Best Place to Buy Airfare

[GOOFY4DONALD]

It has been years since I had to buy airfare (that wasn't attached to a package). I am wondering where the best place to buy airfare is. We live a mile away from our departing airport. We are a party of 6. Thanks

 

[sam_gordon]

My opinion... purchase directly from the airline. Use Travelocity, Orbitz, Expedia, etc. for price comparison, but buy directly from the airline. They (airline) need to match the other pricing so you don't get a price break.

Plus, if you use a third party, THEY "own" your reservation and that could make things difficult if you need to make changes.

 

[GOOFY4DONALD]

My opinion... purchase directly from the airline. Use Travelocity, Orbitz, Expedia, etc. for price comparison, but buy directly from the airline. They (airline) need to match the other pricing so you don't get a price break.

Plus, if you use a third party, THEY "own" your reservation and that could make things difficult if you need to make changes.

thank you. does it matter if I buy online or go down to the airport?

 

[CarolMN]

thank you. does it matter if I buy online or go down to the airport?

No.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Why would you go to the airport to purchase tickets? What a pain compared to buying online.

 

[GOOFY4DONALD]

Why would you go to the airport to purchase tickets? What a pain compared to buying online.

For me it is just as convenient as going to the grocery store. If I go in the middle of the day i can walk right up to the booth and purchase my tickets

 

[Planogirl]

I've always had good luck using Expedia for travel (countless times) but I agree that it's likely easier to go directly to the airline in the event that anything goes wrong. I would buy insurance either way.

 

[jsilvers]

Why would you go to the airport to purchase tickets?

A few airlines - such as Spirit - charge fees for online purchases that do not apply if a ticket is purchased at the airport ticket counter.

That said, many airlines - such as Delta - charge fees for tickets purchased at the counter but not online (and sale fares also tend to be available only online).

 

[dis_guy]

My opinion... purchase directly from the airline. Use Travelocity, Orbitz, Expedia, etc. for price comparison, but buy directly from the airline. They (airline) need to match the other pricing so you don't get a price break.

Plus, if you use a third party, THEY "own" your reservation and that could make things difficult if you need to make changes.

Yup. Double yup!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

A few airlines - such as Spirit - charge fees for online purchases that do not apply if a ticket is purchased at the airport ticket counter.

Okay - I would never fly Spirit, so was unaware of this. However, once you factor in the hassle and cost of gas going to the airport (unless you are just a few minutes away), plus paying the parking fee, plus waiting in lines at the airport, I just couldn't see buying a ticket at the airport. The last time I actually did this must have been back in the 1980s!

 

[GOOFY4DONALD]

Okay - I would never fly Spirit, so was unaware of this. However, once you factor in the hassle and cost of gas going to the airport (unless you are just a few minutes away), plus paying the parking fee, plus waiting in lines at the airport, I just couldn't see buying a ticket at the airport. The last time I actually did this must have been back in the 1980s!

We are flying either Delta or United. And we live about 2 minutes from the airport and the first 30min parking is free. That is the only reason I asked. It's not an inconvenience.