Review Analysis: Key Findings from User Feedback on Travel Agencies (2024)

The modern travel industry is at its peak due to the increased demand from millions. They are driven by the desire to see new places, attend business meetings, or even the prospect of changing citizenship. There are thousands of motives leading to one hub: travel agencies. These “orchestra conductors” allow buying tickets, booking a hotel, organizing a trip, or arranging a transfer from A to B.

People turn to travel agencies for “all-inclusive” solutions and the desire to save time. The problem is that not all industry players are ready to provide exceptional services. That’s why, at Realreviews.io, we aggregate people’s opinions and experiences to present an unbiased ranking of travel companies. This analysis is a natural extension of our mission.

We selected six companies from the Travel Agencies category to conduct a detailed analysis based on existing reviews. Our goal is to explore positive trends and areas for improvement. By understanding critical issues, brands can improve their reputation and adapt to current market trends. So, here are the six companies involved in our analysis.

Thanks to Topic Modeling analysis, we identified common patterns and trends unique to each company. This makes our work valuable for businesses. Companies often struggle to identify positive or negative signs in provided services immediately. Our analysis enables them to swiftly address critical aspects of their business and build on the success noted by many clients.

Methodology

This is the methodology we followed during the analysis of six travel brands. We will describe in detail the approaches we used and how we analyzed the data to identify patterns for the subsequent interpretation of results.

Data Collection

To comprehensively analyze customer feedback on the six travel agencies, we collected reviews directly from realreviews.io. For the reviews, we searched for customers from these platforms who booked flights, holidays, or other travel services. Our dataset has positive and negative reviews for each company, so we have a good idea of the respective strengths and weaknesses.

Direct customer quotes range from hidden fees and booking issues to seamless service and helpful customer support, which are part of each company’s feedback. For example, Booksi.com has several reviews discussing deceptive pricing tactics, while TrustFares.com features highly positive and negative experiences with its customer service. The data collection process involved gathering publicly available reviews, ensuring the information accurately represents the experiences of a wide range of users.

Text Preprocessing

Before analyzing the data, the collected reviews had to undergo preprocessing to prepare them for deeper analysis. The preprocessing phase involved the following key steps:

1. Cleaning the text: This step involved removing irrelevant characters such as punctuation, numbers, and special symbols. It ensured that the text data was uniform and ready for the next analysis steps.
2. Tokenization: The text was split into individual words (or tokens) for more granular analysis. Tokenization allows us to break down each review into words, making spotting recurring themes or patterns easier.
3. Stopwords removal: Common words that do not contribute meaningfully to the analysis, such as "and," "the," or "is," were removed. This process helps focus the analysis on the more meaningful terms within each review.
4. Lowercasing: To ensure consistency, all text was converted to lowercase. This prevents "Travel" and "travel" from being treated as separate words during the analysis.
5. Lemmatization: This step reduces words to their base or root form, so "travels," "traveling," and "traveled" are all considered "travel." Lemmatization helps unify word forms to simplify the analysis of themes across reviews.

Topic Modeling

We used an LDA, a common topic modeling algorithm, to unearth the underlying topics and uncover the primary topics within the acquired customer reviews. As a probabilistic model, LDA assumes that each document (each review) consists of many topics, and a distribution of words represents each topic. The way to identify a set of issues that best describe the contents of the reviews. Here’s how we applied the LDA process:

1. The preprocessed reviews were fed into the LDA model, which learned the underlying topics by analyzing word co-occurrence patterns in the reviews. The model generates a certain number of topics (based on a predefined number) that represent the reviews.
2. After training the LDA model, each review was assigned a distribution of topics. This allowed us to determine which topics were dominant in specific reviews.
3. Finally, we examined the words associated with each topic to label and interpret the main issues or benefits customers frequently discussed. For example, topics like "hidden fees," "customer support," and "booking experience" emerged as major themes across multiple brands.

By combining these techniques, we were able to extract valuable insights into the recurring issues and standout advantages of each travel agency, providing a comprehensive understanding of their strengths and weaknesses based on real customer feedback.

Results

The review analysis of six travel booking companies reveals recurring patterns in customer experiences. Positive and negative trends have emerged, highlighting key areas where companies excel or fail. The tables below summarize the percentages of reviews mentioning negative and positive aspects for each company, providing a clearer picture of the overall service quality and customer satisfaction.

The negative aspects reveal several common themes across all companies. The most frequent problems include bait-and-switch tactics and hidden fees, affecting 75-90% of reviews. Customers often experienced frustration with deceptive pricing, where the final cost far exceeded the initial quote. Refund issues were also prevalent, with many customers finding it difficult to get their money back. Aggressive upselling was another common complaint, making customers feel pressured into paying more than expected. Lastly, poor customer service is a recurring problem, compounding the frustration caused by the other issues.

In contrast, the positive feedback centers around helpful agents and affordable prices, with companies like TrustFares and Tarifasodeal receiving higher praise in these areas. A streamlined booking process and flexibility with dates are also noted as strengths for several companies. These positive aspects suggest that despite the significant challenges related to deceptive practices, some customers still found value in certain aspects of the service, particularly when interacting with accommodating agents or securing good deals.

