lizzard

When you have only one choice for an airline (in my case, Alaska is the only non-stop carrier between San Diego and Portland, OR), is there much you can do aside from shopping directly with that carrier (i.e, is it possible to find better fares outside of the airline's websitef)?

Thanks, from a novice plane ticket buyer.

jlm_mi

Yes, it's still possible to find better fares through sites such as travelocity. I recently flew Independence Air and got a price that was $40 cheaper from travelocity than if I had booked directly through the airline. Exact same flights.

kalunchi

it's very rare, i've never seen a third party selling cheaper than the airline. maybe last minute deals? most airlines now offer a reward if you can find the same exact flight at another website for $5 cheaper. But I'm sure ppl get lucky, like with glitches.

mclaurie

I agree it's rare to find a fare from a 3rd party better than from the airline themselves BUT, sometimes the airline's best fare for you may not be apparent. If you're entitled to a senior discount or are a frequent flyer, it's worth phoning them to check whether there's anything better than what you might see on the web. You could also try checking websites like
mobissimo.com and
http://www.itasoftware.com/

The savings for taking a connecting flight might be so large, you might be tempted

lizzard

Thanks for the quick response!

The savings for taking a connecting flight might be so large, you might be tempted

Yes, there's always Southwest, but that stopover in the Bay Area makes an easy 2 1/2 flight into a 6+ hour ordeal!

sunbum1944

I think Southwest has a non stop between Portland and SD - or maybe its a stop without changing planes -
I fly that route frequently and usually Southwest has the best fares

mclaurie

I see pretty cheap fares on Alaska Air in May ($223 and less).