Based on checking the website Skyscanner.com.au, this platform functions primarily as a travel fare aggregator and meta-search engine, allowing users to compare prices for flights, hotels, and car hire from various travel providers. While it offers a convenient service for finding travel deals, a thorough review reveals areas where it falls short of what highly trusted, ethically focused platforms provide, particularly concerning the transparency of direct provider relationships and the inherent nature of travel booking aggregators.
Overall Review Summary:
- Purpose: Travel fare aggregation for flights, hotels, and car hire.
- Interface: Generally user-friendly and intuitive for search functions.
- Transparency: Lacks direct contact information for providers; acts purely as an intermediary.
- Ethical Considerations: While not directly involved in unethical transactions, the model of aggregation can obscure direct vendor accountability, making it less ideal for those seeking clear, direct, and fully transparent dealings. The platform itself doesn’t offer unique ethical safeguards beyond typical travel booking.
- Recommendation: Use with caution. Better alternatives exist for those prioritising direct vendor engagement and clearer ethical frameworks in their transactions.
The platform, like many of its kind, helps users navigate the complex world of online travel booking by pulling data from numerous airlines, hotel chains, and car rental companies. This utility in finding competitive prices for skyscanner.com.au flights, skyscanner com au multi city options, and skyscanner com au car hire is clear. However, its role as an intermediary means that the actual booking and financial transaction occur with third-party providers, not Skyscanner itself. This distance can sometimes lead to issues with customer support or dispute resolution, as users are often redirected to the actual service provider. For those seeking clear, direct business relationships and explicit ethical adherence in their transactions, the aggregator model might not be the most reassuring. The website itself is purely a search tool, and as such, lacks many of the direct accountability features one would expect from a primary vendor.
Here are some alternatives to consider for your travel needs, focusing on direct engagement or ethical approaches to planning and booking:
- Qantas
- Key Features: Direct airline booking, comprehensive flight network within Australia and internationally, loyalty program (Frequent Flyer), direct customer support.
- Average Price: Varies significantly based on route and time of booking.
- Pros: Direct relationship with the airline, better support for flight changes/cancellations, loyalty benefits.
- Cons: Prices may not always be the absolute cheapest compared to aggregators, limited to Qantas flights.
- Singapore Airlines
- Key Features: Renowned for service quality, extensive global network, direct booking, KrisFlyer loyalty program, a strong reputation for safety and reliability.
- Average Price: Generally considered a premium airline, prices reflect quality of service and routes.
- Pros: High service standards, reliable schedules, excellent in-flight experience, direct airline accountability.
- Cons: Can be more expensive than budget carriers, limited to their network.
- Expedia
- Key Features: Comprehensive travel platform offering flights, hotels, car rentals, and packages. Known for bundling deals, loyalty program (One Key).
- Average Price: Varies widely based on chosen services and packages.
- Pros: Convenient for booking multiple travel components, often has package deals, wider range of options than single airline sites.
- Cons: Still an aggregator, though with more direct booking capabilities than Skyscanner. Customer service can sometimes be convoluted when issues arise with third-party providers.
- Booking.com
- Key Features: Specialises in accommodation, offering a vast selection of hotels, apartments, villas, and more. Strong review system, flexible booking options (free cancellation).
- Average Price: Varies immensely depending on property type and location.
- Pros: Extensive selection of properties, transparent reviews, often offers flexible booking, direct booking with the platform itself.
- Cons: Primarily accommodation-focused, flight and car options are secondary or linked.
- Tripadvisor
- Key Features: Predominantly a review platform for hotels, restaurants, and attractions. Also offers booking links for flights, hotels, and tours, but acts as a referral.
- Average Price: Not a direct booking platform, so prices are set by external providers.
- Pros: Excellent for researching and reading reviews, provides valuable insights from other travellers.
- Cons: Not a direct booking site; redirects to other platforms.
- Rentalcars.com
- Key Features: Global car hire aggregator, compares prices from major and local rental companies, often offers competitive deals, dedicated car hire support.
- Average Price: Varies based on vehicle type, duration, and location.
- Pros: Specialises in car rental, broad comparison, dedicated support for car hire issues.
- Cons: Still an aggregator, so final booking is with a third-party car rental company.
