5 Best Airline Consolidators: Cheap Airfare Airline Сonsolidators

July 28, 2022

Looking for a flight can be quite overwhelming. Moreover, airplane tickets, especially for long distances, can turn out expensive, adding to the stressfulness of traveling.

Still, since cheap tickets have become available for most directions, the problem has found its partial solution.

An airline consolidator is a company active in wholesale ticket sales. They are also defined as brokers who reserve airline seats, usually in bulk and at discounts, to resell them soon to travel agencies or individuals. Their peculiarity is offering tickets at such low fares that it is impossible to find such tickets in other companies. So, if you are someone who wants to save up for the next air trip, be all eyes and find out where it is best to buy affordable tickets.

In this review article, we are going to demonstrate the best airline consolidators out there. We will also cover types of flights that these companies can give affordable tickets to and when to purchase them in time to get maximum pluses. 

Benefits of Business Class Consolidators

Buying airplane tickets can sometimes seem like a lottery where only luck determines if you get a good value for money. Still, if you know exactly what consolidators to partner with, this won’t be such a challenge. 

The important factor is that the work of consolidators is legal. It is not forbidden by IATA (the International Air Transport Association). This is allowed because there are hardly any airlines that manage to sell all their airplane seats at the highest possible cost. Even if they manage to sell them, this won’t fill the plane up to the brim. Since offering discounts on already published fares isn’t acceptable, a certain part of the inventory is sold at lower prices through consolidators. This is true for both international flights and domestic travels. However, for the latter, one can seldom find discounted seats. 

The biggest benefits of partnering with airline consolidators include: 


  1. Having a personal travel agent.

With a reliable flight consolidator, you get personal assistance from a real human who can give good advice and guide you through the flight ordering process. In addition, a travel agent will find otherwise inaccessible resources, e.g., leading GDSs (Global Distribution Systems), and settle a beneficial deal for traveling for business or personal trips. 

  1. Greater convenience.

It lets you feel at ease knowing there is no need to constantly check travel platforms to try to find a hot sale or calculate the most convenient moment to reserve a seat (without a helper, this would be way too hard since fares are updated multiple times a day). 

Besides, it is no longer on you to compare different routes and find airports nearby, as well as to see how much cheaper air routes with stops are than nonstop flights. This alone saves you a lot of nerves, work and keeps the peace of mind. 

  1. Using expert airline knowledge. 

Most established ticket wholesalers have been in business for over a decade, and this comes in handy when you need advice and expertise. They practice arranging the best deals and top destinations, so clients get fast solutions and no headache or stress. 

  1. Taking care of complicated itineraries.

Experienced firms can perfectly organize all kinds of trips with multiple stops and carriers and make this experience first-class. This is also their competency: bulk tickets, round-the-world trips with dozens of stops. 

  1. Offering easy-to-use tools for booking. 

Booking widgets in most consolidators have a simple UI, and thanks to this interface, let travel agents avoid taking the monotonous and time-consuming training dedicated to working with every GDS. 

That is what a partnership with proven airline consolidators will give you. These benefits will especially be valued in spontaneous trips or cases when you can’t afford to waste time. 

Airline consolidators list

If fast and fuss-free ticket booking is what you need, then it makes sense to overview several consolidators to see their pluses and minuses before jumping all in. 

  1. businessclassconsolidator.com
  2. voyagu.com
  3. businessclassexperts.com
  4. skyluxtravel.com
  5. airlineconsolidator.com

Let’s look at some popular options one at a time.

1# Businessclassconsolidator.com – Best cheap business class flights on premium travel

The special focus is on: 

  • getting the best prices for business class tickets worldwide, i.e., international flights. 
  • selling tickets for inter-continental air trips to Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East

The Business Class Consolidator is among the top travel providers accredited with ARC, BBB, and ASTA, keeping the attention of the world’s travelers community on itself for 9 years already. 

As the name of this company promises, it helps travelers to deal with their business flights and save up. In addition, they have first-class tickets. What is most precious here is escaping the usual booking procedures, especially for multi-city trips, and having a responsive travel agent to lead you through. There is no exception to airlines they make deals with.

A special star goes to the chance of having a personal travel agent who supports you at every stage of the trip. 

Pros:

  1. Fast responding service with tons of good money-saving deals with discounts of nearly 50%.
  2. Supporting and polite client service team.
  3. Dead simple user interface. 
  4. Dealing with hard requests for all kinds of trips, including last-minute ticket journeys.
  5. Accommodating clients comfortably in any part of the world for maximum convenience between with-stop flights.  
  6. A lot of verified reviews on the consolidator.

