Many individuals use online booking to accomplish a variety of tasks. Instead of going to a brick-and-mortar travel agency and manually buying flight and hotel tickets, or going to a concert hall and buying performance tickets, an individual can simply go online and order them. There is no need to discuss the matter with another person. The process of online booking sidesteps many of the usual inconveniences and saves time.
Available Options
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One of the advantages individuals get from online booking is the amount of options available to them on the websites. By booking holiday flights and hotels online, these individuals have instantaneous access to a comprehensively detailed list of both flights and hotels, often with the ability to separate the information into fields more useful for a specific search. For example, if an individual wishes to only choose between lists of business class flights, or wishes to stay in a hotel ranked three stars or above, a narrowed search is easily achieved at the touch of a button.
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Collection of Information
Another advantage with online booking is the fact that the Internet has established links between the large national and international airline companies and the large hotel companies. This combined information is advertised freely on the Internet, making it much easier for individuals to make complete plans for their holidays. The existence of these packages deals means that individuals don't have to worry about booking flights and hotels separately and worry about the timing. They merely choose a package that meets their preferences.
Greater Competition
One of the disadvantages of booking online is directly linked to one of the biggest advantages. Due to being online, there is a much wider customer base to the information. In other words, information that in the past was more available to individuals in a specific country is now available to anyone in the world that has an Internet connection. This creates an environment of first-come-first-serves competition. The cheapest options are then available to the individuals who see the advertisements first and have funds to purchase immediately.
Other Disadvantages
A number of other disadvantages exist with the use of online booking. Because of the need for exchanging sensitive personal data, such as home addresses and bank and credit card details, the online booking process is an attractive target for cyber criminals looking to steal this information. Fake websites created for the sole purpose of stealing personal information is also an ever-present danger. Plus, as individuals don't have another individual to deal with in the booking process, it is left to them to read and understand the often complicated terms and conditions.