Why should you buy plane tickets from reliable sellers?

Text: Toomas Uibo, Nordica Photos: Nordica Published: 29 / nov / 2017

Nowadays, passengers are able to purchase airline tickets almost anywhere. You can get plane tickets from a travel agent, or a lesser-known internet seller that your friend suggested. Is every seller reliable? Does every ticket include what it should?

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PASSENGERS OFTEN ASK US why it's possible to buy cheaper tickets elsewhere, than the airline's own website. There is a reason for this. There are sales portals that deliberately offer a slightly lower price to get the customer's attention and get them into their sales channel. This way you can find deals on the internet for 10–15 euros less than the airline itself is offering. 

Is the airline being more greedy?

No – this is a sales strategy that deliberately takes the risk of losing money with some passengers. Statistically, the buyer does not disappoint the seller, because after choosing the ticket, the buyer often proceeds to purchase various services from the portal, which are actually already included in the airfare on the airline's own website. Such "additional services" may include ticketing fees, credit card charges, baggage allowance, ticket changing fees, etc. 

Passengers should be aware that the ticket vendor is responsible for the product even after the sale has been made. 

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One of the most commonly used services sold to customers is flight cancellation insurance in the case it is the carrier's fault. If the traveller is unaware that in this case the airline is liable anyway, the portal will earn extra money again. Thus, what was originally a small ticket price rises by tens of euros and, in the end, is even more expensive than what is offered on the airline's own website. 

Passengers should be aware that the ticket vendor is responsible for the product even after the sale has been made. If, during your trip, you run into problems that should be the sellers responsibility, then in many cases, it is not even possible to contact the web portal. In this way the passenger sets him/her-self at risk and does not receive the help for which he/she really has the right. One major problem is that many portals do not provide the buyer with contact details of the airlines, which is why the airline cannot contact the customer if needed.

My recommendation is to buy your next plane ticket from either the airline's own website, a travel agency, or from a trusted web portal. When you buy a ticket from www.nordica.ee, you can feel secure!