Who do you book your flights through?

[Shanti]

I never use an online travel agency like Expedia or travelocity for flights. I look st those sites to get an idea of cost and what airlines go where and then I go directly to the airline to book in my own. Have never found those inline agencies to be any cheaper. And when you book directly eoth the airline you have control over your flights in case something goes wrong.

Agreed! I learned this the hard way many years ago, when I was new to booking travel. I booked through one of those 3rd party websites, then a family incident occurred that required me to make a change. After spending a lot of time on the phone with a customer service agent who was clearly talking to me from India and did not speak fluent English, I was finally able to change the flight, after paying fees that doubled the cost. Never again. I always book directly through the airline I want.

 

[swimfin]

Absolutely! Me, too! I learned the hard way after DCL canceled one of our cruises, and boy, did we get scr*wed with air, hotel, etc, we booked through Travelocity. Never again. I use Travelocity and Expedia to sort and research good fares /times that work for us, but that lesson taught me a lot about how consolidators work. The airline couldn't help me bc they don't get paid by Travelocity until we board the flight. Travelocity wanted to *change* our flights, not refund them. We ended up flying into a completely different state (TX vs FL) for our new cruise so changing them wouldn't work bc the airline we were on didn't fly directly there and would have taken a day just to fly there. So, now after I get an idea of which airline I'm looking for (usually American since Phila is a hub for them) and what time we want, i just keep checking back directly on the airline's website. Just a side note: I cannot tell you the time I wasted attempting to speak with a "supervisor " at Travelocity. It was an insulting and frustrating waste of time. Long story short, I finally wised up after a few weeks and got my credit card company involved (yes, Disney Chase Visa Premier) and with a sprinkle of magic dust, i miraculously received credit back on my credit card. Wow, the time I wasted on that lesson! That being said, I will use Travelocity for a simple hotel transaction if the price is better. However, you should always check directly with the hotel's website to make sure you're getting the best deal! Sometimes AARP may give you a better rate, too. Just check around and do your research!

ETA: I've checked Disney's air but the times and connections (we only do nonstop ) never worked for us, and this past time, our TA actually told.us not to use Disney air bc we could get better fares ourselves (i guess coming from PHL). I could see how, if flying internationally, a TA would be a good idea.

So good to know this information!!!! THANK YOU!!!!

 

[swimfin]

A recent dreams podcast I believe recommended using kayak to search all the discount sites at once for the best rate. I know my partner uses that but when he finds a flight within the budget he heads to the airline website to try an obtain the same or better rate....why go through a middleman if you don't have to

THANK YOU!!!

 

[swimfin]

http://time.com/money/3707551/expedia-orbitz-impact-travelers/

Excellent article!! THANK YOU!

 

[IBLarsen]

I have used Expedia for package deals that were cheaper than me piecing together, and have had no issues. (Usually something like Cancun, I can get better deals on by combining the air/hotel), but for just flights, I always check them, but usually end up finding the same rates directly with airlines, and will always opt for that if possible. If you have flexibilty with flight days, you can search on googles airfare matrix and plug in a time frame and how many nights or a range of nights and they will pull up the cheapest dates and airlines. You don't book through them, but a handy way to price.

 

[ChicosWife]

We book directly through the airline.....either American or Southwest. We prefer American since they are a "participating" airline.

What does that mean?

 

[jdb in AZ]

After comparison shopping for air fare using Kayak, Expedia, etc, I also check Southwest because they don't participate in those discount web sites. SWA is usually cheaper.

The last time we booked a hotel through Expedia we were booked into a Vancouver hotel that had a lot of international guests, and figured it had a good reputation. Don't know if it's because we went the cheapo route, but we were given the room next door to the local night club and the "music" had our room vibrating til 2 a.m.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

What does that mean?

It means it's one of the airlines that participates in the Onboard Airline Checkin program on DCL.

 

[ChicosWife]

It means it's one of the airlines that participates in the Onboard Airline Checkin program on DCL.

What is the Onboard Airline Checkin program?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

What is the Onboard Airline Checkin program?

If you fly on a participating airline (domestic flight only) that departs after 11:30, you can have DCL do your airline check in for you. You leave your checked bags outside your room the last night onboard, and the next time you see them will be at your home airport.

