Five tips for using Booking.com, Skyscanner, Expedia and other online travel agents
If you’re searching for the cheapest flights or hotels, or want the most comprehensive search results, it pays to know how the online travel agency industry works
We live in the age of do-it-yourself travel. Where once we relied on traditional tour operators and travel agents, now most of us only use online services. We have the freedom to create our own travel plans, mixing and matching everything from flights and hotels to rental cars and activities.
But how well do you really know brands like Booking.com, Expedia, Kayak, Skyscanner and Agoda? These different platforms all have their own quirks and goals.
These five tips will help you understand more about how the online travel agency business works, and how to navigate it successfully to get what you want.
1. Understand the industry
Do you know the business model of your favoured online travel agent platform? Or what else it owns?
It may seem irrelevant, but a little knowledge of who they are and how they work can give you a real boost in finding the cheapest prices.
It may surprise you to know that the online travel industry is dominated by two companies: Expedia and Booking Holdings. Expedia owns Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotwire, eBookers and CheapTickets, while Booking Holdings comprises Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, Kayak, Cheapflights, Rentalcars, Momondo and OpenTable.