Booking and Bidding Sight Unseen:

A Consumer's Guide to Opaque Travel Web Sites (Abstract)

Abstract

Some of the best travel bargains can be found on the Internet. But are the very best deals hidden behind "opaque" screens that require consumers to make airline, hotel, and car rental bookings without knowing all the details of their purchases?

Two of the leading opaque travel sites, Hotwire and Priceline, promise deep discounts for those consumers willing to make non-refundable bookings before learning the specifics of their itineraries. Consumer Reports WebWatch developed detailed methodology to put such claims to the test, by simultaneously querying and bidding for fares and rates not only through the two opaque sites, but also through four other leading travel Web sites (Expedia, Orbitz, Quikbook, and Travelocity) and a leading global distribution system used by travel agencies (Sabre). These tests were repeated hundreds of times.

In addition, complete bookings were processed through the two opaque sites. For nearly two years, Consumer Reports WebWatch has been extensively involved in testing and analyzing travel Web sites. With this project, the testers delved deeper and actually purchased airline seats, hotel rooms, and rental cars (these purchases were later donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America).

Consumer Reports WebWatch found that for all three sectors — airlines, hotels, and car rentals — one of the two opaque travel sites, Hotwire or Priceline, provided the lowest rates. But the more complicated question addressed in this research report is whether those discounts are worth the trade-offs required of the opaque sites.