Finding a flight can be a difficult challenge. Dates, times, price, fare class, airline, and other factors must all be considered. Even if you know when and where you want to fly, where should you look for the best deal?
Unfortunately, no website always has the best prices. Most popular OTAs are typically priced similarly, but not all provide the same benefits or search functionality.
We scoured many popular OTAs to compare prices and show each site’s advantages and disadvantages.
Flights Booking Directly on the Airline’s Website
Of course, to book through the airline’s website, you must determine which airline has the best prices. There are multiple journey tracking engines and online journey agencies (OTAs). All can help you find the best deals and decide which airline’s website to visit. Some OTAs even provide benefits that make flight booking other than the airline’s website worthwhile. Let’s enjoy your travel services; even if you can use Aviasales Coupon Code, you will find great offers and more discounts.
1. Momondo
Momondo is a travel search engine like Kayak. The home page includes a simple search box where you can enter your travel information. One of the favourite features of this site is the visual representation of price trends for your flight. At first glance, you can tell if you could save money by rescheduling your travel dates.
It also provides Hacker Fares, two one-way tickets from different providers combined to get you the best deal. However, unlike other sites, you must book these types of visas through two different websites.
2. Kayak
Kayak is not an OTA; it is a journey search machine. The website compares prices from numerous websites in a single location, allowing you to identify the most affordable options quickly. Most of the time, it will direct you to a different website to complete your reservation. And, because it’s a search engine, it’s a great place to start.
Kayak hacker fares are an excellent way to reduce your flight booking cost. These are itineraries created by combining two one-way tickets instead of a round-trip ticket on the same airline. These can be pretty good deals and don’t always appear in other websites’ search results.
3. Expedia
Expedia is another well-known OTA that has been in operation since the 1990s. Expedia was a go-to site for flight booking back then. But how does it now stand?
In terms of price, you’re not necessarily getting a better deal when you book through Expedia, but you’re also not paying any more than you would on the airline’s website.
Expedia has a rewards programme, which is a nice feature. Unfortunately, earning potential for flight booking is lower than booking hotels, car rentals, cruises, activities, and vacation packages. While you can earn miles on Expedia flight booking, you won’t always be able to earn miles toward status. You may also be ineligible for seat upgrades.
4. Priceline
Priceline is a well-known online travel agency introducing the name of your price tool and opaque bookings. These types of bookings may offer discounts, but many details are not revealed until after the booking is made. Because the name-your-own price tool for flight booking was discontinued in 2016, Priceline now operates similarly to most other OTAs.
Priceline’s search results are clear and straightforward to use. It has a colour-coded calendar that shows you which days have the best deals. If your travel dates are flexible, look at the cheaper options directly above your search results. Then you can quickly scroll to see the most affordable nonstop options and things like no change fees for flight booking.
5. Orbitz
Orbitz is another trustworthy OTA that has been in business since 2001. The Orbitz Rewards programme is one feature that sets this website apart. When you book hotels, flights, and vacation packages through Orbitz, you can earn Orbucks. However, Orbucks can only be redeemed for hotels. When you book a flight through Orbitz, you will receive 1% of the purchase price back as Orbucks. Securing a $500 getaway will receive 5 Orbucks, equivalent to $5 off a hotel reservation. It is entirely free to join the Orbitz Rewards programme.
While earning Orbucks is fantastic, paying a booking fee may negate all of your gains. Unfortunately, Orbitz charges a 1% booking fee on occasion. Before you finalize your purchase, keep an eye out for these on your trip summary page and factor them into your calculations to see if you’re getting a good deal or not.
6. Agoda
Priceline owns Agoda, an online travel agency. This website provides little more than a simple search with limited filter options when looking for flight booking. If you’re looking for something different, like an apartment or a private villa, Agoda is worth a look. It doesn’t have much to offer when it comes to flight booking. You can easily change the language by clicking on the flag in the top menu bar.
7. Hotwire
Hotwire is a well-known online travel agency that has been in business for nearly two decades. The simple home page includes the main search box where you can enter your departure and arrival cities and the dates you want to travel. To access the flight search, navigate to the third tab in the main search box.
When booking a hotel along with your flight, Hotwire can provide a great deal. When looking for flight booking, you might come across a low-cost flight. These are flights where the exact times, number of stops, and carriers are not revealed until you have completed your purchase. Another thing to remember when using Hotwire to find great flight deals is that a booking fee may be applied.
8. Skyscanner
Skyscanner is a well-known travel search engine and does not sell flights directly. It displays a list of flights and links to the airline’s or OTA’s website to complete the purchase.
This website is ideal for flexible travellers. Skyscanner works similarly to most other travel search sites if you have a specific destination and dates. Select Everywhere in the search box to find the cheapest destinations on your desired dates.
9. Travelocity
Travelocity is another long-standing OTA very similar to the other websites. On the negative side, prices can fluctuate between selection and booking. There are some useful filtering options to assist you in finding the best flight for your requirements.
Travelocity, like other online travel agencies, may charge booking fees, so look for them in the payment section of the booking process.
10. Google Flights
Google Flights is not an online travel agency. It is a powerful search engine based on the ITA Matrix, initially designed for travel agents. It functions similarly to Kayak as a travel search engine. When you find a flight that interests you, Google Flights booking will direct you to the airline’s direct website to complete your purchase.
This website displays price trends and how your travel date may affect the cost of your ticket. It also allows you to track the prices of a route so you can take advantage of low prices when they appear. These features make Google Flights an excellent tool for ensuring that your price is reasonable.
11. CheapOair
CheapOair is an online travel agency that also has a credit card. Before applying for the card, you should consider getting a better travel rewards credit card for more flexible travel rewards. This website may not be as inexpensive as you think. CheapOair is because it can charge exorbitant agency fees. For most flights booking, this can cost up to $35. However, if you read the fine print, you’ll discover they can be as much as $200 per ticket.
12. Hopper
Hopper is an app that predicts the best time to purchase a flight. It claims that you can save up to 40% on flight booking by using its app. The easy-to-use interface and colour-coded map show you the cheapest and most expensive times to fly to your desired location.