Booking a Flight from New York to San Francisco Online. But Where Online?

by Iva Skoch Aug 9th 2007 @ 2:03PM

I used to be a big fan of buying tickets on travel websites such as Expedia.com, Travelocity.com, Orbitz.com but lately, I found that it is often cheaper to buy them directly through the airlines's websites. Have we come a full circle?

I picked a random date--a long weekend Sept.13-17 from New York to San Francisco--to see what rates would come back.

A sample of a few direct flights:

United: $303 on Expedia, $298 on United.com
Continental: $357 on Expedia, $352 on Continental.com
Delta: $303 on Expedia, $358 on Delta.com
Alaska: $343 on Expedia, $498 on Alaskaair.com (hello!)

OK, so it's a mixed bag. I have to say though that I have yet to find a flight that is cheaper on Expedia or Travelocity than it is on Continental.com. Their website is really good, I think. It is comforting to know that airlines are starting to understand how to use the Internet to their--and our--advantage.

I now use kayak.com to see the best rates and then book directly on the airlines' sites. Plus, I get extra miles for booking online. Expedia, be worried!

Filed under: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America, United States, Airlines

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Aug 9th 2007 @ 2:35PM

John said...

Booking directly (even online) from the airline seems to be the best (and safe) practice. Even USAnews recommend that: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/articles/070530/30travel.readertips.htm .

Nowadays I use online travel sites only to search because my last trip using expedia was a disaster: http://www.victimsofexpedia.com/mycase.htm .I cannot trust them or other "reputable" travel site. They have a lot of complaints too.
Actually, booking directly with the airline is a little bit cheaper too.

Aug 9th 2007 @ 4:23PM

bob arctor said...

I also find myself booking direct with airlines more and more these days. A great resource is ITA Software's search engine (they develop the tools that major airlines and fare aggregators use). They allow the public to use their tools so that they can refine their product. It's not that pretty but extremely powerful. The pull results from Orbitz, etc. and the airlines directly. They provide all the fare codes so that you can also work with a travel agent or airline on the phone to get the best possible prices. Also great for consolidator fares, mileage runs, etc... Check it out here:

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

Aug 13th 2007 @ 11:37AM

Taylor said...

Usually the individual airlines' websites will offer slightly cheaper fares, if even you're just avoiding the $5-10 fees charged by Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, and others.

However, with tickets to Europe these third party sights will sometimes return cheaper fares as they incorporate codeshares to avoid part of the fuel surcharge.

And FYI, Hotwire has eliminated service charges for booking on their website for the time being.