The wide-scale availability of online travel platforms has limited the sky. 

Think of a destination, and you are there. Forget the concept of distance. It no longer matters, as epitomised by travel platforms. However, does every travel agency walk the talk? 

This is what we will figure out in this detailed comparison involving Goibibo, Ixigo, and Skyscanner. 

An introduction to Goibibo, ixigo, and Skyscanner: What are they?

Goibibo

An Indian online travel aggregator and a subsidiary of MakeMyTrip, Goibibo offers efficient travel solutions for booking flights, hotels, trains, buses, and cabs. Travellers usually recall it based on the discounts, cashback, and bundled deals it offers. Irrespective of being heavily focused on the Indian market, Goibibo also makes available international bookings for travellers. 

Ixigo

ixigo is a technology company heavily focused on the Indian market landscape (though it provides booking options for international flights as well). It allows Indian travellers to book flights, trains, buses, and hotels smartly. The travel company leverages AI, Machine Learning, and data science-led innovations to help travellers in the "next billion user" segments plan, book, and manage their trips. 

Good for travellers who want to plan ahead and make a comparative analysis of available transport options. 

Skyscanner

Skyscanner is basically a metasearch engine or global travel search engine for travellers to compare prices for flights, hotels, and car rentals in real-time for the best deals. It collaborates with numerous travel providers for inventory of flights, accommodations, and car hire options and helps the travellers find the best booking deals. 

Goibibo vs ixigo vs Skyscanner: Price and Deals Comparison

• Goibibo - It makes available competitive pricing for flights, hotels, and buses tied to heavy discounts and promotions. Travellers usually find coupon codes, bank offers, and cashback deals. 
• ixigo - It exercises more of a data-driven approach featuring fare prediction, suggesting whether you should book now or wait for prices to drop later. Good for you if you are flexible with timing.
• Skyscanner - Being a metasearch engine, it doesn't sell tickets directly. What it helps you with is facilitating a comparison process across airlines and booking websites until you select a deal. Then the website redirects you to a third-party site where you can give a final touch to the booking process. 

Bonus Tip: Do not fall for the cheapest price displayed. It is not always the best deal. Consider factors like cancellation policies, service fees, and reliability. 

Goibibo vs ixigo vs Skyscanner: User Experience & Interface

• Goibibo - The travel platform has earned a reputation for offering hassle-free and quick booking processes, thanks to its simple and easy-to-complete website interface.
• ixigo - It provides a positive, user-friendly experience to travellers, mostly praised for its clean, intuitive UI in flight and train booking. Insights like price trends and alternate routes provided by it help travellers make informed decisions. 
• Skyscanner - The flight aggregator is praised for being a user-friendly search tool, price alerts, and its ability to curate cheap routes by comparison across 80 billion daily prices. However, a traveller's booking experience may vary depending on the provider, considering the metasearch engine redirects users to a third-party booking platform.

Verdict - Goibibo is ideal for quick booking, and ixigo for making informed booking decisions based on price trends and alternate routes. Skyscanner is your platform if you need to make a broad comparison of prices and deals on booking flights, etc.

Goibibo vs ixigo vs Skyscanner: Customer Support and Trust

• Goibibo - The platform offers direct customer support as travellers directly use its platform for bookings. However, based on its 1.1 rating on TrustPilot, the reliability of its customer support and overall credibility of the platform is highly questionable, with many users reporting problems with booking processes and cancellation of confirmed bookings without notice. Problems related to delayed or partial refunds or difficulties in obtaining refunds also question its trustworthiness.
• ixigo - In terms of customer support rating (3.2) by TrustPilot, the platform is praised for friendly, proactive, and supportive customer service in resolving booking-related issues of travellers. 
• Skyscanner - Skyscanner is rated 4.4  at TrustPilot, validating the quality and trustworthiness of its customer support services. The company is also praised for the accuracy of prices and recommendations.

Verdict - Based on the quality parameters associated with customer support and reliability, Goibibo falls short of expectations. On the other hand, ixigo ranks second, and Skyscanner is on top. However, this verdict is based on data from TrustPilot, which is based on reviews by users. This means the quality of the customer support service by these platforms may vary depending on the circumstances and experience they go through. 

Goibibo vs ixigo vs Skyscanner - Comparison Based on Use Cases

Based on the comparative analysis among Goibibo, ixigo, and Skyscanner so far, we conclude that they are different in catering to the needs of travellers. The noticeable difference is that while Goibibo and ixigo are online travel agencies, Skyscanner is a metasearch engine or a travel ally, allowing travellers to compare prices based on curated data from hundreds of airlines and OTA sites.

From this standpoint, Skyscanner is surely an ideal recommendation for travellers who are flexible with time, to grab the best deals on their bookings. So, if you wish to find the cheapest flights, use Skyscanner. Also, the platform has been rated excellent based on rave reviews by customers at TrustPilot. Also, the platform is ideal for booking international flights.

Goibibo may be your choice if you are looking for cost-saving discounts and cashback deals, but you may be required to exercise caution based on its poor rating on TrustPilot in terms of customer support. You can trust it for domestic travel booking, though it also offers international flight bookings.

ixigo is your go-to platform for planning and tracking prices. It commands a better customer support ranking than Goibibo on TrustPilot. 

What to consider when choosing an OTA or travel platform?

• Pricing transparency: Ensure that the platform displays the total cost upfront. Be alert to the deal that seems unusually cheap. Review the final payment page before confirmation.
• Direct booking vs third-party redirects - Platforms like Goibibo allow direct booking, while Skyscanner allows redirection to a third-party provider. The latter one may offer more price options, while the first one may offer the best support.
• Cancellation & Refund policies - Mind the refund policies first, check free cancellations or flexible fare options, and understand the refund timeline of the specific platform.
• Customer support - Understand whether the platform offers 24/7 customer support, and you are given a clear way to contact it. Understand who will handle your issue: the platform or a third party?
• User experience & convenience - Does the platform allow easy navigation? Can you search and compare options? What about the checkout process? Is it smooth?

Winding Up

In our comprehensive analysis, declaring a conclusive winner is somewhat difficult, considering no travel company can give you a hundred percent service satisfaction for your booking-related needs. 

As a metasearch engine, Skyscanner saves you time in cross-checking the best airline pricing using curated data from hundreds of sites and OTAs. 

On the other hand, ixigo is known for flexible booking features, and Goibibo for bundled travel deals. For smart travellers, using a combination of these factors means getting the best results in terms of making an informed decision to choose the right platform in alignment with their needs.