Consolidator fares vs. published fares: The key differences for business travel

You’ve booked seat 14A. The passenger in 14B paid £200 less for the same flight. Why? They likely booked a consolidator fare. While they can provide good discounts compared to standard published rates, for travel managers, finding these savings often means additional hours of time-consuming 'shadow work' alongside their regular tasks.

With the volume of work travel increasing, it is crucial to understand the difference between fare types and how to balance between cost and time savings when choosing how to book.

In this article, we will outline the difference between consolidator and published fares, alongside offering a comparison of factors such as price, flexibility, and availability to help travel managers secure the best rates without causing an administrative headache. 

What is a consolidator fare?

A consolidator fare, which is sometimes referred to as a private fare, is offered by consolidators, or wholesalers, and tends to be more affordable than publicly published rates.

Consolidators can do this because they will have contracts with airlines that allow them to buy fares in bulk, often negotiated at a lower rate, which then means they can sell them to the public for less than other published fares for exactly the same flight.

Consolidator fares are not found by simply searching the web or by going directly to an airline; travellers will have to work with a travel advisor or agent who uses an airline consolidator to have access to them. 

Pros

1. Ability to book last-minute flights

2. Multi-stop itineraries will benefit from consolidator fares, as experts can arrange lower-cost tickets

3. Best for bulk-buying tickets 

Cons

1. More restrictions, such as being non-refundable, or the inability to change seating

2. Lack of financial backing. Some travel consolidators operate on thin margins and, as such, have gone bust, leaving their customers in a problematic situation

3. Lack of choice of airlines 

What is a published fare?

Published fares are the normal fares you’d expect to see when using tools like Skyscanner or Google Flights, or when booking direct on the airline’s website.

These fares are publicly available, and those booking travel for work don’t need to use a travel agent to purchase them. 

Pros

1. More flexibility with the ability to make amends, such as seating or upgrades

2. The ability to choose whichever airline you want to fly with

3. Anyone is able to book published fares.

Cons

1. Last-minute flights tend to be more expensive, so there’s a need to be more organised and book further in advance 

2. More expensive overall

3. It can be complicated to book multi-stop trips without an agent.

What is the difference between published and consolidator fares?

One of the main differences between the two fares is the price, but we have broken down some other differences, including flexibility and availability of flights.

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How do you book a consolidator fare?

To access a consolidator fare, travel managers will need to go through a travel agent. These are the steps that will need to be taken:

1. Find the right consolidation agent

There are a number of airline consolidators in the UK, such as TravelPack, Virgin Flightstore and Airwaay. It is advised to research each of them to determine which one has your travellers’ preferred airlines.

2. Register for access

Sign up for whichever consolidator you choose, or use their API to integrate with your existing systems.

3. Search and book

Search for discounted fares, manage group details and add services like baggage or seats.

4. Finalise everything

Confirm all the bookings, process payments and use the dedicated support given by the agent to manage any changes or issues.

These steps are more complicated than booking a published fare directly, as a published fare doesn’t require the use of an agent or registration for access.

For travel managers who want to save money on flights, but also have convenience when it comes to booking, a travel management platform like Perk can offer the best of both, with a global inventory of flights at exclusive negotiated fares.

What is the right fare for your business?

Regular international travellers

Does your team regularly travel to the US or Europe for pitch meetings? Maybe you have offices scattered across the US and are visiting more than one on a single trip?

The right fare 

Consolidator fares. Frequent trips, especially multiple flights in the same trip, will amount to a lot of money, so using a consolidator fare through an agent can help keep costs down and help travel managers who need to stick to a budget.

Busy travel managers

Travel managers often have to wear multiple hats at work, overloading them with additional admin jobs alongside bookings, travel policies, and HR tasks. 

The right fare 

Consolidator fares. Opting for this fare, and by using a travel agent to help, will take the stress and excess time away from a travel manager who could otherwise be booking each trip manually and searching for the best price each time.

Travellers who are likely to make changes

You might get some work travellers with other commitments near a business meeting, and so the ability to amend or cancel a booking is important if something changes. 

Travellers might also just want to upgrade a seat if they prefer to sit somewhere else, or even prefer flying with a specific airline if they have loyalty points.

The right fare 

Published fares. These fares are more flexible and allow travellers to amend bookings if needed. Travellers are also able to choose from a wider range of airlines that would not always be available using a consolidator.

Get the best of both worlds with Perk’s extensive global inventory

For companies with frequent work travellers, especially those flying internationally to the US and beyond, travel managers can work directly with consolidator agents to get the lowest flight price, helping them stick to budgets, or stick to published fares if travel flexibility is a priority - but what if there was a way to get the best of both?

Perk’s platform gives you access to a global inventory of flights, including exclusive negotiated fares, all in one place. By bringing your booking, managing, and reporting together, you also remove administrative time burdens, allowing your team to focus on real work, with real impact. 

With Perk, all aspects of travel can be booked and managed in one simple dashboard, also giving the ability to manage travellers' preferences, expenses, and company policies – streamlining the whole travel management process.

Make booking work travel trips easy with Perk. Sign up today for a free demo.