- Travel Agent Services
- Key Features: Personalised service, expert advice, tailored itineraries, assistance with complex bookings, support during travel.
- Average Price: Often includes service fees, but can secure exclusive deals.
- Pros: Human interaction, accountability, problem-solving assistance, can often access deals not publicly available.
- Cons: Service fees, less instantaneous than online booking.
Find detailed reviews on Trustpilot, Reddit, and BBB.org, for software products you can also check Producthunt.
IMPORTANT: We have not personally tested this company’s services. This review is based solely on information provided by the company on their website. For independent, verified user experiences, please refer to trusted sources such as Trustpilot, Reddit, and BBB.org.
Skyscanner.com.au Review & First Look
When you land on Skyscanner.com.au, the first thing that hits you is its clean, straightforward interface. It’s designed to get you straight to the point: finding a flight, a hotel, or a car. This minimalist approach is refreshing in a world often cluttered with pop-ups and excessive advertisements. The focus is clearly on the search bar, prominently featuring options for “Flights,” “Hotels,” and “Car Hire.” This directness is a key strength for users who want to quickly compare prices without too much fuss.
Initial Impressions on Usability
The website scores high on immediate usability. The search fields are intuitive, with auto-suggest features that help you quickly enter destinations and dates. For instance, typing “Syd” immediately brings up “Sydney (SYD) Kingsford Smith” as an option, streamlining the process. This ease of use is a hallmark of good user experience design and ensures that even first-time visitors can navigate the site effectively.
Missing Elements for Trustworthiness
However, for those evaluating a platform through a more critical lens, particularly from an ethical perspective, some elements are conspicuously absent. There’s no immediate, prominent display of customer support contact details or direct links to ethical policies. While the “About Us” and “Help” sections exist, they’re typically found in the footer, requiring a deliberate search. Trusted platforms often make such information readily available, fostering immediate confidence. A truly ethical platform would highlight its commitments transparently on its main page, rather than burying them.
Data Security and Privacy Indicators
Based on the website’s appearance, standard security indicators like HTTPS are present, which is a baseline requirement for any online transaction. However, the site doesn’t prominently feature trust badges or certifications related to data privacy, beyond what’s typical. While a privacy policy is available, its prominence and the ease with which users can understand how their data is handled are not as strong as one might hope. For discerning users, a clear, concise, and highly visible statement on data handling would significantly bolster trust.
Examining Skyscanner.com.au Features for Travel Comparison
Skyscanner.com.au is primarily known for its powerful comparison engine, which allows users to scour numerous travel providers simultaneously. This core functionality is what draws millions to the platform, offering a seemingly efficient way to find the “best” deals.
Flight Search Capabilities
The flight search feature is robust, allowing for complex itineraries such as skyscanner com au multi city searches, which is incredibly useful for travellers planning trips with multiple stops. Users can filter results by airline, departure/arrival times, number of stops, and even aircraft type. This granularity gives travellers considerable control over their search. The site also highlights “cheapest,” “fastest,” and “best” options, giving a quick overview. However, it’s crucial to remember that “cheapest” often comes with caveats, such as strict baggage allowances or inconvenient layovers, which are typically determined by the third-party provider, not Skyscanner.
- Key Features:
- Extensive Comparisons: Aggregates data from hundreds of airlines and online travel agencies (OTAs).
- Flexible Dates: Offers “Cheapest Month” and “Everywhere” search options, ideal for flexible travellers.
- Filter Options: Comprehensive filters for airlines, stops, times, and airports.
- Price Alerts: Users can set alerts to be notified when prices drop for specific routes.
- Data Insight: A 2023 report from Statista indicated that flight search engines like Skyscanner continue to be a primary tool for over 60% of leisure travellers globally when planning their trips, underscoring their popularity.
Hotel and Car Hire Search Functionality
Beyond flights, the platform also provides search capabilities for hotels and car hire. The hotel search allows filters for star ratings, amenities, and price range, while car hire options include vehicle type, transmission, and pick-up locations. These features mirror the flight search in their breadth of options, aiming to provide a one-stop-shop for travel planning. However, similar to flights, the booking is always redirected to a third-party, which means the terms and conditions, as well as customer service, fall under the purview of that external provider.
- Hotel Search:
- Filtering: Filters by price, rating, guest score, amenities, and property type.
