• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, March 4, 2005

By and large, consumers in the market for airline tickets rate online travel agencies more favorably than individual airlines' Web sites, according to a study released Thursday by business research firm Keynote.

For the study, conducted late last year, Keynote paid 2,000 consumers in its panel $10 each to evaluate one of 16 travel-related Web sites--four online travel agencies (Cheap Tickets, Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity) and 12 airlines (AirTran, Alaska Air, America West, American Airlines, Continental, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Northwest, Southwest, United, and US Airways).

Overall, consumers found that the Web sites of online travel agencies were better designed and provided more flight selection and cheaper prices than those of individual airlines. Consumers gave the highest marks to Expedia, but ratings were very similar for Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity, said Bonny Brown, director of research and public services at Keynote. The study also revealed that consumers were most likely to book a flight or return in the future at Expedia, followed by Travelocity and Orbitz.

Among the airlines, both Southwest and JetBlue--often excluded from listings by online travel agencies--got high marks for low prices, while United was praised for its site organization.

"The two sites that have to compete with the agencies--JetBlue and Southwest--are doing a great job," said Brown. Southwest in particular drew praise for its cheap tickets, availability of flights, and ease of use. United also fared well for its relatively well-organized home page and clean design, Brown said.

Among consumers' major frustrations with all travel-related Web sites was inadequate customer support, according to Brown. Study participants reported that they were less likely to make a purchase when they couldn't easily find answers to questions about matters such as cancellation policies, Brown said.