WA727 From United States, joined Feb 2005, 171 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (4 years 6 months 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 1502 times:
Directly through the airline's website. On rare exceptions, I'll use a third party booking agent like Travelocity, but that's only if it's under two weeks in advance.
ACdreamliner From United Kingdom (England), joined May 2005, 448 posts, RR: 1 Reply 2, posted (4 years 6 months 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 1501 times:
i normally use the website for low-cost, and Expedia for Long Haul
Flown: A320/A321/B732/B733/B734/B735/B737/B752/B753/B762/L1011-5/D8-Q4/ERJ195. Next Up: VS B744
PlymSpotter From Spain, joined Jun 2004, 7984 posts, RR: 66 Reply 5, posted (4 years 6 months 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 1491 times:
Whichever is cheaper, once I know the flights I want to be on I'll check prices on several websites and also direct with the airline. Last time I did this it saved me over £100 per ticket and that was just for an inter European flight!
Leskova From Germany, joined Oct 2003, 6075 posts, RR: 82 Reply 7, posted (4 years 6 months 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 1479 times:
Depends on the airline - sometimes I'll book my flights in Sabre, sometimes I'll book them in Amadeus, occasionally I've booked my flights in Galileo or Worldspan...
Haven't booked anything through an airline-website or things like Expedia - at best, they matched the fares that I found for myself, but usually they're more expensive... and I simply prefer having the complete control over the PNRs of my own flights.
Sabena332 From Germany, joined May 2001, 14294 posts, RR: 100 Reply 8, posted (4 years 6 months 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 1474 times:
Quoting Leskova (Reply 7): Depends on the airline - sometimes I'll book my flights in Sabre, sometimes I'll book them in Amadeus, occasionally I've booked my flights in Galileo or Worldspan...
Ah, the advantages of being a travel agent.
For me: Usually I search on several travel websites as well as on several airline websites for the cheapest fare, then I book via the cheapest website.
ACdreamliner From United Kingdom (England), joined May 2005, 448 posts, RR: 1 Reply 9, posted (4 years 6 months 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 1473 times:
Quoting PlymSpotter (Reply 5): PlymSpotter From United Kingdom, joined Jun 2004, 510 posts, RR: 2
Reply 5, posted Fri Jun 3 2005 21:31:21 UTC+2 and read 18 times:
Whichever is cheaper, once I know the flights I want to be on I'll check prices on several websites and also direct with the airline. Last time I did this it saved me over £100 per ticket and that was just for an inter European flight!
Dan
ditto
Flown: A320/A321/B732/B733/B734/B735/B737/B752/B753/B762/L1011-5/D8-Q4/ERJ195. Next Up: VS B744
UAalltheway From United States, joined Mar 2005, 1413 posts, RR: 15 Reply 10, posted (4 years 6 months 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 1464 times:
I just booked a ticket on Orbitz about 2 minutes ago from JAX to JFK and back. I've always used Orbitz. Often times they have cheaper prices than the airline themselves.
JGPH1A From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 13, posted (4 years 6 months 4 hours ago) and read 1415 times:
For LCC's, their own websites obviously.
For anything else Opodo for preference (they book via Amadeus so I have full access to my PNR for adding FQTV, seat requests etc), but if the fare is lower, I use expedia.fr. I do a low fare search on 1A first, to see what possibilities exist, then I look around at who can price them the lowest for me.
For US domestic I always check out Orbitz, just in case, but they aren't so very fabulous these days - I can usually get what I want cheaper on Opodo or expedia, or the airline's own website.
Quoting Leskova (Reply 7): and I simply prefer having the complete control over the PNRs of my own flights.
Very true ! I can book via 1A but I can't issue the tickets, so if Opodo can't find the same low fare that I manage, I have to get the friendly neighbourhood travel to ticket the booking - they usually don't mind though.
JetBlueAtJFK From United States, joined Jan 2005, 1684 posts, RR: 10 Reply 15, posted (4 years 5 months 4 weeks 1 day 19 hours ago) and read 1398 times:
I have booked on the airline's website for shorter trips but for my trip to London I used Orbitz. But I mostly fly shorter routes so I normally go to the airlines website. I also check the flight on Orbitz to see the aircraft type.
Ozvirginuk From Australia, joined Jan 2005, 365 posts, RR: 8 Reply 17, posted (4 years 5 months 4 weeks 17 hours ago) and read 1363 times:
Before working for an airline, I used to book directly through UA's call centre (the one in Ireland where NO-ONE speaks a work of fluent English!) because I am Mileage Plus Premier Executive member, and they could do my mileage bookings and stuff. I have also, in the past been a fan of www.expedia.co.uk as they offer good fares (usually)
Now that I work for an airline, I book through staff travel to use my concessions.
Freedomtofly From United States, joined Apr 2005, 750 posts, RR: 8 Reply 19, posted (4 years 5 months 4 weeks 12 hours ago) and read 1350 times:
I love expedia.com now, but a year or two ago I used travelocity.com. On some occasions I will use the airline's website, usually I book UA flights on united.com.
Vatveng From United States, joined Jan 2004, 773 posts, RR: 1 Reply 20, posted (4 years 5 months 4 weeks 12 hours ago) and read 1345 times:
The last time I used Travelocity, it was an outright disaster. Thanks to them, I use the travel websites (expedia, cheaptickets, orbitz) as search engines only, then go to the airline's website and book it there, so I know that the flight is ACTUALLY booked and I don't end up with bogus tickets.
JGPH1A From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 22, posted (4 years 5 months 4 weeks 7 hours ago) and read 1330 times:
Quoting Vatveng (Reply 20): so I know that the flight is ACTUALLY booked and I don't end up with bogus tickets.
Good point. ALWAYS phone the airline to check they ACTUALLY HAVE your booking and get a record locator from them. The website/GDS record locator is in most cases worse than useless.
One of our instructors used to say that the airline's most profitable agent was IBE - the internet booking engine. It could work 24/7, and wouldn't take long coffee breaks, call in sick, or ask for a raise. Of course, we proved him wrong when the website went kaputt for the Christmas special offers and all sales went to the call center...
PITA333 From United States, joined Mar 2005, 370 posts, RR: 4 Reply 25, posted (4 years 5 months 3 weeks 6 days 21 hours ago) and read 1311 times:
I do it direct over the airline's web site .
DAC from PIT and MKE
26 Bluejackets: I usually compare the airline's website with Orbitz.com. Most of the time, you can find the lowest fares for each airline on specific route on Orbitz,
27 Hawk44: It depends if I plan on going on B6 I do it on their website. If I plan on going on another carrier I usually will check the prices on orbitz. Hawk44
28 Cactus739: I do it directly through the airlines websites.
29 BigGSFO: For work related travel, my company's corporate travel website. For personal, the airline's website.
30 IslipWN: Travel Agent when I fly international and the airline's website when I fly domestically. Joe
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