Wholesale Airfare - A Simple Guide
Written by zoe on November 7th, 2009 in Travel Tips.
When I first heard the term ‘wholesale airfare’ it didn’t make any sense to me. When we say ‘wholesale something’ in everyday use, it usually has to do with goods that we may buy as bulk. But how can airfares be called wholesale?
In my quest to find an answer, here’s what I found. Wholesale airfare is a new term (kind of a fad) that is used for air tickets purchased as bulk which comes with discounted rates. But why would anyone purchase air tickets in bulk? The answer is quite simple. In terms of wholesale airfare, ‘bulk’ simply means more than four tickets; not dozens. So quite understandably, there will be thousands of people who will seek the option of buying wholesale airfare. After all, who doesn’t like discounts?
From where to get wholesale airfare is the next probable question in your mind. Travel consolidators and online air travel agencies are the main parties who provide wholesale airfare services. What happens is that they usually sign a contract with an airline which agrees on discounts when travel agencies purchase an X amount of tickets. Therefore, in order to reach this agreed number of tickets, online travel agencies offer wholesale airfare rates for anyone who purchases more than four tickets. This way, the traveler walks away with a low airfare while the agency too makes its profit.
So, if you are planning on a family vacation or a vacation with a bunch of friends or simply if you are planning to travel in a travel-buddy group, you should bear in mind that you are entitled to wholesale airfare rates. You may have come across travel agencies that offer super cheap prices if you’d like to join in a group of travelers on a guided tour. If the concept of group traveling being cheaper than individual or couple traveling, had bothered your mind, now you know the secret - wholesale airfares can work wonders!
The wonder of wholesale airfares can go wrong if you are not anxious enough. So before you do online businesses with airfare agencies, there are a couple of things that you need to be mindful about. Step number one: make sure that the agency is trustworthy. Step two: never make payments to unauthorized dealers or via untrusted websites. Also make sure you are provided with all necessary information. Finally, make sure that the website has a real time checker to check the availability of flights. If not, you may be overloaded with regular calls from the travel agent, which may become a bother and a time waste!