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The vast majority of flight/hotel booking sites are now consolidated & redundant

ModerationNow!

ModerationNow!

I identify as "non-Bidenary".
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I was looking for a last minute flight to South Florida in January of this year, for February 11th. I was told to buy 1 way tickets to save money. I've never done that, because I DO need to return at some point! But I managed to get a 1 way flight from Philly to West Palm beach for like $55.

Unfortunately, the flight back was fairly expensive, due to spring break, a 3 day holiday weekend etc. But I was initially looking for the usual round trip, direct flight tickets, but strangely, I kept getting the exact same prices at multiple sites.

I had flown down 2 years earlier, and as I recall, the prices were very similar then(January 2016) as well, although I didn't search the travel sites very thoroughly, because I bought my tickets directly through the airline at a decent price(around $180 from PHL to PBI, rinse/repeat).

About a week ago, I watched a tv segment, where they briefly talked about how almost all the well known(and lesser known) travel/hotel sites are now consolidated under like 2 parent companies. That clearly explains why I was repeatedly seeing the exact same prices for plane tickets..

That pretty much undermines the whole purpose of having multiple travel sites. I would imagine that, once the general public catches on to this new travel site reality, the corporate parent company(s) will merge the individual sites down into just 1-2-3 remaining entities. What's the point in having 10 separate sites, with 10 separate management groups, when it can be whittled down to just a few? Besides, they ALL offer the same exact product at the same price!

I don't even know if there are any travel sites that are still independent. Independence is the is the desirable factor when shopping for tickets/hotels/rental cars etc. Consolidation renders them redundant and irrelevant.
 
Well then, OP-er, it seems to me the situation you've described is what some enterprising individuals call ABOFU, "A Business Opportunity For U." In my former industry, we called it "YACO" -- Yet Another Consulting Opportunity.


The question is whether you're just going to gripe or whether you'll avail yourself of the profit opportunity to fill a market lacuna you've identified.
 
Xelor said:
Well then, OP-er, it seems to me the situation you've described is what some enterprising individuals call ABOFU, "A Business Opportunity For U." In my former industry, we called it "YACO" -- Yet Another Consulting Opportunity.


The question is whether you're just going to gripe or whether you'll avail yourself of the profit opportunity to fill a market lacuna you've identified.
Click to expand...

The thread isn't about griping. Its about educating forum members on the new realities of internet travel booking. I didn't expect to catch attitude for posting such a thread. I already work for myself. I have zero knowledge about travel industry administration, zero knowledge in web based, auto, flight and hotel marketing. I have no connections to airlines or hotels. I have no experience in online credit/debit card processing. I've never even created my own internet website, uploaded a video to youtube, or ran any kind of web based business.

But hey, i recently pointed out the fact that many colleges have raised their costs at a much higher rate than inflation, in spite of the fact that most are sitting on multi-billion dollar endowments, while bringing in enormous sums of money from FAR more sources than almost any other type of business. That being the case, maybe I should open up a new, large university next week! Granted, I have zero experience in starting or managing a university, but I guess none of that matters.
 
ModerationNow! said:
The thread isn't about griping. Its about educating forum members on the new realities of internet travel booking. I didn't expect to catch attitude for posting such a thread. I already work for myself. I have zero knowledge about travel industry administration, zero knowledge in web based, auto, flight and hotel marketing. I have no connections to airlines or hotels. I have no experience in online credit/debit card processing. I've never even created my own internet website, uploaded a video to youtube, or ran any kind of web based business.

But hey, i recently pointed out the fact that many colleges have raised their costs at a much higher rate than inflation, in spite of the fact that most are sitting on multi-billion dollar endowments, while bringing in enormous sums of money from FAR more sources than almost any other type of business. That being the case, maybe I should open up a new, large university next week! Granted, I have zero experience in starting or managing a university, but I guess none of that matters.
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Red:
Be that as it may, those realities augur for there being an opportunity to profitably avail oneself of the lacunae within the new landscape of travel booking.


Blue:
Well, what am I to say about that? Nobody who ever achieved success at anything did so by focusing upon whatever impeded their success.

When I conceived to form a consultancy, other than a general understanding of economics and business, I had none of the knowledge and skills one needs specifically to form one, and yet over time I managed to obtain them. It really was just a matter of knowing that I wanted to do something that availed me of my economics degree, my enjoyment of research and analysis and desire to earn more than I could have reasonably have expected to earn as a professor of business or economics, and then setting about bringing my vision to fruition. What it wasn't about was figuring out why I couldn't do it.

Indeed, I don't think the notion that my firm wouldn't thrive, or that I wouldn't be able to overcome the challenges I faced, ever crossed my mind. Why would it have? The whole of my life up to that point (school and college) had taught me how to do one thing: aptly identify "nouns," analyze them and produce sound solutions to overcome whatever problems they presented. I'd been doing that successfully since the seventh grade, I had no basis for thinking I "suddenly" wasn't going to be able to keep doing so....