- Map View: Integrated map to view hotel locations relative to points of interest.
- Car Hire Search:
- Comparison: Compares rates from various car rental companies (e.g., Hertz, Avis, Budget).
- Vehicle Types: Options for sedans, SUVs, vans, luxury cars.
- Pick-up/Drop-off: Flexible options for different pick-up and drop-off locations.
Mobile Experience and skyscanner com au mobile
Skyscanner com au mobile experience is strong, with dedicated apps for both iOS and Android that replicate the desktop experience seamlessly. The apps are often lauded for their intuitive design and speed, allowing users to search and compare on the go. This mobile-first approach is crucial in today’s digital landscape, where a significant portion of online activity occurs on smartphones. The app typically includes additional features like push notifications for price changes and more personalised recommendations.
- App Features:
- User-Friendly Interface: Optimised for smaller screens.
- Push Notifications: Real-time price drop alerts.
- Offline Access: Some features accessible offline.
- Syncing: Ability to sync searches and saved flights across devices.
Skyscanner.com.au Pros & Cons
Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of using a platform like Skyscanner.com.au is crucial for making informed decisions, especially when ethical considerations are paramount.
Advantages of Using Skyscanner.com.au
The primary advantage of Skyscanner is its ability to save users time and potentially money by aggregating numerous travel deals. It acts as a powerful search engine, sifting through vast amounts of data that would be tedious for an individual to collect manually. Ozaironline.com.au Review
- Comprehensive Comparison: Skyscanner pulls data from a huge number of airlines and online travel agencies. This means you’re more likely to see a wider range of options and find competitive prices for your skyscanner.com.au flights.
- Ease of Use: The interface is clean, intuitive, and highly functional. It’s designed for speed and efficiency, making the search process straightforward even for first-time users.
- Flexibility for Travellers: Features like “Everywhere” search and “Cheapest Month” are incredibly useful for travellers with flexible plans, allowing them to discover destinations based on budget.
- Price Alerts: The ability to set up price alerts means you can monitor a specific route and jump on a deal as soon as the price drops, which can lead to significant savings.
Disadvantages and Ethical Concerns
While convenient, Skyscanner’s nature as an aggregator presents several ethical and practical drawbacks. Its role as an intermediary can complicate customer service and obscure the direct relationship between the consumer and the actual service provider.
- Lack of Direct Accountability: Skyscanner is not the direct service provider. When you book, you are redirected to an airline or an Online Travel Agency (OTA). This means that if issues arise (e.g., flight changes, cancellations, baggage problems), you must deal with the third-party company, not Skyscanner. This can lead to frustration and a lack of direct support, as Skyscanner explicitly states they are not responsible for bookings made through their partners.
- Hidden Fees and Terms: While Skyscanner displays prices, the final booking on a third-party site might reveal additional fees (e.g., baggage, seat selection, credit card surcharges) that were not immediately transparent on Skyscanner’s platform. This lack of full transparency can be misleading.
- Broker Model Concerns: The aggregator model inherently promotes a “broker” relationship rather than a direct ethical transaction between the buyer and seller. This can dilute the trust and direct communication that ethical consumers might seek. For instance, if you book through a lesser-known OTA found via Skyscanner, vetting that OTA’s legitimacy and ethical practices becomes your responsibility.
- Customer Service Gaps: Since Skyscanner is just a search engine, it offers no direct customer service for bookings. All post-booking inquiries or issues must go through the actual provider, whose customer service quality can vary wildly. This fragmented support can be a major headache when problems arise.
- Potential for Outdated Information: While Skyscanner strives for real-time data, there can sometimes be a slight delay in price updates, meaning a “deal” seen on Skyscanner might have changed by the time you’re redirected to the booking site.
Skyscanner.com.au Alternatives
Given the considerations raised about the aggregator model, exploring alternatives to Skyscanner.com.au becomes prudent for those seeking more direct, transparent, or ethically aligned travel planning.
Direct Airline and Hotel Websites
The most straightforward alternative is to bypass aggregators entirely and book directly with airlines and hotels. This offers the highest level of transparency and direct accountability.
- Qantas and Singapore Airlines: Booking directly with major airlines like Qantas or Singapore Airlines ensures you are dealing with the primary service provider. This means clearer terms, direct customer support for flight changes or cancellations, and access to their loyalty programs. This approach prioritises a direct relationship over hunting for the absolute lowest price through a third party.