Cons:

  1. It is sometimes impossible to predict the outcome when a flight is canceled – you never know if there will be a full or partial refund, so specify this every time before ordering. Take into account cancellation fees as well. 
  2. Somewhat long processing of refund requests. 

All in all, BCC has quite a spectrum of reviews, as it often happens with big ticket resellers, and this is partly because each case is different and may depend on the source airline. However, this company’s arranging and organizational skills are at a good level, as well as their ability to save clients’ costs. 

2# Voyagu.com – Cheap Business & First Class Flight Booking

The special focus is on: 

  • trips with different types of interchange between flights
  • flights plus travel insurances, hotel overnight stays, restaurant reservations, tickets to events such as exhibitions, concerts, etc. 
  • assistance in obtaining visas
  • using predictive tech to search for the most fund-saving deals

If there was a limit to just one sentence to describe this firm, we would say that it aims to make traveling as personalized as possible. With the help that goes beyond ticket reservation, it also organizes vacations from A to Z, including finding top beauty spots, eating facilities, and cozy places to stay between flights. 

Open date flights, complex destinations, or one-way trips are no problem for them either. 

Pros:

  1. Intuitive website design adds up to the simplicity of ordering.  
  2. Partnering with top airlines such as Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Swiss, Thai, etc. 
  3. Saving on average from 30% to 50% on the ticket price. 
  4. Responsiveness of customer support and guidance at every step.
  5. Transparent travel policy and clarity in the booking.
  6. Professionalism of staff. 
  7. Ability to match the deal if you find a better one. 

Cons:

  1. It may take some time before you find a good deal for an unpopular destination. 

To wrap it up about the Voyagu travel consolidator, the overall impression is good. Reviews tell us the company has reliable and supportive agents. However, since it is relatively young, there isn’t much word-of-mouth publicity around the firm.

3# Businessclassexperts.com – Premium International Flights

The special focus is on: 

  • air routes to the USA, Canada, most European countries, and the UK
  • luxury class flights with the greatest level of comfort, meeting special traveler’s requirements

Over 97% of Business Class Experts’ customers say they would use the service again because of nice deals and seamless communication with their agents. Amazing opportunities to save up paired up with fast responses is what BCE is all about. 

This one is also a pro at fulfilling custom itineraries, whether for business class or first class. On average, it has been estimated that one could save nearly $5,000 on business class flights. Again, the guidance here will be absolutely amazing as all stops right from your doorway to the final destination, and back home will be taken care of. 

Pros:

  1. Quick request processing plus free quote (1 min. on the phone) and effortless booking. 
  2. Making it possible to save up to 60% on luxury air routes around Europe. 
  3. Being linked to other credible websites.
  4. Large LinkedIn audience.
  5. Hassle-free ticket ordering plus staff takes all documentation on their shoulders. 

Cons:

  1. There are no economy class tickets to find. 

If you don’t use economy class routes and want to spend the best time in the air with all possible comfort provided, then look closer at Business Class Experts. 

4# Skyluxtravel.com – Cheap Business & First Class Flight Booking

Sky Lux Travel, in essence, is a proven provider of luxury flights around the globe, offering consistent support and dealing with best-selling only airlines. So if a brand means something to you and you have no desire to look further, it would probably be nice to stop it. 

What we find to be of exceptional quality is travel management and the ability to save a lot of clients’ precious time, plus tailoring all solutions with respect to individual needs (even the trickiest ones). 

Pros:

  1. Custom travel organization and management.
  2. Responding to requests even on weekdays or holidays 24/7
  3. Good reviews on Trustpilot and A-level accreditation by BBB. 
  4. Offering a range of hot deals to different parts of the world at the website. 

Cons:

  1. No option for economy class routes. 

All in all, the company is quite alright if you are looking for reliable business class flight assistance and a nicely priced ticket. Snagging the ticket price nearly by half, especially on long-haul destinations, is real with Skyluxtravel. 

5# Airlineconsolidator.com – Affordable International Flights & Domestic Airfare 

Airline Consolidator specializes in international trips, and cheaper-than-average flights inside the American continent. It covers the following areas: Asia, India, Europe, the Middle East, Central and South America, and the Pacific. Over 50 airlines work with this consolidator. 

Pros:

  1. A huge choice of top airlines in the US to buy tickets from.
  2. Hotel discounts for inter-flight days. 
  3. Guidance to buying cheaper railway tickets. 
  4. Offers for frequent flyers. 
  5. Four ticket classes available for ordering: coach, premium economy, first, and business. 

Cons:

  1. Complicated and not too user-friendly interface. 

If you are the one who is after special features, there are less than 3 days’ departure, hotel room reservations, railway ticket ordering, and additional perks for those who travel regularly. Still, you will need to forgive the service for a lower-grade interface in case you choose it.