But, hey, that's me and it's how I see things. You are a different person and you don't want to enter the travel arrangements and information market. That is what it is, and I've said all I have to say about it. You've put the idea "on the table" in your OP. It's there and maybe it'll catalyze an actionable business idea for someone else.....


Pink:
I didn't say or suggest that the process would happen overnight. From the day I determined to form a consultancy to my firm's first business day was about eight years.


Tan:
If you let it matter, it does and it will. If you determine to make it eventually not matter, it doesn't; it's just something to overcome.
 
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Xelor said:
Red:
Be that as it may, those realities augur for there being an opportunity to profitably avail oneself of the lacunae within the new landscape of travel booking.


Blue:
Well, what am I to say about that? Nobody who ever achieved success at anything did so by focusing upon whatever impeded their success.

When I conceived to form a consultancy, other than a general understanding of economics and business, I had none of the knowledge and skills one needs specifically to form one, and yet over time I managed to obtain them. It really was just a matter of knowing that I wanted to do something that availed me of my economics degree, my enjoyment of research and analysis and desire to earn more than I could have reasonably have expected to earn as a professor of business or economics, and then setting about bringing my vision to fruition. What it wasn't about was figuring out why I couldn't do it.

Indeed, I don't think the notion that my firm wouldn't thrive, or that I wouldn't be able to overcome the challenges I faced, ever crossed my mind. Why would it have? The whole of my life up to that point (school and college) had taught me how to do one thing: aptly identify "nouns," analyze them and produce sound solutions to overcome whatever problems they presented. I'd been doing that successfully since the seventh grade, I had no basis for thinking I "suddenly" wasn't going to be able to keep doing so....


But, hey, that's me and it's how I see things. You are a different person and you don't want to enter the travel arrangements and information market. That is what it is, and I've said all I have to say about it. You've put the idea "on the table" in your OP. It's there and maybe it'll catalyze an actionable business idea for someone else.....


Pink:
I didn't say or suggest that the process would happen overnight. From the day I determined to form a consultancy to my firm's first business day was about eight years.


Tan:
If you let it matter, it does and it will. If you determine to make it eventually not matter, it doesn't; it's just something to overcome.
Click to expand...

I see your point 100%. You have a good attitude about personal career growth and taking advantage of opportunities. Surely it's possible for someone to take up something new, and become successful at it. Prior to your post, it never even occurred to me to even consider starting an online travel booking site. Its mainly because I literally have zero knowledge or experience in any aspect of that type of venture. The only thing I can point to as relevant experience, would be sales, basic customer relations abilities and thats about it. But my sales experience is direct, face to face, as well as by phone. My customer relations experience is similar.

I wouldn't even know how, or where to begin doing research into starting an online travel booking site. I have no idea how much capitol it would require, and no idea how to go about starting a business relationship with airlines, rental car companies and hotel management firms.

Honestly, I am very good at learning how to do new things, and I quickly become competent at performing new things. But having said that, right now I cannot think of any potential business that I am more clueless about, less knowledgeable and less experienced at, than something like this. I don't even know if it would be possible for an individual to do something like this, without having a lot of capitol and significant 'industry connections'.

Now, if marijuana were to suddenly become legal to posses, and especially to grow and sell(to dispensaries, head shops etc), I would be capable of growing it successfully, although I haven't done it in 25 years.
 
Well, the airlines set the rates for their flights, there isn't much flexibility price wise, the consolidators usually all get the same rates.
 
ModerationNow! said:
I see your point 100%. You have a good attitude about personal career growth and taking advantage of opportunities. ... I literally have zero knowledge or experience in any aspect of that type of venture. The only thing I can point to as relevant experience, would be sales, basic customer relations abilities and thats about it. But my sales experience is direct, face to face, as well as by phone. My customer relations experience is similar.

I wouldn't even know how, or where to begin doing research into starting an online travel booking site. I have no idea how much capitol it would require, and no idea how to go about starting a business relationship with airlines, rental car companies and hotel management firms.
Click to expand...

Far and away, the most important thing you need, and that only you know whether you have, is the personal desire, will and commitment to make it happen. Absent that, whatever else you have or lack doesn't matter.

Having the desire, will and commitment needed, one simply starts with what one does have/know and builds on it. For instance:
  • You either have some "seed" money to start any kind of firm or you don't. If you don't, you'll need to get some, so that may militate for one's having to alter one's behavior so that one can save more money more rapidly than one has been. If one is at this point of the process, it really doesn't matter what kind of business it'll be; what matters is the amassment of money.

