Booking flights with travel companies online

probably bought fake reviews for Trust Pilot.

Please only reply if you have had a personal experience with this company.

With that restriction, you may not hear from anyone here; people on this forum tend to strongly advise booking directly with the airline.

You might try posting your question on TripAdvisor, where there has been some mention of this travel agent

https://www.tripadvisor.com/SearchForums?q=Travelation&scope=2&sub-search=Search&ff=10702&geo=1&returnTo=__2F__ShowForum__2D__g1__2D__i10702__2D__Air__5F__Travel__2E__html

I have had personal experience with Trust Pilot and would not trust their review system.
You have read bad reviews about Travelation but you prefer the reviews of Trustpilot.

Oh, gosh, Lola ...... the OP said not to reply unless you had experience with that company. Now she will be cross with you.

yes go to Trip Advisor and the answers will be ,why the heck have you booked with a shonky 3rd party website before checking how shonky they are.
You asked what gives and I replied that they probably bought fake reviews for Trust Pilot...………………… that is what gives.

The OP will be cross with me too, but I have to ask. If you want to book with a Delta specialist, why not just book with Delta?

Harold, I know this is bad of me when I am not answering the OP's question, but I loved your response.

Can you clarify what exactly you are worried about? That the flight won't take place? If you have a legitimate Delta flight number and you bought it for a good price, then what's the problem? It sounds like the online travel agency did its job which is simply booking you a ticket. I'm not sure why their reviews would matter now unless you think they sold you a product that doesn't exist or was misleading, etc. Now it's up to Delta to deliver you to your destination. I've bought tickets through third party behemoths like Expedia before and had no issues. I'll buy through a trusted third party (Expedia, Priceline.com, etc.) if the price differential between the airline's own site is really big, and sometimes it is (more true of car bookings and hotels). The key is to just read all the small print about what is or isn't included re: fees, cancellations, etc.

Thank you Agnes. I just got spooked by very very old reviews about people showing up at the airport with no tickets there. I have called Delta & Air France who have the reservations. I asked American Express to check charge procedures. All seems in order. I would just like to hear from someone who has actually made the trip. This is not for just me. Friend too. I feel responsible. I appreciate your positive comments.

I just got spooked by very very old reviews about people showing up at
the airport with no tickets there.

I don't know what year this was, but there are no paper tickets anymore (just paper boarding passes for those who still want them). Now all tickets are processed electronically and any online travel agency should e-mail them to you as soon as you book. They should have a legitimate flight reference number. You should be able to look up the flight and your reservation in Delta's own website using the flight locator number/reservation number and your full name and date. If for some reason you can't and everything looks like a "black box", then you can dispute the charge with your credit card company since they protect you from services/products you paid for but did not receive. I would stop reading reviews after the fact, they do no good. Next time, you should be more comfortable with how third party airline sale travel agents work and what exactly to expect...or just stick to buying tickets directly from the airline. Buying an airline ticket should not be a cause of stress like this.

What gives?

Only you can answer that.

If you are new to this forum, there have been many posts/threads about the problems of going through a 3rd party website. Delta "specialists" are Delta employees and you could have called them with your questions in advance of purchasing tickets.

Now you know for the future. Maybe it will work out and I hope it does! Just hope Delta doesn't cancel any of your flights.

If you think it is OK then why did you post this thread in the Tourist Scams Forum?

Do you think it is a scam or not?

I just got spooked by very very old reviews about people showing up at the airport with no tickets there. I have called Delta & Air France who have the reservations

So what did they tell you?

Assuming you have a confirmation number, you called the airlines and confirmed that you have tickets booked in your name and spelled correctly, and you were charged the right amount on your credit card, you should be OK. (Apart from the fact that if there are any schedule changes or other glitches, you will have to deal with Travelation, not with the airlines, to resolve the problem).

However, since you posted this under "scams" I will tell you one way that it could be. Keep monitoring your reservation to make sure you still have it. One type of scam is the online "travel agent" will book the tickets as promised and charge your credit card. But what they have booked is a refundable ticket, and they will cancel the booking sometime later, without telling you. They keep the refund. And you have no ticket.

I am not suggesting thatbiscwhat is going on here. That particular scam is not common, and the scoundrels get shut down pretty quickly, so that is not likely in your case. ( Reviews going back ten years would not exist if they were operating a scam like that).

Still, it is worth monitoring your reservation every month or so, if only to catch any schedule changes that may go unreported by the agency.

Ah, Lola. That scam has not occurred to me. I will ask Delta if it as booked as refundable. Good advice! Thank you!

