Best site to book airfare

[arwood82]

We are traveling to Disney Sept 24-Oct 2 and I was wondering what sites you guys used to book airfare. Right now it looks like hotwire has the best deals on the flights that I need. Are there any other sites out there that I should be checking or should I wait until it gets a little closer to the date.TIA

 

[Jestocost]

I suggest using the airline's own Web site. Use a site like Travelocity (Orbitz and Expedia don't have American Airlines at this point) to check what's available, but recognize that SWA (and maybe some other carriers) can be booked only on their own Web site. Some airlines guarantee the lowest fares on their own sites.

Sites like Priceline can be tricky and present problems with changes or when there are delays, weather issues, etc. down the road.

 

[arwood82]

Thank You for the help. This will be my first time EVER flying and I will be flying with two toddlers so I want to be as smooth as possible. The only thing that is a big concern to me right now is that all of the flights that I am finding right now have a layover in Atlanta. I was really wanting a nonstop flight, but right now I am having no luck with that. The only airline that I have been able to find non stop flights on is Allegiant which only flies into Sanford airport which I do not want. Any help from anyone is greatly appreciated.

 

[magicaldisney]

I'll look at bookingbuddy or kayak to see what's out there, but when it comes to actually booking a flight, I go to the airline's own website and reserve directly with them.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Airlines own website.

 

[Lumiere Lover]

Go directly to the airlines website to book. If you are going through Atlanta, you will want to leave time for a layover. I don't want to scare you, but I remember running through Atlanta to get from one part of the airport to another with my husband and two kids. You will want to watch the gates, I cannot explain to you how huge Atlanta is.

Even though it is huge, I think Atlanta is a fantastic airport. There are tons of dining and shopping options for you while you wait for your flight.

Enjoy your trip!!

 

[arwood82]

Thank You everyone for your help. The only thing I am still worried about is the stop and layover on these flights. I just do not understand why i cant find a flight from knoxville, tn to Orlando that is nonstop. I have still not booked my flight bc in part I am hoping on getting a nonstop flight and mostly bc I have to wait to get clearance from 2 doctors. My son had tubes put in his ears last month and I have had brain surgery twice in the last 6 months so I have to get the clearance to fly. Again thank you to everyone for all of your help.

 

[PixieDustandEeyore]

Okay I dont know where you live but could you leave out of Nashville?
Southwest has non-stop Nashville to Orlando leaving september 24th. Its $284 roundtrip per adult.

 

[stephgles]

Go directly to the airlines website to book. If you are going through Atlanta, you will want to leave time for a layover. I don't want to scare you, but I remember running through Atlanta to get from one part of the airport to another with my husband and two kids. You will want to watch the gates, I cannot explain to you how huge Atlanta is.

Even though it is huge, I think Atlanta is a fantastic airport. There are tons of dining and shopping options for you while you wait for your flight.

Enjoy your trip!!

I cant attest that ATL is a huge airport. But I always seem to be running from one gate to another to pay attention to what is has LOL

 

[PixieDustandEeyore]

Okay I looked up Knoxville's airport info and the only airlines that do direct to Orlando from Knoxville are AirTran and Allegiant air... but Allegiant air now flies direct to Sanford not McCoy anymore.

I looked up both AirTran and Allegiant air for your dates and are saying unavailable.
From Nashville non stop flights to Orlando are done by only Southwest and are available for your travel dates

 

[arwood82]

Thank you for your help. Allegiant is definitely out of the question since they only fly to sanford now and i definitely want to use ME. Maybe by the time I am ready to book Airtran will have dates available at an affordable rate.

 

[Shea&Van]

Hey there Arwood,

We are going the same time. We, too, are looking at airfare right now. SWA and AirTran do not seem to have their schedules open at that time (Oct), so we are playing the waiting game.

We've actually looked at taking the train or driving as options. But, with a 2 and 4 year old I'm thinking the flying is looking better.

The bulk of our family lives in SW Georgia and my advice would be to avoid ATL at all costs. The size of that airport is overwhelming and would be a nightmare to navigate with two little ones.

Happy planning!

Best,
Erica

PS - With the tubes, bring plenty of gum. My daughter has tubes and anytime we fly we take buckets of those tootsie pops with the gum. Otherwise the pressure is really rough on their little ears. Good luck!

 

[quagmire0]

http://www.sidestep.com and http://www.kayak.com are good. http://matrix.itasoftware.com/ scours a bunch of airlines and does a good job of showing alternate flights (it does stick to using the same airline on the each leg of the flight, so it may show more options). These sites let you search across most all of the airline's websites (usually not Southwest though), that'll save you some time and allow you to focus on a few airlines.

 

[Cherinva]

I would go directly to the airlines websites. I haven't had any luck going through the other agencies.