    While one is in the process of building a "nest egg" of sorts, one can again build on what one knows and has. To wit, one may be vexed between starting a "weed" business or a web travel booking business. So, what one would do while growing one's bank balance are things like:
    • Travel site:
      • Reaching out to airlines, accommodations purveyors (hotels, motels, B&Bs, hostels, etc.), car rental companies, and so on to find out what you need to do to integrate and present their data on your site as well as to execute the purchase transactions customers will make.
        • This exercise may also help you identify a niche in the market where you can shine without having to compete with the "big boys."
        • This research exercise will also provide you with the information you need to understand why the gap you identified exists. Is it truly a gap? Is it a gap that's there because the purveyors of travel products want it to be there?
      • Reaching out to web hosting suppliers to find out what they offer, how you'll pay for it, how much it'll cost you, how the charges will be applied, how much bandwidth you can obtain, etc.
      • Reaching out to telecom suppliers to obtain the details needed to evaluate what you must pay and do to obtain a given level of bandwidth.
      • Reaching out to developers with whom you can discuss the technical requirements pertaining to site and data security, site functionality, etc.
      • Reaching out to credit card companies to find out what you must do to integrate with them for payments and refunds, along with whatever fees they charge.
      • Researching the regulatory environment to which your site might be subject.
      • Reaching out to banks to find out what sorts of loans you can get.
      • Finding out how exactly you're going to get paid....will it be ad revenue? Will it be the travel purveyors paying a fee for each booking? Both? Something else?
      • Finding potential business partners who share not only your vision, but also your work ethic, are willing to put up money, have good credit, and bring to the table skills you need, even if they, like you, have to develop them over the period of time it'll take you to get enough money saved up.
      • Refining your business vision, plan, model, purpose, target customers/audience, distinctive competency, etc.
      • There's more, but those are some places that you can start and that, if you go at it with real diligence, should take no more than a month to complete.
As you might imagine, that's a lot of "stuff" and details to work through even before the business starts. That it is and because it is is why the commitment and zeal to be in that particular business is so critical. Nobody's going to do all that work to get into a business that only appeals to them on a notional basis.

See why I chose a service business? For that, I just needed to be very good at doing something, and the things I had spent my life up to that point getting good at were the very same things I aimed to do in my business. All I started with was a computer, paper, pens, transportation, a telephone line and the skills and abilities I'd been developing for the prior ~15 years -- from seventh grade to my late 20s. I didn't need "stuff" really, whereas the travel thing (and the weed thing) requires "stuff." Plus, there're no regulations on consulting; so long as I didn't breach the requirements of my CPA certification and licence, I was good to go.
 
ModerationNow! said:
I see your point 100%. You have a good attitude about personal career growth and taking advantage of opportunities. ... I literally have zero knowledge or experience in any aspect of that type of venture. The only thing I can point to as relevant experience, would be sales, basic customer relations abilities and thats about it. But my sales experience is direct, face to face, as well as by phone. My customer relations experience is similar.

I wouldn't even know how, or where to begin doing research into starting an online travel booking site. I have no idea how much capitol it would require, and no idea how to go about starting a business relationship with airlines, rental car companies and hotel management firms.
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Off Topic:
I periodically deliver seminars for kids -- middle school to college age -- and one of the more popular ones is the "what to do with your life" seminar. I suspect you're well past the point of that, but the discussion we've been in this thread having reminded me that one of the things that, after all these years of doing the seminars, kids really struggle with:
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  • [*=1]Identifying for themselves what they like and care about enough to make a career out of it, and
    [*=1]Understanding/discerning what their distinctive competencies are, and
    [*=1]Understanding how to start with what they've got and building on it, which really is just a lot of words for "problem solving."
I don't really know why that is. It just is, I suppose....


Don't get me wrong. I realize nobody is born a problem solver, yet doing just that is what, sooner or later we all must do, if we are to thrive. As a young teen, I was "into" all sorts of things, and I wanted to be all kids of things too, none of them being what I ended up being professionally. Management consulting didn't enter my mind until my collegiate junior-year summer, and it didn't form itself into a business idea until some years after that, maybe five or so when I was still practicing public accounting and preparing to go to/pondering grad school.

The notion of being a corporate tax strategist appealed to me too, at the time, and I wouldn't have necessarily needed to go to grad school for that. I-banking too was appealing, and grad school was necessary for me to do that. I was in grad school when I conceived of a niche in economics that I thought I could parlay into a consulting practice, mainly because I'd learned a lot about economics, but I hadn't found anyone who was explicitly applying its principles to process improvement initiatives in a corporate setting, but I had bounced the idea off of a few of my prior accounting clients.

So that's how that idea came about and became a business I could own and run. I didn't mind counting "beans" (accounting) and I didn't mind measuring "baskets" (economics), but I really liked the idea of drawing upon history (general and economic) and using psychology, marketing, and economics theories to help manage behavior. That fit really well with my personality and interests.


I would tell kids a longer version of that anecdote to the seminar attendees. They'd get it, but they'd still be unclear about how to figure out what they were truly "into." That's the part that befuddles me. How does one not know oneself well enough to know what really "floats one's boat?"


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