Analysis and Discussion

1. Comparative Analysis

Upon reviewing the feedback for Booksi.com, Foggyfly.com, Tarifasodeal.com, TrustFares.com, Travelo1.com, and Fareporto.com, several key topics emerged common to many companies. However, each brand also presented its unique issues and strengths, giving us a well-rounded view of their performance.

One of the most noticeable comparisons between Booksi.com and Tarifasodeal.com is deceptive pricing practices. Both companies were heavily criticized for advertising low prices, only to introduce hidden fees and upselling tactics later in the booking process. As noted by one Booksi.com user:

• "I would have to pay an additional $280+ for resort fees," and similarly, a Tarifasodeal.com user noted: "They lure you in with low fares, only to reveal absurd 'promo' conditions."

In contrast, TrustFares.com and Travelo1.com offered some positive feedback regarding customer service. Reviews indicate that while both companies faced criticism for pricing issues, they managed to win over some customers by providing helpful and dedicated customer service. For example, a Travelo1.com reviewer shared a positive experience with an agent named Zack, who provided fast and efficient support in a stressful situation:

• "We called on Friday, and within an hour, we had tickets for almost half the price compared to the United Airlines website. Since this was a last-minute family emergency, we were anxious and just wanted to reach our destination as soon as possible. We’re leaving on Monday morning with seats and checked bags all set, thanks to Zack."

Despite some positive service experiences, both companies suffered communication issues that led to booking confusion and customer dissatisfaction. For example, a Travelo1.com reviewer shared a frustration after booking a flight and dealing with poor customer service, saying:

• "They tried to upsell me to a more expensive flight after my original booking..."

Fareporto.com and Foggyfly.com displayed similar issues regarding unauthorized charges, where customers reported being charged without prior consent or full knowledge of additional fees. One Fareporto.com customer noted:

• "They charged me without my approval..."

 2. Common Issues

Across all six companies, several common issues emerged, painting a picture of consistent shortcomings in the travel agency industry. The most prevalent issue was bait-and-switch pricing, where customers were drawn in by low advertised prices, only to face significantly higher costs during the final booking process. This practice was a recurring complaint across Booksi.com, Foggyfly.com, Tarifasodeal.com, and Fareporto.com, leading many customers to feel deceived.

Another common problem was hidden fees, where customers were unaware of restrictions such as luggage fees, seating preferences, or additional taxes until after their bookings were confirmed. This issue was especially evident in Fareporto.com and Foggyfly.com reviews, with several customers expressing frustration over unexpected charges that significantly increased the overall cost of their trips.

Furthermore, poor customer service was another theme that plagued most of the companies. Customers across TrustFares.com, Tarifasodeal.com, and Booksi.com reported feeling abandoned or mistreated when trying to resolve booking issues or request refunds. The aggressive sales tactics of customer service agents, particularly in upselling and handling cancellations, left many travelers with negative experiences.

Lastly, securing refunds was a shared issue across all companies. Many users reported that non-refundable policies were hidden in the fine print or suddenly enforced when customers requested a refund. For example, a Tarifasodeal.com user described being berated when asking for their money back:

• "They started getting very abusive... and that there would be absolutely NO REFUND."

3. Unique Issues

Despite the common themes, some issues were unique to individual companies. For example, TrustFares.com faced criticism for deceptive practices. One customer reported a particularly frustrating experience:

• "They sold me a ticket at a low price, only to later claim that it was for standby.."

Foggyfly.com and Fareporto.com were particularly criticized for unauthorized charges and unethical billing practices. Several customers shared stories of having their credit cards charged for flights or upgrades they had not agreed to. For instance, a Foggyfly.com customer noted:

• "I was charged the $360 difference to my card... without any clear explanation."

Another unique issue was the extreme upselling reported by customers of Tarifasodeal.com, where agents aggressively pushed customers into paying for more expensive flights, even threatening that they would lose their booking if they did not upgrade. One reviewer shared:

• "They tried to upsell me tickets... from $130 to $500."

The comparative analysis of these six travel agencies reveals a troubling pattern of hidden fees, bait-and-switch tactics, and poor customer service across the board. While some companies like TrustFares.com and Travelo1.com have managed to deliver positive customer service experiences, the overwhelming majority of feedback highlights deceptive practices and a lack of transparency.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Reviewing comments from Booksi.com, Foggyfly.com, Tarifasodeal.com, TrustFares.com, Travelo1.com, and Fareporto.com reveals widespread dissatisfaction due to bait-and-switch pricing, hidden fees, and poor customer service. While some positive interactions were noted, systemic issues like unclear refund policies and unauthorized charges dominate customer feedback, eroding trust across these platforms.

To improve, companies should prioritize pricing transparency, simplify refund policies, and eliminate unauthorized charges. Investing in customer service training to avoid aggressive sales tactics and improving real-time communication will also enhance customer satisfaction. By focusing on these key areas, travel agencies can rebuild trust, improve service quality, and create better customer experiences.

Final Words

This analysis highlights critical issues across six travel agencies, including bait-and-switch pricing, hidden fees, and poor customer service, significantly impacting customer trust and satisfaction. While some companies show occasional strengths, most face widespread criticism that demands attention.

Continuous monitoring and analysis of user feedback are crucial for identifying and addressing recurring problems. Travel agencies can actively listen to customers and implement necessary changes to improve service quality and regain consumer trust. Companies must prioritize transparency and customer care to provide better, more reliable experiences moving forward.