Finding Best Airline Prices

[NobleAlyssum]

So, I'm frantically searching websites, trying to find the best deal for flights from my area to Orlando, Florida and it can be quite overwhelming. Some of the airline comparison websites can be very confusing and the airline websites themselves hardly ever give you the best deal. I finally tried out the website Kayak and I love it. It's very user friendly and I can easily choose which flight times I would like to depart from (for some reason, I have much more limited options on other websites like Priceline).

Does anyone else have a go-to website they like for airfare? Any recommendations? Critiques of my favorite?

 

[goofy4tink]

I have found that booking directly with the airline is the best way to go. Every single time I have used a non-airline site, I think I'm getting a great fare, until I get to checkout....then, it changes. Either the cost goes up or the flight is no longer available.
Booking directly through an airline's official site is the safest, best way to go.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

So, I'm frantically searching websites, trying to find the best deal for flights from my area to Orlando, Florida and it can be quite overwhelming. Some of the airline comparison websites can be very confusing and the airline websites themselves hardly ever give you the best deal. I finally tried out the website Kayak and I love it. It's very user friendly and I can easily choose which flight times I would like to depart from (for some reason, I have much more limited options on other websites like Priceline).

Does anyone else have a go-to website they like for airfare? Any recommendations? Critiques of my favorite?

I do not agree that airline websites don't give you the best deal. If you buy your ticket through consolidated search websites (not consolidator tickets), such as Expedia, you should usually be paying the same as if you booked directly through the airline.

I prefer to book directly with the airline. Just to compare prices, I like ITA Matrix Airfare Search:

https://matrix.itasoftware.com/

 

[gwb]

I have booked with the airlines exclusively. The best prices on Expedia, kayak etc are just reflections on what the airline sites are. At the airline sites your options are better, you can see what flights based on price and time. The travel sites try to sell prepackaged times, I booked for an up coming trip through United and got better prices then all the travel sites and was able to pick my seats; something you can't with the travel sites.

 

[uccats97]

I don't have any advice but this YouTube video about cheap flights is hilarious. Enjoy!

 

[rwdavis2]

Even if the airline site was a bit more expensive I would still book with the airline. If something goes wrong with a ticket booked through a 3rd party you now have to deal with 2 businesses pointing the finger at each other. It's rare but does happen. I've never seen a better fare through a third party site. I used them to compare flights between airlines but never book through them.

 

[carlamouse]

UCCATS97, that YouTube video is hilarious!

 

[NobleAlyssum]

I prefer to book directly with the airline. Just to compare prices, I like ITA Matrix Airfare Search:

https://matrix.itasoftware.com/

I have never seen that site. Thank you for a great find in comparing flight prices!

I'm kinda surprised that everyone so far would rather book with the airline directly. I don't know if it is the area I'm flying from or the dates I'm flying, but I did save at least $50 a ticket by buying "through" Kayak (and to me, that's a lot of money). I have since received my ticket confirmation through email from american airlines. But now everyone has me skeptical and worried about something going wrong with my tickets! lol. I admit, this is my first time flying in a couple of years, so I may just use the ITA Matrix Airfare Search in the future.

 

[monica9]

I book straight from the airline and best time to book is 8 weeks beforehand.

 

[NobleAlyssum]

I book straight from the airline and best time to book is 8 weeks beforehand.

That's a great tip! I'll have to have patience next time I plan a trip. But I'm going with a very large group (11 of us). Are flights that close to the departure date low on seating?

 

[monica9]

That's a great tip! I'll have to have patience next time I plan a trip. But I'm going with a very large group (11 of us). Are flights that close to the departure date low on seating?

Yes. I've heard this from multiple sources and you are right, it is so hard to be patient.

 

[HizMinnie2015]

We don't fly on a regular basis; and for our trip we booked as soon we saw prices jump more than a couple times. I have a feeling the prices aren't going to go down even though people say there's a perfect time to buy. We did buy directly through the airline; now I watch just to make sure the price doesn't in fact go down. If it does I will be on the phones calling lol

 

[Frozen2014]

I book straight from the airline and best time to book is 8 weeks beforehand.

I noticed too that the price seems better closer to the flying date. But just wondering if you ever had an issue getting a good time on the day you wanted to fly? This would be my worry.