Do discount airfare companies really offer lower prices? A person I know has been trying to find fares for a group of 10 adults to fly to/from Europe this summer. Tourist class tickets from Expedia et. al. were no cheaper than those obtainable directly from the airline.

It this usually true for summer air fares between the US and western Europe?

I know I have enjoyed very limited success finding lower fares this way.

The only thing to say is that it depends. Sometimes a cheap fare pops up briefly on Expedia (or other random site) for no apparent reason, and it's a case of blink and you'll miss it. But if such a fare does appear, there probably won't be 10 seats available at that price.

But the most common thing I see is that Expedia and the airline site are within a few dollars of each other.

I usually get better rates for groups from the airlines but you must contact the group reservations not regular reservations.

Sometimes I see a cheap fare pop up on Expedia and think it is a programming error because it's unusually low and then disappears.

Hi bob,

Yes, you do get cheaper flights.

It is still early for Summer fares.

I have had good results with http://airtravelcenter.com/onetrav.htm

They allow open-jaws.

For RT flights www.mobissimo.com is very good.

I'm not sure I understand the question. With ten traveling together, you (almost) HAVE to go through the "group desk" (with the major airlines) - and they are quite up front that individuals, or even smaller groups might be able to find cheaper sale fares. It's a little bit irrelevant - - if you're a centipede, is it really relevant if you can find a pair of shoes "here and there" which are cheaper than the quote for 50 pair you need? (unless having same itineraries isn't rally important to you).

Are you using th expression "discount airfare companies" to refer to a "major mainstream" (my expression, not an official term) ticket agncy like Expedia. They have SOME discounted web-only fares, but I do not think of those as their major "product line". Originally, Orbitz seemed to have a few more discounted web-only fares, but I haven't had that impression lately. On the other hand, I rarely shop for an airfare any more often than once a month these days (encompassing myself and my kids, I guess I bought or researched about 30 in 2004; and an unusually large fraction of these, about 6 or 8, were FF tickets, as we tried to drill down on our USAir account)

What route(s) are you trying to price, bob?

I wonder if others have other experiences with buying 10 or more tickets at once, or at least more recently (I haven't even attempted it since 2001).

Best wishes,

Rex

I think sites like Expedia are handy to discover which airlines go where you want to go, and to give you an idea of comparable prices on the various airlines, but having used their services, I usually go to the airline and get a slightly lower fare.

On those instances where the airline has not beaten or matched Expedia and its ilk, the supposedly lower fare is apparently for a very limited number of tickets (read: one), as when I go in to buy two tickets, they report that the fare has increased.

I've not shopped for a group larger than my small family, but if I were I would look at buying directly from an airline (their web sites that I have noted say you have to call for groups) or from a charter service. If I called the airline, I would point out that we were bringing a lot of business their way, and ask for seats all together in the best part of the cabin (not all seats are identical; Seatguru.com has some very useful information if you know what airline and which configuration of the plane you will be on), and perhaps a break on the price. In tourist they have a number of types of tickets at varying prices, and if they are a few short of the type you want, I can't help but think that a canny representative, or supervisor, wouldn't make some adjustments to sell a big bloc of tickets.

I don't think you would have much chance of doing well with the promotional sales that crop up; usually they sound great, but the number of seats available is really limited. Of course, five on sale and five at regular price, on average, could be a good deal.

Hi everyone,
I am following every airfare thread that comes on the forum and have been for a while! I was just about to post my concerns about the lack of price reductions in the fares to London for the upcoming summer. I check every day for flights out of DC and haven't seen anything go below 700pp in June. I am starting to get worried that we won't be able to go due to the costs of airline tickets. Ira, it is comforting to read your reply about it being too early for summer sales. And that is a new website I will look into. I hope if any of us "summer wannatravels" see a good rate, we can network and let each other know about it. Let's all keep our fingers crossed!

I would go to my local travel agency and request CONSOLIDATOR airfares which are cheaper and can be purchased about 4 monthes ahead of time...