Waited too long to book airfare...book through Orbitz now?

[daileyad]

I have been stalking fares for months now for my parents and I haven't booked their return airfare and I fear I am running out of time. I told myself I had to book something this week before we hit under a month deadline. I am now considering booking through Orbitz since they offer that price protection guarantee which will give them money back automatically if the price drops, right? Also it seems that I can book it today and have up till 10:00 tomorrow to cancel if something else magically opens up (The flight I'm looking at is Continental)? The flight time available is less than desirable. I'm wondering if I book through Orbitz if I can still contact the airline directly about the reservation, i.e. if they change flight times that I might be able to call Continental and ask for a change of flights? Or if they can go early to the airport and do standby on that day? Never really booked with Orbitz but their policies seem pretty friendly if I'm reading everything right.

[Green Tea]

I have not had any trouble booking thru Orbitz. Is the price less than directly thru continental? The guarantee only applies if someone books the exact roundtrip, so while a price guarantee sounds good, in all likelihood, you'll never see a refund of any fees.

[Jestocost]

Also, you will have to go through Orbitz when dealing with any issues with the flights. Not an ideal situation, to say the least.