Flights-book direct with airline or thru Expedia or others?

[Skjhjb]

DD has her trip booked....Oct 31 - Nov 6!

Having never booked flights before, are we best to go through a site like Expedia? Or book direct with an airline?

Southwest had a really great price for non-stop both early morning there and late evening home. But can you book direct with a U.S. airline from Canada?

And will they want full payment up front? Or is it a deposit with full payment later?

I've got a handle on the Disney part, but the flight thing is new to me!

 

[darwinsrule]

You can only book Southwest on their own website. We have flown many times with SW starting in 2002 (flying again on SW this August) and it doesn't matter that you are in Canada. Biggest thing you will need to be prepared for is the boarding process which is unique (no assigned seating). If travelling with kids this could create issues if you aren't prepared.

And yes you pay the full amount upfront. Can't think of a airline where you wouldn't pay up front. Think our direct flight down to FLL in August was just over $400 for the four of us. Makes it well work the drive from Toronto.

 

[BadPinkTink]

DD has her trip booked....Oct 31 - Nov 6!

Having never booked flights before, are we best to go through a site like Expedia? Or book direct with an airline?

Whether you book through Expedia or through the airline direct really makes no difference unless you want a package, like a hotel as well as flights. Expedia are basically an online travel agent so they can get good deals on packages.

I have booked hundreds of flights at this stage, having lived in various countries and travelled alot in Europe and USA. I use www.skyscanner.com for flights. This is a price comparison website, you put in your departure airport, your arrival airport , dates and number of passengers and it finds all the available flights and airlines. Sometimes it gives you the option to book through Expedia or sometimes just direct with the airline.

Southwest had a really great price for non-stop both early morning there and late evening home. But can you book direct with a U.S. airline from Canada?

Yes you can book any airline online from any country. I am from Ireland and for my trip in 3 weeks time, I have booked internal flights with US Airways to visit a friend.

And will they want full payment up front? Or is it a deposit with full payment later?

I've got a handle on the Disney part, but the flight thing is new to me!

Flights are paid in full at the time of booking.
To Book flights online you will need the following information

1. Credit card
2. Passengers Passport Details
3. Passenger email address

The procedure is

1. Select the flight
2. Enter passenger details
3. Enter credit card details
4. Pay in full
5. Final screen is a confirmation
6. You will then get an email with the itinerary / flight details
7. The flight is now booked
8. The passenger then needs to check in either online anytime in the 24 hours before the flight or at the airport the day of the flight.
9. When the passenger checks in online the boarding cards are generated.
10. Depending on when the return flight is, some airlines give the option to check in and print boarding cards for the return flight
11. If the passenger is only checking in for the outward flight online, they will need to checkin for the return flight anytime in the 24 hours before the return flight.
12. The boarding cards need to be printed, as this is the actual physical ticket.

At the airport
Once the passenger has checked in online and is in possession of the boarding card, if they dont have checked baggage, they can go straight to security clearance. If the passenger has checked in online and has a checked bag, they they go to the bag drop area for their airline.

If a passenger has not checked in online then they go to the airline check in desk, where they will receive their boarding card, for that flight only.

Security

1. At the security area the passenger will be asked for their boarding card which will be scanned and handed back to them
2. They will then go through the scanners
3. Hand luggage goes through the bag check scanner and the person walks through the people scanner
4. All electronic devices, laptops, kindles, tablets must be removed from bags and put separately into the trays
5. All liquids in hand luggage must be under 3oz /100ml and placed in a clear baggie. This includes everything from deodorant, perfume, sunscreen to toothpaste, face-cream, lip balm, liquid make like foundation etc etc. Anything over 3oz /100ml must be put into checked luggage. Make sure to drink any water or soft drinks before going through security.
6. Some airports require all passengers to remove their shoes and all airports ask that anything metal such as belts, money, phones etc be removed and placed in the trays.
7. If the scanner does beep when the person walks through, dont panic or worry. The scanners are set very sensitive and sometimes things like bra wires or hair slides will set them off. All that will happen is the passenger will get a quick pat down from a security personnel.
8. Then its put yourself back together and go shopping

 

[Skjhjb]

DD has her trip booked....Oct 31 - Nov 6!

Having never booked flights before, are we best to go through a site like Expedia? Or book direct with an airline?

Southwest had a really great price for non-stop both early morning there and late evening home. But can you book direct with a U.S. airline from Canada?

And will they want full payment up front? Or is it a deposit with full payment later?

I've got a handle on the Disney part, but the flight thing is new to me!

No kids - just three 19 year olds going on their own. The flights seemed most reasonable than anything we found on Expedia. I've never booked a flight before, so I've only had the travel experience of putting a deposit down on a trip first.

Thanks!

 

[Skjhjb]

Whether you book through Expedia or through the airline direct really makes no difference unless you want a package, like a hotel as well as flights. Expedia are basically an online travel agent so they can get good deals on packages.

I have booked hundreds of flights at this stage, having lived in various countries and travelled alot in Europe and USA. I use www.skyscanner.com for flights. This is a price comparison website, you put in your departure airport, your arrival airport , dates and number of passengers and it finds all the available flights and airlines. Sometimes it gives you the option to book through Expedia or sometimes just direct with the airline.



Yes you can book any airline online from any country. I am from Ireland and for my trip in 3 weeks time, I have booked internal flights with US Airways to visit a friend.



