Finding a flight online can be a little overwhelming. There are numerous variables, including dates, times, cost, fare class, airline, and others. Where should you look for the lowest price, if you know exactly when and where you want to fly?
Sadly, no website consistently offers the best deals. Although the prices of the majority of well-known OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) are typically comparable, not all of them provide the same advantages or search capabilities.
To compare prices and show you each site’s advantages and disadvantages, we combed through a large number of well-known OTAs.
Direct Booking on the Airline’s Website
The majority of the time, booking directly through the airline’s website will result in the best price, or at the very least, a price that is comparable to OTAs.
You must make direct reservations because some airlines, like Southwest, won’t even appear on search engines like Expedia or Orbitz. It might also be the simplest way to make a reservation. You don’t need to deal with a third party to solve a problem if one arises.
Using frequent flyer miles to book directly through an airline’s website is another benefit — hurray for award travel!
Naturally, you must first determine which airline offers the best deals in order to make a reservation through the airline’s website. You can use a variety of OTAs and travel search engines to find the best offers so you can choose which airline’s website to visit. Some OTAs even provide benefits that might encourage customers to book elsewhere in addition to the airline’s website.
Kayak
Kayak is a travel search engine, not an OTA. In addition, it’s a great place to start since it’s a search engine.
You can easily see where the cheapest options are thanks to the website’s comparison of prices from numerous websites in one location. You’ll usually end up clicking through to another website to complete your booking.
The Kayak Hacker Fares are an excellent way to reduce the cost of your flight. These itineraries are made by combining 2 one-way tickets (typically on different airlines) rather than 1 round-trip ticket. These can be excellent offers that don’t always show up in search results on other websites.
Pros and Cons of Kayak
Pros:
- Kayak Hacker Fares
- Price Alerts to keep an eye on flight prices
Cons:
When your travel plans are very flexible, Kayak is the best option; however, since many of its most useful tools allow you to search for deals, this website might not be as appealing when you have a specific flight in mind.
Momondo
Similar to Kayak, Momondo is a travel metasearch engine. You can enter your travel information in the straightforward search box that is displayed on the homepage.
The visual way this site displays the price trends for your flight is one of our favorite features. You can tell right away if you could save some money by rearranging your travel dates. On the left side of the screen, there are numerous filtering options as well as a price tracker.
Additionally, it offers “Hacker Fares,” which are just two one-way tickets from various providers combined to give you the best price. To book these tickets, however, you do need to visit 2 different websites, unlike other websites.
Pros and Cons of Momondo
Pros:
- Great price tracking tools.
Cons:
- Mix and Match fares require you to make 2 separate reservations; this is usually handled “behind the scenes” on other websites.
Expedia
People have been using Expedia, another tried-and-true OTA, since the 1990s. Expedia was the go-to site for finding and booking flights back then. How does it fare now, though?
If you book through Expedia, you won’t necessarily get a better deal than you would on the airline’s website, but you won’t pay any more either.
Utilizing Expedia has some nice benefits, including a rewards program. Unfortunately, there is less opportunity for profit from flights than there is from lodging, transportation, cruises, activities, and vacation packages.
Although you can accrue miles for a flight booked through Expedia, you more often can’t do so in order to advance in status. Additionally, you might not be qualified for seat upgrades.
Pros and Cons of Expedia
Pros:
- Expedia Rewards (although the earning potential is better on hotels, cars, packages, activities, and cruises than it is on flights)
Cons:
- Booking through Expedia may limit your mileage earned toward elite status
- Your ability to be eligible for upgrades can be limited when you book through Expedia
Orbitz
Orbitz is another reliable OTA that has been around since 2001. One thing that makes this site a little different is that it offers its own rewards program called Orbitz Rewards. You can earn Orbucks when you book hotels, flights, and vacation packages through Orbitz. However, you can only redeem Orbucks for hotels.
When booking a flight through Orbitz, you’ll earn 1% of your purchase price back as Orbucks (or 2% if you use the Orbitz mobile app). If you book a $500 flight, you will earn 5 Orbucks, which is worth $5 toward a hotel booking. Joining the Orbitz Rewards program is free.
Unfortunately, Orbitz sometimes charges a 1% booking fee. Keep an eye out for these on your trip summary page before finalizing your purchase and factor them into your calculations to see if you’re getting a good deal or not. While earning Orbucks is great, paying a booking fee could wipe out all of the benefits.
Pros and Cons of Orbitz
Pros:
- Orbitz Rewards lets you earn Orbucks that can be applied to hotel bookings
- 24-hour cancellation policy
- Low Price Guarantee: if you find a lower price for your flight on another website within 24 hours, Orbitz will refund the difference
Cons:
Priceline
Priceline is a popular OTA that introduced the Name Your Own Price tool and opaque bookings. These types of bookings can offer discounts, but many of the details are hidden until after the booking. The Name Your Own Price tool was discontinued for flights in 2016, so now Priceline operates like most other OTAs out there.
One of the nice things about searching for flights on Priceline is that it has a nice color-coded calendar so you can easily see which days offer the lowest prices.
The search results on Priceline are clear and easy to navigate. If you have some flexibility in your travel dates, check out the cheaper options right above your search results. Then you can scroll to easily see the cheapest nonstop options and things like flights with no change fees or early bird flights.
Another way to save money is by looking at Priceline’s Express Deals. These “opaque bookings” are ones in which select details of the flight like the departure and arrival times and even the airline are hidden until the booking is complete.
Pros and Cons of Priceline
Pros:
- Express Deal flights can offer a good discount if you have some flexibility; many of the details of the flight, including airline and arrival and departure times, are hidden until the booking is complete
- Color-coded calendar and easy-to-read search results
- Price Match Guarantee
- Free online cancellation within 24 hours of booking (except for Express Deal flights)
Cons:
- No rewards program
- Express Deal flights can be good deals, but they can sometimes be even more expensive than a standard booking
Agoda
Agoda is an OTA owned by Priceline. This website doesn’t offer much more than a simple search with limited filter options when looking for flights. If you’re looking for unique accommodations such as an apartment or private villa, Agoda is worth checking out, but it doesn’t offer much when searching for flights.
One cool thing about Agoda is that the site is multilingual. You can select your language by clicking on the flag in the top menu bar.
Pros and Cons of Agoda
Pros:
- Simple search functionality.
- Multilingual option.
Cons:
- Limited filtering options for flights.
Hotwire
Hotwire is a popular OTA that has been around for almost 20 years.
The simple home page offers the main search box to input your departure and arrival cities as well as your desired dates of travel. You will need to click on the third tab in the main search box to access the flight search.
Hotwire can offer a great deal when booking a hotel along with your flight. Many times during the booking process, you’ll see pop-ups or prompts advertising great savings when booking a hotel at the same time. We tested it, and every time we priced out a Hotwire vacation package deal against purchasing a flight and hotel separately, the package deal was cheaper.
When searching for your flight, you might come across a Hot Rate flight. These are flights in which the exact times, number of stops, and carriers are hidden until after your purchase is complete. These require a fairly large amount of flexibility and we found the price difference to be as little as $20. It can sometimes offer a great deal, but many times, there isn’t much savings.
One other thing to keep in mind when using Hotwire to find great flight deals is that sometimes, sometimes a booking fee will be charged.
Pros and Cons of Hotwire
Pros:
- Package deals that include a hotel stay can save money.
- 24-hour cancellation policy.
- Low Price Guarantee.
Cons:
Skyscanner
Skyscanner is another travel search engine that does not sell flights directly. It shows you a list of flights and links to the airline’s website or OTA to complete the purchase.
This site excels for travelers with flexibility. In the search box, you can select Everywhere to search for the cheapest destinations on your chosen dates.
If you have a set destination with specific dates, Skyscanner operates like most other travel search sites.
Pros and Cons of Skyscanner
Pros:
- Flexible searches.
- Easy to change language and currency.
- Price alerts.
Cons:
- There isn’t much that makes this site unique; all of the features offered are available on other sites.
Travelocity
Travelocity is yet another OTA that has been around for a while and is very similar to the other websites we’ve been looking at.
On the plus side, there are some nice filtering options to help you find the best flight for your needs. On the downside, prices can change between selection and booking. We did a dummy booking and by the time we got to the payment section, the flight price had gone up from $157 to $338!
Much like other online travel agencies, Travelocity also can charge booking fees, so keep an eye out for those in the payment section of the booking process.
Pros and Cons of Travelocity
Pros:
- Price Guarantee: If you find a lower price on an identical itinerary within 24 hours, Travelocity will refund the difference in price.
- Free cancellation on flights within 24 hours of booking (on most airlines).
Cons:
- Travelocity sometimes charges a booking fee.
- Prices can change between flight selection and payment.
FAQs
Where can I find cheap flights?
Where can I book cheap flight tickets?
How can I get cheap flight tickets?
How do I find the cheapest fares?
Which airlines have cheapest tickets?
What is the cheapest day to book a flight?
Why is Skyscanner so cheap?
Are flight prices lower on Tuesdays?
Do flights get more expensive at night?
How can I get cheap weekend flights?
What airlines offer $49 flights?
Where is the cheapest place to fly in the US?
What is the cheapest airline in the world?