WASHINGTON — The summer travel season is in full swing, and if you’re ready to jump online and book a flight, a hotel or a cruise, hold up — travel expert Peter Greenberg says you could be making “a classic mistake.”
People think booking travel online is the way to go because “it’s easy,” Greenberg told WTOP Tuesday.
“They can do it at 2 in the morning in their bathrobe; they don’t have to talk to anybody,” he said.
But you’re missing out on a lot, he added.
“Only about 52 percent of what’s available out there is online,” Greenberg said. “If you don’t have a phone conversation and talk to the individual airline, hotel or cruise line, you’re automatically disenfranchising yourself from 48 percent of what’s out there.”
“I’m not telling people not to research online — I do it all the time,” Greenberg said. “But you are really hurting yourself if you don’t get on the phone and at least find out what else is out there.”
It’s not just about prices — it’s about availability, he added. And especially when you’re booking a hotel, there are questions you can ask a person you can’t ask a website.
“Can my kids stay free? Can they eat free? Will you throw in free parking? Will you give me free Wi-Fi? Will you get rid of that dreaded resort fee? That doesn’t show up online.”
So often, he pointed out, the only available airplane seats on a website are ones you have to pay extra for.
“It’s all about the upsell,” Greenberg said. “You owe it to yourself to get on the phone and ask if you can get that window seat or aisle seat without having to pay a premium.”
When to book?
It used to be an easy call, Greenberg said — book your flights as far in advance as possible. But these days, it’s not so simple.
“We’re living in an unbelievable world of a global buyer’s market in travel right now,” Greenberg said.
A couple of factors are at work, Greenberg said: The U.S. dollar is very strong against the pound and the euro right now, and foreigners are shying away from the U.S. in part because of “the perceived notion that America is not welcoming, closed and inhospitable” in the wake of President Trump’s so-far unsuccessful travel ban.
“A lot of people are choosing not to come to the U.S. What that means is, a lot of empty seats that would have been their return seats are now our seats if we want them.”
So booking really far in advance “doesn’t get you anything, unless you want to book for the day before Thanksgiving, or the Friday before the Super Bowl, but for most intents and purposes, anywhere between 30 and 45 days out, you’ll be just fine,” Greenberg said.
What does ‘on time’ mean?
Airlines will brag about their on-time record, but Greenberg said such notions aren’t really much use. A flight is officially considered to have left on time if the plane pushes back from the gate within 15 minutes of its scheduled departure time.
“So the minute that nose wheel goes in reverse … within 15 minutes of your scheduled departure time, you’re on time. Now, of course, you could be sitting on the runway for 17 days …”
So the real key to leaving on time, he said, is “just basic common sense.”
“You want an on-time departure? You call the airline before you make your reservation, and see if you can book the first flight out. Especially in a city — you know that the plane that’s the first plane out has overnighted at that airport the night before.”
By the way, Greenberg said that, while the old conventional wisdom holds that the best time to book a flight is Tuesday around midnight, Greenberg said now, “believe it or not, it’s Sundays.”
Is low-budget really cheap?
Many low-budget airlines load up their fares with so many fees that it’s hard to know whether you’re really saving any money. Greenberg said it’s a matter of how you travel.
Such airlines are “a good deal for travelers if you’re a member of the witness relocation program, or a fugitive from justice, [and] you’re not carrying a lot of baggage,” he joked.
“In all seriousness … as long as you can pack very sensibly, and you understand their rules, and you’re [OK with] having your knees up against your neck for four-and-a-half hours, you can get a good deal. … You have to look at these numbers carefully. … You might like to exhale at some point during the flight.”
Go up the ladder
Whether you’re booking a flight, a cruise, a hotel or whatever, if you’re not getting the answers you want, Greenberg said, shoot higher.
“Never take a ‘no’ from someone who’s not empowered to give you a ‘yes’ in the first place,” Greenberg said. “Always go up the ladder. Be nice, be polite, be thankful — and get to somebody who understands your situation.”
“Now, if they tell you ‘no,’ then it really is ‘no.’ But the first person you talk to usually is only empowered to tell you ‘no.’ You need to talk to the person who is actually empowered to give you a ‘yes.’”
