Who do you book your flights with?

[peachiepie]

I'm planning on booking our next trip DIY and have been messing around with various dates to check flight prices.

I've been on skyscanner to see what options there are, but I'm a bit nervous as there are so many options and there seem to be a lot of bad reviews online for so many of the companies.

So does anyone have any recommendations for who to book flights through? We are happy to fly indirect.

 

[Elise79]

I will always try to book direct with the airline if I can as I don't like using 3rd parties.

I use kayak to check prices and they send me daily update of the prices for the dates I am watching

 

[wilma-bride]

I am the same as Tracy, always book direct wiht the airline if possible.

I usually start checking prices as soon as flights are released and book when we're happy with the price (or sometimes even when we're not, as I'm pretty impatient )

 

[scoobydooby]

I also always book direct with the airline but use scraper sites to check prices. Have always flown with Virgin or BA but have found better prices via daily alerts as someone mentioned above.

 

[wayneg]

All my flights this year are booked with Orbitz.com. Paid in $'s and saved a small fortune compared to direct with airlines. Our flights with VA cost just over £600pp but direct with VA £840pp, our others are one way on Thomas Cook (codeshare Condor) direct £350pp, Orbitz just over £200pp. Over £1000 saving using a US agent.

Same as Joh, I start checking 11 months out but I am the opposite to her for patience, I struggle to hit the buy button, I always think a better deal will appear, for this year I didn't book until January.

 

[orangetiggs]

We booked our hotel with complete orlando then once flights came out they booked them and oaid deposit only, for this option we paid about £10 more per person than direct with virgin atlantic

 

[2Tiggies]

I prefer to book directly with the airline, although for the right price I would book through a third party. However it would have to be a significant saving as I find it so much easier to deal directly with the company than through a third party/agent.

I also subscribe to Kayak for updates and just keep checking until I find a price I want. I could have beaten our prices for this year if I had waited, but the times available were not as ideal and the savings are not enough to lead me to regret booking when I did.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Can I ask what a codeshare is/how it works?

 

[Pegasus928]

I have been playing with the Kayak app as it is not long now until we can think of booking our flights. I have a figure in mind for what I will pay and will most likely book with the airline direct - as we always have done in the past.

 

[2Tiggies]

Can I ask what a codeshare is/how it works?

A codeshare is when two or more airlines both/all sell tickets for a certain flight.

I booked a codeshare for some of my flights this year. I booked on the American Airlines site as it was £100 per person cheaper for the same flights as BA. The actual plane itself is BA but it has two flight numbers - a BA one and an AA one. Ours actually has 3 as I believe Iberia shares as well. The rules of the carrier, not the airline you booked through, apply throughout. So you would use BA check in, BA luggage limits and costs apply, etc, even though my booking is with AA.

There are some drawbacks, for example online check in often doesn't work

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Thanks for the explanation. How did you know your flight was a codeshare and which airline would be cheapest?

 

[wayneg]

There are some drawbacks, for example online check in often doesn't work

Not something I have ever had a problem with. Codeshare should work just as booking direct with the airline you travel on.

I find it so much easier to deal directly with the company than through a third party/agent.

In all the years I have been booking thru a 3rd party (approx. 25 trips) only come across 2 issues, one was when Delta changed our flights, eBookers wanted to change us to a flight I didn't want, took a bit of sorting and would have been easier direct with Delta.
The other was Mum passing away, Expedia wouldn't refund (they were only sticking to their T&C's) I contacted the airline who got Expedia to refund me.
Apart from that no difference between booking direct or thru a 3rd party, everything is exactly the same. You log into the airlines website and do everything just as booking direct. Last week I chose our seats on VA even though I booked with Orbitz.

 

[wayneg]

Thanks for the explanation. How did you know your flight was a codeshare and which airline would be cheapest?

When you search for flights you look at who is the cheapest, then click on details, it will tell you who operates the flight.
Like this:
Condor – Flight 26
Operated by Fly Thomas Cook

 

[wilma-bride]

There are some drawbacks, for example online check in often doesn't work

Not that you're bitter about it

 

[2Tiggies]

Not something I have ever had a problem with. Codeshare should work just as booking direct with the airline you travel on.

While it shouldn't be a problem, this year's flights have been nothing short of a nightmare. I would book a codeshare again with no issues, but I'd want half price tickets to justify having BA involved again

 

[2Tiggies]

Not that you're bitter about it

Whatever would make you think that? I'm not irritated that I have been told I can't do it; I'm annoyed that I should be able to (as per Wayne's post) and that I cant because BA have informed me, and it has been confirmed by numerous reports on FlyerTalk, that the BA online system doesn't accept the ticket reference format of other airlines so it's hit or miss. It's one of those silly things that wouldn't stop me booking, but it would have been nice to know from the start. Anyway, it's just an issue because it's one more of the many nails I'm hammering into BA's coffin regarding the prospects of me choosing to fly with them again!

 

[crabbie1]

All my flights this year are booked with Orbitz.com. Paid in $'s and saved a small fortune compared to direct with airlines. Our flights with VA cost just over £600pp but direct with VA £840pp, our others are one way on Thomas Cook (codeshare Condor) direct £350pp, Orbitz just over £200pp. Over £1000 saving using a US agent. Same as Joh, I start checking 11 months out but I am the opposite to her for patience, I struggle to hit the buy button, I always think a better deal will appear, for this year I didn't book until January.

This is a great idea wayne. Just priced up rough dates going next week and was £436 cheaper than booking direct with VA m+m. Hope the dollar stays strong .

 

[crabbie1]

Whatever would make you think that? I'm not irritated that I have been told I can't do it; I'm annoyed that I should be able to (as per Wayne's post) and that I cant because BA have informed me, and it has been confirmed by numerous reports on FlyerTalk, that the BA online system doesn't accept the ticket reference format of other airlines so it's hit or miss. It's one of those silly things that wouldn't stop me booking, but it would have been nice to know from the start. Anyway, it's just an issue because it's one more of the many nails I'm hammering into BA's coffin regarding the prospects of me choosing to fly with them again!

Oh Lee you poor thing. Like i have said to u numerous times before we are so alike and that nothing is ever straight forward and if it is I worry why everything has gone as planned xx

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Why are BA so bad that you wouldn't fly with them again? Other than the online check-in that is?

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Thanks Wayne for explaining the codeshare. Well finitely check out sites like Orbitz in future