No Clear Winner in Online Battle For Cheapest International Airfares

In recent years, Consumer WebWatch has conducted numerous testing projects to determine which travel Web sites provide the lowest airfares. But previously this testing had always focused on domestic airline routes. With this project, Consumer WebWatch examined a more complex and expensive product: international airfares.

For many consumers, buying airline tickets for foreign destinations via the Internet can be a confusing proposition. Compared with the domestic market, it often means higher fares, more detailed tax structures, less familiar airlines, fewer flight frequencies, and more complicated itineraries.

The good news for consumers is this project made it clear that the online international airline market is robust and competitive, and chock full of good deals. The more disturbing news is that many of these low fares are difficult to book.