- Hotel Chains’ Official Websites: Similarly, booking directly with hotel chains like Marriott, Hilton, or Accor often provides benefits such as loyalty points, guaranteed best rates (in some cases), and direct channels for addressing any issues. This eliminates the intermediary layer often found with aggregators.
Full-Service Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) with More Direct Booking
While still intermediaries, some OTAs like Expedia and Booking.com offer a more direct booking experience than pure aggregators.
- Expedia: While an OTA, Expedia often directly processes bookings rather than just redirecting. They handle the transaction and offer their own customer support, although it can still involve coordinating with underlying providers. They also offer package deals which can simplify booking multiple components.
- Booking.com: Primarily strong in accommodation, Booking.com directly handles millions of hotel reservations. Their platform provides extensive information, transparent reviews, and flexible cancellation policies directly through their system. This offers a more cohesive booking experience for hotels compared to a pure meta-search.
Dedicated Car Hire Aggregators
For car hire specifically, focusing on platforms that specialise in this segment can provide more focused support and comparison.
- Rentalcars.com: This platform is a dedicated car hire aggregator that works with numerous rental companies globally. While it still redirects to third parties for the final booking, its specialisation often means more comprehensive comparison and dedicated customer service for car rental issues.
Personalised Travel Agent Services
For complex itineraries or those who prefer human interaction and accountability, a traditional travel agent remains a strong ethical choice.
- Travel Agent Services: A professional travel agent offers personalised service, expert advice, and often has access to deals not publicly available. They handle all bookings, changes, and provide support throughout your journey, acting as a single point of contact. This direct human connection and accountability aligns well with principles of clear, ethical business dealings. A 2022 survey by ASTA (American Society of Travel Advisors) found that 60% of travellers who used an advisor reported saving time and money, and felt more confident in their travel plans.
Understanding Skyscanner.com.au Pricing and Hidden Costs
When using Skyscanner.com.au, the pricing you see is almost always an estimate. The platform acts as a lead generator, displaying what it believes to be the best available price from its partner airlines and Online Travel Agencies (OTAs). However, the final price you pay can, and often does, differ once you’re redirected to the actual booking website. This discrepancy is a critical point for any discerning consumer.
The Aggregator Model and Price Discrepancies
Skyscanner doesn’t sell tickets directly. Instead, it aggregates prices from various sources. This means that when you click on a “deal,” you’re taken to a third-party website—be it an airline’s official site or an OTA like BudgetAir or Trip.com. It’s on their site that the final price is determined, and this is where hidden costs can emerge.
- Base Fare vs. Final Price: The price initially shown on Skyscanner is often the base fare. Once redirected, you might encounter additional charges for:
- Baggage: Many budget airlines, and increasingly even full-service carriers, charge extra for checked luggage. This fee is almost never included in the initial Skyscanner price.
- Seat Selection: Reserving a specific seat, especially on longer flights, can incur a charge.
- Payment Processing Fees: Some OTAs add a surcharge if you pay with certain credit cards or payment methods. This can add a few dollars to the total.
- Travel Insurance: While often optional, it’s typically pre-selected by default on many booking sites, requiring you to manually deselect it to avoid the cost.
- Service Fees: Some lesser-known OTAs might add their own “service fees” that aren’t transparently displayed until the final booking stage.
- Dynamic Pricing: Flight prices are highly dynamic. By the time you click through from Skyscanner to the booking site, the specific fare class might have sold out, or the price might have simply changed due to real-time demand. This leads to the infamous “price increased” message.
Avoiding Unexpected Charges
To minimise unexpected costs when using Skyscanner, it’s crucial to be proactive and diligent. Ozstraps.com.au Review
- Read the Fine Print: Once you land on the booking site, thoroughly review the fare rules, baggage allowance, and any optional extras before confirming your purchase.
- Check Different Payment Methods: If possible, try different payment methods to see if any processing fees are applied.
- Compare Directly: Before finalising a booking found through Skyscanner, quickly cross-reference the price on the airline’s official website. Sometimes, the direct airline price is competitive and offers better terms (e.g., more direct customer support, easier changes).
- Understand Baggage Policies: Always check the airline’s specific baggage policy for your chosen fare class, as this is a common source of unexpected fees.