In order to participate, you must have booked EITHER your flights OR DCL transfers through DCL.

This info is from our 2014 trip:
From Port Canaveral: (from cruise documents 8/9/2014)
The requirements are below

• You must have purchased DCL Air and/or DCL Ground Transfers
• Your flight has to leave from Orlando International Airport after 11:30 am on the same day your cruise vacation ends. Your flight must be on a participating airline:

Alaska Airlines
American Airlines (USAirways merged)
Delta Air Lines
JetBlue Airways
United Airlines

• Your final destination must be within the U.S. (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
• Each luggage piece can weigh no more than fifty (50) pounds.
• Airline specific baggage fees may apply and can vary by airline. Please check with your specific carrier for more details.
• Applicable airline baggage fees will be posted directly to your shipboard account.
• Some Guests may be selected to check in at the airport and may not be able to use this service.
  

 

[Dug720]

What is the Onboard Airline Checkin program?

You give DCL your flight information and they check you in and print your boarding passes and bag tags, then when your luggage is picked up it is put in an area where all the luggage on being removed form the ship goes straight to the airport. You don't have to deal with it until you're in your home airport. You have to have booked your airfare OR airport transfers through DCL to participate.

eta: @PrincessShmoo types faster than me!

 

[Soontobegoodsell]

We always book directly through JetBlue. Great prices, always clean, great flights.

 

[cheermom2four]

we booked thru a site called Justfly and got RT tickets from Colorado to Barcelona for $700 per person for our upcoming Sept cruise. I verified we had actual tickets thru British airways/american airlines and we do and we even got to pick our seats. I was leery at first as I've never heard of the website. I had issues when the 2nd leg of the flight moved out 6 hours and they offered to switch it to a later flight but we only had a choice of what was on their website. Our oldest dd used Expedia to book their flights to Barcelona and had to make a change when expedia changed their connecting airport and didnt charge any fees to do so.

 

[kiford]

We book directly with the airline after doing some research online. I don't see any benefit to booking through Travelocity or other sites - I don't see any discounts over what we would normally pay direct through the airline. We also sometimes use points so you're kind of stuck going direct then.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We book directly with the airline after doing some research online. I don't see any benefit to booking through Travelocity or other sites - I don't see any discounts over what we would normally pay direct through the airline. We also sometimes use points so you're kind of stuck going direct then.

I checked out fares on Kayak, and then booked directly with the airline on our upcoming cruise. It was a tiny bit cheaper booking directly.

 

[DCLDVC1]

I'll check prices on Google Flights, Expedia, Kayak, etc but always book directly through the airline's website. It's the same with hotels and car rentals. I'll never actually book through a 3rd party but use them to compare prices.

 

[Lynzer4]

Kayak.com is a great site to compare price and the best part is it takes you to the actual airline to book the flight.

I also book directly with the airline. The price is the same as Expedia, TA etc.

The problem with the 3rd party companies is if something happens sometimes the airline won't help because they don't hold the original reservation.

 

[princessmommyx3]

we booked thru a site called Justfly and got RT tickets from Colorado to Barcelona for $700 per person for our upcoming Sept cruise. I verified we had actual tickets thru British airways/american airlines and we do and we even got to pick our seats. I was leery at first as I've never heard of the website. I had issues when the 2nd leg of the flight moved out 6 hours and they offered to switch it to a later flight but we only had a choice of what was on their website. Our oldest dd used Expedia to book their flights to Barcelona and had to make a change when expedia changed their connecting airport and didnt charge any fees to do so.

I would go online and check periodically that your seat selections are still there. Expedia removed my husband's seat selection one time and when he got to the airport he found out he was on stand by (and was understandably furious, as he had purchased the ticket and made the seat selection months prior), and the person at the Delta counter told him that 3rd party sites do that all of the time. That was the last straw with us and 3rd party sites. We will only book directly now.

 

[cheermom2four]

Oh I've called the airlines too when our itinerary changed due to the longer layover and they have confirmed (British and American airlines) that they are seated and not standby. I will tell my daughter though even though she has called her's too

 

[KalamityJane]

If you are looking for international flights, check out Norwegian Air. They are pretty cheap. I'm going to check pricing through DCL as well.