U-M employees sometimes ask about the differences in airfare pricing between Lightning and airline websites. Some even compare the two to determine if using Collegiate Travel Planners (CTP), U-M’s designated travel partner, is worth it from a pricing standpoint.
While it’s perfectly fine to compare prices, it’s crucial to ensure that an apples-to-apples comparison is done. In most cases, it’s more cost effective—and convenient—to use Lightning when booking airfare.
That’s because the discounts negotiated through U-M’s preferred airlines—Delta Airlines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines—are loaded into the CTP Lightning booking tool. Thanks to these negotiated discounts, booking travel through CTP is generally less expensive than booking directly with airlines. And beyond cost savings, booking through CTP offers the added advantage of 24/7 agent support if your travel plans are disrupted in any way.
Key points:
- Price alerts in Lightning: The initial pricing in Lightning reflects the base fare for your selected flights. At the bottom of the page, a “PRICE ALERT!” message indicates that Lightning will search for a lower price before your booking is finalized. The bundled, discounted fare (if applicable) is displayed on the final confirmation page after clicking “Continue (Skip Seat Selection).” In most cases, this final price is lower than that shown on airline websites.
- Booking flexibility: Lightning allows users to select flights from different carriers for each leg of a trip. This flexibility means the bundled fare isn’t displayed until the final step.
- Price matching: If you encounter the rare scenario where Lightning’s final price is higher than the price shown on an airline’s website, this Knowledge Base Article provides step-by-step guidance on resolving the discrepancy.
- Planned enhancements: To improve the booking experience, we’re testing a feature that will display bundled fares upfront on the initial search results page. This enhancement will reduce confusion and streamline the process.
Recent price comparisons:
Recent airfare searches with three of U-M’s preferred airlines indicated that Lightning consistently provided lower fares than the airlines’ websites. The findings are shown in the screenshot links below:
We appreciate your attention to U-M travel guidelines and support of our partnership with CTP. By booking through CTP, you’re not only saving money for your unit, but also ensuring a seamless travel experience backed by 24/7 support.