Skyscanner.com.au vs. Competitors
Understanding how Skyscanner.com.au stacks up against its main competitors is key to choosing the right tool for your travel planning, especially when considering the nuances of different aggregation models.
Skyscanner vs. Google Flights
Google Flights operates as a meta-search engine similar to Skyscanner, but with a significant difference: its integration within the broader Google ecosystem.
- Data Source & Speed: Google Flights often pulls data directly from airlines more frequently and can sometimes reflect price changes almost instantaneously. Its integration with Google’s vast data capabilities can make it incredibly fast.
- User Interface: Both are clean, but Google Flights often provides more detailed insights into price trends, historical pricing data, and alternative date options at a glance, directly within the interface.
- Booking Redirect: Similar to Skyscanner, Google Flights redirects you to the airline or OTA for final booking, meaning direct accountability for the booking lies elsewhere.
- Ethical Footprint: As part of Google, it benefits from strong data security and privacy protocols, but its vast data collection might be a concern for some users. However, it generally presents a more transparent view of airline direct pricing than some obscure OTAs.
Skyscanner vs. Kayak
Kayak is another major travel meta-search engine that predates Skyscanner in many markets. It offers a similar range of services—flights, hotels, cars, and even packages.
- Coverage: Both have extensive coverage, pulling data from a wide array of sources. Kayak might sometimes include smaller, regional OTAs that Skyscanner doesn’t, or vice-versa.
- Features: Kayak offers similar features like price alerts, flexible date searches, and filter options. It also has a “Hacker Fares” feature that combines one-way tickets on different airlines for potentially cheaper overall trips, which Skyscanner also does implicitly.
- User Experience: Both are user-friendly, but some users find Kayak’s interface slightly more cluttered due to more prominent advertising.
- Accountability: Like Skyscanner, Kayak is an aggregator, so final booking and customer service rest with the third-party provider.
Skyscanner vs. Direct Airline Websites
Comparing Skyscanner to booking directly on an airline’s website highlights the core trade-off between price comparison and direct service.
- Price: Skyscanner can find cheaper fares, especially when combining different airlines or using obscure OTAs. Direct airline websites only show their own fares.
- Transparency & Trust: Direct airline websites offer complete transparency on fare rules, baggage policies, and payment terms, and you have a direct relationship with the carrier. This means easier changes, cancellations, and more reliable customer service. For those prioritising direct, ethical business interactions and clear accountability, direct booking is almost always superior.
- Support: Any issues with a direct booking are handled by the airline itself. With Skyscanner, you’re on your own once redirected to a third party.
In summary, while Skyscanner and its direct competitors excel at price comparison, they operate on a model that can dilute direct accountability. For a more transparent and ethically robust transaction, booking directly with service providers or using full-service travel agents remains the preferred option.
How to Effectively Use Skyscanner.com.au for Ethical Travel Planning
While Skyscanner.com.au operates as an aggregator and presents some ethical transparency challenges, it can still be a tool in your travel planning arsenal if used strategically. The key is to leverage its search capabilities while taking additional steps to ensure ethical and transparent bookings.
Leveraging Search Features Smartly
Skyscanner’s strength lies in its comprehensive search. Use it as a discovery tool, not necessarily the final booking platform.
- “Everywhere” Search: If your destination is flexible, use the “Everywhere” search feature to find the cheapest destinations from your departure city for specific dates or months. This is invaluable for budget-conscious travellers looking for inspiration.
- “Cheapest Month” Option: For those with flexible travel dates, this feature helps identify the most economical time to fly to a particular destination. This can lead to significant savings.
- Price Alerts: Set up price alerts for your desired routes. This allows Skyscanner to monitor prices for you and notify you when they drop. This can be particularly useful for long-term planning, giving you time to research the booking provider.
- Multi-City Searches: For complex itineraries, the skyscanner com au multi city function is robust. Use it to map out your journey and find potential flight combinations.
Verifying and Booking Ethically
This is where the extra steps come in to mitigate the ethical and accountability concerns of an aggregator.
- Identify the Best Price: Use Skyscanner to identify the lowest price and the specific airline or Online Travel Agency (OTA) offering it.
- Cross-Reference Directly: Before booking, always navigate directly to the airline’s official website. Search for the exact same flight details you found on Skyscanner. Often, the price will be very similar, and sometimes even identical.
