Dealing with Orbitz?
 

Have most people on this board found orbitz to be a reputable company, and are they easy to deal with. Also, if I book a ticket through orbitz can I get seat assignments ahead of time? Thanks in advance.

Hi: I used orbitz to purchase a ticket to New Orleans from NYC for the July 4th weekend. I brought the ticket back in Feb. I like the way the site is set up. It's easy to read and it gives you a breakdown across the top of the screen of airlines, cost and stops. You make your choice form there.<BR><BR>They have e-mailed me with changes to my flight and customer service seems to be okay. You might want to call & ask cusomer service about the seat assignment thing.<BR><BR>Good luck.

ORBITZ is probably the easiest to use of the biggies. As mentioned, they keep you posted on changes. They organize all of your current and past trips arranged through them. And I will tell you this, although I do not suggest you try it: I purchased a ticket thru ORBITZ and a few days later realized I could not go. They actually gave me a REFUND credited back to my credit card, on a non-refundable ticket. I know this is not their policy. But something I said must have ignited a spark. I have nothing but the highest respect for this outfit - and the way they list the airlines/flights by price is the best I've seen. And if you advise them on seats, they do that for you. And it is so easy to purchase tickest for thrid parties over Orbitz. You can feel confident your dealings with them will be good.

I also have had excellent service from Orbitz. Last fall I had purchased tickets through Orbitz on Sabena Airlines. Sabena ended up filing bankruptcy, and Orbitz kept me informed. I had to buy other tickets on Swiss Air, however, Orbitz did two things for me -- refunded me in full for the Sabena tickets, and then sold me tickets on Swiss Air for the same price that I had purchased the Sabena tickets for. Others got stuck holding Sabena tickets, but I was very lucky, and received a credit to my credit card within 7 days. I've used Orbitz many time since for airline tickets, and have always found Orbitz to have the best prices (and that is having searched many other consolidators and the airline websites). Also, Orbitz has very good customer support, however, it can take awhile to speak to a real person when their lines are busy. But, the customer service employees also return telephone calls. <BR><BR>Also through Orbitz you do get your choice of a seat assignment (if the airline allows it in advance), but only the choice of aisle, center or window. You can make meal selections and you also get frequent flier miles.

Something else to mention about the seat assignments -- if you don't like the one you have, call the airline 15-30 minutes after you get confirmation from Orbitz and change it directly with the airline.

If you are concerned about buying on Orbitz, get the info from Orbitz and them go directly to the airline website and purchase it there instead.

I find Orbitz most useful in getting a general idea of fares; when I find a good fare there, I go directly to that airline's site and try to book there instead. Orbitz adds a $10 fee per ticket, so you can often do better at the airline's site. Most recently I found a non-stop flight from Seattle to JFK on Orbitz for $235 RT (Delta) -- I went to Delta's site and booked the exact same flight for $225, PLUS I was able to choose my seats from their layout section. Saved $20 and had no problems with my tickets.

In my personal experience, Orbitz has always been one of the most reliable ways to get a ticket. I think the lay out is really user friendly and I feel like I can always get the best deals there. <BR><BR>Now personally, I don't mind paying the Orbitz fee. They give me good services in return. I'm a big fan of convenience.

For the most part, I've found Orbitz to be fine. However, I booked a flight to Ireland that connected through London on Orbitz. When I got to the airport, the desk agent told me that he couldn't ticket me all of the way through because "your travel agent screwed up". So it was a big hassle at Heathrow, when we had to stand in another line and almost miss our connection to Belfast. So I'm leary of booking any more international flights with them.<BR><BR>But I haven't had any problems internally.

I too have had good luck with Orbitz. I have come to use Orbitz and Hotwire almost exclusively for all my travel needs and never a problem. As for seating, I usually just call the airline directly to work that out. Laura

My family of 4 flew to PHX from from OH at Christmas. We used Orbitz and were VERY pleased with the results. I would not hesitate to order my tickets through them again... if they were the lowest price I could find!(smile)