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-   -   Expedia is expensive. (https://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/expedia-is-expensive-155750/)

Susan Feb 6th, 2002 03:57 AM

Expedia is expensive.
 
Expedia is expensive ?

sister Feb 6th, 2002 04:12 AM

Expedia/Travelocity are all airline operated (American I think..)no better fares as if you were to call the airlines directly. You have just got to keep your eyes opened for good fares....fares can change several times a day. As the saying goes..snooze ya lose...if you see a low fare, grab it no matter who offers it. Also most on-line vendors now charge a service fee .anywhere from 5-10 dollars. Service fees are a fact of life no matter where you go.

me Feb 6th, 2002 04:32 AM

Try orbitz. I found them to have much better prices than expedia, travelocity or any of the others. But the poster above is right. When you see a good fare, grab it. Some seem to change almost daily.

Vic Feb 6th, 2002 04:36 AM

Expedia is owned by Microsoft, it's about to be sold.<BR><BR>Travelocity is owned by Sabre which is now independent from AA.<BR><BR>Orbitz is owned by a number of airlines.<BR><BR>Orbitz often has lower prices than the others. The airlines seem to be promoting the site quite aggressively.

Steve Feb 6th, 2002 04:37 AM

Sidestep and going to the airline's site work best for me.

Bill Feb 6th, 2002 04:43 AM

I agree with "Me" above - try Orbitz. If you compare Expedia or Travelocity with the airline website, you'll usually find them the same. However, at Orbitz you can get some actual bargains - for example, right now Orbitz is showing Philadelphia to San Francisco at $243 in March (USAir). However, when you go to the airline website, the same flight is $348. I used to use the search engines to find the best deal, then bought off the airline website, but now I use Orbitz. I used them for a trip 2 months ago, and no problems. A tip - they only allow a seat preference, not an advance assignment, but you can then call the airline and confirm the reservation and get a seat assignment. A warning - prices on Expedia etc. only change with airline changes, however with Orbitz a bargain can be there in the morning, gone in the afternoon, and (sometimes) back the next day.

klam Feb 6th, 2002 06:16 AM

I usually book with Orbitz too. I've been scanning for fares (BOS-LGA) for about 8 weeks now, and the fares went up $5 in the last week. I finally locked in today. (Paid $123 on Expedia today, but during Christmas week I paid $79 on Orbitz; I was hoping prices would drop...obviously no luck!) This time Orbitz was more expensive (by $5). As the other poster pointed out, you can get the same Expedia fare directly from the airline site, but Expedia does offer other benefits. I booked on Expedia because for most airports it offers two days free parking from the Park 'n Fly, plus a $4/day discount after the two days. For me that's a $38 saving. I agree with the others for sure: do your homework, so when you see something good, grab it!

jpm Feb 6th, 2002 06:28 AM

I've yet to purchase a fare from Orbitz but I check them everytime. So far Expedia seems to have the best prices (at least for the routes I fly). Saying that, I always check the airline's own websites, and several other places. I have never found cheaper prices by calling the airlines directly - usually find that I have more information that they do!<BR><BR>The key, as everyone knows, is too shop around. And hour of shopping can literally save you hundreds.<BR><BR>jpm

Suzie Feb 6th, 2002 07:11 AM

I've used expedia and saved quite a bit. I think that they are good for certtain bargains but as other posters have said you do have to shop around.

traveler Feb 6th, 2002 07:19 AM

No one mentioned hotel rates. They're high for both expedia and travelocity, unless you get a periodic package deal.<BR><BR>Recently, I got rates comparable to expedia's and travelocity's just by calling the hotels direct. And of course booking thru the Web sites means you're locked in, while if you call the hotel, they'll let you cancel right up to the day of your reservation.


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