Kosupa Travel

When planning travel, finding affordable flights is often a major challenge. Recently, while searching for a direct flight from Tokyo to Sapporo on Google Flights, I noticed that booking through Kiwi.com offered prices lower than the airline’s official rates. However, these attractive prices made me somewhat skeptical. Let me share my experience with Kiwi.com and explain how they can offer such competitive rates.

1. What is Kiwi.com?

Kiwi.com is an online travel agency based in the Czech Republic that specializes in combining multiple airlines and transportation methods to create optimal travel plans. They use proprietary search algorithms to compare flights worldwide and offer the best possible prices.

2. Why Are Their Prices Lower Than Official Rates?

Kiwi.com can offer lower prices because they purchase tickets in bulk from airlines as a travel agency and can provide them at discounted rates. This allows them to offer special fares not available on airlines’ official websites. They may also have access to leftover seat inventory at reduced prices.

3. The Booking Process

I decided to try Kiwi.com myself after finding their prices were the lowest on Google Flights. The booking process itself was straightforward, following simple step-by-step instructions. However, I noticed frequent prompts to purchase insurance options, often using somewhat alarming language that might pressure less experienced travelers into buying unnecessary add-ons, potentially making the final price higher than booking directly.

4. Ticket Issuance Process

When booking through travel agencies like Kiwi.com, tickets aren’t issued immediately after purchase. Instead, there’s a two-step process: the agency first verifies flight availability, then issues the booking reference number once confirmed. In my case, I received the booking reference about three hours after payment, and it was successfully recognized in the airline’s system. However, this delay might cause anxiety if you’re booking close to your travel date.

Reviews also mention slow response times for booking changes and cancellations, which is a significant drawback. When booking through an agency, all communications must go through them, even for airline-related issues. Many reviews report lengthy processes for refunds and customer support interactions, so be prepared for potential delays in problem resolution. During this experience, I couldn’t verify how quickly Kiwi.com’s customer support would respond to same-day changes or cancellations.

6. Advantages and Disadvantages

Based on my experience, here are the main advantages of using Kiwi.com:

• Lower prices
• Diverse flight options

The disadvantages include:

• Potentially slow customer support response
• Complex refund and change procedures
• Excessive insurance upselling

Regarding insurance options, be particularly careful not to purchase unnecessary add-ons. Less experienced travelers might be influenced by the alarming language used in these offers, potentially ending up paying more than direct airline prices.

Conclusion

Kiwi.com can be an attractive option for budget-conscious travelers. If your booking proceeds without issues, you can benefit from their competitive prices and convenience. However, if you anticipate needing flight changes or cancellations, consider using more established booking platforms.

When planning travel, remember that customer support quality is as important as price. Research user reviews carefully before making your decision.

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

After continued use of agency bookings, we discovered potential critical issues under certain conditions. Please refer to the articles below for detailed information about these important considerations. https://hatenablog-parts.com/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kosupatravel.com%2Fentry%2F2024%2F06%2F19%2F100000

↓Essential reading before booking discounted flights! https://hatenablog-parts.com/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kosupatravel.com%2Fentry%2F2024%2F07%2F04%2F100000