, and you can print your boarding pass on your own printer. Best of all you can CHOOSE YOUR SEATS as you’re checking in. This, combined with the fantastic Seat Guru site (www.seatguru.com — God bless you terrific folks!) means that for my past two trips to the US, I’ve ALWAYS had a great seat with lots of leg room — an absolute must for a guy with my height, facing an agonizing 18 hours or more of economy air travel. :)

THE INTERNET RULES!!!

Gay · 19 years ago

I tried booking online with Cebu Pacific but still too much hassle. You have to be there early as you have to get your ticket from the Cebu Pacific (at the Domestic Airport) counter before you could enter the airport. So much for booking online…

Carlo · 19 years ago

I always book online but I haven’t tried booking for domestic flights. Lufthansa never failed pa but have no idea with other airlines.

Convenient talagang mag book online :)

Noemi · 19 years ago

I think one gets cheaper rates when booking online. This is true within USA though. I never book online locally but have used the phone to reserve and get my eticket. Quite convenient talaga.