Consolidators for Cheap Flights

Consolidators are companies that negotiate with airlines to buy up seats that would otherwise not be sold. Look in the travel section of your Sunday newspaper, and you will often find advertisements for cheap airfares from consolidators. Several online consolidators include Airline Consolidator.com, BargainTravel.com and 1-800-Fly Europe, although there are many others.

The tickets they sell are primarily for international flights but there are many available for domestic flights as well. Consolidators buy in large volumes, so they can offer their tickets for substantially less than normal published fares.

Often, you may find consolidator tickets that are available for flights that are shown as sold-out through the airlines, and the reverse can happen when consolidators may not currently have the exact itinerary you are looking for even though the flights may be available directly from the airline.

If you are flexible and willing to work within certain minimal restrictions, you can see the world for a lot less than even airline discount fares by going through a consolidator.

The bottom line: Accept a consolidator deal only if it's significantly cheaper than the next alternative. Except for price, it's almost always a less attractive proposition than a published-fare price alternative. There are reasons why the savings are so great and you should consider them before buying.

• You may be unable to meet the restrictions that the consolidator imposes, such as too many stops or an inconvenient travel time.
• You may feel uncomfortable not knowing initially which airline you will be flying or not having a seat assignment until after you purchase the tickets, although many consolidators do state the airline before you buy your ticket.
• Many consolidators do have penalties for changes in travel plans such as cancellation and/or change fees.
• Some consolidators will not accept third party payment for tickets, those that do, will require a credit card authorization form.
• On one-way flights, many consolidators will require a credit card authorization form to help prevent fraud.
• Frequent flyer miles do not accumulate with tickets from consolidators.