Flight question... Have you ever

[Amstar]

Ever signed up for different airlines for your round trip?

We are looking to book US Airways for our flight down, and Delta on the way back.

I'm thinking about booking through orbitz.... Anyone ever used them?? Pros /cons

 

[DVC-Don]

Different airlines for each leg is no problem. I prefer to book direct with the airlines myself. Orbitz and other online services are good for comparing prices, but I'd not book through them.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

There is no problem with using different airlines each way, although I prefer to maximize frequent flyer earnings by using the same airline or airlines in the same alliance.

I'm not sure why you want to book with Orbitz instead of directly with each airline.

 

[Amstar]

I think orbitz has something that if you book your flight and the price comes down they refund you the difference?

Not sure why I didn't think of looking at the actual airlines websites for the prices

 

[Huff]

For our next trip I'm flying out on Delta and back on United. It's because I'm flying into Alabama for business then driving to WDW to meet up with family, then all flying home together. Sometimes one way fares can be more expensive than round trip but in our case it worked out fine.

I tend to book directly with airline unless there is a savings to go with another online agency. I use Kayak to compare prices as it searches many sites.

 

[bumbershoot]

I think orbitz has something that if you book your flight and the price comes down they refund you the difference?

Not sure why I didn't think of looking at the actual airlines websites for the prices

Orbitz's info:

If after booking a hotel, flight or car on Orbitz you find it for less on another site, send us the information and you’ll get Orbucks equal to 100% of the price difference, plus an additional $50 in Orbucks.


For flights, you have until 11:59pm CT on the same day you booked your flight(s) on Orbitz to submit a claim.

For flights booked directly, I'm pretty sure all of them allow you to change or even cancel a reservation inside 24 hours from when you booked. So the Orbitz guarantee is actually more restrictive than the actual airlines.

Also:

For Flights: Flight number, carrier, and dates of travel for the same passengers, itinerary and cabin that are at least $5 lower than the airfare booked on the same day on Orbitz.com

I've used one or two of the online TAs to book a flight before, but only when I wasn't going to worry about the price going down, I knew absolutely I was going, and I could get a little bit back by clicking through my "rewards" site to get to the online TA site. no downside, all upside in those cases. But I don't think I even checked back for any of the best price type things.


And we almost always use different airlines one way and another. On our upcoming trip we have Alaska (which, by the way, gives credit for future use without a fee if you see their price has come down for your flight) on the way out and United on the way back.

 

[maxiesmom]

Sure it is no problem. For my trip to Orlando this month we flew Southwest down and Delta back home. You just need to be aware of each airline's fees.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Orbitz's info:
For flights booked directly, I'm pretty sure all of them allow you to change or even cancel a reservation inside 24 hours from when you booked. So the Orbitz guarantee is actually more restrictive than the actual airlines.....

You're absolutely right. You can cancel any airline reservation without penalty within 24 hours of purchase, so the Orbitz guarantee only looks good if you aren't aware you can already do this!

 

[VAfamily1998]

I have, but it was many years ago, before the days of Orbitz, and I booked through a travel agent.

It was actually 4 different airlines--on one round trip. I can't remember the specifics, but it was an American airline from Los Angeles to Osaka, Japan, then a Japanese airline from Osaka to Okinawa....then on the way home a couple weeks later I took a different Japanese airline from Okinawa to Osaka, and a different American airline from Osaka back to L.A.

I don't speak a word of Japanese.

There were no problems or anything.

 

[ancestry]

I've done this quite often and without any issues.

However I would never book through a 3rd party site such as Orbitz. I prefer to book directly with the airline.

 

[winterman]

I just booked my return flight for my next WDW trip in Nov. I was hoping to do the whole thing with 25,000 United miles. But the United flights at that rate were terrible times and bad layovers. I could have done it on their partner, USAir, but I love the priority boarding and free bag that goes with my United credit card and I am not willing to give that up. So I booked USAir, first class, using the 25,000 miles. I will keep my eyes open for a cash United flight for the southbound segment.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Decent leisure fares used to require the purchase of a roundtrip with a Saturday night stay. But that's seldom the case these days for domestic flights to Florida.

Leisure travelers can often get more convenient flight times and lower fares by purchasing two one-way tickets, often using two different airlines -- instead of buying a roundtrip itinerary on a single airline.

The only problem is that there are then two change fees (when using the cheapest fares on AA, Delta, United, or US Airways) if it's necessary to change travel dates. Usually this mean the tickets are worthless because each change fee exceeds the value of each ticket.

Some passengers are concerned about the TSA with two one-way tickets.

The 9/11 terrorists had purchased first-class, one-way tickets, so passengers with one-way tickets were more likely to be flagged for additional screening soon after the attack. Your boarding pass could be flagged with the letters SSSS, triggering additional screening. Or the airline gate agent might not accept your bags until they were hand-inspected.

That was a long time ago.

Although there are still people who think that one-way tickets increase the chance of being selected for an additional security screening or baggage inspection, that seems unlikely to me. Presumably the TSA watches for suspicious activity, but I can't see how one-way tickets constitute any sort of additional risk. In fact, someone with evil intent would be more likely to buy a roundtrip, given even the slight possibility that a one-ticket would trigger more scrutiny from the TSA.