best place to book a flight?

[luvmyfam444]

I've only used Expedia & it was years ago

 

[low-key]

there isn't one cheapest place, one might have the cheapest one day and the other the next. Google cheap airline tickets and look thru all the sites

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I like Southwest. (Website)

Many use Jet Blue. (Website)

But there are other sites Kayak, Cheap Flights, etc.

 

[luvmyfam444]

yes, Southwest is what I'm searching now

 

[Shanti]

yes, Southwest is what I'm searching now

I only recommend booking the flights directly through the airline, even if you use a 3rd party site to find a cheap combination of flights. Those 3rd party sites often have poor customer service and more restrictive policies than the airlines themselves.

With SWA, I only use their website.

 

[bcla]

It depends on how I'm paying for it. I first check with Google Flights. Sometimes I might check Priceline, Expedia, or Travelocity, then check directly with the airline after I find a good fare. The airline almost always has the same price. I'll generally only use a third party if I'm booking with credit card points. I remember once I used to have a deal with my credit card where there was a free "companion fare" and two 15% off (up to two passengers) fare per year. And that was per person, so my wife and I each got to use that separately. The only problem was that the company we used had limited customer service, unlike the online travel agencies.

The only issue I have is that I've taken too much time looking for the best price, and just 10 minutes later that great fare I was looking at just sold off the last seat at that price. One time I even went to the bathroom after having selected the flights directly with an airline, and in just that time someone else reserved the last seats at that price.

A lot of the places I travel are served by Southwest, so I'll look directly. They don't deal with any third parties, although I think physical travel agents can still book "paper tickets" with them.

And the really important thing to do is that after you make your reservation (especially with a third party) you need to confirm your flights directly with the airline. I've heard too many stories about where an online travel agency failed to pay the airline and it was cancelled. Many people only found that out once they tried to check in.

 

[AquamarineSteph]

Depending on the airline you want to use, you can get an idea of prices by checking Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, Google Flights, etc., but when it comes time to book your flight make sure that you book through the airline's website. If there is a problem with your reservation, you can handle it directly with the airline. If you book your flight through an online travel agent (Expedia, etc.) then you lose some control if something happens with your reservation.

I believe that Google Flights sends you directly to the airline's website to make your reservations, so if your airline is shown there that may be the simplest option.

 

[sonnyjane]

If you’re looking st Southwest, you have to book directly with Southwest.

 

[MillauFr]

Only book airlines flights directly with the airline your are flying. Our newspaper travel section is filled with complaints from airline travelers. 95% of the complaints are from people who booked through 3rd party sites. The airline and the 3rd party site just claim the other is a fault when something goes wrong.

 

[Poohforyou]

I usually check out kayak and then go to individual airline sites. Southwest doesn't come up on kayak so I check that as well.

 

[duketennisgal]

The same as everybody else, I check multiple sights like google flights, expedia, etc. but I always book directly through the airline, the price is usually the same. My favorite flight search engine is hipmunk, I have several alerts set up and last year it saved me almost $900 on two flights to Europe. I was actively searching for a flight into Budapest and out of Prague from my home airport. Those flights were consistently around $1200 so I set up a fare alert on hipmunk. One day they dropped to $767 dollars and I jumped on them immediately, the very next day they went back up to $1200 and never came back down.

 

[bcla]

If you’re looking st Southwest, you have to book directly with Southwest.

Some travel agents can book Southwest flights, but many choose not to do so. They absolutely don’t deal with online travel agencies.

 

[rwdavis2]

Directly with the airline or a reputable and non-internet travel agent. With the online sites if something goes wrong they point fingers at the airline and the airlines does it back. The most consistently bad I've read about is Expedia.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I've only used Expedia & it was years ago

I monitor Kayak as well as Expedia. Once I've got it narrowed down, I also check directly on the airline website.

 

[Kitty 34]

I've always used Expedia and my experiences with booking thru them have always been "no problem".

 

[shelemm]

Nowadays almost everyone uses a 'third-party' site so you can compare all your options. Not all will offer the same flight times. I have used many different ones depending on the results I get. I've never had a problem, but I've also booked direct from an airline when it looks like there is a sale going on.

 

[CynBeth]

Only book airlines flights directly with the airline your are flying. Our newspaper travel section is filled with complaints from airline travelers. 95% of the complaints are from people who booked through 3rd party sites. The airline and the 3rd party site just claim the other is a fault when something goes wrong.

Sounds just like our newspaper.

 

[dish rag]

I just booked some today for next week and do several times per month. We always go to the airline web site see what they have time wise and book it that way.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I usually check out kayak and then go to individual airline sites. Southwest doesn't come up on kayak so I check that as well.

If the price you like is through the airline's own website, clicking through directly from kayak.com is appreciated (by them, I have zero connection)

 

[jaiminee krikit]

I typically purchase directly through Southwest. The one time I didn't, we purchased our flights through Princess Cruises (it was cheaper than directly through United and AA).