Why might I see a different price on Skyscanner:
Availability: It is important to note that Skyscanner is just a search engine, and does not
display live availability from airlines. It is, however, a useful tool to get an indicative price for
your trip. In order to obtain an accurate price you will need to select the referral link from
Skyscanner and progress to the point of entering credit card details with your chosen airline.
At this point the airline website will check availability and provide you with the live available
fare class price.
Seat Fare Classes: An economy cabin may have a number of different fare classes all with
different prices based on the different terms and conditions. A search engine usually shows
the cheapest fare class. If this fare class becomes fully booked, the price changes to the next
available fare class. If there is a time delay between two searches, a price differential will
sometimes arise because a fare class has become full.
Overseas GDS: Sometimes airlines have different fares available in different markets. For
example if you search for a fare to specific country on its national carrier, it may display
cheaper discreet fares locally which have not been loaded on the UK global distribution
systems (GDS). This is rare but it does happen. A scanner might spot this but a UK Travel
Management Company cannot see or book this fare using their GDS.
Fare Comparison: It is not uncommon for requests for quotations through Key Travel to be
very specific, with dates, times and airlines. The agent will deliver the best logical fare(s) and
price(s) to satisfy the booker’s request.
When conducting a search online, it is common to broaden the search requirement in order
to lower the fare. For example by changing the date or time of the journey. This results in the
Key Travel agent appearing more expensive even though they would have located the same
fare had they been given the same broad flexibility as the website.
Through Tickets: If you frequently travel on multi sector trips (more than two legs) you will
pay a higher fare if you require a “through ticket”. A through ticket will guarantee you a seat
on the next available onward flight should you miss your connecting flight because of a delay.
It is not uncommon for scanners to obtain pricing for separate tickets that offer no guarantee
should you miss your connection. It is important to note that the airline you are connecting
to is also likely to cancel your return if you no show.
Skyscanner……what you need to know
Booking Fees: Key Travel provides a full account management programme to the University,
which includes free unlimited quotations, full duty of care 24 hour emergency help, support
for governance reports for HEFCE on Scope 3 carbon reporting and a dedicated team and
account manager. Key Travel only charges up to £18 (charge for long haul ticket) for all these
services. Booking fees are included in all quotations and should be taken into account when
conducting a price comparison.
What should I do if I see a different price on Skyscanner?
If you believe there is a genuine price difference after following the instructions above,
please feed this back to us immediately. It is important that you do this straight away so we
can react quickly. We welcome feedback as it enables our product team to discuss pricing
queries with the airline directly or negotiate alternatives.
Please use the following process to feedback:
1. Please send an email to your booking team manager, Dean Masterton –
dmasterton@keytravel.com providing a screenshot of the airlines website confirming the
available fare.
2. Your booking team manager will investigate your price difference and respond within
the same working day.
3. If you are unhappy with the response please escalate to your query to your Account
Manager Laura Macpherson - lmacpherson@keytravel.com
