elvis957

Do the discount fare sites really save $$ over purchasing them through the airline? How difficult is it to change a schedule once the ticket is bought? Pentalities? My family are planning a trip to Ohau this summer but a family situation may possibly require us to change our flight date but I don't want to wait to the last minute to book a flight. Thanks

pat

I just used orbitz for the first time, and the secret is to keep checking the dates you want, unti you get an idea of the rates, then grab it when a good fare shows up. My fare dropped significantly. Tuesday evening seems to be the best time. You should also track the airline sites for fares. They usually go down on Tuesday too. The problem with orbitz, and I`m sure the rest of them also, is there is a $100 penalty to change tickets. If you don`t know for sure when you are going, then don`t go with one of those sites. You might try downloading www.sidestep.com. Then everytime you use one of those sites, sidestep comes up with a comparison on the left hand side of your screen. I saw a good fare, on sidestep, then called the airline direct and got the fare that way. Too chancy to use orbitz, et all, if you aren`t sure when you are really going. The reason I used orbitz is because I did a mult city trip with more than one airline, so it was easier for me, than trying to get a good deal on different segments on 2 different airlines.

Lee4

If you book with Priceline, there is no re-booking, as far as I know. The thing with priceline is that once you bid and win, you have purchased that particular item (plane ticket, hotel room, or rental car) and it's paid for whether you use it or not. They say they do not give refunds. I have never used hotwire for plane tickets, but I recall that their policy is similiar. I do believe both have travel insurance options, but I don't know what they cover.

As far as buying tickets through orbitz, I believe that they are nonrefundable but you can probably pay the $100 change fee that the airlines charge to change your ticket dates. Depending on when you want to change the dates to, you may end up having to pay even more money to get the new dates you want.

I think that if you use the airlines directly to buy your tickets, you have a refundable ticket option. I'm guessing this cost much more but it might be worth it b/c of your family situation. Good luck figuring it all out.

caribtraveler

i use orbitz to check out which airline has the best price. then i go to the airline's website and purchase the ticket through them to avoid the orbitz fee (which i think is about $10 per ticket). the cheap flights are always non-refundable. you are allowed to change the itinerary FOR A FEE. i had to change a flight recently with continental..the penalty fee was $100 per ticket. i don't know if the penalty fee is the same for all airlines.

Mommar

Yep, just got burned by the Orbitz fee. We booked in midsummer, now need to cancel one ticket in my daughter's name. The fee is $100 to the airline, plus $30 to Orbitz. The remaining amount is credited to my Orbitz account but must be used within 1 year of when we ticketed (so 8 months left) and the name on the ticket (and this is wierd) must be my daughter's (a minor child). Doubt I would use them again unless closer to the travel date and less likely to make any changes.

halbo49

I Used Orbiz and several other sites to track prices for a family trip this June.
I then called American Airlines and they matched my best prices and gave me my seat assingments before I hung up.
I saved $50 in fees.
This may not always be the case ,but it worked for me .

Andrew

I usually use Orbitz to check fares then book directly myself, but for my December holiday trip, Orbitz listed a fare and flight combination on United that I could not get via United.com . I may even have called United and asked for a fare. I tried this for several days before finally booking it on Orbitz. I did not have to cancel or change my ticket via Orbitz, so I have no clue how that works.

Orbitz is owned by several of the major airlines; undoubtedly they are starting to offer some better deals via Orbitz that you wouldn't get on the airline web sites. That's to prevent people like me from doing what I usually do and actually buy with Orbitz.

Funny thing: Orbitz will now call your cell phone with flight updates during your travel days. I think their computer called my cell phone about eight times (I must have given them my cell number but never asked for these calls). In one case it was helpful - I got a heads-up that Chicago, my connecting city, was experiencing weather problems, and I got to the airport early enough to get put on a different flight through Dulles.

As for Priceline, go to BiddingForTravel.com and learn how to get the best Priceline airfare deals (hint: learn what "alternate airports" are). But Priceline apparently does not offer anything like the great deals they once offered for airline tickets.

Andrew

ww

Hotwire offered airline tickets that I couldn't get via United's own website (to the Big Island this summer). I checked a lot of travel websites first to see who offers the best price. I have also used Orbitz for other flights, also cheaper than I could get from the airlines' own websites. We have not had to cancel or change any of our flights....so far. Most deeply discounted fares do carry penalties or no refunds.
Try Hawaiian airlines, their website offers lower fares for the summer than most of the travel websites. Good luck.

flyfaraway

I always use Orbitz and never have had any trouble. I usually check all the websites for the best fares and end up booking a ticket through Orbitz b/c i get the cheapest fare. If you do change your ticket, it does cost $100--but you will find that with any online travel site. The good thing about these sites is that they give you different options where as if you go directly to the airlines website, you can only choose certain times and fares.