Yes. I am new to this forum. Yes,, I have traveled for many years but the internet world seems to be taking darker roads. I was in an especially stressed and busy time, with flights going higher than I’ve ever seen them.

Scam or not? I do not know , which is why I’m asking for personal experiences. Chastising me, giving advice after the fact we’re not my goals. Going forward as best I can, trying to find actual experiences, is my goal. I will only reply to helpful answers from now on. Thanks to Lola and Agnes I have new ideas. Still looking for anyone who has used this co within last 6 months. Thanks for your good intentions.

I will ask Delta if it as booked as refundable.

You will ask Delta? Look at your emailed receipt; it will tell you. :-)

If a flight touches US soil, DoT rule say there's supposed to be a 24 hour free cancellation period for purchases made more than 7 days from departure , even on ticket that is otherwise no changes and no refunds.

the internet world seems to be taking darker roads.

Please try not to worry too much or make this bigger than it is. There are lots of third parties and not all of them are trying to scam anyone. They found a gap in the market and are trying to fill it, that's all. Third party airline sites typically cobble up itineraries using codeshare flights that someone would not be able to replicate on an airline's site because some airlines don't sell a codeshare partner's tickets (so they won't show up in the search results). That doesn't mean you should plunk down large amounts of money with some company you don't know or trust or has a track record of delivering (or may go out of business because they're on shaky ground). But credit cards give you substantial protection for the worst case scenarios (you won't lose your shirt altogether).

If you have a legitimate electronic ticket in hand that will be honored by the operating airline (it has a real reservation code that the airline recognizes, as well as "you" the passenger) and you know all the rules of the ticket, there's no reason to panic ahead of time, or get your mind around all series of potential problems that may not come to pass. There are always risks and rewards from getting a non-refundable fare, no matter where you buy it from. You trade off the ability to cancel penalty free for a lower fare. Most travel experiences are mundane and go off without a hitch. Don't get overly concerned with reviews either - reviews are not a scientific sample, they're skewed toward extreme events or unhappy folks whose expectations weren't met.

The e-reservations do not state non-refundable. But Delta said they are non-refundable and even if the co paid a change fee they could not have access to refund $$. Would go back on credit card. I’m not usually so edgy, will let this be a lesson on many points.

And so, Agnes, my comforter 😌, it looks like all is well. It doesnt seem to be a scam. I will try to remember to come back to this site when I return (5/12) and let you know how it turns out.
Thanks for your support!

Here's something you could do. Since your flight it on Delta, you can create an account on Delta (just like you did here). Then the information you got with your reservation will work for you to look up what you got. Then you can even take and have it remind you of live updates for that flight. In the end, you need to do this now and then you can go from there if you found that something is wrong. On top of that, you have the account and you are in the system. If you have a smartphone, they can send you the boarding pass too. Better to do it now than later.

This brings back memories of when I started going ticket less back in 1996 with Southwest. All you did was print out a number and take it to the counter with a drivers license.

I have no idea why anyone would book a flight through a third party. I use an aggregator to search for the best option and then go book it directly through the airline. The fewer middlemen, the better.

I will try to remember to come back to this site when I return (5/12) and let you know how it turns out.

Hopefully OP will have a positive experience to report.

I have no idea why anyone would book a flight through a third party.

1. To save money
2. To exploit gaps in individual airline website algorithms

If third parties truly provided no value added, they would not exist. Expedia is a behemoth for a reason. Not all third parties are the same, the ones that have clout and a good business model do very well.

My trip went well! Travelations provided me with a good itinerary at a savings of $300 per person on airfare. It was not a scam at all.
And yes, we did rent a car and drive the Amalfi Coast. The problem was not the curves or Italian drivers, but huge tour buses which were allowed to drive there, often blocking traffic. Though we were there in a very cool April, the traffic was backed up for miles.
Advice: stay in Salerno-lovely small city—or on the coast near Salerno. Take boats out to the coastal towns and only visit one or two towns a day, enjoying the views, the locals, delicious seafood, churches, painted town scenes on flower pots, gelato. Rent a car to drive to Matera (inland, ancient cave-dweller town, UNESCO). We loved Sutri Sul Mare for its restaurants and people. It is the pottery center! Fascinating even if you do not want to buy. We stayed on the coast for 8 days. Perfect! Thanks again to Agnes for such positive advice and reassurances!

I'm glad it worked out for you and that you didn't have to worry.

The tour buses adding to the thrill of the drive have been there a long time. I remember seeing them, and negotiating the road with them, quite a few years ago.

Whew, a happy ending is always a welcome relief...

Sounds like a good deal of savings you made.