Help Please! Using Orbitz, Expedia, etc.

[hapandpam]

I am trying to help a neighbor book a flight from Syracuse to Italy, and began searching Orbitz. I found a good flight, but when I went to other sites (such as Expedia, Travelocity) I was not able to find that itinerary, and looking at the Delta website wasn't helpful either. All the fares are about the same, but the flight times vary greatly. I have always booked directly through the airlines. Are all these other sites ok to use? Thoughts and advice are appreciated!

 

[My3Princez]

I am trying to help a neighbor book a flight from Syracuse to Italy, and began searching Orbitz. I found a good flight, but when I went to other sites (such as Expedia, Travelocity) I was not able to find that itinerary, and looking at the Delta website wasn't helpful either. All the fares are about the same, but the flight times vary greatly. I have always booked directly through the airlines. Are all these other sites ok to use? Thoughts and advice are appreciated!

I have used Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity multiple times and never had a problem. They have a good reputation.

 

[Danadbrown]

I have used them as well and think they have a good rep. Expedia is my favorite. Good luck.

 

[undchefreak]

I prefer Kayak for my travel searches. It goes to all those sites and directly to the airlines for price comparison.

 

[AquamarineSteph]

I am trying to help a neighbor book a flight from Syracuse to Italy, and began searching Orbitz. I found a good flight, but when I went to other sites (such as Expedia, Travelocity) I was not able to find that itinerary, and looking at the Delta website wasn't helpful either. All the fares are about the same, but the flight times vary greatly. I have always booked directly through the airlines. Are all these other sites ok to use? Thoughts and advice are appreciated!

I have used Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia, Priceline, and Hotwire with very good results. They seem to be reliable in my experience, but do make sure that you read the fine print about whether or not a fare is refundable, has change fees associated, etc.

On a side note, not every airline can be booked through all those other travel sites, and some airlines will run promotions that are specific to their website only even if they do sell seats through the larger travel webpages.

 

[hapandpam]

Thanks for the advice!

 

[seashoreCM]

These agents are okay for the most part but horror stories still surface more often than should be the case. Numerous problems arise if the airline changes its schedule.

My two cents worth is to pass over these agencies and book directly with the airline.

When you see a good deal on Orbitz, etc. and not on the airline's own site, it is possible that one of the following apply:
1. The travel agency's data base is a little out of date,
2. The travel agency bought blocks of seats far in advance and at a discount to resell at its leisure.

In the latter case, if the airline changed its schedule, passengers dissatisfied with what they got might ask for a re-change but the agency does not have any seats from its prepurchased blocks to fulfill the request. So the agency has to "go outside the box" i.e. buy new seats at retail price to satisfy the customer, possibly wiping out all of the profit from that transaction, and the agency hates to do that. So the agency is sometimes unfriendly when it comes to making customer requested re-changes.