- Prioritise Direct Bookings: If the price on the airline’s official website is comparable, always book directly with the airline. This ensures you have a direct contractual relationship with the service provider, which simplifies customer service, changes, cancellations, and ensures you benefit from any loyalty programs.
- Vet OTAs Carefully: If the absolute cheapest price is only available through a specific OTA found on Skyscanner, take the time to research that OTA.
- Check Reviews: Look for independent reviews of the OTA on platforms like Trustpilot or via a quick Google search. Pay attention to common complaints regarding customer service, hidden fees, or booking issues.
- Verify Legitimacy: Ensure the OTA has clear contact information and a professional-looking website. Be wary of sites with numerous typos or overly aggressive sales tactics.
- Understand Terms: If you proceed with an OTA, thoroughly read their terms and conditions, especially regarding baggage, cancellations, and changes.
By using Skyscanner as a smart search tool and then exercising due diligence with your actual booking, you can benefit from its comparison power while maintaining a more ethical and accountable transaction process. This disciplined approach minimises the risks associated with booking through less transparent intermediaries and ensures you maintain control over your travel plans.
Skyscanner.com.au Reviews: Public Perception and Common Issues
Understanding public perception of Skyscanner.com.au provides critical insights into its performance and the common pitfalls users encounter. While many appreciate its utility, recurring issues often stem from its fundamental role as an intermediary rather than a direct service provider. Voyagecollectionsaustralia.com.au Review
What Users Like
The most common positive feedback revolves around Skyscanner’s ability to simplify travel planning and potentially save money.
- Convenience: Users love the “one-stop-shop” aspect, where they can compare prices from numerous sources without visiting multiple websites. This convenience factor is a major draw.
- Price Discovery: Many report finding genuinely good deals they might not have discovered otherwise, especially with flexible date searches like “Cheapest Month.”
- Ease of Use: The intuitive interface and efficient search functionality consistently receive praise, especially for the skyscanner com au mobile app.
Common Complaints and User Experiences
The bulk of negative reviews, particularly on platforms like Trustpilot or consumer forums, center on issues that arise after the user is redirected from Skyscanner to a third-party booking site. This underscores the challenge of the aggregator model.
- Price Discrepancies: A frequent complaint is that the price shown on Skyscanner changes once the user clicks through to the booking site. This can be due to dynamic pricing, fare class availability, or the final site adding its own fees. Users feel misled when the “deal” they clicked on isn’t the final price.
- Customer Service Issues: Since Skyscanner is not the booking agent, any post-booking problems (e.g., flight changes, cancellations, issues with baggage, payment disputes) must be resolved with the third-party airline or OTA. Users often report frustrating experiences when these third parties are unresponsive or difficult to deal with, leaving them feeling stranded with no direct support from Skyscanner.
- Reliability of Third-Party OTAs: Many negative reviews are specifically about problematic experiences with obscure or poorly rated Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) that appear in Skyscanner’s search results. Users, driven by finding the absolute cheapest fare, sometimes book with these less reputable companies and then face significant challenges when issues arise.
- Baggage and Hidden Fees: Confusion over baggage allowances and other “hidden” fees (like seat selection or payment surcharges) that are only revealed at the final booking stage are a common source of frustration. These are typically set by the third-party provider, but users often attribute the initial misleading impression to Skyscanner.
- Website Stability/Bugs: While less frequent, some users occasionally report issues with the website or app, such as slow loading times or minor glitches during the search process.
Impact of Reviews on Trust
The dichotomy in reviews—high praise for search utility versus significant frustration over post-booking issues—highlights the inherent tension in Skyscanner’s business model. For the discerning consumer, these reviews serve as a stark reminder that while Skyscanner is excellent for finding options, the responsibility for a smooth, ethical, and well-supported booking experience ultimately rests with the user’s choice of the final booking provider. This reinforces the advice to always cross-reference and, if possible, book directly with the airline or reputable OTA.
FAQ
What is Skyscanner.com.au?
Skyscanner.com.au is a travel meta-search engine based in Australia that allows users to compare prices for flights, hotels, and car hire from various airlines, hotels, and online travel agencies (OTAs) globally.
Is Skyscanner.com.au a legitimate website?
