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, donโt 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.’