Online holiday planning just fine if you're web-savvy

Online package holidays from Air New Zealand are all about avoiding the middle-man - in fact you can choose them from the comfort of your own home - which certainly suited me.

The idea of booking a trip to the sunny Gold Coast without having to go out into the rain had a definite charm ... though I have to confess that after a few minutes I was crying out for the middle-man after all.

My plans were rejected and there were error messages where there should have been holiday plans.

Consultation with Air NZ revealed there was a problem with a booking code provided to the Herald for the purposes of this experiment, and once that was sorted things ran more smoothly.

Now confident enough to give that middle-man a miss, I set about putting together my holiday.

I'd been allocated a $2000 budget to book flights, travel, accommodation and day-trips. It's a simple process of clicking the mouse on preferred options and, if necessary, returning and altering them to fit your budget.

I got return flights to Brisbane, a hire car, five nights in the Australis Sovereign Hotel and tickets to Currumbim Wildlife Sanctuary, Dreamworld and Movieworld for about $1800 - all without leaving my desk.

The only budget blowout came from an experimental booking of first-class flights - no harm in trying - but I quickly revisited that web page for economy class to bring me back within the $2000 limit.

I was able to book the flights at a time and cost to suit, and organise a car waiting at the airport when I landed in Brisbane. I chose my hotel and reserved tickets for several attractions - and all with a few clicks.

The airline says it is the first time New Zealanders have been able to create such tailormade holidays online. "Our customers have been looking for a dynamic online holiday product that offers a variety of ground options," says Air NZ's group marketing network and sales manager, Norm Thompson.

Although I chose Brisbane and the Gold Coast, the online package allows you to choose destinations throughout Australia and New Zealand, as well as the Pacific Islands and North America.

And since my experiment, the service has been updated to include Singapore and Hong Kong packages.

The company's blurb describes online booking as "packaged holiday solutions," and promises a "seamless web experience".

If it wasn't quite seamless it was at least very handy. A shopping-cart type of holiday-builder has a best-price search engine and allows comparison between deals you create.

Want to spend a bit more? Return to the rental car page and upgrade the vehicle.

Overspent? Go back and drop a day-trip from the itinerary or hunt for a cheaper hotel.

For anyone who is web-savvy, it's simple.

But apart from the early technical issues, there are some problems. Choices are limited, particularly in relation to the attractions available, but that's probably not much different from a package deal at your travel agency.

For a complete holiday you would want more than is available online, although that should improve.

"Now that we have launched online we are in the process of increasing the number of accommodation and sightseeing options available to a variety of destinations," says Air NZ holidays manager Nick Mudge.

As a starting point - and a very simple one - it's already well worth giving the middle-man a miss.