Business Travel Tips

According to a study conducted by Topaz International, booking business travel on public Internet sites (such as Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity, and airlines’ direct sites), costs more ($75 more, in average) than booking using a corporate travel agency.

Topaz International, a research firm serving the corporate travel industry, has provided comparative studies since 2001, and in each year, found that agency fares were equal to or lower than those offered through online sites in over 91% of itineraries.
“The five years of comparative airline purchasing patterns indicates that the online alternatives are not always cheaper, but in fact have been higher over the past few years,” said Bradley Seitz, President and CEO of Topaz International.

Travel agents are pointing out that a travel agent constantly analyzes travel expenditures on their clients’ behalf and uses their personal relationships with suppliers to negotiate the lowest fare options, which are generally not available to the public. (source: TRAVELSAVERS, global marketing organization for independent travel agencies)