Flights are paid in full at the time of booking.
To Book flights online you will need the following information

1. Credit card
2. Passengers Passport Details
3. Passenger email address

The procedure is

1. Select the flight
2. Enter passenger details
3. Enter credit card details
4. Pay in full
5. Final screen is a confirmation
6. You will then get an email with the itinerary / flight details
7. The flight is now booked
8. The passenger then needs to check in either online anytime in the 24 hours before the flight or at the airport the day of the flight.
9. When the passenger checks in online the boarding cards are generated.
10. Depending on when the return flight is, some airlines give the option to check in and print boarding cards for the return flight
11. If the passenger is only checking in for the outward flight online, they will need to checkin for the return flight anytime in the 24 hours before the return flight.
12. The boarding cards need to be printed, as this is the actual physical ticket.

At the airport
Once the passenger has checked in online and is in possession of the boarding card, if they dont have checked baggage, they can go straight to security clearance. If the passenger has checked in online and has a checked bag, they they go to the bag drop area for their airline.

If a passenger has not checked in online then they go to the airline check in desk, where they will receive their boarding card, for that flight only.

Security

1. At the security area the passenger will be asked for their boarding card which will be scanned and handed back to them
2. They will then go through the scanners
3. Hand luggage goes through the bag check scanner and the person walks through the people scanner
4. All electronic devices, laptops, kindles, tablets must be removed from bags and put separately into the trays
5. All liquids in hand luggage must be under 3oz /100ml and placed in a clear baggie. This includes everything from deodorant, perfume, sunscreen to toothpaste, face-cream, lip balm, liquid make like foundation etc etc. Anything over 3oz /100ml must be put into checked luggage. Make sure to drink any water or soft drinks before going through security.
6. Some airports require all passengers to remove their shoes and all airports ask that anything metal such as belts, money, phones etc be removed and placed in the trays.
7. If the scanner does beep when the person walks through, dont panic or worry. The scanners are set very sensitive and sometimes things like bra wires or hair slides will set them off. All that will happen is the passenger will get a quick pat down from a security personnel.
8. Then its put yourself back together and go shopping

Thanks for that info - that is super helpful! The girls will all be together when we book flights (they may each need to pay individually - none of them has a large enough CC limit to pay for all three) so I will make sure they all get the info!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

A correction to Badpinkptink's post - you do not need to remove all electronics from your carry-on bags when going through security in Canada or the U.S. You only need to remove laptops, and that's only if you don't have a TSA friendly laptop bag (at least in the U.S.).

All US airports require anyone over the age of 12 up to the age of 74 to remove shoes, unless they are going through a TSA Pre Check line.

Also, you don't have to print boarding passes anymore, you can use a mobile boarding pass on your phone.

 

[starvenger]

Might be a bit late at this point, but consider having the family apply for NEXUS. Saves a lot of time and hassle with US Customs.

 

[Skjhjb]

Might be a bit late at this point, but consider having the family apply for NEXUS. Saves a lot of time and hassle with US Customs.

We don't go to the US often enough to go through the NEXUS process. My Mom & Step-Dad have them (snow birds) but passports are good enough for the amount we travel.

And on that note - BOOKED!

We scouted the airlines, Southwest seemed to have the best deal for a non-stop flight ($288US). None of the girls had a credit card with a high enough limit to book all three, so the threee of them sat together this afternoon on their individual laptops and booked all at the same time. So all on the same flight there and back. They are SO excited!

 

[badiggio]

Prices are not always the same with Expedia ,Flight Hub or the airline.Check them all out on a daily basis until you book.I usually book through expedia,but most recently booking a flight going to aruba with United,the cost was $150 cheaper per person through Flighthub,than United itself.

 

[dis_guy]

We don't go to the US often enough to go through the NEXUS process.

We thought this too. Right up to a flight to WDW connecting through Houston. It left YEG at midnight, so no US pre-clearance for us, we had to go through customs in Houston. We were early but as customs was not open until 5 AM we had to wait on the plane. The captain then announced that we'd best hurry to the customs hall as there were two large planes arriving from South America at the same time.

So there we were standing in line with probably 300 people ahead of us with lots of time to watch others use Global Entry kiosks (which NEXUS lets you do) and going on their way with no wait at all. Believe me if somebody had offered to put us at the front of the line for $50 (what NEXUS costs), I'd have gladly paid it. So as soon as we got home we applied and now have our cards. In my opinion if we only use them once a year it comes to $10 per use (good for 5 years), which to me is reasonable to not be stuck in a long line wondering if you'll make your next flight. It also gets you shorter security lines in Canada as well as TSA pre-clearance in the US.

 

[dis_guy]

I usually book through expedia,but most recently booking a flight going to aruba with United,the cost was $150 cheaper per person through Flighthub,than United itself.

It really does pay to investigate all of your options for airfare. There was a time when we could get United flights on the Air Canada site for way less then the United price. Sadly those days are gone. My DW thinks I'm nuts always poking around on the internet trying to figure out airline pricing. I haven't figured it out yet but I sure have on occasion gotten great fares and she sure doesn't complain about that.

 

[Lesverts]

I will never, ever use Expedia again. One thing they don't mention is that if you have to cancel, you are subject to Expedia cancellation policy not the airlines. If you are flying Westjet or Air Canada, Expedia's cancellation policy is downright draconian.

Typically if you cancel a flight. You 'pay' a cancellation fee of between 75 and 200 dollars depending on the airline and then the rest is a credit you can use for a future flight. Well Expedia makes you pay the cancellation fee out of pocket when you try to rebook using the credit. So they double dip. Also for Westjet you get the credit back as Westjet dollars which don't expire and the credit doesn't have to be used all at once. If you book Westjet through Expedia it is an Expedia Westjet credit that does expire and you don't get to keep any leftovers if your new flight is cheaper then your old one.