Kosupa Travel

When booking international flights, travelers have various options: airline official websites, traditional travel agencies, and increasingly popular Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) like Kiwi, Gotogate, and eDreams. However, when purchasing through these agencies, tickets are often significantly cheaper than official prices, leading some to question their reliability.

In this article, I’ll review my experience with the OTA Bravofly, covering its safety, usability, and the challenges I encountered during actual use.

What is Bravofly?

Bravofly is a Swiss OTA established in 2006. It now operates in over 10 countries, including domestic flight services in various regions. Beyond airline tickets, Bravofly offers hotel bookings, car rentals, and travel insurance.

Why Are Third-Party Tickets Often Cheaper Than Direct Bookings?

Travel agencies can offer discounted prices because they purchase tickets in bulk from airlines. They also provide the advantage of comparing multiple airlines in one place. However, some services obtain tickets through questionable channels, potentially leading to issues like non-existent seats or invalid bookings.

Common Risks to Consider

When booking through agencies, depending on the plan, common risks include:

• More complicated problem resolution
• No direct communication with airlines
• Inability to change dates, flights, cancel, or add options
• Agency bankruptcy risk

A significant disadvantage is the potential lack of adequate compensation during flight cancellations, delays, or changes due to weather or technical issues when booking through third parties.

My Personal Experience

I recently used Bravofly to book round-trip Peach Airlines flights between Narita and Amami Oshima. I chose Bravofly because their price was nearly $140 cheaper than booking directly through Peach. Since I needed to bring diving gear, I added checked baggage for both flights. Despite initial concerns that add-ons might drastically increase the price, the optional services remained reasonably priced.

The booking process was very smooth and completed without issues. Initially, I couldn’t display my boarding pass in Peach’s system using the confirmation number provided, but after calling Peach directly and explaining it was a third-party booking, they resolved the issue. Check-in at the airport counter went smoothly, and I departed for Amami without problems.

One Significant Issue

However, trouble arose during my return journey. At check-in, staff informed me that my checked baggage wasn’t properly registered for the return flight – the system showed no baggage allowance. This was surprising since I had paid for round-trip baggage. Upon further investigation, they found that two pieces of baggage were registered for the outbound flight instead of one piece each way as I had booked.

This is where Bravofly’s disadvantages became apparent. Despite explaining that I had booked round-trip baggage and this must be a system error, Peach staff insisted they could only deal with me through the agency since it was a third-party booking. With only 40 minutes until boarding, this posed a significant challenge.

I had no choice but to pay additional baggage fees. While I attempted to contact Bravofly, their system was English-only, requiring me to chat in English. Their response, received just before boarding, stated that their system showed correct baggage registration for both flights and suggested I consult with Peach.

Consequently, I had to pay extra fees to Peach with no immediate prospect of compensation from Bravofly. Both companies insisted the error wasn’t in their system, making it extremely difficult to determine responsibility. While I managed to board my flight, this experience highlighted the inherent risks of booking through OTAs.

Resolution

After following up with Peach post-trip, they eventually agreed to refund the additional baggage fees. While it remains unclear whether the issue originated with Bravofly or Peach, I was relieved to avoid a financial loss. This experience taught me to thoroughly verify all booking details with the airline before departure when using OTAs.

Interestingly, my relationship with Bravofly didn’t end negatively. They later sent a detailed email regarding the incident, demonstrating their commitment to customer service. Their cooperative attitude suggested they’re not simply a budget-focused service sacrificing quality. The case was successfully closed after I informed them of Peach’s refund.

Summary

Bravofly offers a user-friendly platform for finding discounted flights. However, booking through third parties inherently carries certain risks, as demonstrated by my experience. When using such services, remember to:

• Double-check all booking details
– Understand the problem-resolution process beforehand
– Consider travel insurance

Additional Notes

While I’ve shared this detailed account of the challenges to provide a balanced view of OTA benefits and drawbacks, I regularly use OTAs and consider them valuable partners for budget travel. Regarding Bravofly specifically, I recommend using their service while being aware of the potential risks.

Important Update (June 19, 2024): Essential Reading Before Booking Through Agencies

After continued use of third-party bookings, we discovered potentially serious issues under certain conditions. Please refer to our detailed follow-up articles for comprehensive guidance on safely using OTAs: