online price differences
 

We're going to Scotland in Oct. '12. Watching airfare prices to Glasgow. Just curious about the difference in prices between kayak.com and cheapoair.com. Kayak's "low prices" are $350-$450 higher than cheapo, for the same itinerary and same airline-US Airways. How can that be? Is there a catch or some fine print I'm not seeing? Thanks for any info.

Cheapo sells consolidator fares which I do not believe Kayak does. Thus prices could be lower at the expense of terms and conditions. Also note many people are really enthralled with Cheapo's customer service. (CS not applicable for kayak)

I was ambiguous, sorry. Cheapo is a travel agency and sells tickets. Kayak only lists prices and flights but does not sell; they send you to the airline.

The difference is that Kayak lists total price. Cheapo lists the base fare plus fees but excludes taxes.

Thanks for the responses-sounds like I need to look at taxes. Any idea how I do that, or can I do that?

Thanks again for your help. Did a mock booking and with taxes and fees, Kayak's offering was $30 pp cheaper than cheapo's. Now I know what to look at and look for. For those of you experienced at fare watching, might the fares go down a little over the next few months? I'm not experienced enough to know what the trend is, or if there is a trend these days.

Use both a fair amout you need to book your ticket completely
out Cheapo give the illusion of being cheaper until you get
down to the final price where they bash you with the tax.
Still have gotten good deals on Cheapo they have agents discounts that Kayak does not sometimes especially for Biz
class Finnair NYC BKK $1100 BIZ class for me last pretty
awesome. So book the flight completely out through allthe
screens to see. Good luck!

farecompare.com good booking tips Tues afternoon best
All prices drop in late Jan wait if you can till then
southwest.com and spirit.com dirt cheapif going your way.

um - qwo, last I checked Southwest and Spirit didn't serve Scotland . . . ?

hi 1965,

Enjoy your trip to Scotland!

I have used Kayak, but only to search initial prices, because clicking just takes you to the source of the ticket, whether it's the airline direct or a place like Orbitz, Expedia, whatever. If the price has changed since entered at Kayak, I would see the actual current price (not always the same thing), so going direct to an airline's web site is what I do, once I know which one I'm considering.

For four trips to Scotland I have done one booking with Orbitz and three with the airlines direct. Once without going to the airline direct was enough because I almost did not get on the plane; my e-ticket through Orbitz had been lost. I made it on the plane only thanks to a considerate and hardworking ticket agent who kept digging until she found the number again! Orbitz only created a mess that wasn't necessary.

You asked about difference in prices and you've seen good answers: total price vs. price and more to show after you start getting interested.

This is an unsolicited opinion to go direct to an airline's web site once you've seen which ones go where you want to go. Yes, many people travel unhindered with buying a ticket not direct, but if you have any hassle on a trip of a lifetime, if you buy direct, then you can seek help direct!

True, unsolicited means you can ignore the advice, your prerogative :-) but a trip to Scotland is so special (witness the username) that I am hitting the submit button.

As NoFlyZone pointed out CheapO is a travel agency and sells tickets..........Kayak is only a search engine that will show you the prices offered at different websites~often including the airlines' own.

Wow-So much to learn, but sure glad to learn it. The very cheapest fare I'm seeing on both Kayak and Cheapo is the very same flight with U.S. Air. Sounds like I need to go directly to U.S. Air's website now and see what that flight looks like directly with them. Can't tell you all how much I appreciate your help. We usually travel with a tour group or cruise, and we've always let them arrange the flights for us. I'm kind of enjoying doing this myself. But I sure see how much there is to learn. THANK YOU EVERYONE!

Scotlib-Maybe you can tell us what to expect weatherwise in Linlithgow Oct. 6-13. I've done some searches, and I think it will be cool, but not terribly cold. We are from Texas, hate the Texas heat and humidity, and really enjoy cooler weather. Any idea about Scotland in early October? Thanks

"<i>Scotlib-Maybe you can tell us what to expect weatherwise in Linlithgow Oct. 6-13.</i>"

No one can possibly tell you. In fact, they won't be able to tell you if you ask again on Oct 2.

Could be lovely, could be awful, could be both on consecutive days. Plan for cool-ish, and pack layers.

Hi 1965,

My apologies for any confusion. I love! Scotland, thus the "scot" in scotlib, but I live in New England. Three trips so far to Scotland, hopefully 4th this spring.

Historical weather data can be found by searching http://www.wunderground.com/history/ These numbers are for Edinburgh's airport from last October: http://www.wunderground.com/history/...lyHistory.html

Those temps go all over the place day to day.

janisj has terrific advice for you .. layers!

Layers it is. Thanks scotlib and janisj.