Yes, Skyscanner.com.au is a legitimate website. It acts as a search engine to compare prices and is a widely recognised global platform, although it does not directly sell travel services.
How does Skyscanner.com.au make money?
Skyscanner makes money primarily through referral fees when users click through to a partner’s website (airline or OTA) and make a booking, or through advertising displayed on its platform.
Does Skyscanner.com.au include all airlines?
Skyscanner includes a vast number of airlines, from major carriers to budget airlines, but it does not guarantee that every single airline or fare available globally will be included in its search results.
Can I book directly on Skyscanner.com.au?
No, you cannot book directly on Skyscanner.com.au. Once you find a suitable deal, you are redirected to the airline’s official website or an online travel agency (OTA) to complete the booking.
Are the prices on Skyscanner.com.au accurate?
The prices displayed on Skyscanner.com.au are generally accurate at the time of search, but they are subject to change rapidly due to dynamic pricing, availability, and the time delay between Skyscanner’s data refresh and the third-party website’s live pricing.
Why do prices change after I click from Skyscanner.com.au?
Prices can change due to real-time fare class availability, dynamic pricing by airlines/OTAs, or additional fees (e.g., baggage, payment processing) that are only added on the final booking site and were not part of the initial aggregated price. Dynamofitness.com.au Review
Does Skyscanner.com.au charge hidden fees?
Skyscanner itself does not charge hidden fees for its search service. However, the third-party airline or OTA you are redirected to may add their own fees (e.g., baggage, payment processing, seat selection) that were not transparent on Skyscanner.
How do I contact customer service for a booking made through Skyscanner.com.au?
You need to contact the airline or the online travel agency (OTA) with whom you made the actual booking, not Skyscanner. Skyscanner is only a search engine and does not handle post-booking customer service.
Is Skyscanner.com.au good for finding multi-city flights?
Yes, skyscanner com au multi city search functionality is quite robust and is often praised for its ability to help users find and compare complex multi-leg itineraries efficiently.
Does Skyscanner.com.au have a mobile app?
Yes, Skyscanner has a highly-rated mobile app available for both iOS and Android devices, offering all the core functionalities of the desktop website. The skyscanner com au mobile experience is generally very user-friendly.
Can I set up price alerts on Skyscanner.com.au?
Yes, you can set up price alerts on Skyscanner.com.au for specific routes and dates to receive notifications when the price changes.
Is Skyscanner.com.au better than Google Flights?
“Better” depends on user preference. Both Skyscanner and Google Flights are powerful meta-search engines. Google Flights often has more detailed price trend data, while Skyscanner is known for its “Everywhere” search feature.
How does Skyscanner.com.au handle car hire comparisons?
Skyscanner.com.au aggregates car hire prices from various rental companies globally, allowing you to compare options based on vehicle type, pick-up/drop-off locations, and rental conditions before redirecting you to the rental provider’s website.
What should I do if my flight price changes after clicking from Skyscanner?
If the price changes, you should first double-check all details on the booking site. If the discrepancy is significant or unacceptable, it’s best to either try searching again, look for another deal, or consider booking directly with an airline or reputable OTA.
Does Skyscanner.com.au show budget airlines?
Yes, Skyscanner.com.au is known for including a wide range of airlines, including many budget and low-cost carriers, making it a popular choice for finding cheaper fares.
Can I trust the reviews on Skyscanner.com.au?
Skyscanner itself doesn’t host customer reviews for airlines or OTAs. It primarily links to booking sites. However, if you are looking for reviews of an OTA found via Skyscanner, you should independently research them on platforms like Trustpilot. Vevor.com.au Review
Is it safer to book directly with the airline than through an OTA found on Skyscanner?
Generally, yes. Booking directly with the airline provides a clearer contractual relationship, direct customer support for issues, and often more straightforward processes for changes or cancellations, reducing potential points of friction.
Does Skyscanner.com.au offer hotel reviews?
Skyscanner’s hotel search often integrates user ratings and reviews from platforms like Tripadvisor or Booking.com, providing an aggregated view of hotel feedback.
How often are prices updated on Skyscanner.com.au?
Skyscanner strives for real-time updates, but the frequency can vary. Prices are generally updated very frequently, but due to the dynamic nature of travel pricing and the aggregation model, minor delays can occur.
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