Opodo

History of Opodo

Opodo is a company that's relatively new to the travel scene, with its first website launching in Germany in 2001 and its UK site in 2002, but it's quickly become established as one of the main players in the European travel industry. It's owned by a consortium of European airlines, primarily flag-carriers like British Airways, Air France, Iberia and KLM.

The service that it provides is like that of a travel agent; it allows online customers to compare and contrast the price, perks and downsides of holidays, flight options, car hire providers and much more, side by side.

Although the enterprise began in Europe it now offers travel to worldwide destinations and in 2008 had made over a billion euros worth of sales in just one year.

Opodo now offers more than 500 airlines, around 150,000 hotels and accommodation options and over 7,000 car rental choices all over the world.

They say that the focus is on making their website as sleek and easy to use for customers, and to give them all the options that they need to book a holiday in one place - including loads of bolt-ons like travel insurance, airport transfers and currency cards.

The website also publishes lots of reviews of all of the services that it offers, so you can see what other travellers thought of it before you lay down the money on a dream holiday. It's a handy way to gauge how much you're going to like a hotel or whether an airline is right for you, without having to leave the website and find other reviews.

Keep your eyes peeled on this page if you're thinking of booking a holiday through Opodo soon - we'll have all of the latest voucher codes, discounts and offers to make sure you're getting the best possible deal.

Services

You can book lots of services through Opodo, including:

• Flights
• Accommodation
• Car hire
• Travel insurance
• Airport pick-up
• Currency cards
• Airport parking
• Excursions and trips

Departments

Opodo can help you book a holiday almost anywhere in the world, from the sunny beaches of Spain and Italy to the remote Galapagos islands off the coast of Chile, and everywhere in between. Whether it's an Antipodean adventure or a European excursion you're after, Opodo will have flights and accommodation available wherever in the world you fancy.

Opening Times

There's no physical shop you can visit if you're planning to book through Opodo, but all of the best discounts and vouchers are online anyway! You can contact Opodo's customer service team between the following hours:

Monday to Friday: 08:00 - MidnightSaturday: 09:00 - 17:00Sunday: 09:00 - 17:00

Booking Information

It's almost always cheaper for you to book your flight and hotel together if you're booking through Opodo, so try to do that if there are options that appeal to you. You'll usually have to pay the full cost up-front, which is a slight drawback of using Opodo rather than a bricks and mortar travel agent, or one of the other online agencies which allow you to put down a deposit.

You can also choose when you're booking to add on extras like travel insurance, although beware that Opodo may charge more than the market rate for these things in exchange for the convenience of booking it all together.

Cancellation Policy

Because Opodo is a third party booking agent, cancellations are at the discretion of the company with whom you have booked, so if you find yourself needing to cancel, you'll have to check in with them about where exactly you stand.

Opodo does charge a fee of £25 for any booking made through the site which has to be amended - and there's every possibility that the travel provider you've booked with will charge a fee too.

It's crucial that you make sure you have travel insurance from the moment you book a holiday, which will make sure you're covered in case you do find yourself needing to cancel - all that you'll be out of pocket for is the excess on your insurance policy, not the whole trip.

Security & Reviews

Opodo offers a secure site through which to book, with good encryption to protect payment details and personal information. It also has a comprehensive privacy policy detailing what it will and won't do with personal information.

Reviews online for Opodo are mixed; while many have found it an easy company to deal with, others have found that payment has been taken but a booking has not been made, and in rare cases that a flight has not been booked despite a ticket being issued. It's important to remember that this is probably a vocal minority, but always double check your bookings just in case.