Priceline.com vs. Direct through airlines

[IMDORY]

Quick question-I could save $5 per ticket ($15 total) and get a 1% contribution to my son's upromise account if I book through priceline.com vs. direct through the airlines....not a huge savings-any reason anyone can think of to NOT book through priceline.com??? Will this tiny savings come back to haunt me if I do this? I'd rather spend the $15 if it might.

I had been waiting for Jet Blue for Christmas flights...wasn't worth the wait for me-direct flight is at a terrible time for us(7am..needed a 4pm or later flight going down) and prices are NOT very competitive. ($560 RT lowest) I had a bad feeling that this would happen.

Thanks for the help guys!

 

[zulaya]

I've never used priceline for flights. I thought you were stuck with whatever times you got and I personally wasn't comfortable with the possibility of being stuck with a redeye. We're the opposite of you ~ we'd love a 7am flight to get down there for sure!

That would be my only concern is what times you'd get stuck with. If you are cool with whatever you get, then go for it.

 

[CarolA]

Priceline also has a "TA" side.
The risk is that if something goes wrong and you need to make a change (schedule changes for example) then you have to deal with Priceline and not the airline. For that reason I don't use online TAs for my tickets. They have very few REAL humans to assist you and the humans they have seem to be poorly trained!

 

[Lewisc]

I'd book directly with the airline. Customers that are subject to a schedule change, and who booked directly with the airline, can call the airline directly. Airlines will generally accommodate those passengers on any flight that has availability.

Guests who book through a TA have to go through the TA if they don't like alternate flight assignments made by the airline. It's possible PL may not even want to call the airline. Good luck getting PL on the phone. Some people think airlines give preference to travelers that booky direct and tell TAs like PL their customers get whatever the airline wants to give them.

 

[IMDORY]

What you are all saying is what I was thinking too...thanks for the input-I'm going to book direct though the airlines.