Other Consolidators: Alternatives for the Described Most Popular Airline Consolidators

Conslidator.com (https://www.consolidador.com/en). This is a proven service for getting cheaper tickets along with booking all kinds of hotel rooms and cultural event tickets. The cutting-edge tech is also on your side at Consolidator.com to find the best deals. Other pluses include managing and controlling reservations in real time, receiving all documents via email, and issuing all tickets automatically.  

1800FlyEurope / Auto Europe (www.autoeurope.com). The company is mostly renowned as a car rental company but don’t hurry to scroll it over. They also do airfare ticket sales under the company’s name “1800FlyEurope ” and are one of the cheapest options for the business class out there. Purchasing affordable transatlantic tickets and last-day ones is a good idea here. 

Economy Travel (www.economytravel.com). This is a classic example of an international airline consolidator being in business since the 1980s. It is nice and simple, allowing users to see the difference between regular fares and consolidator prices clearly. Filtering by destinations is also handy here. Those traveling internationally for church and ministry, as well as nonprofit organizations’ staff or educators, will certainly benefit from the provider. 

CheapOAir.com (CheapOair.com). This guy is best for vacation planning as it sells great offers for most exotic destinations and European beauty spots. It offers good up to -60% bargains and negotiated discounts with convenient reservations. CheapOAir partners with fifteen travel service leaders, a perfect blend of a conventional booking service (with a perfectly simple interface), and a ticket wholesaler. More than 15 million exclusive flight deals and 90,000 cheap hotel rates are also available.

Cheap Tickets (www.cheaptickets.com). Being after adequate prices can lead you to service but be very careful to check out all flight parameters to see what they include. Also, be all eyes when ordering, as many don’t have support during interchanges, fail to cover vehicle rent, or are less comfortable. Last minute and Special offers are good here, though. 

Airfareplanet.com (www.Airfareplanet.com). This service might seem very primitive and basic with its less impressive user interface. Yet, its main goal is not to amaze visitors with flashes and graphics. The newly created consolidator offers incredible discounts on luxurious fares and often has lower prices than most ticket outlets.

FAQ

How do airline consolidators work?

Airline consolidators are wholesalers that have contracts with airlines and are allowed to access their net fares. As a result, the unpublished fares can sell at a 30% lower price than average users find on airline websites. In addition, consolidators often work with travel agents, which, in their turn, can offer discounted tickets to customers. 

Yet, not all consolidators buy in bulk, and not all do it in advance. Instead, they ‘pull’ availability from the target classes in terms of seats up to the moment the airline chooses to close the window. 

Do airlines lose profits when selling seats through consolidators? 

Airlines don’t lose profits thanks to this scheme. For wholesales, this is also an opportunity to get a commission from sales as giving tickets at very discounted prices saves room for that. 

It’s a kind of win-win situation when travelers get good deals for money while airlines raise their brand awareness and get more attention to their routes, types of flights, and special offers. The critical role of a flight consolidator is providing booking engines with GDSs, which simplifies the routine of a traveler so that they no longer need to visit each airline’s site to find them. 

Is an airfare consolidator the same thing as a bucket shop?

The common name of an airline consolidator is a ‘bucket shop,’ so they are the same. Airline consolidator, bucket shop, tour operator – these are essentially the same things. 

However, the phrase ‘bucket shop’ is applied mostly when the international flight ticket distributor is meant. Still, we don’t recommend you to ever name these firms like that in their face as it is kind of naive and derogatory. 

How can I save money on flights?

Depending on the time of the year, destination, carrier company, and ticket class, an air consolidator can help you save from 10% to 70% of the average ticket price. Taking a route from a consolidator is a great to save on a flight, as well as a few other tricks like:

  • knowing when to buy (as a rule, enormous discounts are given to unsold seats 72 h before the plane takes off)
  • considering the less in-demand time of the day (night routes, red-eye flights, as well as Tue, Wed, Thu)
  • comparing fares at numerous consolidators

About Airfare Consolidators

To crown it all, an airfare consolidator is a small business company focused on purchasing airline tickets, often in bulk, and reselling them later to customers who crave lower prices for the same destinations or the same level of comfort during the flight that costs way more at airlines’ official websites. Do not look to sites that often change their contacts or office locations and are not mentioned as official distributors. 

One can often spot little ads or offers on social media from consolidators or find their ads in newspapers. If a consolidator is approved by the airlines as a party, they partner with, count it as a legal wholesaler. Once you find such a firm, go all in if your goal is to get exclusive savings for an international or a domestic flight. 


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