Book air using Expedia, Orbitz etc, or directly with carrier?

[niklynn1]

Are there benefits to booking directly through the air carrier (United, Delta) as opposed to using Kayak, or Priceline and such?

 

[kaytieeldr]

The carrier, always. When you find a lower fare on a travel website, it's virtually never available when you actually try to book it.

However, you state Expedia and Orbitz in your title, but Kayak and Priceline in your post. Priceline is two services. There's the online travel agency like Expedia and Orbitz, and there's the 'name your own price' feature. Make SURE you know what you're getting before you choose this option. You need to be flexible; generally the flights - which aren't revealed until after your nonrefundable bid is accepted - are undesirable times or have multiple changes, or both.

******* IMPORTANT INFORMATION ALERT *******​

Kayak is NOT a travel agency. It doesn't sell anything.

Kayak is a travel search engine​

If you see a price you like, you click through to the service provider (this is how Kayak gets paid).

 

[Wild4Walt]

Airline always!

If a flight cancels and you book directly through the airline you have a better chance of getting re-protected.

If you book through Expedia or Priceline you have to call them to get service and from experience - good luck!

 

[bumbershoot]

Unless you have a compelling reason to book through one of the sites, just go with the carrier's site. Especially if the airline you want to use will give you credit if the price goes down later.

I've used Orbitz and Travelocity...for both I wanted to get the small bit of credit I could get by using my "rewards" site, and for both I wasn't going to look for credits/refunds, and was comfy using them. I will tell you, Travelocity was really good about updating with flight changes...used them (got a GREAT deal, MUCH MUCH better than what the airlines were offering...a codeshare through United ON an Asiana plane, just a great deal especially last minute) for MIL to go to Korea, and the flight time kept changing every few days, and t'city emailed me every time. Better than with other flights, that's for sure, in my experience.

But most of the time we just book through the carrier directly.

 

[skiingfast]

Try www.bing.com/travel/ It searches in a very flexible manner your route for a variety of flight options. It ranks them by the lowest which is sometimes orbitz by a few dollars but usually a particular airline. It's nice because it searches everyone. Travel site and all the airlines that service the airports.

I've also found it to show flights that the airlines site doesn't But you just click through to the airline site and voila, United suddenly has another plane flying.

 

[bradisgoofy]

I use Orbitz all the time and it is the exact same price as going direct, I still get my mileage credits and they notify me if my flight gets changed (which it just did). Plus, if on the wild chance (notice I used the word chance) that someone books the EXACT SAME itinerary, at a lower price, I get that refund thingy they always talk about on TV. (Hasn't happened yet ) But, that being said, use Orbitz for your search, then go to that airline and see if you can get the same fair.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I use Orbitz all the time and it is the exact same price as going direct, I still get my mileage credits and they notify me if my flight gets changed (which it just did). Plus, if on the wild chance (notice I used the word chance) that someone books the EXACT SAME itinerary, at a lower price, I get that refund thingy they always talk about on TV. (Hasn't happened yet ) But, that being said, use Orbitz for your search, then go to that airline and see if you can get the same fair.

Just remember if there is an issue where your flight is cancelled or the times change (significantly) and you need to be rebooked, you need to work through Orbitz for any changes because they are your travel agent. Often the travel agents have different "standards" to what may be a signficant change then the airlines and you may find it difficult to get rebooked onto better flights. This is a major disadvantage of booking with a third party and not direct with the airline.