Heads up for those booking tix online with a new cut fare online company called Vayama.
We just had bad luck - 2x in 24 hours! - with them and then to top it off, when finally trying to cancel a transaction that their website botched, they were adamant that they would keep our online booking fee (which they just arbitrarily raised by $20 each ticket, in the last few hours...).
They will Not keep the booking fee. And especially Not, since we used an AmEx card.
I would steer clear of this company... we've booked online for years and have never had the problems we have had in just a matter of hours with Vayama.
And - if their fares look too good to be true - they are!!

Has anyone else had any trouble with Vayama?

I am bringing this message the top because I now have an interest in booking through vayama.com. Mrs. JD and I have award tickets to Prague in June, but finding a decent fare for our daughter, traveling from Chicago to join us, has been difficult. Like others I read about here, I am finding very high fares in early June. Since our tickets are booked and plans are made, there is little flexibility in the dates.

vayama.com is now showing a fare utilizing United and Austrian Air that is about $200 cheaper than anything else I have found (about $1,150), and the site says that this price includes taxes of $250. I found this fare through kayak.com. Does anyone know if I can count on this price, or is vayama suspect?

I believe I saw Vayama recommended by NYT or Wall Street Journal. However I've never seen competitive fares from them. Did you try if you could get similar fares from websites like Expedia or Orbitz?

Maybe there's something about your itinerary that gives Vayama an advantage, but I don't see what that could be.

Yes, I have tried those plus ita and various airlines. I have been checking consistently for the last month or so, and there has been very little price movement.

I will keep looking for information pro and con regarding vayama, including the two sources you mentioned.

It may be too early to buy for June anyway. Also you can always consider flying to a hub Europe and then to Prague via a low-cost carrier or train.

Also, did you actually see if you can purchase the ticket on Vayama on that fare? Not you actually buy it, but click on the fare to see if it's valid? Sometimes the fares shown on these websites are not available and you don't know this until you click through a couple of screens.

You may be right about timing, although I am getting a little nervous since there has not been any movement in fares for a while.

Yes, I clicked through to purchase the ticket, primarily to see what was said about taxes. According to the site, the quoted fare includes taxes and fees. One of my concerns is that, if the site is not reliable, I would end up in an argument about extra charges.

What is most intriguing is that this fare is about $200 less than anything else I can find. It starts with a United flight codeshare operated by Lufthansa. Both United and Lufthansa show the flights, but on those sites there is about a $400 price difference. The next best fare I have found is on Swiss, and they have several flights at that price.

I will keep looking for info on vayama.

To jd_dallas:

I just had a similar question,albeit with AA, answered by poster AAFF.

I believe UA has also a Low Fare guarantee: " If you purchase your travel at united.com or flyted.com and you find a fare at least $5 less each-way by midnight Central Time on the same day for the same United, United Express or Ted itinerary, we ll give you an electronic certificate totaling $50USD plus the difference in fare (rounded up to the nearest $5 increment)."

In this case, JoyC, the flight would be booked through United but operated by Lufthansa, so I don't think the guarantee would apply. I am most concerned about having a problem with the ticket, if vayama is unreliable. Thanks for the idea, though.

OK now I am really worried!!

I booked 4 roundtrip tickets to Switzerland a week ago for travel in June through Vayama that I accessed through www.kayak.com. These tickets are for a United flight and were very expensive ($1430 each) but were about $200 less each than other carriers saving me about $800. I also bought trip insurance through them because we have several family members who are very ill.

I bought these tickets now, instead of waiting, because there are very few non-stop flights and very few seats left on these flights. As a matter of fact, we were only given seat assingments on one and have to wait for the second. I did call United directly to get seat assignments. I was very reassured that they did have a record of our reservation , but they were still unable at this time to assign us seats on one of our flights.

My experience with Vayama has been very good so far. Booking online, speaking to the cust. svc rep on the phone, and then having United confirm that they have our reservation. I am hoping that everything goes smoothly when we arrive to board our plane.

This will be our family's first European trip and I would be devastated if Vayama was a scam.
I'll keep you posted.

Lindsay, I am not trying to alarmn anyone, and it sounds like you at least have the flghts you expected. Let us know if you find out anything else, positive or negative.

Below is a link to a New York Times article which mentions vayama somewhat favorably, although it does not address customer service questions. I am looking for more.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/07/15...com&st=nyt

I know that I've seen Vayama mentioned in national press, as I mentioned -- and you've found some reference in NYT.

I'm likely to think that they are fine, so I'd not worry too much about it. But I've never used them myself as so far I've not found competitive fares from them. I've better luck with Orbitz or Expedia.

To the poster who has actually booked, if United already has a record, surely there's nothing to worry about?

Vayama are part of a well known and reputable travel group in Europe that has been around for many years.

I am going to Italy in late June, starting Charlotte, landing in Milan, and coming back out of Venice. I too found a good fare from vayama via Kayak as follows:

$1392
US Airways
CLT 1:25p MXP 6:35a
VCE 11:35a CLT 9:39p

vayama.com: $1392
orbitz.com: $1584
cheaptickets.com: $1585

Sounds pretty good...

I've read a lot of press on Vayama, also. They sound legit and are funded by some Belgian or Dutch travel company, as I recall. Of course the press was due to them being new and them issuing press releases, I'm sure, not really endorsements.

I've checked them and their fares are often a couple hundred cheaper than other methods, including taxes. They could have special deals with a few airlines, like United (which is one I checked for my route).

The price guarantee won't do you any good as all those guarantees have asterisks that will not include any ticket bought through a discounter/consolidator, etc. I'm sure Vayama would fall into the category of not being covered. Those price guarantees are just so the websites swear you won't get a better deal through a regular agent or through a website that is not selling discounted tickets, just a regular booking site.

"Of course the press was due to them being new" They have been around for many years as a travel company. They are not new even if the website is.

If you have bought tickets from Vayama, and you have any reason at all to be concerned, just check with the airline you are flying.

Almost certainly, you will find your itinerary is established just the way you want, but if for some reason it is not, then you will have time to work it out.

Funny, I don't like Kayak and I now don't like Vayama. I just looked up my flights with Vayama.. they quoted the lowest was with Air Canada for 1666, for July 6-30 Vancouver to Paris. I found the same flights, same dates , with Air Zoom for 1261, in fact , I have booked Air Zoom Premium Economy for 1661, cheaper then economy on Air Canada. I have had the same results with Kayak.

These sites do not nessesarily offer the best prices since they do not include all airlines. Air Zoom is well know and has been around for awhile. Hubby flew it last June and thought the Premuim economy seat was great, 36" leg room, rather then standard 31 or 32 on most airlines.

...do you mean "Flyzoom.com"..?

Hardly any of these sites are good for Canadian flyers. Zoom is not a major airline in the same sense as Air Canada, United, Continental, etc. and is not generally included in these sites.

Zoom is THE only other Canadian Airline that flys to Europe( although many international airlines fly to Europe from Canadian gateways) . And frankly so much cheaper then many of the quotes I am seeing some of the poor eastern Americans being asked to pay! If I was an American living anywhere near a border city I would look into Zoom Air.