Booking hotels, cars on airline sites could cost up to 458 percent more

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Avatar of Linda Hohnholz
Written by Linda Hohnholz

LONDON, England – Passengers who book car rental and travel insurance on airline websites could be paying up to 458 percent more than if they do it independently.

LONDON, England – Passengers who book car rental and travel insurance on airline websites could be paying up to 458 percent more than if they do it independently.

When booking flights, plenty of websites offer to add on extras to make life easier for customers, but holidaymakers could end up paying hundreds of pounds more than they need to, warned website Travelsupermarket.com.

When comparing costs on 12 airlines websites and elsewhere online for the May Half Term, the site found that car hire can cost up to 253 percent more when booked through an airline, while hotel prices can be increased by 164 percent and travel insurance 458 percent.

Comparing 96 price points, the research found that – with the exception of three results in the USA with Virgin Atlantic and one result in Prague with Wizzair – using price comparison websites was cheaper than using an airline to buy your car hire.

In some cases, customers could save hundreds of pounds by avoiding going through their airline.

To hire a standard car in Malaga for eight days beginning 24 May, Thomson customers flying from various UK airports would pay ยฃ403.67 if they booked via their chosen airline.

Destination

Car type

Airline and price

Comparison site price

Difference

Malaga

Compact

EasyJet(Europcar) ยฃ166.12

ยฃ56.96

192%

Faro

Mini

Ryanair (Hertz)

ยฃ161.45

ยฃ52.24

209%

Faro

Standard

Jet2 (Varies)

ยฃ376.40

ยฃ234.54

60%

Faro

Mini

Monarch (Varies)

ยฃ90.76

ยฃ52.24

74%

Malaga

Compact

British Airways (Avis) ยฃ201.00

ยฃ56.96

253%

Malaga

Standard

Norwegian (Varies)

ยฃ241.81

ยฃ122.04

98%

Malaga

Compact

Flybe (Avis) ยฃ188.16

ยฃ56.96

230%

Malaga

Standard

Thomson (Varies) ยฃ403.67

ยฃ122.04

230%

Faro

Mini

Fly Thomas Cook (Varies) ยฃ84.68

ยฃ52.24

62%

New York

Economy

Aer Lingus (Varies) ยฃ218.34

ยฃ153.33

42%

Katowice

Compact

Wizzair (Varies) ยฃ186.99

ยฃ93.90

99%

Orlando

Compact

Virgin Atlantic (Alamo) ยฃ249.92

ยฃ116.24

115%

However, the same car type, on the same dates was found elsewhere for as little as ยฃ122.04, saving ยฃ119.77 compared to Norwegian and ยฃ281.63 compared to Thomson.

It is the same story with travel insurance. By booking through an airline, a nine-day policy for a family of four travelling to the US during Half Term costs ยฃ156.24 with Aer Lingus and ยฃ90.96 with Thomson. But a family booking independently online can find insurance for as little as ยฃ32.20.

Airline

Destination and duration

Policy Type

Airline price

Comparison site price

Difference

Aer Lingus

USA (9 days)

Family

ยฃ188.44

ยฃ32.20

ยฃ156.24 or 485%

Thomson

USA (9 days)

Family

ยฃ90.96

ยฃ32.20

ยฃ58.76 or 182%

British Airways

USA (9 days)

Family

ยฃ84.00

ยฃ32.20

ยฃ51.80 or 161%

Wizzair

Europe (8 days)

Family

ยฃ70.84

ยฃ13.32

ยฃ57.52 or 431%

Ryanair

Europe (8 days)

Family

ยฃ46.76

ยฃ13.32

ยฃ33.44 or 251%

easyJet

Europe (8 days)

Family

ยฃ45.20

ยฃ13.32

ยฃ31.88 or 239%

Wizzair

Europe (4 days)

Family

ยฃ41.68

ยฃ8.40

ยฃ33.28 or 396%

easyJet

Europe (4 days)

Family

ยฃ36.70

ยฃ8.40

ยฃ28.30 or 337%

Ryanair

Europe (4 days)

Family

ยฃ36.68

ยฃ8.40

ยฃ28.28 or 337%

It is a similar story for European travel. Families booking through Wizzair could end up paying ยฃ70.84, while insurance could cost ยฃ46.76 for the family when booking through Ryanair. But insurance in Europe can be available for as little as ยฃ13.32.

It can also be tempting to book hotels at the same time as flights. but it pays to do your research. The latest findings highlighted that a three-night stay at the five-star Trump SoHo in New York would cost ยฃ1,335.20 if booked with Virgin Atlantic. However, the same hotel was available on other websites for as little as ยฃ802, a 66 percent saving.

In Tenerife, the five-star La Plantacion del Sur costs ยฃ773 for three nights through Thomson, but can be booked elsewhere for ยฃ373.

Bob Atkinson, travel expert at TravelSupermarket said: ‘When purchasing flights it can be easy to add in extra options such as car hire, insurance or a hotel room as you book; however, donโ€™t assume that the cheapest company for flights or a holiday will also give the best price on these items.

‘You may end up paying for the convenience of a quick booking rather than getting the best deal.’

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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